People News

'Sedation drugs found' at Jackson's house

Jul 1, 2009, 10:08 GMT

A drug used for surgical anaesthesia has reportedly been found at Michael Jackson's home.

Propofol - which is used to sedate patients before surgery - can only be gained by medical professionals and is usually given to patients via an intravenous drip.

Gossip website TMZ quotes a source as saying: "There is no conceivable way this drug can be properly prescribed for home use."

Although Los Angeles County Coroner's officials have not confirmed they discovered the drug at Michael's Holmby Hills home, they have admitted they discovered various prescription drugs there on Monday (29.06.09).

Officials entered the house at about noon and came out carrying two plastic bags.

TMZ reports police were looking for "controlled substances and paraphernalia - in particular needles".

Michael died of a suspected cardiac arrest at his home last Thursday (25.06.09).

It has been claimed Propofol can cause cardiac arrest if it is mixed with other painkillers - reports suggest Michael was taking up to seven different medications at the time of his death - but is so strong it can cause cardiac arrest by itself.

Registered nurse Cherilyn Lee, who is also a nutritionist and was working with Michael ahead of his London comeback shows, claims the pop legend was an insomniac who regularly asked her to prescribe him Diprivan, the brand name for Propofol.

She said: "He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs. This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."

The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper reports: "Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, Lee said. In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it.

"'I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want,' Lee said Jackson told her. I said, 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' - and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago - 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up.' "

Lee also claimed Michael - who reportedly began taking medication after his hair caught fire while filming an advert for Pepsi in 1984 - took prescription drugs because he viewed them as a safe option.

He was vehemently opposed to illegal narcotics, but believed medication prescribed by his doctor was safe.

Lee said: "He said, 'I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine.' "

Meanwhile, it has been claimed the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) are keen to talk to Michael's dermatologist Arnold Klein about medicine he prescribed the King of Pop.

It has also been reported police have paid another visit to Michael's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray - who was with the singer when he died and administer CPR - after officers were seen outside his property.

Murray insists he played no part in Michael's death, with his representative saying he is not being treated as a suspect in the investigation.