Did Diprivan (Propofol) Kill Michael Jackson?
posted August 27, 2009 - 11:28am
Legendary pop singer Michael Jackson’s sudden death under mysterious circumstances has made headlines in the news recently, which are being followed very closely by all his fans and media who want to know the truth behind his death. The latest
news stories have reported that an anesthetic drug called Diprivan (Propofol) was found in “lethal levels” in his blood as revealed in the preliminary toxicology reports.
Seeing that the focus of the media and all his fans is now on this particular drug, I decided to do a little research on this drug and see if I could come up with anything interesting. Here are some salient features of the drug called Diprivan (Propofol) and some interesting facts about it.
Salient Features
DIPRIVAN® (propofol) is an oily liquid employed as a 1% nonpyrogenic emulsion for I.V. induction containing 10 mg/mL of propofol suitable for short duration anesthesia. It is used as an IV sedative-hypnotic agent. In other words, this drug is generally used for minor surgical procedures and at times for the major ones in conjunction with other sedatives or anesthetic agents to produce the desired levels of anesthetic effects.
The structural and molecular formula of Diprivan
Since the drug is slightly soluble in water, it is formulated in a white, oil-in-water emulsion. The additional ingredients other than the active component propofol, are soybean oil (100 mg/mL), glycerol (22.5 mg/mL), egg lecithin (12 mg/mL) and disodium edetate (0.005%) with sodium hydroxide to adjust the pH. Diprivan Injectable Emulsion is isotonic and has a pH of 7-8.5.
Indications
- Initiation and maintenance of Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC) sedation – Adults Only
- Combined sedation and regional anesthesia – Adults Only
- Induction of General Anesthesia - Patients ≥ 3 years of age
- Maintenance of General Anesthesia - Patients ≥ 2 months of age
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) sedation of intubated, mechanically ventilated patients - Adults only
* Diprivan is NOT indicated for use in Obstetrics and also for use in nursing mothers, as it is known to cross the placental barrier and it is known to be excreted in human milk.
Interesting Facts
There are some interesting facts about the usage and side effects of this drug that are worth mentioning here, that may help to throw some light on the mysterious death of pop star Michael Jackson.
Propofol blood concentrations at steady state are generally proportional to infusion rates, especially in individual patients. Undesirable effects such as cardio respiratory depression are likely to occur at higher blood concentrations which result from bolus dosing or rapid increases in the infusion rate. An adequate interval (3 to 5 minutes) must be allowed between dose adjustments to allow for and assess the clinical effects. Quoted from Dosage and Administration
According to the news report sited above, “Dr. Conrad Murray told police that he had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol each night over a six-week period and that he had been trying to wean the singer off the powerful anesthetic and, on the night of his death, gave him a combination of other sedatives before succumbing to Jackson's repeated demands for propofol.”
“Murray then gave Jackson 25 milligrams of propofol, according to the documents, which were filed with the court in support of searches of Murray's office and storage unit in Houston. But those amounts -- 25 and 50 milligrams -- are far below the dosage required to anesthetize someone and keep them asleep, several experts said.”
“What's more likely, Dombrowski said, is that the numbers in the documents are somehow in error. Murray might not have provided an infusion rate, such as 25 milligrams every few minutes, or police might not have understood the medical terminology, Dombrowski said.”
Diprivan Injectable Emulsion, like any other anesthetic and sedative-hypnotic agent, in healthy patients causes a decrease in blood pressure that is secondary to decreases in preload (ventricular filling volume at the end of the diastole) and after load (arterial resistance at the beginning of the systole). The magnitude of these changes is proportional to the blood and effect site concentrations achieved. These concentrations depend upon the dose and speed of the induction and maintenance infusion rates.
In addition, lower heart rates are observed during maintenance with Diprivan Injectable Emulsion, possibly due to reduction of the sympathetic activity and/or resetting of the baroreceptor reflexes. Therefore, anticholinergic agents should be administered when increases in vagal tone are anticipated. As with other anesthetic agents, Diprivan Injectable Emulsion reduces myocardial oxygen consumption. Quoted from Cardiac Anesthesia.
We are well aware of the fact that Michael Jackson’s death was attributed to a cardiac arrest according to the medical reports. As seen above, it can be clearly noted that the drug Diprivan in higher doses could cause such a reaction even in healthy patients.
The above has been validated nowby this latest news report which confirms the above facts - Michael Jackson's Cause Of Death Revealed, Sister Argues Homicide.
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Comments
Thanks a lot Wdzzz
drugs can be very dangerous if used without proper prescription and also with long term use...There are always side effects to consider.
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What a great explanation
Prescription drugs of any kind scare the daylights out of me even when I know they have very beneficial uses. Seems like MJ's death was probably due to this combination of drugs. So sad.
Great article though.
Thanks
for the comment Joe.
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Diprivan (Propofol)
I think it can killed, if it is not used in a proper way.
Drugs can be dangerous
if not administered in the correct dosage, style or the way it is indicated..I don't know and we can't really say, what circumstances led the "good" doctor to prescribe this particular drug and also administer it on a regular basis to MJ knowing fully well the complications, side effects and indications of the durg in question...Like it is mentioned in the news story, maybe MJ "demanded" or coerced the "good" Doctor into giving it to him (with money?) Can't say, till we have solid evidence to the fact.
But, I do know for a fact that patients at times do demand "certain" drugs even when it is NOT really indicated in a particular sitaution, but they "need" it only because they have had it before and feel "comfortable" with it or its effects!! It then becomes solely the doctor's call, on whether they should prescribe the drug or NOT!
Thanks a lot, Idlewild, Southernbelle76, and L Wagen for your comments and appreciation.
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Very Scary
Very scary that doctors can be bought off for money! I'm sure he didn't want his patient to die, as he was the goose that laid the golden eggs. In other words, if he died there would be no more salary, and of course lots of questions! So I don't think he, Dr Murray, should be prosecuted for murder, but for manslaughter. And of course he should loose his medical license also!
It was probably a combination of drugs that did it, but Dr Murray acted recklessly in administering this drug for insomnia let alone in a nonclinical setting.
Very enlightening.
Had Michael Jackson not been as addicted to surgery as he was, he may have been in a hospital where his health was the number one priority instead of in the private care of a physican who only cares for his next paycheck.
Life is a perilous journey, so chose your travel mates well.
Diprivan
Good explanation, Rawnak! This is truly not a drug to be used by anyone except very experienced professionals.
The instructions for Diprivan make it clear that the drug should not be used unless there is a qualified anesthesiologist at hand, as well as ventilation and resuscitation equipment. For a doctor to be using in without that kind of support is quite dangerous, as we have unfortunately found out.
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