LOS ANGELES — With the Los Angeles County coroner’s office officially ruling Michael Jackson’s death as a homicide on Friday, fans of the music icon are wondering about the Benzodiazepine effect.
The coroner’s office determined that Jackson died as a result of acute propofol intoxication. But the agency also noted that the Benzodiazepine effect was a contributing factor in his death, which was the combination of the sedatives Lorazepam, Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine and Ephedrine found in his body.
By definition, Benzodiazepines are medicines that help relieve nervousness, tension, and other symptoms by slowing the central nervous system.
The family of antianxiety drugs known as Benzodiazepines includes Alprazolam (Xanax), Chlordiazepoxide (Librium), Diazepam (Valium) and Lorazepam (Ativan). Benzodiazepines, which begin to take effect rather rapidly, are only available with a physician’s prescription.
Dr. Conrad Murray, the singer’s personal physician who was with Jackson when he fell ill and later died on June 25, has been the primary target in what has been labeled as a manslaughter investigation in the media.
According to a search warrant unsealed on Monday in Houston, Murray told LAPD detectives that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks by giving him 50 milligrams of propofol each night using an IV.
Michael Jackson Timeline: His Final Hours
The following timeline details the series of sedatives given to Michael Jackson by Dr. Conrad Murray on the day of the singer’s death, according to an affidavit released earlier this week in Houston.
1:30 a.m. — 10 milligram tablet of Valium, a sedative.
2 a.m. — 2 milligrams of the sedative lorazepam (brand name Ativan) given intravenously.
3 a.m. — 2 milligrams of the sedative midazolam (brand name Versed) given intravenously.
5 a.m. — 2 milligrams of lorazepam given intravenously.
7:30 a.m. — 2 milligrams of midazolam given intravenously.
10:40 a.m. — 25 milligrams of propofol (brand name Diprivan) given intravenously and diluted with lidocaine (brand name Xylocaine).
10:50 a.m. — Doctor leaves Jackson’s room; returns minutes later to find Jackson not breathing. Begins CPR and gives 0.2 milligrams of flumazenil (brand name Anexate), used to reverse sedatives.
Also see: Michael Jackson Music Videos
