With Dr. Conrad Murray’s involuntary manslaughter trial looming, the defense has requested Michael Jackson’s urine from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office in hopes of proving that Michael Jackson drank the fatal dose of Propofol. It is clear that Michael Jackson died from “acute propofol intoxication,” but I wanted to do some research to find out if it was possible to drink and overdose on this powerful anesthetic.
What is Propofol?
Propofol, also known as Diprivan, is an anesthetic to be administered by anesthesiologists causing patients to become unconscious during surgical procedures. According to the material safety data sheet (MSDS), Propofol should only be administered by a physician who has been “trained in its use.”
The ingredients and percentages contained in Propofol Injectable Emulsion are as follows:
Ingredient %
Propofol 1
Soybean Oil 10
Egg Lecithin 1.2
Glycerin 2.25
Benzyl Alcohol 0.1
Water for Injection 85.45
Source: TEVA, MSDS
Is it possible to drink Propofol?
Well, I suppose anything’s possible, but we need to know how this drug would react if mixed with juice (Dr. Murray claims Michael Jackson added Propofol to a juice bottle and drank it). According to TEVA, ingestion of Propofol could result in “central nervous system effects including sedation, weakness in parts of the body, depression of the respiratory system, changes in heart rate, cardiac arrest, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, anaphylaxis, hypotension, urine retention, protein-rich urine, coagulation problems, pain in the ears or eyes and changes in the sense of taste may occur.” So, basically almost anything could happen depending on the amount ingested. However, I seriously doubt this was written with a juice mixture in mind.
Unfortunately (and fortunately, I guess), there has not been much, if any, research done on Propofol use in recreational settings because it hasn’t been an issue until now. There definitely has been no need to study the effects of ingesting Propofol. According to RxList “rare cases of self-administration of Diprivan (propofol) Injectable Emulsion by health care professionals have been reported, including some fatalities.” They make no mention of abuse by anyone besides doctors.
While I am not a doctor or scientist, common sense leads me to believe that mixing a seemingly diluted mixture with juice and consumption by someone who has had a great deal of exposure to the drug, would have less of an affect than the average person.
I welcome opinions from medical professionals who would like to weigh in on this topic.
Conclusion
While ingesting Propofol seems possible, is it really plausible? Defending a desperate doctor’s actions by saying that Michael Jackson willfully, and without the doctor’s knowledge, ingested the drugs that killed him is really a last ditch effort to save himself. If Jackson had time to filter Propofol from the small bottle using a syringe and mix it with juice, we know the doctor was obviously gone from the room for too long. That still leaves the doctor culpable. Whether the fatal dose of Propofol was consumed or injected, the doctor had no reason to have Propofol in Jackson’s home. The hardest part to muster is that Conrad Murray does not believe he did anything wrong, “Your honor I am an innocent man I therefore plead not guilty.” The inability to understand his wrongdoings means he has not learned from this experience and more patients will pay in the long run.