Did Prescription Drugs Hasten Michael Jackson's Demise?

Los Angeles, CAWhile the world comes to grips with the unexpected passing of pop icon Michael Jackson yesterday, The Kansas City Star carried a Life & Style report this morning that claims the King of Pop was taking a cocktail of up to seven prescription drugs in the months before his death.

Meanwhile a lawyer reportedly representing the Jackson family appeared on CNN yesterday and said that he "feared" the various drugs the pop star was, or had been taking would eventually lead to Michael Jackson's ultimate demise.

Brian Oxman, who according to an entertainment writer appearing on the TODAY show this morning said is associated with the Jackson family but does not specifically represent Michael Jackson, said on CNN, "this was something which I feared and something which I warned about. I can tell you for sure that this is something I warned about. Where there is smoke there is fire."

Oxman speculated for CNN that Jackson might have had a relationship with prescription drugs as he prepared for his London show, scheduled to debut on July 13th.

Jackson had been rehearsing vigorously for the show in Los Angeles—a show that is said to have been a technological triumph and very demanding.

According to Life & Style, Michael Jackson had been taking prescription painkillers along with anti-anxiety drugs such as Xanax, Zoloft and Demerol for pain in recent months, the publication said, according to sources close to Jackson. The sources were not identified in the Kansas City Star report that referenced the Life & Style story.

However the June 25th online edition of Life & Style confirmed the report, claiming too that according to an unidentified insider close to Jackson, the late singer had ingested a suspected overdose of prescription drugs Thursday morning, ultimately resulting in cardiac arrest.

Beyond the claims made by Life & Style, there are no confirmed reports pertaining to Jackson's alleged use of prescription drugs. However there is widespread suspicion as to Jackson's use of prescription drugs, and the role those products may have played in his ultimate demise.

A reporter on the TODAY show this morning noted that an autopsy on the body of the pop icon would be performed today, but toxicology tests could take far longer.

It is not known if Jackson engaged in any type of regular physical activity—including dancing—prior to commencing rehearsals for his planned show in July. However, adverse reactions to prescription drugs may have impacted his heart negatively, at a time when Jackson would have been testing his physical stamina in demanding rehearsals.

In an aside, this writer was prescribed Imovane (Zopiclone) 5mg in 2005 to help bring on sleep during a bout with insomnia. They were to be taken as needed, and were intended for occasional use only. However the product worked so well, I was soon taking them daily.

It was during this time that I was running regularly, had completed a half-marathon in very good time and had just completed a full training schedule for a full marathon.

Needless to say I was in top physical condition. However, I also encountered sudden and unexplained losses in blood pressure. It would happen only for a second, I would feel suddenly and instantly faint—but I would recover just as quickly.

In the summer of 2007 I again experienced a sudden loss of blood pressure that dropped me hard to the floor. It was at that moment I decided to come off the Imvovane. In two years, I have yet to experience a similar fainting spell since stopping the drug.

I was 50 at the time.

Speculation over Michael Jackson's alleged prescription drug use, and the impact it may have had on his health and his ultimate demise will continue until conclusive tests and autopsy results are in.