Michael Jackson: The Propofol / Diprivan Legacy
Just say no to prescription drugs.
[Bauer Griffin Online]
Without a doubt, this is the lesson emerging from Michael Jackson’s death. Yesterday, the CDC issued a health advisory regarding the generic version of Diprivan — the drug found in MJ’s home — because two lots of the drug were contaminated. The warning came after the agency received 40 reports of patients around the country developing high fevers and muscle aches after being injected with the drug.
To be clear, there is no known link between the contaminated inventory and MJ. Further, there still is no connection between MJ’s death and Diprivan; that connection can’t be made until the toxicology report is released, which is expected to happen this week.
But, come on. Even if there is no causal connection, there is a lesson here. We all need to be careful about what we put into our bodies. Just because a doctor administers a drug does not mean it is safe. And, just because a doctor prescribes a drug doesn’t mean that s/he is doing so legally or that we should take the drug, especially if the drug can lead to addiction.
Just add this to the list of many lessons we can learn from MJ’s life and death.
PS: If there is a link between the contaminated drugs and MJ’s death, then any person who administered the drug to MJ may have found one heck of a defense to some criminal charges.
