He didn't just hand it over to him & go "here you go". Michael couldn't sleep & they tried a variety of meds from 1AM - 10:50 AM but none of them worked. The doctor then gave him a DILUTED dose of the med that killed him.
The doctor administered an anesthetic that is only appropriate to the operating room where it's administered by an anesthesiologist and the patient is on monitors with resuscitation equipment around. No where is insomnia an approved indication for use. Clearly, he was trying to give the patient what he wanted (and was willing to pay for), but what he did WAS illegal, unethical, and yeah, probably homicide. He is in deep sh*t.
Sueleen Gay: "Here you go, Bitch, now go make some fukcing lemonade." 10/28/10
The doctor administered an anesthetic that is only appropriate to the operating room where it's administered by an anesthesiologist and the patient is on monitors with resuscitation equipment around.
for the record, it can also be used in intensive care units to sedate patients while they are on the vent. you do not have to be an anesthesiologist to give it.
but what he did WAS illegal, unethical, and yeah, probably homicide
unethical and stupid, yes. illegal... i'm fairly certain there's no law that forbids it, per se, any more than any other controlled substance (though i would imagine it would raise the DEA's eyebrows to have an MD giving that to someone). using a drug for a non-FDA approved use is much more common than you think. giving propofol for insomnia just defies common sense, so i just can't imagine there's a "law" that forbids it.
all that said, it was very ill-advised, and he IS in a lot of trouble.
giving propofol for insomnia just defies common sense, so i just can't imagine there's a "law" that forbids it.
If the act of giving propofol for insomnia "defies common sense" and leads to someone's death, that in itself can make it an illegal act - it can constitute a criminally negligent or reckless homicide.
What really surprised me (and what no one here has mentioned) is the compiled dosages he was given, from the first Valium up until the administration of the Diprivan. Almost everything listed has a synergistic effect - piling on pills and injections to that degree then following up with an injection seems pretty negligent. And it's a testament to his degree of addiction that he was resistant to the effects of the earlier meds and didn't sleep until getting the propofol.
i know this is not going to be popular, but people also have to be willing to take responsibility for their own actions, including what they ask doctors for.
i occasionally struggle with insomnia, but i've NEVER taken so much as a milligram of diphenhydramine (benadryl). i've NEVER taken an antibiotic in my adult life. i view ALL drugs as poisons, because they are (it's just a matter of taking enough of them).
we live in a society where people seem to think that every problem should be medicated away, or think there's a pill for every problem. there's something very tragic about that.
this isn't an indictment of our modern miracles. rather, i think, people should only ask for/take drugs when you ABSOLUTELY NEED them.
And Michael BEGGED that he absolutely needed it...
"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>>
“I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>>
-whatever2
I've never tried anything other than alcohol and cigarettes - rarely even take an aspirin - because I know there's a substance abuse history in my family, but, geez, there are days when things are so bad I'm tempted to try something just to mentally and emotionally take a break and go away.
i'm fairly certain there's no law that forbids it, per se, any more than any other controlled substance (though i would imagine it would raise the DEA's eyebrows to have an MD giving that to someone). using a drug for a non-FDA approved use is much more common than you think. giving propofol for insomnia just defies common sense, so i just can't imagine there's a "law" that forbids it.
Unless it was only one of many strong medications administered by the doctor in a short period of time. If the doctor did not believe the dosages or combination of medications could not be lethal, then yeah, it's probably something like negligent homicide based on his utter stupidity, but considering the education required to become a doctor, it's not just about "common sense" nor should the phrase even come into question. Would this physician have administered the same medications and dosages over the same period of time had it been an insomniac who wasn't a superstar celebrity? I've a feeling "common sense" only comes with a smaller paycheck.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
Another issue to me is- where was the MD obtaining the drug? This is NOT your average pharmacy stock. The drug manufacturer, never tipped that they were selling this stuff to a private physician's office, not a hospital or @ least a procedure clinic? Yet a doctor who writes "too many" ( what exactly IS that number?) scripts for Tylenol # 3 will get hisself investigated by 3 different agencies. And don't say the potential for addiction is less. As a "gaspasser"'s kid, I know anasthesiologists have wholesale access to these drugs and yes they DO get addicted so their drug use/administering is monitered. The synergistic effect is a definate element,(and in fact I believe that is what killed Heath Ledger) but if his tolerance was as high as it certainly appears to be it's the propofol that is the main culprit. It puts you to "sleep"- and stops your breathing- that's why most people( and animals) who receive it are intubated and placed on a respirator. IF the manufacturer did not put in issuing safeguards I think there is a hell of a wrongful death lawsuit in the wings.
