Michael Jackson's Dangerous Dance With Demerol

Michael Jackson’s doctor admits he gave him Demerol--but did he realize just how dangerous the drug is?

Michael Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnie Klein, opened up on Larry King, doing a horrible job of claiming innocence. "I told him specifically the dangers of Diprivan," said Klein. "I told him this drug was very dangerous. He assured me he stopped." The doc admitted that he used sedatives on Jackson, but never prescribed him anything stronger than Demerol.

So he's saying Diprivan is dangerous, but Demerol's not? Klein's talking about Demerol like it's friggin' aspirin or something. We spoke to Dr. Daniel Landau, M.D., who definitely begs to differ: "I have never used Demerol because of how addictive it is," says Landau.

"You get a high off of it," he continues, saying Demerol highs last longer than morphine, about seven or eight hours. "I'd be stunned if you found a doctor who would give you Demerol still."

Dr. Klein, turns out, is one such doctor. Read on for more shocking info from Landau...

What are the alternatives to using Demerol if someone is in pain after a procedure?
You wouldn't give somebody an IV medication [like Demerol]; you'd give them something by mouth. If they were in severe pain, maybe a couple days of OxyContin or Vicodin...not Demerol.

So what about prescribing Jackson something he may have already been addicted to?
They should not do that.

Diprivan was found at M.J.'s house when he died—what procedures is Diprivan commonly used for?
It's commonly used for short surgeries, colonoscopies, intensive care. It's not something somebody would take before having plastic surgery. It's used to cause a short amount of sedation—to get unconscious for a half hour.

Who mainly abuses Diprivan?
Anesthesiologists, because of access to it. Bu it's not commonly used in abuse because it's very quick acting—it lasts about a half hour, 45 minutes. If you're looking to get high, it's not gonna do much. It's not a fun medicine. You get sleepy, not high.

Is it addicting?
Psychologically, you can get addicted to it, physically, probably not. If you took too much of it, you could go into a coma. It's not safe to take with other medications. If you mix it with other drugs, you might not wake up.

Yikes.

Could the combo of Demerol and Diprivan possibly have caused M.J. to go into cardiac arrest? Other obvious questions remain unanswered: What are the toxicology results from Jackson's autopsies, and what exactly was Klein's relationship with Jackson? A questionable one at best.