The first anniversary of Prince’s death is coming up, and his legacy lives on through his fans and supporters. In fact, a four-day event at Paisley Park called Celebration 2017 has even been scheduled in Prince’s honor. But while it’s almost been a year since Prince died, still many people don’t know how it happened. It didn’t just shock the music industry, but the whole country. FindaTopDoc looks into the death of Prince, his career, his health throughout his life, and the drug that killed him.
A press release from a medical examiner’s office stated that Prince died of an accidental overdose of the drug fentanyl. He was 57 years old. Court documents that were newly released show that none of the medications that were found in his home after his death were prescribed to him.
What is fentanyl and how does it kill?
Fentanyl is an opioid drug used as an anesthetic or painkiller. It is often prescribed by doctors along with benzodiazepine drugs to induce sleep before having procedures or surgery. It is also given to patients with cancer. Fentanyl is a very powerful painkiller, and it is described as 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin.
Fentanyl works in the central nervous system, blocking impulses that result in pain. In the process, it also reduces vital functions such as control of body temperature, consciousness, and respiration. Fentanyl is popular as a drug because it is very addictive. Because of its high potential for abuse, it is a schedule II drug, along with drugs such as oxycodone, amphetamines, hydrocodone, codeine, and hydromorphone. Prescriptions of drugs like fentanyl are often listed and tracked in a state-wide registry.
Overdose can lead to death. Fentanyl can cause breathing to depress so low that a person might suffocate. Since fentanyl causes body temperature to raise uncontrollably, a person’s core temperature can become so high that it results in shock and loss of consciousness. An overdose of fentanyl often leads to seizures, coma, very shallow breathing, respiratory arrest and death.
In the case of Prince, according to the medical report, he may have self-administered fentanyl and experienced an overdose. Fentanyl was found in counterfeit bottles labeled to have acetaminophen/hydrocodone. There were opioid painkillers found in mislabeled bottles throughout Prince’s home. There were even illegal drugs in “Bayer” and “Alleve” bottles according to newly found documents.
Details about Prince’s death
One of the paramedics who arrived on scene stated that Prince had been dead for about six hours, and an initial investigation found no evidence of foul play or suicide.
Authorities announced they found nearly two dozen pills in mislabeled bottles in Prince’s possession. The bottles were labeled to contain pills of acetaminophen and hydrocodone, but many of the pills were found to contain fentanyl. Tests showed that Prince had fentanyl in his system according to a Vanity Fair report.
On June 2, full autopsy findings were released, and they cited that Prince died from an accidental dose of fentanyl. They also cited that Prince was severely underweight, weighing only 112 pounds at the time of his death. A further investigation supported that Prince did not have an addiction to fentanyl, as it did not show up in his system when he sought treatment for a Percocet addiction.
Prince’s early life
Prince, or Prince Rogers Nelson, was born on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was born to John Lewis Nelson and Mattie Della, who were talented singers and performers themselves. Prince has a sister, Tika Evene, who is also a singer. His parents divorced and separated by the time he was 10 years old. He struggled with poverty and was bullied in school.
Prince said he had epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures, or epilepsy, is a longstanding disorder where the person experiences frequent fits of seizures. The cause of epilepsy, in most cases, is not known. Anti-epileptic drugs are given to reduce the incidence of seizures, and most of these medicines should be taken on a regular basis whether seizures are present or not. In most patients, the frequency of seizures reduces as they become older, and seizures often go away completely by the time the person reaches adulthood. Seizures can also lead to many psychological issues, such as low self-esteem and insomnia.
Prince did not seem physically or emotionally healthy during his childhood years. However, his
background served as inspiration for him to create his unique sound.
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SOURCE: International Association of HealthCare Professionals
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