Jackson 'pleaded for sedative injections'

An insomnia-racked Michael Jackson pleaded with a nurse to give him a powerful sedative days before his death despite warnings it could be harmful, she said today.

Cherilyn Lee, a private treatment specialist, said she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously.

However, a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, she said.

While in Florida on June 21, Ms Lee was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff.

"He called and was very frantic and said: 'Michael needs to see you right away.' I said: 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold'," she said.

"I said: 'Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away."

"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding: "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out."

Jackson did not go to the hospital. He died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest. An official cause of death is not expected for several weeks.

"I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug," Ms Lee said.

Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Ms Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use.

"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."

Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Ms Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, she said. It is an intravenous anaesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. It is generally given through an IV needle in the hand.

Patients given Propofol take less time to regain consciousness than those administered certain other drugs, and they report waking up more clear-headed and refreshed.

It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to relax or to commit suicide. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it does not take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person's breathing.

An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest.

Because it is given intravenously and is not the kind of prescription drug typically available from pharmacists, abuse cases have involved anaesthesiologists other hospital staff with easy access to the drug.

In recent months, Ms Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it.

"I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want," she said Jackson told her.

"I said: 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' - and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago - 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up," she recalled.

According to Ms Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he did not want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved.

Jackson family lawyer Londell McMillan told CNN: "It's a hearsay comment. It would be inadmissible anywhere in a court of law.

"I also wonder why anyone would make a comment about something that they don't have much knowledge about. They didn't see the drug administered. It's again because of the Michael Jackson factor."

Ms Lee said the singer drew his own distinctions when it came to drugs versus prescription medicine.

"He said: 'I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine'," she said.

The next day, she said she brought a copy of 'The Physician's Desk Reference' to show him the section on Diprivan.

"He said: 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe as long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up. It's going be OK'," she said.

Lee, 56, is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in California, according to the state Board of Registered Nursing's website.

Ms Lee, who has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Marla Gibbs, Reynaldo Rey and other celebrities, said she was introduced to Jackson by the mother of one of his staff members.

She said she went to the house in January, the first of about 10 visits there through April, and treated the children with vitamins.