Amount of Fentanyl Found in Prince’s System Was ‘Exceedingly High’
Just like most of us know where we were and what we were doing when Michael Jackson died, a lot of us also remember the same details when we heard that Prince had died of a fatal overdose. He was a musical and cultural gift to our world but unfortunately, his own demons took him from us all too soon. Many of us were sad and confused when we learned of his passing. Hearing that fentanyl was likely to blame for his ultimate demise was a further blow. Now, months later, details of Prince’s toxicology testing have been released and it’s worse than we expected.
This past Monday, the Associated Press revealed details of Prince’s toxicology report, describing what was in his system at the time of his death. While confirming the presence of fentanyl, the report also indicated that he had an astronomical amount of the drug running through his veins and in his digestive tract. The toxicology testing reported 67.8 mcg/L of fentanyl in Prince’s blood, 450 mcg/kg in his liver, and what is being called a “potentially lethal” amount in his stomach.
Some experts are calling these levels “exceedingly high” which, to me, indicates that Prince had a much bigger problem than some of us might have suspected. Dr. Lewis Nelson, chairman of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School said, “The amount in his blood is exceedingly high, even for somebody who is a chronic pain patient on fentanyl patches."
The source of the drugs in Prince’s case has never been identified and, as you might remember from the news reports, pills were found in various areas of his home, some of which tested positive for fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a frightening substance. Not only does it kill thousands of people each year, it’s been found added to a lot of drugs these days—even in drugs such as cocaine, where it wouldn’t ordinarily be expected. Fentanyl is one of those drugs where you can’t say that a certain amount is deadly, or a certain amount is safe because it really depends on the person, their metabolism, and their resistance to opioids. People who are used to opioids can take a dose that would kill an ordinary person, so it’s pretty subjective as far as there being a “lethal limit.”
Either way, fentanyl has changed the world of drugs in a profound way. No one is immune to its deadly grasp and once it has you, it doesn’t let go. If you’re using drugs, the chances of coming across fentanyl are pretty high, so be careful. Get the help you need to get off of drugs. In a world where no one is exempt from an overdose—don’t become a statistic.
