Sadly unfortunately, "Dr. D' is at it again. I won't post the link. If you want to look it up, go for it. And of course he believes that P definitely knew he was taking fentanyl because supposedly Vicodin doesn't do jack shit. I don't take vicodin but percocet knocked me on my ass. so I am pretty sure if you take enough of any painkiller other than good old fashioned aspirin/tylenol/ibuprofin, it is going to knock you on your ass.

Can one function as prolifically as Prince did (even in the last year of the life) while taking fentanyl on daily basis? Anyone with any knowledge of this drug know for sure?

At the other extreme, can you survive 30 years with a fentanyl addiction--much less produce 40 albums, 800 additional songs, 100's of concerts dates, and work 12 hours a day?

This isn't just a rhetorical question. Are there any nurses on here?

See, I think a lot of these supposed experts on Prince's addiction haven't really paid any attention to the work of the man. As far as I could tell, he never once looked less than on his game while performing, and the worse he looked was thin. A workaholic who desperately turned to his own self-medication later in life is more like it.

[Edited 8/23/16 16:03pm]

[Edited 8/23/16 16:04pm]

Its supposedly stronger than heroin by quite a bit. How come Heroin addicts aren't high ranking business executives or musical geniuses? Was Prince so good at self medicating that he knew just enough to take of the one of the strongest drugs on the market to never be in a stupor--even 30 years ago when he was first starting the powerful opiod.

I've never seen anyone high on fentanyl. so I don't know for sure but I've personally had mophine when I was hospitalized and I was so damn out it, they wouldn't let me walk 4ft. to the use the bathroom. Fentanyl is said to be 100 times stronger that So I can't see how anyone could function on it, unless they'd built up a strong tolerance from years and years of heavy abuse of that and other substances as well.

Once tolerance has been established, where does an addict turn but to more fentanyl. What's the shelf life for a fentanyl addict? And when would liver failure occur? Could one argue that drug addict version of Prince that "Dr. D" is talking about should have had failing organs years ago?

BobGeorge909 said:

Yes very easily. One can do pretty much anything while on fentanyl. Especially onc a tolerance has been established.

Dr. Drew and Dr. D. are two different people. Dr. D is a mystery drug dealer who states he sold P drugs 30 years ago and that he was hooked heavily on fentanyl since then. Dr. D originally appeared on April 24th before the autopsy in an 'exclusive' interview at the Daily Mail. His recent contention is that P knew he was buying fake pills because the police don't confiscate vicodin (so it was a disguise he knew about) and it is too mild for a druggie like P.

However, my question is why would P need to take the additional step of hiding it in aspirin and vitamin C bottles. I just assumed that P's health nut image wouldn't allow him to reveal any pain opiod usage at all. But this dude is saying that Prince wanted people to only think he was taking hydrocodone (but still felt the need to hide it in aspirin bottles etc)

Genesia said:

If Prince knew he was taking fentanyl, how come the pills containing fentanyl were made to look like generic Vicodin? Huh? Care to answer that one, Dr. Drew - you colossal asshat?

It's a volume issue. Take little enough of it and you'll feel like you've taken a prescribed dose of codeine. It's the same stuff essentially. It releases opiates in the brain. Fentanyl just happens to do it more effectively so you need far less of it.

I'm not talking from personal experience, but if you read up enough about it you should arrive at the same conclusion.

You can be functional on fentanyl. Someone who is taking a regular dose (e.g. slow release patches) will seem very normal. There will be side effects "The most common side-effects are feeling sick, constipation, and feeling sleepy" - although I haven't noticed sickness to be a problem, the other 2 are problematic. Most people won't notice these in someone they don't see much/don't know very well. Breathing is often problematic too.

.

The stronger than X drug comments are misleading. Yes it is stronger - so less is prescribed. If you took the same amount as other opiates it kills.

.

When it is first taken they will be more obviously intoxicated. Then their bodies adapt to it and so long as their dose stays steady they can function well. People who take the stuff for the intoxication have to increase their dose to get the effect. They tend to take it irratically. If they have some they take too much (suck patches etc). They run out and suffer withdrawal. They keep wanting to up their dose. Their life becomes chaotic. It is like comparing people who drink the same small amount regularly and those that drink excessively and chaotically. One will function well and the other will not.

.

It is hard to go through withdrawal after long term use and high doses.

.

If the report of tests showing P had no fentanyl in his system in the week before his death are true then there is no reason to think he was using this stuff. Going cold turkey would have been nasty and prolonged and he was busy that week.

Genesia said:

If Prince knew he was taking fentanyl, how come the pills containing fentanyl were made to look like generic Vicodin? Huh? Care to answer that one, Dr. Drew - you colossal asshat?

Basically it may be plausible a drug dealer was involved who made it to spec to suit what Prince wanted. He may have had tolerance issues and learnt that 2 or 3 different chemicals in one drug combination suited him better. The drugs could have been pressed with that logo to conceal his illicit usage, simply because he didn't want people to know. Not saying I believe that but it's feasible and easy enough to do.

BobGeorge909 said:

Yes very easily. One can do pretty much anything while on fentanyl. Especially onc a tolerance has been established.

Do you wanna like tell laurarichardson (fentanyl expert) precisely that, you could orgnote her?

Also concurrent use of stimulants would help.

If Prince was taking fentanyl for pain issues and had a regime going. I can buy that he would be functional. That makes sense.

But if Prince was taking strong opiods like fentanyl to deal with social anxiety for 30 years, wouldn't he have taken the drug more for intoxication?

So let me ask this, does Dr. D's (not Dr. Drew) contention that P was a heavy user who used it for social and emotional issues for 30 years be feasible and Prince still be functional and living into his 50's?

sunset3121 said:

You can be functional on fentanyl. Someone who is taking a regular dose (e.g. slow release patches) will seem very normal. There will be side effects "The most common side-effects are feeling sick, constipation, and feeling sleepy" - although I haven't noticed sickness to be a problem, the other 2 are problematic. Most people won't notice these in someone they don't see much/don't know very well. Breathing is often problematic too.

.

The stronger than X drug comments are misleading. Yes it is stronger - so less is prescribed. If you took the same amount as other opiates it kills.

.

When it is first taken they will be more obviously intoxicated. Then their bodies adapt to it and so long as their dose stays steady they can function well. People who take the stuff for the intoxication have to increase their dose to get the effect. They tend to take it irratically. If they have some they take too much (suck patches etc). They run out and suffer withdrawal. They keep wanting to up their dose. Their life becomes chaotic. It is like comparing people who drink the same small amount regularly and those that drink excessively and chaotically. One will function well and the other will not.

.

It is hard to go through withdrawal after long term use and high doses.

.

If the report of tests showing P had no fentanyl in his system in the week before his death are true then there is no reason to think he was using this stuff. Going cold turkey would have been nasty and prolonged and he was busy that week.

[Edited 8/23/16 17:18pm]

NO, he would not. He is anonymous. Only the reporter knows his real name. Plus, he is stating that he is Prince's former dealer, not his current one. they can't pin a thing on him.

donnyenglish said:

Dr D is not dumb enough to comfess to murder through the media. Take what he says with a grain of salt. If he were telling the truth he would be in jail awaiting trial by now.

purplerabbithole said:

If Prince was taking fentanyl for pain issues and had a regime going. I can buy that he would be functional. That makes sense.

But if Prince was taking strong opiods like fentanyl to deal with social anxiety for 30 years, would he have taken the drug more for intoxication?

So let me ask this, does Dr. D's (not Dr. Drew) contention that P was a heavy user who used it for social and emotional issues for 30 years be feasible and Prince still be functional and living into his 50's?

sunset3121 said:

Lots of people use opiates, function and live long enough. It all depends on how stupid their behaviour gets. In 30 years for it not to become common knowledge though I would suspect would be unusual.

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Why would anyone believe this Dr D though? We know nothing about the guy except he claims to be a dealer. Hardly evidence.

.

Now this is just my personal belief but I don't think P liked to be 'out of it' in social situations. A drink etc in private maybe, but I think he liked to be 'in control' in public and in groups of people. Do you think he was intoxicated on stage or interviews?

Please use the sticky, thanks> http://prince.org/msg/7/431160

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