a doctor . '' They can also prescribe medications , according to the academy 's Web site . CNN could not independently verify whether Lee worked with Jackson . When asked about Lee 's account , Jackson family attorney Londell McMillan said : `` I wonder why someone would make a comment about drugs when they have n't seen him take the drug or anyone who administered it . '' The drug , known by its generic name Propofol , is administered intravenously as an anesthetic during surgeries . Watch nurse describe Jackson 's drug request '' An initial dose puts a person to sleep . An overdose can lead to cardiac arrest , doctors say . Jackson died June 25 at the age of 50 . Authorities are awaiting toxicology results to determine what killed him . Lee is licensed as a registered nurse , according to the California Board of Registered Nursing Web site . According to her Web site , she is a proponent of alternative medicine that uses a holistic approach . Lee said that four days before Jackson 's death , she received a call from a Jackson staff member who said the singer felt
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Michael Jackson suffered from severe bouts of insomnia and pleaded for a powerful sedative despite knowing its harmful effects , a nutritionist who worked with the singer said Tuesday . Cherilyn Lee is a holisitic health practitioner and has been in healthcare for 23 years , her Web site states . Cherilyn Lee , a registered nurse and nurse practitioner who first met Jackson in January to treat his children for a common cold , said she rejected his requests for Diprivan and informed him of the side effects . `` I told him this medication is not safe , '' Lee said . `` He said , ' I just want to get some sleep . You do n't understand . I just want to be able to be knocked out and go to sleep . ' '' `` I told him -- and it is so painful that I actually felt it in my whole spirit -- ` If you take this you might not wake up . ' '' According to the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners , nurse practitioners `` provide high-quality healthcare services similar to those of