procedures but he was on demerol. that demerol, as he was coming off of it, was acting as a stimulant. it breaks down as a stimulant and that stimulant was really very much keeping him awake. and that is why he needed all of these other medications to help him sleep. what i thought was even more remarkable, they were talking about this idea that on the day this happened, they say conrad murray did give propofol, this medication that we ve been talking about, and then observed michael jackson for at least ten minutes, according to these defense sources, and then he thought that michael jackson essentially fell asleep due to exhaustion, he had been up and rehearsing and then the doctor left the room. after that, they say michael jackson had been playing possum. this is according to the defense team and sources that i ve talked to. they say that he was playing possum. he woke up, got out of bed, went to the bathroom where he had lorazepam, took eight pills, and then had a walkin