LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) - 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, 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 don'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 health care services similar to those of a doctor." They can also prescribe medications, according to the academy's Web site.
CNN could not independently verify whether Lee worked with Jackson.