A medical examiner
has ruled the death of rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard an accident, the result
of taking cocaine and Tramadol, a prescription painkiller.
A spokesperson
said the combined effects of the cocaine and Tramadol caused the rapper to suffer
a heart attack on November 13, just two days before his 36th birthday.
According to the
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Tramadol is used to relieve moderately
severe pain.
The drug is usually
prescribed to treat pain caused by surgery or chronic conditions such as joint
pain or cancer, although it is prescribed for other reasons.
Warnings on the
label suggest that the drug, which abusers usually crush and then sniff due
to the taste, should be taken exactly as prescribed and can be habit forming.
Ol’ Dirty
complained of chest pains days before he suffered a fatal heart attack inside
of Wu Tang’s Manhattan based 36 Records.
