According to Rolling Stone, following the release of Chris Cornell’s toxicology report which included a list of prescription drugs, it is the medical examiner’s opinion that “these drugs did not contribute to the cause of death.”
The drugs found in Cornell’s system were “butalbital, lorazepam, pseudoephedrine and its metabolite norpseudoephedrine, caffeine, and naloxone.” The caffeine came from No-Doz tablets the singer ingested prior to his death, while the pseudoephedrine was employed as a decongestant.
Other prescription drugs included the sedative Butalbital, Narcan (“a narcotic antagonist”) and four doses of Lorazepam, which is known as the anxiety medication Ativan.
The Cornell family has previously blamed the rare side effects of Ativan – which includes suicidal thoughts – for catalyzing the singer’s death. However, the medical examiner noted that while the 200 ng/mL level of Ativan in Cornell’s blood was well higher than the average 30-50 ng/mL dosage, it was also lower than the 300 ng/mL Ativan blood levels of those whose death are tied to the drug.
