Liam Payne was in possession of a prescription seizure medication before he died, called “super Valium,” which is increasingly abused, according to experts.
Argentine police say they found white powder in Payne’s room, as well as aluminum foil, empty champagne glasses and a smashed television, after the singer fell to his death in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
They also found a medication called clonazepam, a drug used to control epilepsy, involuntary muscle spasms and anxiety disorders.
The pills, sold under the brand name Klonopin, are extremely addictive and can cause severe poisoning if combined with alcohol.
Hotel staff reported to emergency services about “an aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol” who was “trashing up his room” minutes before he died.
Liam Payne was in possession of a prescription seizure medication called “super Valium” that is increasingly being abused by young people, according to experts.
Research suggests that an increasing number of people are abusing clonazepam, which is also known by the ‘street names’ K-pins and Super Valium, to get high.
Argentine police say they found white powder in Payne’s room, as well as aluminum foil, empty champagne glasses and a smashed television, after the singer fell to his death in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. They also found a medication called clonazepam.
Hotel staff reported to emergency services about “an aggressive man who may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol” who was “trashing up his room” minutes before he died.
Research suggests that an increasing number of people are abusing clonazepam (also known as K-pins and Super Valium) to get high.
In the United States, the number of people hospitalized for clonazepam abuse has nearly doubled since 2004.
And in the UK, addiction centers say clonazepam addicts are now a “regular occurrence”.
However, the dangers of the drug are well known: Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks publicly chronicled his eight-year battle with clonazepam addiction.
She was first prescribed it to help her overcome cocaine addiction and was assured that it was safe.
Nicks told US Weekly in 2001: “Klonopin turned me into a zombie.”
He also described it as a “horrible, dangerous drug” and said his eventual detox from the drug in the hospital for 45 days felt like “someone opened a door and pushed me into hell.”
The dangers of the drug are well known: Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks publicly chronicled his eight-year battle with clonazepam addiction. Pictured in 2019 with Harry Styles at his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Nicks described it as a “horrible, dangerous drug” and said his eventual detox from the drug in the hospital for 45 days felt like “someone opened a door and shoved me into hell.”
Female actress Lena Dunham also battled clonezapem addiction.
The screenwriter became increasingly dependent on the drug in 2017, which she was prescribed due to the stress she experienced while filming the latest series of Girls.
“Those images of me at the last premiere, skinny and sunken-eyed, were 100 percent my appetite and my body just shut down in response to that,” Dunham said.
The medication is part of a group of addictive anti-anxiety medications known as benzodiazepines, which also includes alprazolam, also known as Xanax, and diazepam, sometimes sold under the brand name Valium.
Drugs have also been implicated as a factor in the deaths of other stars, including Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.
Experts say patients often crush the tablets and snort them to get high.
Girls actress Lena Dunham became addicted to the drug while filming the latest series of Girls, a moment she described as “a 50-car crash”.
“Those images of me at the last premiere, skinny and sunken-eyed, were 100 percent my appetite and my body just shut down in response to that,” Dunham said.
“We regularly see people addicted to benzos like clonazepam,” says Lee Fernandes, a mental health and addictions specialist at the UK’s London Clinic for Addiction Treatment.
“They often start taking it for anxiety and quickly get hooked.
‘I have seen patients who received a week-long prescription from their doctor and immediately became addicted. They ended up buying more on the black market.
“It’s incredibly difficult to quit because it triggers these terrible withdrawal symptoms.”
Clonazepam is a central nervous system depressant, meaning it slows down brain activity.
Users often describe a “high” that feels relaxing and sometimes euphoric. However, combining it with alcohol can be dangerous.
Research suggests the combination can cause extreme drowsiness, hospitalization and even death.
Experts also say that quitting tablets can lead to extreme anxiety and loss of sleep. Some patients even experience physical withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches, stomach pain, vomiting, and tremors.
Clonazepam is sold under brand names such as Klonopin and Rivotril, and is known by street names such as K-pins and Super Valium.
Users often describe a “high” that feels relaxing and sometimes euphoric. However, combining it with alcohol can be dangerous.
On the social media website Reddit, dozens of people have posted about their struggles with clonazepam addiction.
‘How long do Klonopin withdrawals last?’ wrote one user on a forum dedicated to people who suffer from panic attacks.
“It’s day six off Klonopin and the withdrawal symptoms are kicking my butt,” they added. “I’m dissociating a lot and my anxiety is out of control.”
Another Klonopin user turned to an addiction forum on Reddit for advice, asking, “How can I cope with anxiety and insomnia after tapering?”
However, others on the website talked about how good it made them feel.
“I wish I could take Klonopin every day,” one person wrote. “Clonazepam is amazing, it makes me feel normal,” wrote another.
In the past, Liam Payne has opened up about his struggles with alcohol and substance abuse.
Speaking in 2021 on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast, Liam made a tragic comment about hitting rock bottom
Liam Payne praised Russell Brand for helping him get sober: ‘We went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings together,’ he said
In July 2023, he revealed that he had spent 100 days in rehab after hitting “rock bottom,” a phrase he had used two years earlier to describe his mental state during a surprisingly candid interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast.
The 31-year-old, who has a seven-year-old son, Bear, with ex-partner Cheryl Cole, also admitted to being “angry a lot of the time”.
He also previously revealed that he suffered from anxiety and agoraphobia, described by the NHS as fear of finding himself in situations from which escape could be difficult.
“I would never leave the house and sometimes I struggle with that a little bit in the sense that I have days where I just don’t want to leave my house,” she told Esquire Middle East magazine in 2019.
