Before his death, Liam Payne was in possession of a prescription anti-seizure drug called ‘supervalium’, which experts say is increasingly being abused.
Argentine police say they found white powder in Payne’s room, as well as aluminum foil, empty champagne glasses and a broken TV, after the singer died in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
They also found a drug called clonazepam – a drug used to control epilepsy, involuntary muscle spasms and anxiety disorders.
The tablets, sold under the brand name Klonopin, are extremely addictive and can lead to serious intoxication when combined with alcohol.
Hotel staff told emergency services about “an aggressive man who may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol” who was “destroying his room” minutes before his death.
Liam Payne was in possession of a prescription anti-seizure drug called ‘super Valium’, which experts say is increasingly being abused by young people
Research shows that an increasing number of people are abusing clonazepam – also known by its ‘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 broken TV, after the singer died in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. They also found a drug called clonazepam
Hotel staff told emergency services about ‘an aggressive man possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol’ who ‘destroyed his room’ minutes before he died
Research shows that an increasing number of people are abusing clonazepam – also known by its ‘street names’ K-pins and Super Valium – to get high.
In the US, the number of people hospitalized for clonazepam abuse has almost doubled since 2004.
And in Britain, addiction centers say clonazepam addicts are now a ‘regular occurrence’.
However, the dangers of the drug are well known: Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks has publicly chronicled her eight-year battle with clonazepam addiction.
She was first prescribed it to help her overcome cocaine addiction and was assured it was safe.
Nicks told US Weekly in 2001: “Klonopin turned me into a zombie.”
She also described it as a “horrible, dangerous drug” and said her eventual 45-day hospital detox from the medication felt like “someone opened a door and pushed me into hell.”
The drug’s dangers are well known: Fleetwood Mac legend Stevie Nicks has publicly chronicled her eight-year battle with clonazepam addiction. Pictured in 2019 with Harry Styles during her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Nicks described it as a “terrible, dangerous drug” and said her eventual 45-day hospital detox from the medication felt like “someone opened a door and pushed me into hell.”
Girl actress Lena Dunham also struggled with addiction to the clonezapem.
In 2017, the screenwriter became increasingly dependent on the drug, which she was prescribed due to the stress she experienced during the filming of the last series of Girls.
“Those images of me at the last premiere, skinny and hollow-eyed, that was 100 percent my appetite and my body just shut down in response,” Dunham said.
The drug is part of a group of addictive anxiety medications known as benzodiazepines, which also includes alprazolam, also known as Xanax, and diazepam, sometimes sold under the brand name Valium.
The 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 and snort the tablets to get high.
Girls actress Lena Dunham became dependent on the drug while filming the latest series of Girls, a time she described as a ’50-car pile-up’.
“Those images of me at the last premiere, skinny and hollow-eyed, that was 100 percent my appetite and my body just shut down,” Dunham said.
“We regularly see people addicted to benzos such as clonazepam,” says Lee Fernandes, a mental health and addiction specialist at the UK Addiction Treatment London Clinic.
‘They often take it as an anti-anxiety drug and quickly become addicted to it.
‘I have seen patients who received a weekly prescription from their doctor and immediately became addicted. They ended up buying more on the black market.
‘It’s incredibly difficult to get off of it because it causes these horrible withdrawal symptoms.’
Clonazepam is a central nervous system depressant, meaning it slows down activity in the brain.
Users often describe a ‘high’ that feels relaxing and sometimes euphoric. However, combining it with alcohol can be dangerous.
Research shows that the combination can lead to extreme sleepiness, hospitalization and even death.
Experts also say that stopping the tablets can lead to extreme anxiety and sleep loss. Some patients even experience physical withdrawal symptoms, including headaches, stomach pain, vomiting, and tremors.
Clonazepam is sold under brand names like Klonopin and Rivotril – and is known by street names like 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 does the Klonopin withdrawal take?” wrote a user on a forum specifically for people who suffer from panic attacks.
“It’s day six of being off Klonopin and the withdrawal symptoms are killing me,” she added. “I dissociate very poorly and my anxiety has gotten out of control.”
Another Klonopin user turned to an addiction forum on Reddit for advice, asking, “how do I deal with the anxiety and insomnia after tapering?”
However, others on the website said how good it made them feel.
“I wish I could take Klonopin every day,” one person wrote. “Clonazepam is great, it makes me feel normal,” wrote another.
In the past, Liam Payne has spoken out about his struggles with alcohol and substance abuse.
Speaking on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast in 2021, 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 previously used to describe his mental state two years earlier during a strikingly candid interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast.
The 31-year-old, who has a seven-year-old son Bear with his ex-partner Cheryl Cole, also admitted he was ‘pissed off a lot’.
He also previously revealed he suffered from anxiety and agoraphobia – defined by the NHS as the fear of being put in situations where escape could be difficult.
“I would never leave the house and it bothers me a little bit sometimes, in the sense that I get days where I just don’t want to leave my house,” he told Esquire Middle East magazine in 2019.