Hayden Panettiere’s Cause of Death: The 5 Drugs Found Explained

Five weeks after the heartbreaking death of Hayden Panettiere, her cause of death has been made official. Early reports suggested that Panettiere’s death was caused by a drug overdose, and now People confirms that multiple drugs were found in her system.

What Was Hayden Panettiere’s Cause of Death?

People revealed details from the coroner’s report from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, which was released on September 22. The report lists that toxic effects from drugs taken by Panettiere caused her accidental death.

The report lists quetiapine, methocarbamol, alprazolam, 4-ANPP, and fentanyl as drugs found in Panettiere’s system.

Methocarbamol is a prescription muscle relaxant often referred to as Robaxin, shares the Mayo Clinic. The clinic notes that it is intended to be used on a short-term basis for various bone conditions or muscle pain.

Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller, notes the Mayo Clinic, and it is commonly used “in operating rooms, to control pain after surgery and to alleviate pain for people with advanced cancer.”

It is an opioid, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicates it is “50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.”

While fentanyl as a pharmaceutical drug is legal and strictly tracked, the CDC notes that non-pharmaceutical fentanyl is connected to a large percentage of drug overdose deaths.

Fentanyl can be taken on its own. However, it is becoming more and more common for it to be mixed with other drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, or pressed into pills that resemble oxycodone or Xanax.

4-ANPP (4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine, or despropionylfentanyl) is described by the Journal of Forensic Sciences as a “minor metabolite and precursor chemical” for fentanyl.

According to Bench Chem, 4-ANPP is a starting material used when creating fentanyl. In addition, it is a metabolite that can be produced when taking fentanyl.

The Bench Chem report also indicates that the presence of 4-ANPP may help distinguish between pharmaceutical and illicit fentanyl. Higher concentrations of 4-ANPP are more strongly tied to non-pharmaceutical sources than prescription usage.

Alprazolam is commonly referred to as Xanax, a medication that treats anxiety, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It is classified as a benzodiazepine.

The medication is also sometimes prescribed to patients experiencing panic disorder, agoraphobia, premenstrual syndrome, insomnia, and certain symptoms of depression.

Quetiapine is commonly known as SEROquel and is primarily used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is also sometimes prescribed to be taken with antidepressants to treat major depressive disorder, the clinic noted.

Methocarbamol is commonly known as Robaxin and is a muscle relaxant typically prescribed to help with pain coming from sprains and various muscle injuries, notes Medicine Plus.

The new coroner’s report comes just two days after many of Panettiere’s loved ones gathered for a memorial to say farewell to the Nashville star.

People shared that those in attendance included Panettiere’s Nashville costars Connie Britton and Charles Esten, along with Ruby Rose, Paris Hilton, Evan Ross, and her father, Alan “Skip” Panettiere.

Panettiere’s mother, Lesley Vogel, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were specifically not invited.