Cough syrup found in rapper Pimp C's hotel room had no label, coroner's spokesman says

The prescription-strength cough syrup found in rapper Pimp C's room was half empty and did not have a prescription label, a coroner's spokesman in California said Tuesday.

Pimp C's death in December was ruled accidental Monday by the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, which said the combination of codeine and promethazine found in the rapper's system, coupled with the disorder called sleep apnea, caused his death.

Sleep apnea causes people to stop breathing for up to 30 seconds at a time while sleeping.

Besides the cough syrup, the rapper, born Chad Butler, had two labeled prescriptions in his room at the time of his death, coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey told The Associated Press. The first prescription, clorazepate, is most commonly used to relieve anxiety. The second, acyclovir, is most often used to treat herpes.

Pimp C, one-half of the trailblazing rap duo Underground Kingz, was found dead in the Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles on Dec. 4 at the age of 33.

The abuse of codeine-laced cough syrup is so prevalent in Houston, near Pimp C's hometown, that the city has been nicknamed "The City of Syrup," and Pimp C often rapped about using the drug recreationally.

In one song, he boasts that he "got kids in the 'burbs, sipping on syrup."

A sleep disorder specialist said people with sleep apnea should not take codeine-laced cough syrup because the sedatives in it inhibit respiration.

"We caution the person against sedative hypnotics and drugs that suppress respiration," said Max Hirshkowitz, the director of the Sleep Disorders Research Center of the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Houston.

People with sleep apnea who are prescribed the medications are made to sleep with a breathing machine to keep their airway open during sleep, Hirshkowitz said.

He also said obese people are at increased risk for sleep apnea. Pimp C weighed 261 pounds (118 kilograms).

Houston has dealt with illegal use of cough syrup for several years. In 2006, four local pharmacists were found guilty of drug conspiracy for selling more than 2,500 gallons (9,463 liters) of it to people without prescriptions.