Propofol to get Michael Jackson asleep? A sledgehammer to crack a nut

Propofol (Diprivan) was an immediate hit among anaesthetists when it was launched in the late eighties. It is fast acting, clean, relatively safe in overdose and the effects wear off within minutes. The vials of injectable white emulsion earned it the nickname “magic milk” and propofol is now the drug of choice for putting patients to sleep.