Diprivan not a treatment for sleep disorders: experts

(CNN) UPDATED 2009-07-02

According to a nurse employed by Michael Jackson, the pop singer had repeatedly asked her to give him the powerful IV anesthetic Diprivan to treat his insomnia. Diprivan, also known as propofol, renders the patient unconscious for surgical or diagnostic procedures. When the IV is removed, the patient then awakens almost immediately and feels rested. According to Jackson's nurse Cherilyn Lee, he suffered from insomnia and wanted her to give him the drug so that he could get "eight hours sleep," but she refused. Diprivan is not approved for sleep disorders by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which only allows it to be administered by people trained in general anesthesia. The primary risks of Diprivan come from a patient's breathing slowing down to the point that he or she suffers cardiac arrest. Read full story >

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