Propofol-brand name: Diprivan – is an intravenous anesthetic drug used to induce unconsciousness before surgery. It has also been used in assisted suicides. “It’s very dangerous, and not usually given outside a hospital setting,” says Dr. Michael Lowenstein, director of the Waismann Method detox program in Orange County. “If the person is not monitored, it’s very easy to stop breathing and die.”