What is the cocktail they give you before surgery?

The "cocktail" before surgery typically involves sedatives like Midazolam for relaxation and memory loss, plus potentially pain relievers like Fentanyl, and sometimes agents to prevent nausea (like Dexamethasone) or reduce injection pain (like Lidocaine), administered via IV or orally, all managed by an anesthesiologist to ensure comfort and safety, often starting with mild sedation before general anesthesia.

What is the happy drug they give you before surgery?

Midazolam injection is used before medical procedures and surgery and during surgery to cause drowsiness, relieve anxiety, and avoid any memory of the event.

How quickly does propofol wear off?

Propofol wears off very quickly, with patients often waking within 5 to 30 minutes after the infusion stops, feeling alert within 10-15 minutes for short procedures, but it can accumulate with prolonged use, extending recovery time, and full clearing can take hours, requiring someone to drive you home, says Drugs.com. 

What do they give you to drink before surgery?

A pre-surgery drink is a special clear, carbohydrate-rich beverage (like Ensure Pre-Surgery or preOp) given to patients before surgery to provide energy, reduce hunger/thirst, stabilize blood sugar, lessen surgical stress, and improve recovery by preventing nausea and muscle loss, often replacing traditional overnight fasting under modern Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols. These drinks, typically consumed in the hours leading up to surgery, help the body prepare and recover faster, potentially shortening hospital stays. 

What is the best pre-surgery drink?

Each bottle of Ensure Pre-Surgery Clear Carbohydrate Drink, from the #1 doctor-recommended brand* Ensure, is formulated with carbohydrates and antioxidants to help your body prepare for, and recover from, surgery. Every drink has: 50 grams carbohydrates. Antioxidants: zinc, selenium.

What the anesthesia "cocktail" contains & why it's given

What is the 2 4 6 rule for anesthesia?

The 2-4-6 rule for anesthesia is a guideline for preoperative fasting, indicating how long patients should abstain from food and drink before surgery to prevent aspiration (inhaling stomach contents): 2 hours for clear liquids, 4 hours for breast milk, and 6 hours for formula or light meals, with heavier meals requiring longer (often 8+). This evidence-based rule, established by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), replaces older "NPO after midnight" mandates, allowing for shorter, safer fasting times for most healthy patients. 

How do they wake you up after propofol?

They wake you up from propofol primarily by stopping the infusion, as the drug is cleared from your body very quickly (minutes), allowing you to regain consciousness naturally, with staff providing extra oxygen and monitoring vitals for a smooth transition in the recovery room until you're alert and stable. 

What is the number one side effect of propofol?

Adverse Effects

Transient local pain at the injection site is the most common adverse reaction. This may be decreased by administering IV lidocaine before propofol bolus.

What is the 10 8 6 rule for propofol?

Traditionally, one such popular algorithm is the “10-8-6 rule” used for adult infusions. The rule includes a loading does of propofol at 1 mg/kg followed by an infusion of 10 mg/kg/hr for a period of 10 minutes, then 8 mg/kg/hr for the next 10 minutes, and finally 6 mg/kg/hr for the subsequent time period.

Who should not receive propofol?

You should not receive propofol if you are allergic to it. Tell your doctor if you have allergies to eggs, egg products, soybeans, or soy products.

What drug puts you to sleep under anesthesia?

Propofol (Diprivan®) is the most commonly used IV general anesthetic. In lower doses, it induces sleep while allowing a patient to continue breathing on their own. It is often utilized by anesthesiologist for sedation in addition to anxiolytics and analgesics.

What does propofol do to the brain?

Propofol works by enhancing the brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA, leading to widespread brain depression, sedation, and unconsciousness by dampening neural communication, especially between the thalamus and cortex, altering brain rhythms to slow frequencies and disrupting the normal balance of excitation/inhibition. It effectively reduces brain activity, causing temporary loss of awareness but also affecting breathing and blood pressure.
 

How to calm anxiety about surgery?

To reduce pre-surgery anxiety, use relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or listening to music; distract yourself with hobbies, books, or puzzles; talk to your medical team to understand the procedure better; and ensure you have support from loved ones, while your doctor might prescribe medication for severe cases. Focusing on the positive outcomes and the expertise of your care team helps shift focus from fear to healing. 

Which drug is known as the Happy Pill?

“Happy pills” — in particular the anxiolytic drugs Miltown and Valium and the antidepressant Prozac — have been spectacularly successful “products” over the last 5 decades, largely because they have widespread off label use. Miltown, launched in the 1950s, was the first “blockbuster” psychotropic drug in the US.

Why does propofol feel so good?

Propofol feels good because it triggers dopamine release in the brain's reward system, creating euphoria, relaxation, and pleasant mood alterations, often described as "elated" or "dreamy" during recovery from procedures, though this euphoric effect also carries a risk of addiction and abuse, according to NIH. Its rapid action and quick, clear recovery, without the grogginess of other sedatives, also contribute to positive patient experiences, notes MD Anderson Cancer Center and Verywell Health. 

What organ does propofol affect?

There are three organ systems affected by propofol: the cardiovascular system, the CNS, and the respiratory system. Propofol affects the cardiovascular system by decreasing systemic blood pressure.

Are you high after propofol?

There are several risk factors for the development of propofol addiction, including dreaming, propofol dose, duration of anesthesia, and etomidate dose. These findings suggest that propofol may have a euphoric effect and may have the potential for drug addiction and abuse.

How quickly does propofol knock you out?

Propofol starts working very quickly, usually in less than a minute. It is also a very short-acting medicine, wearing off in 5 to 20 minutes. Most procedures will require more than one dose. For long procedures, the medicine may be given through the IV during the whole test time.

Are you technically sleeping under anesthesia?

Anesthesiologists often tell patients they're going to put them to sleep for their surgery. But general anesthesia is not sleep. It's a drug-induced, reversible coma that bears a remarkable physiological resemblance to death, as Emery Brown describes it. But putting it that way isn't very comforting to patients.

How long are you in the recovery room after surgery?

After surgery, patients typically spend 45 minutes to 2 hours in the recovery room (PACU) as anesthesia wears off, but it can vary from minutes to several hours depending on surgery complexity, type of anesthesia, and individual health, with staff monitoring vitals and comfort until stable for discharge home or transfer to a hospital room.
 

What should you not do the night before anesthesia?

DO NOT SMOKE OR DRINK ALCOHOL 24 HOURS PRIOR TO SURGERY. DO NOT DRIVE OR OPERATE HAZARDOUS MACHINERY THE SAME DAY AFTER SURGERY. Arrange transportation with a responsible adult to bring you to and from the office. Someone will need to take care of you for at least 6 hours after leaving the office.

Why do you count backwards when getting put to sleep with anesthesia?

Counting backward from 100 during anesthesia induction serves as a distraction, helps monitor how fast the drugs affect your brain (you often stop around 90), and demonstrates the drug's quick action, showing you're not really "sleeping" but entering a reversible coma where you lose awareness and memory rapidly.
 

What does AA stand for in anesthesia?

Anesthesiologist Assistant

AAs work exclusively within the anesthesia care team environment as described by the American Society of Anesthesiologists.