“Addiction to propofol?”
After using a general anesthesia for his surgery with Propofol, my friend seeked it out a lot and actually became addicted to it. He's in rehab now, but I didn't think that addiction would be a risk of anesthesia. How common is it for people to be addicted to Propofol or other anesthetic drugs after surgery?
6 Answers
Not very common
Very uncommon to be addicted to propofol. Usually addiction is to pain killers.
It is uncommon to become addicted to propofol. It is a general anesthetic and it is very easy to overdose and stop breathing. Other medications such as fentanyl, morphine, hydromorphone, and versed can be addicting.
Propofol addiction from receiving an anesthetic is rare in my experience. It is much more common for patients to become addicted to opioids used for pain post-operatively. This is related to both the single administration of propofol and its relative scarcity as a street drug. It is a prescription drug, but not intended for use out of a medical setting.
Dave Canfield, M.D.
Dave Canfield, M.D.
Addiction to anesthetic like propofol are very uncommon. Access is difficult and this drug pretty much puts you to sleep, which is why Michael Jackson used it with assistance of an admittedly unqualified doctor. There are much healthier ways to improve sleep if that is an issue.
Christopher Creighton
Christopher Creighton
Any drug which affects the brain and central nervous system has the potential for addiction. The most common drug which leads to addiction is the pain pill prescription given upon discharge following a surgical procedure. 5% to 15% of opioid naive patients who receive a prescription for opioid pain pills are still taking opioids one year later.
Propfol is used to initiate and in some cases maintain general anesthesia. Propofol abusers are not seeking a drug high, but instead they want to “block out the entire world” by falling asleep. Most begin their addiction because of insomnia, which is often related to a history of trauma or post-traumatic stress syndrome or prescription drug abuse. Due to limited access, propofol addiction is still rare but increasing in frequency.
Propfol is used to initiate and in some cases maintain general anesthesia. Propofol abusers are not seeking a drug high, but instead they want to “block out the entire world” by falling asleep. Most begin their addiction because of insomnia, which is often related to a history of trauma or post-traumatic stress syndrome or prescription drug abuse. Due to limited access, propofol addiction is still rare but increasing in frequency.
