ABSTRACT
Anesthetic drugs include tranquilizers/sedatives, analgesics, and drugs used for induction, maintenance, and recovery. Anesthetic drugs include tranquilizers/sedatives, analgesics, and drugs used for induction, maintenance, and recovery. Although technically not anesthetic drugs, support drugs like anticholinergics and positive inotropes are an integral part of anesthesia. For all phases of anesthesia, drugs can be administered intravenously. Premedications and postoperative drugs are often administered intramuscularly and occasionally subcutaneously, orally, oral transmucosally or transdermally. Some anesthesia drugs are Drug Enforcement Agency controlled, meaning that their use has to be carefully recorded in the patient's record and in a controlled drug log. Drugs that are commonly used for premedication include analgesic drugs and tranquilizer/sedatives. One of the best ways to make a patient comfortable postoperatively is to be aggressive with preoperative and intraoperative analgesia! This alleviates the chance for central sensitization of the pain pathway and makes any postoperative pain less intense and more manageable with standard analgesic drugs.
