Anaesthetics

An anesthetic (or anaesthetic, see spelling differences) is a drug that causes anesthesia—reversible loss of sensation. These drugs are generally administered to facilitate surgery. A wide variety of drugs are used in modern anesthetic practice. Many are rarely used outside of anesthesia, although others are used commonly by all disciplines. Anesthetics are categorized in to two classes: general anesthetics, which cause a reversible loss of consciousness, and local anesthetics, which cause a reversible loss of sensation for a limited region of the body while maintaining consciousness. Combinations of anesthetics are sometimes used for their synergistic and additive therapeutic effects, however, adverse effects may also be increased.

A wide variety of drugs are used in modern anaesthetic practice. Many are rarely used outside of anaesthesia, although others are used commonly by all disciplines. Some of the prominent ones include:

local anaesthetics
general anaesthetics
- inhalational anaesthetics
  - volatile anaesthetics
    - desflurane
      sevoflurane
      isoflurane
      halothane
      enflurane
      methoxyflurane
  - nitrous oxide
  - xenon
- intravenous anaesthetics
  - propofol
    etomidate
  - barbiturates
    - methohexital
      thiopentone/thiopental
  - benzodiazepines
    - midazolam
    - diazepam
  - ketamine
analgesics
- opioids
  - morphine
  - fentanyl
  - alfentanil
    sufentanil
    remifentanil
  - methadone
  - meperidine / pethidine
- NSAIDs
muscle relaxants
- depolarising muscle relaxants
  - succinylcholine, also known as suxamethonium
- nondepolarising (curare-like) muscle relaxants
  - atracurium
    cisatracurium
    vecuronium
    rocuronium
    mivacurium
    tubocurarine (see mislabelled article “turbocurnanine” under “search.” Can this article be placed correctly under tubocurarine also?)
    pancuronium bromide
vasoconstrictors, also known as vasopressors
- phenylephrine
- ephedrine
- metaraminol
antiemetics: phenothiazines, e.g.: prochlorperazine, promethazine, cyclizine;
butyrophenones, e.g.: droperidol; antihistamines, e.g.: dimenhydrinate (old); newer agents: ondansetron and tropisetron, and granisetron; steroids, e.g.: dexamethasone; and lastly, metoclopramide (variable efficacy).