Home : Drugs A - Z : Propofol

What is this medicine?
PROPOFOL is an anesthetic. It is used to produce relaxation and sleep before or during surgery. It is also used in patients on a ventilator.

What side effects may I notice from receiving this medicine?
Side effects that you should report to your doctor or health care professional as soon as possible:

• allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue
• breathing problems
• changes in vision
• dark urine
• fast, irregular heartbeat
• feeling faint or lightheaded, falls
• fever
• low blood pressure
• muscle pain or weakness
• numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
• seizures
• stomach pain
• trouble passing urine or change in the amount of urine
• uncontrollable muscle spasm
• unusual weakness

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your doctor or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):

• dizziness
• nausea
• pain at site where injected

How should I use this medicine?
This medicine is for infusion into a vein. It is given by a health care professional in a hospital or clinic setting.

Talk to your pediatrician regarding the use of this medicine in children. While this drug may be prescribed for children as young as 2 months old for selected conditions, precautions do apply.

What if I miss a dose?
This does not apply.

What may interact with this medicine?
Do not take this medicine with any of the following medications:

• MAOIs like Carbex, Eldepryl, Marplan, Nardil, and Parnate
• St. John's Wort

This medicine may also interact with the following medications:

• alcohol
• barbiturates for sleep or seizures
• levodopa
• medicines for depression, anxiety, or psychotic disturbances
• medicines for sleep
• narcotic medicines for pain
• other medicines for sleep during surgery

Who should NOT use this medication?

• Known hypersensitivity to propofol or any ingredient in the formulation.
• When general anesthesia or sedation is contraindicated.

What should I watch for while using this medicine?
Your condition will be monitored carefully while you are receiving this medicine.

You may get drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know how this medicine affects you. Do not stand or sit up quickly, especially if you are an older patient. This reduces the risk of dizzy or fainting spells. Alcohol may interfere with the effect of this medicine. Avoid alcoholic drinks.

What should I tell my health care provider before I take this medicine?
They need to know if you have any of these conditions:

• heart disease
• high cholesterol
• pancreatitis
• seizures
• an unusual or allergic reaction to propofol, anesthetics, eggs, soy, benzyl alcohol, sulfites, other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
• pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• breast-feeding

Can I stop taking the medication if I feel better?
As a general rule, you should always take your medications exactly as prescribed and do not change the dosage or stop taking the medication without first discussing it with your healthcare provider.

I am on so many medications; do I have to take them all?
This is called polypharmacy—many different medications being used at the same time by one person. Sometimes, being on multiple medications is acceptable and appropriate but at other times it may be problematic. If you are receiving your medications from multiple physicians you need to ensure that they all know what medications you are taking. The best way to do this is to make a list of all the medications you are currently using, including all nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and over-the-counter drugs (if possible, also include all the diseases you have been diagnosed with). Give a copy to every doctor who takes care of you so they have it on file, this way they can avoid duplicating medications and perhaps even try to consolidate some. After every doctor's visit remember to update the list accordingly. Also, as much as you possibly can, try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, this way any potential drug interactions can be caught and averted.