Who is stupid enough to abuse propofol?

[doctorcoug]

I kid you not. Dose a little too high and you die. Plain stupidity.

[RC Vikings]

I kid you not. Dose a little too high and you die. Plain stupidity.

Abuse
Abuse of propofol as a recreational drug has been reported, usually among medical staff such as anaesthetists who have access to the drug.[18] However, abuse of the drug is rare due to its potency and the level of monitoring required to take it, and it has not been scheduled by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.[19] Despite a lack of analgesic properties, propofol's sedative action presumably produces euphoric effects. The steep dose response curve of the drug makes such abuse very dangerous without proper monitoring, and several deaths have been recorded.[20][21] News reports citing unnamed law enforcement sources state Diprivan was found by law enforcement officers in the home of Michael Jackson following his June 25, 2009 death. These reports are consistent with claims that the medication might have played a role in his death.[22][23]

[wuapinmon]

I kid you not. Dose a little too high and you die. Plain stupidity.

1. Apparently it produces profound euphoria:

Iwersen-Bergmann S, Rösner P, Kühnau HC, Junge M, Schmoldt A (2001). "Death after excessive propofol abuse". International Journal of Legal Medicine 114 (4-5): 248–51.

Kranioti EF, Mavroforou A, Mylonakis P, Michalodimitrakis M. (March 22 2007). "Lethal self administration of propofol (Diprivan): A case report and review of the literature". Forensic Science International 167 (1): 56-8. accessdate= Jan 23 2006.

2. Have you ever had insomnia so bad that you'd try anything to get to sleep? Desperate people do stupid things.

[Jarid in Cedar]

1. Apparently it produces profound euphoria:

Iwersen-Bergmann S, Rösner P, Kühnau HC, Junge M, Schmoldt A (2001). "Death after excessive propofol abuse". International Journal of Legal Medicine 114 (4-5): 248–51.

Kranioti EF, Mavroforou A, Mylonakis P, Michalodimitrakis M. (March 22 2007). "Lethal self administration of propofol (Diprivan): A case report and review of the literature". Forensic Science International 167 (1): 56-8. accessdate= Jan 23 2006.

2. Have you ever had insomnia so bad that you'd try anything to get to sleep? Desperate people do stupid things.

I was given propofol for an endo procedure. 30 minute nap felt like a full night's sleep. I could definitely see how it could be abused if you could figure out a dosing method.

[JohnnyLingo]

I was given propofol for an endo procedure. 30 minute nap felt like a full night's sleep. I could definitely see how it could be abused if you could figure out a dosing method.

Did it just feel like a full night's sleep, or did it really have the effect of one?

[Jarid in Cedar]

Did it just feel like a full night's sleep, or did it really have the effect of one?

It had the effect of one. I hadn't felt that energetic after a full nights sleep since I was a child. It was awesome.

[LA Ute]

I was given propofol for an endo procedure. 30 minute nap felt like a full night's sleep. I could definitely see how it could be abused if you could figure out a dosing method.

Ditto here. I was amazed at how well it worked.

In California (and I suspect in other states) when propofol is used in hospitals, it is used only in the operating room/surgical suite with all the anesthesia safeguards available there. Hospitals generally won't use it in outpatient settings. Lots of ambulatory surgery centers use it (for colonoscopies, for example) but not hospitals. When I had my colonoscopy my GI doc told me I could have the procedure in either the hospital or the ambulatory surgery center, but if I wanted propofol I had to do it in the ASC. (I chose the propofol because I wanted to wake up quickly and be on my way.) Kind of interesting in light of the alleged abuse by Michael Jackson. I can't imagine a California licensed physician giving it in someone's home.

[ERCougar]

Ditto here. I was amazed at how well it worked.

In California (and I suspect in other states) when propofol is used in hospitals, it is used only in the operating room/surgical suite with all the anesthesia safeguards available there. Hospitals generally won't use it in outpatient settings. Lots of ambulatory surgery centers use it (for colonoscopies, for example) but not hospitals. When I had my colonoscopy my GI doc told me I could have the procedure in either the hospital or the ambulatory surgery center, but if I wanted propofol I had to do it in the ASC. (I chose the propofol because I wanted to wake up quickly and be on my way.) Kind of interesting in light of the alleged abuse by Michael Jackson. I can't imagine a California licensed physician giving it in someone's home.

We use propofol in the ER all of the time. It's my first drug of choice for conscious sedation. The advantages to it are huge and most ER's now have access to propofol. That said, however, you have to monitor very closely, and there's no way someone should be administering it in a residence. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Some people are amazingly desperate for mind-altering drugs. Last night, I gave adenosine to a patient with a rapid heartbeat. Adenosine stops your heart for a few seconds, essentially rebooting your heart. By every account, it's an absolutely awful sensation. This guy comes out of it and says, "Where can I get some of that stuff?" That was a first for me.

[Jarid in Cedar]

We use propofol in the ER all of the time. It's my first drug of choice for conscious sedation. The advantages to it are huge and most ER's now have access to propofol. That said, however, you have to monitor very closely, and there's no way someone should be administering it in a residence. That's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Some people are amazingly desperate for mind-altering drugs. Last night, I gave adenosine to a patient with a rapid heartbeat. Adenosine stops your heart for a few seconds, essentially rebooting your heart. By every account, it's an absolutely awful sensation. This guy comes out of it and says, "Where can I get some of that stuff?" That was a first for me.

Can't say I've EVER head someone say that about andenosine

[ERCougar]

Can't say I've EVER head someone say that about andenosine

Yeah, we all got a kick out of it. This was one of those guys who's tried about everything else, so I guess it gave him something new?

[wuapinmon]

How fast was his heart beating?

[ERCougar]

How fast was his heart beating?

200-210. No, you don't need adenosine.

[wuapinmon]

200-210. No, you don't need adenosine.

Can I phone in my wishlist and you send me some samples? LOL

That's probably not that funny, but I've got myself rolling....I'm CUFs Drew Carey.

[FMCoug]

Yeah, we all got a kick out of it. This was one of those guys who's tried about everything else, so I guess it gave him something new?

I have no clue, but it seems to me being an ER doc would be one of the best kind to be in terms of story telling fodder. I can imagine ER docs and nurses sitting around in the breakroom telling war stories. Kind of like cops.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I have no clue, but it seems to me being an ER doc would be one of the best kind to be in terms of story telling fodder. I can imagine ER docs and nurses sitting around in the breakroom telling war stories. Kind of like cops.

Their stories typically coincide with the phases of the moon. Seriously, given that I am in charge of our call schedule, I do everything within my own power to assure that I am not on-call when it is a full moon.