First general anesthesia after withdrawal

[[sh...]]

Hello,

I am getting General anesthesia with propofol and midazolam for an MRI because I am severely claustrophobic. i have tolerated these fine before. Should there be any difference now that I am 16 months off Clonazepam. I still take an occasional 0.25 mg for dentist's office visit, etc., without issues.

Thank you for your advice.

[[...]]

Following because I’m very interested in the outcome. Please do let us know how it goes.

[[co...]]

I have had propofol and midazolam countless times for medical and dental procedures throughout my taper and after it was over.  I have never noticed any ill effects.  Best of luck for your upcoming procedure.

[[Ra...]]

You’ll be okay, don’t worry!

 

[[cl...]]

Don't worry, you'll be fine!  In the long run you may want to think about dropping the occasional K dose, or at least I found I was better off without it.

[[sh...]]

I will update this post. For now, my anxiety and panic are still worse than while I was on clonazepam, so need the rescue dose for 'major' stressors 

Thanks so much for the reassurance!

[[sh...]]

Thank you to everyone for their kind words and well-wishes. The anesthesia went well:

 

Name	Total
Meds
midazolam	2 mg
lidocaine 2% (IV)	100 mg
dexamethasone	4 mg
propofol injection	150 mg
phenylephrine	100 mcg
ePHEDrine	30 mg
ondansetron	4 mg
Normosol	500 mL

Agents

Name inN2O

Isoflurane

 

(midazolam, propofol, and inhaled anesthetic).

Asked not to be given fentanyl, and use of LMA instead of intubating. 

The MRI results have the doctors worried.

 

[[de...]]

Glad the MRI went well.  Hopefully you are not feeling any uptick in symptoms.    

I am sorry to hear the MRI results have the doctors worried.    

Please keep us posted.

 

[[Br...]]

I hope you get your results soon.  Sorry you have to go through all of this.

Like you, I'm extremely claustrophobic.  I have had three MRIs in the past year - I'm nearly 4 years post jump and I take a benzo for the MRI - there's no way I could get through it without sedation.  I've never had a problem with it.  The stress of worrying about medical issues however, has contributed to temporary upticks in symptoms.  But everything settled down fairly quickly.  Again, I'm sorry you're going through this.  I know it's not easy.

[[Zi...]]

3 hours ago, [[s...] said:

Thank you to everyone for their kind words and well-wishes. The anesthesia went well:

Name	Total
Meds
midazolam	2 mg
lidocaine 2% (IV)	100 mg
dexamethasone	4 mg
propofol injection	150 mg
phenylephrine	100 mcg
ePHEDrine	30 mg
ondansetron	4 mg
Normosol	500 mL

Agents

Name inN2O

Isoflurane

 

(midazolam, propofol, and inhaled anesthetic).

Asked not to be given fentanyl, and use of LMA instead of intubating. 

The MRI results have the doctors worried.

Glad your anesthesia went well! What part of your body did you have MRI done on? 

I was supposed to get an MRI done on my head and neck but I am not doing well in my taper and am finding myself with more anxiety and claustrophobia than ever before! The doc opted for X-Rays instead which I handled easily. That MRI machine terrifies me!! The tight space and sounds!! 

 

Another question is can all MRIs be done under anesthesia? I am in Canada and I couldn't find info on that. I really wanted to have MRI of my head and neck as it is way more detailed and I am having some major issues in my neck due to my cervical dystonia. Not fun on top of the benzo taper! Sorry for the sidetrack! 

 

I hope you are doing okay! 

[[sh...]]

I had MRI of the head and neck.

My hospital provides both general acute care and tertiary care to patients locally and internationally.

I think they have designated two days a month of MRI under general anesthesia for patients who are severely claustrophobic.

Please ask to be referred to a hospital that does it. I have had MRI under general anesthesia in another country as well. So, this should be available in Canada.

 

[[sh...]]

decatur, brighterday, S

I am sorry for not replying sooner. I was moving and had appointments for other active issues. 
This latest surveillance MRI of a parotid tumor shows growth rate twice that of a benign adenoma. 
If I decide to continue monitoring it, a biopsy is required to confirm diagnosis. Otherwise, the surgeon will remove without further workup.
I have been asked to get my anxiety, PTSD, reactive depression treated before that, because per the surgeon, "everything changes after the surgery. 
I have to be in my best physical and mental health to be able to deal with them".
My drug allergy/sensitivity list is very long. 
18 months post Clonazepam withdrawal I have problems taking supplements I used to take regularly before - Magnesium, B-Complex, Cod-liver oil.
The SSRI tried before benzo prescription Escitalopram resulted in serotonin syndrome. Mirtazapine just acted like a sleep aid. I see warnings on the forum about Mirtazapine post withdrawal causing severe and protracted symptoms for those tapering it.
Surgeon said to try Ketamine. It causes blood pressure elevation and adrenal issues, both of which I have.
The endocrinologist referred for TMS, though I am not sure it is effective for panic disorder/anxiety which are my main issues.
A chiropractor prescribed EMDR. 
I don't know where to start.

I have asked my PCP for a Hydroxyzine script for now. She will push for an antidepressant. The doctors do not know the protracted / severe issues drugs post withdrawal can cause. I had to take a beta blocker bisoprolol during it; a week on it caused symptoms that took over a month to get better.

If there is a general rule-of-thumb about what works after benzo withdrawal, please can someone guide me.
Peace and blessings.

[[mi...]]

@[sh...] my wife had a parotid tumor removed 8 years ago. It grew slowly for 3-4 years and got to the size of maybe two golf balls. She had it out and it ended up being a rare cancer but it didn’t spread. She had radiation and has been fine ever since. Most parotid masses are benign and they were convinced it was a pleomorphic adenine but pathology said otherwise. Anyway, it never was much of a risk to her as it wasn’t spreading but radiation was our choice and just to be safe. But the surgery wasn’t fun but she did well with it. She is fine today.