Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Happens Before Surgery?Pre-Operative MedicationsMedications Given During SurgeryPost-Operative MedicationsWhat Happens After Surgery?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Happens Before Surgery?
Pre-Operative Medications
Medications Given During Surgery
Post-Operative Medications
What Happens After Surgery?
The drugs commonly used before, during, and aftersurgical proceduresvary widely from patient to patient. This is because the specific drugs you receive are based on the type of surgery you are having, the type ofanesthesia, or pain control given.
Any underlying health issues you may have also play a role in the choice of drugs used. Drugs calledanxiolyticsare also routinely given to help ease anxiety before surgery.
Eric Audras / Getty Images
This article will explore medications that may be used before, during, and after your surgery. It will also explain what to expect before and after your procedure.
Before surgery, you will meet with ananesthesiologist. They are specially trained doctors who administer drugs calledanesthetics. These drugs impact how awake you are during surgery. They also help with pain control. During this meeting, you will go over your medical history and discuss anything you are currently using including:
Some substances may affect how well you heal from your surgery.Be sure to give your doctor a complete list of what you are using.
Talking About Anxiety
Most people feel someanxiety before surgery. Anti-anxiety medications are often given before surgery to help patients feel more comfortable. Studies show that managing anxiety before surgery can have a positive impact on outcomes.
Quitting smokingis ideal before your surgery. Doing so can help lower your risk of having wound healing issues, as well as lung complications, likepneumonia, after surgery.
What Medications Are Given Before Surgery?
Some medications may be given before surgery even begins. Common examples include antibiotics and anti-anxiety medications.
Antibiotics
Before your surgery, you may be given anantibioticto help prevent infections. Antibiotics are used to combat bacteria. They are generally given in pill form, orintravenously, which is when medication is administered directly into a vein.
The antibiotic given depends on the type of surgery a person is having. The antibiotic is usually given 30-60 minutes before surgery begins.
Signs of Infection After Surgery
Anti-Anxiety Medications
Sedatives are drugs that are used to help with pain and nervousness. They may be given before surgery begins to help you feel calmer. While in surgery, you will continue to get this medication. You will be awake if not also under anesthesia. Sedatives may be given intravenously, in pill form, or inhaled through a mask.
Medications called anxiolytics are often used for anxiety before surgery to help patients relax. They include:
Midazolam and diazepam are two of the most common drugs given to reduce preoperative anxiety.
What Medications Are Given During Surgery?
During surgery, an individual may get:
Anesthesia
Both major and minor surgeries may require the use of anesthesia. Types of anesthesia include:
Diprivan (propofol)is a short-acting sedative that may be used for anesthesia.
Paralytics (Muscle Relaxants)
Sometimes, a doctor will need to place a breathing tube down an individual’s throat to make sure they are breathing properly during the surgery. Aparalyticmedicationmay be used to relax the muscles duringintubationand surgery. Paralytic drugs may be used in addition to anesthetics.
What Medications Are Given After Surgery?
After surgery, drugs may be given to manage pain, reduce the risk of complications, and help with recovery.
Analgesics
Analgesicsare drugs that are used to help with pain after surgery. They can be given intravenously, in pill form, and as a liquid. They may also be given as a patch, where the medication is taken in through the skin.
Many post-operative analgesics contain opioids, which are a class of pain-relieving drugs. These may cause uncomfortable side effects. Because of this, sometimes opioids are given along with other medications, like Tylenol, to reduce side effects while still keeping the patient comfortable.
Common opioid medications given in the hospital after surgery include morphine and hydromorphone.
Upon discharge from the hospital, pain medications may be given including:
Anticoagulants
Blood clots, which occur when blood changes from a liquid to a gel consistency, may form as a result of surgery. Because of this,anticoagulantmedications may be given to help thin the blood and prevent clots.Anticoagulant medication may be given intravenously or as an injection.
Anticoagulant medications include:
Symptom-Reducing Medications
Your doctor may give you medications to help with discomfort or the side effects of other pain medications that you are taking.
Types of symptom-reducing drugs may include:
When your surgery is over, you will go to a recovery room. There, your vitals will be monitored and your pain managed.
If staying overnight, you will move to a hospital room to recover. Healthcare providers will continue to check your vitals.
Surgeons may have specific instructions for you, like how to properly care for your surgical wound. Your doctor may also order blood tests to check for signs of bleeding or infection.
How to Care for a Drain After Surgery
Summary
Before taking any medication, you will go over your medical history with your doctor. This is done to make sure that anything you are currently taking won’t interfere with your surgery or recovery.
Before surgery, you may be given an antibiotic to help prevent an infection. This may be given in pill form or intravenously. Anti-anxiety medications may also be used before surgery to help you relax.
Depending on the type of surgery you are having, you may receive anesthesia, intubation drugs, and/or sedatives.
After surgery, you may be given medications to help with pain and anticoagulants to reduce the chance of blood clots. You may also be given other drugs to help with constipation, nausea, andstomach discomfort.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Khalil H, Cullen M, Chambers H, McGrail M.Medications affecting healing: an evidence‐based analysis.Int Wound J.2017;14(6):1340-1345. doi:10.1111/iwj.12809Ji W, Sang C, Zhang X, Zhu K, Bo L.Personality, preoperative anxiety, and postoperative outcomes: a review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(19):12162. doi:10.3390/ijerph191912162Aust H, Rüsch D, Schuster M, Sturm T, Brehm F, Nestoriuc Y.Coping strategies in anxious surgical patients.BMC Health Serv Res. 2016;16:250. doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1492-5Ayazi K, Sayadi S, Hashemi M, Ghodssi-Ghassemabadi R, Samsami M.Preoperative smoking cessation and its association with postoperative complications and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing herniorrhaphy.Tanaffos. 2021;20(1):59-63. doi:10.1186/s13063-022-06628-8Dhole S, Mahakalkar C, Kshirsagar S, Bhargava A.Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery: current insights and future directions for surgical site infection prevention.Cureus. 2023;15(10):e47858. doi:10.7759/cureus.47858Johns Hopkins Medicine.Procedural sedation.Wang R, Huang X, Wang Y, Akbari M.Non-pharmacologic approaches in preoperative anxiety, a comprehensive review.Front Public Health. 2022;10:854673. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.854673Chidambaran V, Costandi A, D’mello A.Propofol: a review of its role in pediatric anesthesia and sedation.CNS Drugs.2015;29(7):543-63. doi:10.1007/s40263-015-0259-6Merck Manual Professional Version.Drugs to aid intubation.Cheung CK, Adeola JO, Beutler SS, Urman RD.Postoperative pain management in enhanced recovery pathways.J Pain Res. 2022;15:123-135. doi:10.2147/JPR.S231774Tun HN, Kyaw MT, Rafflenbeul E, Suástegui XL.Role of direct oral anticoagulants for post-operative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis.Eur Cardiol. 2022;17:e11. doi:10.15420/ecr.2021.55
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Khalil H, Cullen M, Chambers H, McGrail M.Medications affecting healing: an evidence‐based analysis.Int Wound J.2017;14(6):1340-1345. doi:10.1111/iwj.12809Ji W, Sang C, Zhang X, Zhu K, Bo L.Personality, preoperative anxiety, and postoperative outcomes: a review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(19):12162. doi:10.3390/ijerph191912162Aust H, Rüsch D, Schuster M, Sturm T, Brehm F, Nestoriuc Y.Coping strategies in anxious surgical patients.BMC Health Serv Res. 2016;16:250. doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1492-5Ayazi K, Sayadi S, Hashemi M, Ghodssi-Ghassemabadi R, Samsami M.Preoperative smoking cessation and its association with postoperative complications and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing herniorrhaphy.Tanaffos. 2021;20(1):59-63. doi:10.1186/s13063-022-06628-8Dhole S, Mahakalkar C, Kshirsagar S, Bhargava A.Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery: current insights and future directions for surgical site infection prevention.Cureus. 2023;15(10):e47858. doi:10.7759/cureus.47858Johns Hopkins Medicine.Procedural sedation.Wang R, Huang X, Wang Y, Akbari M.Non-pharmacologic approaches in preoperative anxiety, a comprehensive review.Front Public Health. 2022;10:854673. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.854673Chidambaran V, Costandi A, D’mello A.Propofol: a review of its role in pediatric anesthesia and sedation.CNS Drugs.2015;29(7):543-63. doi:10.1007/s40263-015-0259-6Merck Manual Professional Version.Drugs to aid intubation.Cheung CK, Adeola JO, Beutler SS, Urman RD.Postoperative pain management in enhanced recovery pathways.J Pain Res. 2022;15:123-135. doi:10.2147/JPR.S231774Tun HN, Kyaw MT, Rafflenbeul E, Suástegui XL.Role of direct oral anticoagulants for post-operative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis.Eur Cardiol. 2022;17:e11. doi:10.15420/ecr.2021.55
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Khalil H, Cullen M, Chambers H, McGrail M.Medications affecting healing: an evidence‐based analysis.Int Wound J.2017;14(6):1340-1345. doi:10.1111/iwj.12809Ji W, Sang C, Zhang X, Zhu K, Bo L.Personality, preoperative anxiety, and postoperative outcomes: a review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(19):12162. doi:10.3390/ijerph191912162Aust H, Rüsch D, Schuster M, Sturm T, Brehm F, Nestoriuc Y.Coping strategies in anxious surgical patients.BMC Health Serv Res. 2016;16:250. doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1492-5Ayazi K, Sayadi S, Hashemi M, Ghodssi-Ghassemabadi R, Samsami M.Preoperative smoking cessation and its association with postoperative complications and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing herniorrhaphy.Tanaffos. 2021;20(1):59-63. doi:10.1186/s13063-022-06628-8Dhole S, Mahakalkar C, Kshirsagar S, Bhargava A.Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery: current insights and future directions for surgical site infection prevention.Cureus. 2023;15(10):e47858. doi:10.7759/cureus.47858Johns Hopkins Medicine.Procedural sedation.Wang R, Huang X, Wang Y, Akbari M.Non-pharmacologic approaches in preoperative anxiety, a comprehensive review.Front Public Health. 2022;10:854673. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.854673Chidambaran V, Costandi A, D’mello A.Propofol: a review of its role in pediatric anesthesia and sedation.CNS Drugs.2015;29(7):543-63. doi:10.1007/s40263-015-0259-6Merck Manual Professional Version.Drugs to aid intubation.Cheung CK, Adeola JO, Beutler SS, Urman RD.Postoperative pain management in enhanced recovery pathways.J Pain Res. 2022;15:123-135. doi:10.2147/JPR.S231774Tun HN, Kyaw MT, Rafflenbeul E, Suástegui XL.Role of direct oral anticoagulants for post-operative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis.Eur Cardiol. 2022;17:e11. doi:10.15420/ecr.2021.55
Khalil H, Cullen M, Chambers H, McGrail M.Medications affecting healing: an evidence‐based analysis.Int Wound J.2017;14(6):1340-1345. doi:10.1111/iwj.12809
Ji W, Sang C, Zhang X, Zhu K, Bo L.Personality, preoperative anxiety, and postoperative outcomes: a review.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(19):12162. doi:10.3390/ijerph191912162
Aust H, Rüsch D, Schuster M, Sturm T, Brehm F, Nestoriuc Y.Coping strategies in anxious surgical patients.BMC Health Serv Res. 2016;16:250. doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1492-5
Ayazi K, Sayadi S, Hashemi M, Ghodssi-Ghassemabadi R, Samsami M.Preoperative smoking cessation and its association with postoperative complications and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing herniorrhaphy.Tanaffos. 2021;20(1):59-63. doi:10.1186/s13063-022-06628-8
Dhole S, Mahakalkar C, Kshirsagar S, Bhargava A.Antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery: current insights and future directions for surgical site infection prevention.Cureus. 2023;15(10):e47858. doi:10.7759/cureus.47858
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Procedural sedation.
Wang R, Huang X, Wang Y, Akbari M.Non-pharmacologic approaches in preoperative anxiety, a comprehensive review.Front Public Health. 2022;10:854673. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.854673
Chidambaran V, Costandi A, D’mello A.Propofol: a review of its role in pediatric anesthesia and sedation.CNS Drugs.2015;29(7):543-63. doi:10.1007/s40263-015-0259-6
Merck Manual Professional Version.Drugs to aid intubation.
Cheung CK, Adeola JO, Beutler SS, Urman RD.Postoperative pain management in enhanced recovery pathways.J Pain Res. 2022;15:123-135. doi:10.2147/JPR.S231774
Tun HN, Kyaw MT, Rafflenbeul E, Suástegui XL.Role of direct oral anticoagulants for post-operative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis.Eur Cardiol. 2022;17:e11. doi:10.15420/ecr.2021.55
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