MOST COMMON

MEDICATIONS GIVEN FOR

SURGERY

General Anesthesia
General anesthesia medications are given to make patients fall asleep, prevent pain from being
felt, and prevent movement during surgery. Most major surgical procedures require general
anesthesia, like appendectomies or breast augmentation. During general anesthesia, a
medication is used to cause amnesia and prevent pain. It can either be given through an IV or
as a gas.

When general anesthesia is used a breathing tube is placed in the patient’s airway to help them
breath.

Benzodiazepines are a drug commonly used in surgery. This class of medication is used to make
patients sleepy, reduce anxiety, and causes amnesia. They are used alongside other types of
anesthesia that help patients relax. The 3 most well known benzodiazepines are:

 Valium© (diazepam)
 Class: Benzodiazepines
 Indications: indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or for the short- term relief
of the symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life
usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic
 ROUTE: IM, oral tablets, IV.

Antibiotics:
Depending on the your of surgery a patient is undergoing, one or more doses of an antibiotic
are given before or during the surgery to prevent infections. Antibiotics are medications that kill
bacteria. They are given either in a pill form or through an IV. The type of surgery a patient is
having determines the choice of antibiotics used. For example, a patient undergoing spinal
surgery may receive Cefazolin© (Ancef). Whereas a patient undergoing colorectal surgery may
receive the following suppository several hours up to 2 days before surgery Flagyl
© (Metronidazole).

Classifications: Antibiotics

Indications: It's used to treat skin infections, rosacea and mouth infections, including
infected gums and dental abscesses. It's also used to treat conditions such as bacterial
vaginosis and pelvic inflammatory disease

Route: ORAL
Analgesics
Analgesics are also known as pain medications. They are used for controlling pain after surgery.
Analgesics are available in many different forms such as a pill, IV, liquid, suppository, and even
as a patch. The strength of pain medications varies and are adjusted for each individual patient.
Powerful pain medications are opioids. Commonly prescribed pain-relief medications given in
the hospital after surgery through a patient’s vein includes the following:

 Morphine
 Classifications: Analgesic
Indication: In the emergency department, is given for musculoskeletal pain, abdominal pain,
chest pain, arthritis, and even headaches when patients fail to respond to first and
second-line agents. [2] Morphine is rarely used for procedural sedation.
 ROUTE: IM

Anticoagulants
Another very important after surgery medication is an anticoagulant. Anticoagulants are a
medication that reduces the bodies ability to clot blood. This is a critical medication because
one of the risks of surgery is blood clots, most notably deep vein thrombosis, which usually
occurs in the legs.  To prevent the formation of blood clots anticoagulants are administered
through an injection under the skin, through an IV, or in a pill form. Examples of anticoagulants
include:

 Coumadin© (Warfarin)

 Class: Anticouagulants

 Indication: Anticoagulants are indicated in pregnancy for the treatment of acute venous
thromboembolism, valvular heart disease, and pregnancy-related complications in women with
antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, antithrombin deficiency, or other thrombophilias who had a
prior VTE.
 ROUTE: ORAL