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Arthroscopic Knee Surgery. Using Oxycodone. Opiate Tolerance. Does It Cause Problem During Anesthesia?

Posted on Sat, 14 Jul 2012

Question: I have an opiate tolerance that my doctor isn't aware of and I'm getting arthroscopic knee surgery in one week. For the past several weeks, I've been using up to 40 mg of oxycodone at a time illicitly, so I'm not comfortable talking to my doctor about it directly. I have only been using opiates daily for a few weeks and I plan to taper down and stop as soon as I can. My question is, will my opiate tolerance cause any issues with the general anesthesia used during surgery? I realize that if I am prescribed a pain medication afterward, it may not be sufficient, but my main concern is the procedure itself. Thanks in advance.

Answered by Dr. Ashish Mittal (8 hours later)

Hello,
Thanks for your query.
I appreciate your efforts for medical consultation in so much distress.

Your current opiate tolerance will affect your case in following ways:
-Preoperative, operative and postoperative pain
-Anesthesia
-Withdrawal as you will not able to get oxycodone in hospital
-Anxiety symptoms because of substance use

So it is better to tell your doctor about your current substance ASAP to prevent all these complication.

I hope this information has been both informative and helpful for you. In case of any doubt, I will be available for follow ups.

Wish you good health.
Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Answered by Dr. Ashish Mittal (3 hours later)

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Ashish Mittal (12 hours later)

Thanks. I appreciate that you took the time to answer my question. I'm curious how, specifically, my tolerance will affect anesthesia. Also, would quitting all opiates the week before the surgery lower my tolerance to levels below concern? As I said, the most I would do was 40mg of oxycodone at a time, but that was for a recent, short period of time, on occasion. Thanks again.

Answered by Dr. Ashish Mittal (5 hours later)

Hello again,
Thanks for follow up,

Q.I'm curious how, specifically, my tolerance will affect anesthesia.

Answer: Yes, during anesthesia sometime opiates also given. In that case its dose may need alteration in your case. In withdrawal, requirement of anesthesia increases due to anxiety.

Q.Also, would quitting all opiates the week before the surgery lower my tolerance to levels below concern? As I said, the most I would do was 40mg of oxycodone at a time, but that was for a recent, short period of time, on occasion.

Answer: Yes. quitting will decrease above concern if stopped 1 week before. But do not stop it all off a sudden. Better to taper it gradually under supervision of physician.

Please accept my answer in case there are no further queries and recommend our services to your friends too if you have found it helpful.

Wish you good health.
Regards.

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar