Medicine that starts with A

Darkewolfe

Yeah, not a lot to go on in the title.

I've had to have some retinal surgery a few times lately, and it's a very stressful procedure for me. The last time I talked to one of the retinal doctors, she suggested that I ask my internist to prescribe a couple pills of something starting with A that I would take before the procedure. I had thought it was a pain killer of some sort, but it may have just been an anti-anxiety thing. Whatever it was, it was powerful and I was only supposed to get a couple pills, enough to take one the morning of any procedures.

Sorry for the few leads. Can anyone identify it? I need to call my general physician and work this out before the next round.

Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud

There are a lot of drugs that start with A.
Might have been Ativan?

davidsdurions

Alprazolam? Also known as Xanax, commonly used for the purpose stated here.

Darkewolfe

Yeah, I know, I'm not providing a lot to go on. I was in there because I was having an ocular migraine that had temporarily made me pretty much blind and I was confusing that with a retinal detachment, which was what I'd already had and caused me to have this doctor to begin with. I wish I'd written the drug name down, but I didn't.

Both of those things you guys mentioned are benzodiazepine, so I guess that's probably what it was. All I recall is that it started with A and she said that it'd act as both a pain killer and make me very mellow by the time I had to be in surgery.

tinwhiskers

awhiskey?

davidsdurions

Give them a call, the nurse can look at the notes and just tell you what it was.

Bowen

Fuzzy Cumulonimbus Cloud wrote: »

There are a lot of drugs that start with A.
Might have been Ativan?

Voting for Ativan (Lorazepam).

Possibly Xanax (Alprazolam).

Darkewolfe

davidsdurions wrote: »

Give them a call, the nurse can look at the notes and just tell you what it was.

It wasn't in the notes. And that's why I can't call, it was really dumb. My normal doctor was out, so I was seeing someone else. My normal doctor is somewhat lacking in bedside manner and the other doctor is junior to him, so she was giving me some advice on the sly basically.

Honestly, Alprazolam seems more like it was probably it. That one is for singular, very high stress things vs. dealing with general anxiety, right?

This surgery feels like nazi torture to me, and I'm being a big baby about it but I can't help it. Having people shove metal implements into my eye socket to move my eye to the right angle so they can fire a laser into it is literally the worst thing I can imagine, I think. I am unable to remain calm during it, which causes the procedure to be worse because they can't just rely on me to hold in place.

Djeet

They are the same kind of drug, but I've only seen Ativan administered via injection or IV for an acute freakout ... immediate response, people pretty much go limp and DGAF anymore. Whereas Xanax I think more of a pill that people take to treat anxiety disorder.

Hahnsoo1

Benzos are commonly given before a lot of procedures. In addition to the anti-anxiety and other beneficial properties, they also have a memory suppressing effect, so you probably won't even remember the procedure or any pain you experienced. YMMV, but it's pretty common.

davidsdurions

It's in the notes if they said it out loud to you, otherwise you can say they gave you advice to beat your head against some pavement to take your mind off the anxiety. They keep notes to cover their ass, with an added benefit that any other medical professional with access to the records can continue treatment for you.

Even if for some ridiculous reason it wasn't put in the notes, you can still call them and get the same advise over the phone. They won't even charge you for it!

Darkewolfe

Cool. Thanks.

V1m

Darkewolfe wrote: »

davidsdurions wrote: »

Give them a call, the nurse can look at the notes and just tell you what it was.

It wasn't in the notes. And that's why I can't call, it was really dumb. My normal doctor was out, so I was seeing someone else. My normal doctor is somewhat lacking in bedside manner and the other doctor is junior to him, so she was giving me some advice on the sly basically.

Honestly, Alprazolam seems more like it was probably it. That one is for singular, very high stress things vs. dealing with general anxiety, right?

This surgery feels like nazi torture to me, and I'm being a big baby about it but I can't help it. Having people shove metal implements into my eye socket to move my eye to the right angle so they can fire a laser into it is literally the worst thing I can imagine, I think. I am unable to remain calm during it, which causes the procedure to be worse because they can't just rely on me to hold in place.

Your reaction sounds like a normal and healthy response to the stimulus you describe. Frankly I'd be hard-put to make myself even turn up, let alone get to that point. You have all my respects for letting them even try.

Windburn

As a rule, medical staff tend to speak to patients with brand names. They are usually easier to say and remember. Ativan is the most likely contender here.

PedroAsani

Darkewolfe wrote: »

This surgery feels like nazi torture to me, and I'm being a big baby about it

No, your reaction is completely justified. Call the doctor who told you about it. I would be swallowing down everything I could find to avoid feeling or remembering anything like this. Any doctor should understand that.