Propofol slows the activity of your brain and nervous system.
Propofol is used to help you relax before and during general anesthesia for surgery or
other medical procedure. Propofol is also used in critically ill patients who require a breathing
tube connected to a ventilator (a machine that moves air in and out of the lungs when a person
cannot breathe on their own).
Propofol may be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking propofol?
You should not receive this medication if you are allergic to propofol or to eggs, soy
products, or soybeans.
If you have certain conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely
receive this medication. Before you receive propofol, tell your doctor if you have:
epilepsy or other seizure disorder;
high triglycerides (fats in the blood);
liver disease; or
kidney disease.
FDA pregnancy category B. Propofol is not expected to be
harmful to an unborn baby. However, tell your doctor if you are pregnant before you are treated
with propofol.
Propofol can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Before you receive
this medication, tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
How should I take propofol?
Propofol is given as an injection through a needle placed into a vein. You will receive
this injection in a hospital or surgical setting.
You will relax and fall asleep very quickly after propofol is injected.
Your caregivers will monitor your heart function, blood pressure, and breathing while you
are under the effects of propofol.
What happens if I miss a dose of propofol?
Since propofol is given by a healthcare professional in a controlled setting, you are not
likely to miss a dose.
Where can I get more information about propofol?
Your pharmacist has information about propofol written for health professionals that you may read.
What are the possible side effects of propofol?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
signs of an allergic
reaction:
hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
pain, swelling, blisters, or skin changes where the medicine was
injected;
seizure (convulsions);
weak or shallow breathing; or
fast or slow heart rate.
Less serious side effects may include:
nausea;
cough;
slight burning or stinging around the IV needle;
mild itching or skin rash;
numbness or tingly feeling;
confusion, agitation, anxiety;
muscle pain; or
discolored urine.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell
your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is the most important information I should know about propofol?
You should not receive this medication if you are allergic to propofol or to eggs, soy
products, or soybeans.
Before you receive propofol, tell your doctor if you have epilepsy or other seizure
disorder, high triglycerides (fats in the blood), liver disease, or kidney disease.
Your caregivers will monitor your heart function, blood pressure, and breathing while you
are under the effects of propofol.
Tell your caregivers at once if you have a serious side effect such as seizure, weak or
shallow breathing, fast or slow heart rate, or pain, swelling, blisters, or skin changes where the
medicine was injected.
Before you receive propofol, tell your doctor about all other medications you use,
especially chloral hydrate (Somnote), droperidol (Inapsine), a sedative, or a narcotic pain
medication such as fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic).
Propofol can cause severe drowsiness or dizziness, which may last for several hours.
You will need someone to drive you home after your surgery or procedure. Do not drive yourself
or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert for at least 24 hours after you have been
treated with propofol.
What should I avoid while taking propofol?
Propofol can cause severe drowsiness or dizziness, which may last for several hours.
You will need someone to drive you home after your surgery or procedure. Do not drive yourself
or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert for at least 24 hours after you have been
treated with propofol.
What other drugs will affect propofol?
Tell your doctor about all other medications you use, especially:
chloral hydrate (Somnote);
droperidol (Inapsine);
a barbiturate such as amobarbital (Amytal), butabarbital
(Butisol), mephobarbital (Mebaral), secobarbital (Seconal), or phenobarbital (Solfoton);
diazepam (Valium) or similar medicines such as alprazolam
(Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clorazepate (Tranxene), estazolam (ProSom), flurazepam
(Dalmane), lorazepam (Ativan), midazolam (Versed), temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion),
and others; or
a narcotic medication such as fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic),
hydrocodone (Lortab, Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Palladone), morphine (Kadian, MS
Contin, Oramorph, and others), oxycodone (OxyContin), oxymorphone (Numorphan, Opana),
and others.
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact
with propofol. Tell your doctor about all your prescription and over-the-counter medications,
vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start a new
medication without telling your doctor.
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share
your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate,
up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum
information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not
warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does
not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist
licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not
a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or
drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any
given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information
Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug
interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse
or pharmacist.
Content provided by Multum - Last Updated 11/10/2009