Expert: Dr Ian Jackson - please note UK based - 5/2/2008

Question
I am actually asking this more based on animal response, which I know is not your area of
expertise, but I wanted to ask you in the human world, what exactly causes twitching
associated with sedative/analgesics?  Is is ever painful at all while it is occuring?


Answer
HI Nita
Good question - honest answer - I haven't a clue!
We do see twitching sometimes in patients who are being sedated more than when analgesics are used. My experience is with IV sedation with propofol and a small proportion of patients get these twitches. There is no reason to believe that they are painful.
My hunch is that the sedation is affecting some brain pathways more than others and so some inhibitory/control functions are affected leaving other pathways free to fire and cause the movement.
However I do not know of any research in this area.
Kind regards
Dr Ian Jackson