Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 4/1/2009

Question
I am currently 30 yrs old and in general good health. When in my childhood
and early teens I had two operations under general anaesthetic and suffered
both times with a bad reaction to it which included thrashing about, vomiting
and high temperature. Since then I am lucky to have not undergone any
further ops but am worried I may be allergic to the drugs used-please tell me
the name of the drug commonly used and whether I should carry something
on me to inform others in the event of an accident? Also is it possible to have
grown out of this and does it have anything to do with being a sensitive and
fairskinned redhead?

Answer
There is no way to know what drug you were given or even if that had anything to do with it. The drugs used 30 yrs ago are very different from what we use today. You should definitely tell any future anesthesiologist about the reactions you had but likely they will not be able to know what not to give you. At least they will be prepared if you have a reaction.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston