Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 7/30/2011

Question
Sir, over the last 6 months I have had 3 major surgery {anesthesia} and 4 minor procedures for pain control. After the last 2 surgeries, hip replacement and disc removal I am completely pain free for the most part and very thankful for it. Unfortunately I am having an unexpected reaction and the only thing I can think of as the cause may be the anesthesia. I am experiencing severe depression that I have never experienced before with no reason, almost all of the medications I have been taking, ie. hormone replacement therapy (same meds for 12 yrs) and panic attack meds are for what ever reason are not working. Everything I try seems to have a severe reaction or not work at all, medically. I started to notice the change immediately after the last and final surgery which was a complete success. Can you give me some feedback on this. In addition to this I have absolutely no energy and want to stay in the bed all day and night with the only desire to sleep. This has been an extreme change since I have basically been considered a hyper workaholic for most of my life. Thank you for any feedback. It has been 4 months since the total hip replacement and 3 months on the spine operation.

Answer
This is not due to the anesthetic (which is long out fo your system) and the relationship of the depression to the anesthesia is coincidental. The lack of energy, desire to sleep, etc are all symptoms of depression and I would strongly recommend seeking professional help to evaluate this depression to make sure there is no organic cause for it. I would start with your primary physician and, if necessary, a psychiatrist. I can only tell you it is not the anesthesia causing this.


Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston