Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 1/25/2012

Question
Yesterday I had a tooth pulled by an oral surgeon.  This is the third tooth he has pulled for my using general anesthesia.  The three drugs he uses is Versed, Fentanyl and propofol.  I had an unusual reaction this time.  Never before had i experienced this.  When waking up from the anesthesia, my legs cramped severely.  My husband said that I kicked my legs for about an hour and moaned and complained that my legs were killing me.  Any idea what would cause this.  One thought I had was maybe they used Narcan to reverse the effects of the drugs so that I would wake up.  I am definitely not an MD, but am an RN and have basic knowledge of medication. Just cant seem to figure out what in the world caused this.  Any information would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance.

Answer
Narcan is not the answer but by the same token, I don't know why this happened to you. It is not from the anesthestics he used so perhaps it had to do with the position you were lying in. If it was an awkward position and  the procedure lasted for a long time that MIGHT explain it.

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston