Anesthetic Concerns in Psychiatric Disease

Abstract

As the prevalence of mental health illnesses rises worldwide, the use of psychotropic medications follows. Undoubtedly, many patients using psychotropic medications will undergo procedures requiring anesthesia both in the operating room and outside of it. This chapter focuses on psychotropic medications that may complicate the surgical and postoperative course of patients undergoing anesthesia. Toward this aim, we performed a literature review using targeted key terms. Relevant articles were cited, and findings are summarized in this narrative review. We begin with discussing psychotropic medication pharmacology, drug-drug interactions, and side effects, emphasizing their interaction with anesthetic agents. We summarize the current recommendations for managing these medications in the perioperative period. In the discussion section, we focus on highlighting future directions for the intersection between psychotropic medications and anesthesia. Overall, we provide insight into the perioperative management of patients taking psychotropic medications, the point of intersection between the fields of psychiatry and anesthesia.