(conversation) – Some patients can get clear and detailed information Sexual hallucinations during anesthesia with sedative hypnotics Propofol, Midazolam, Diazepam, Nitrous Oxide, etc. Some even make suggestive or sexual comments or perform acts, such as grabbing or kissing healthcare workers or touching themselves in sexual ways. Some people mistakenly believe that they have been sexually assaulted when they wake up. Why is this happening?
Doctors have long known that sedative hypnotic, which slows brain activity and induces calmness and sleep, and may affect a patient’s perception of reality. His 1984 review of the drugs midazolam, ketamine, and thiopental found that 18% of his patients undergoing anesthesia for dental or medical procedures had: Difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy During and immediately after dosing. Similarly, a 1980 study found that about 14% of patients reported some symptoms. sexual dreams and arousal while under anesthesia. It is not surprising that these two features of anesthesia can appear together as sexual hallucinations.
In rare cases, healthcare workers become infected. Taking advantage of the patient’s unconscious state commit sexual assault. For example, in 1991, medical experts sexually assaulted a college student under anesthesia. The case was initially dismissed on the grounds that the patient may have been suffering from drug-induced hallucinations, but genetic evidence left behind by medical professionals later led to a conviction. It is unlikely that all reported sexual assaults under anesthesia were due to sexual hallucinations.
we are pharmacological researcher who recently examined the medical literature A survey of sexual assault or sexual fantasies during anesthesia from the earliest documented cases to February 2023 found 87 reported cases from 17 published articles. A better understanding of what causes disturbing and sexual dreams under anesthesia could help researchers find ways to reduce the risk of hallucinations to keep both patients and health care providers safe. there is a possibility.
Reports of sexual hallucinations
16 of the individual cases Our investigation found that it involved patients who reported perceiving sexually amorous behavior or sexual assault. In such cases, observers such as medical professionals and family members were also present during the procedure, making it less likely that the hallucinations diminished the likelihood that the sexual behavior had actually occurred.
We also found significant correspondence between the anatomical location of the procedure and where patients perceived inappropriate sexual contact. Mouth procedures were recognized as oral sex, squeezing the balls to facilitate access to the veins was squeezing the penis, chest procedures were breast caresses, and groin procedures were recognized as vaginal insertions.
This may explain why One evaluation of 200 patients No cases of sexual hallucinations were found in patients undergoing abdominal surgery for gallbladder or appendix, but approximately 12% of patients undergoing vaginal surgery noted lascivious behavior or behavior without sexual inhibition. bottom.
Trauma for both patients and health care workers
These anesthetic effects can have significant real-world impact on patients and healthcare providers long after surgery.
of emotional turmoil Patients are likely to be harmed the same whether they actually experience sexual assault under anesthesia or have vivid hallucinations of the event. And practitioners can also experience pain. some medical professionals Accused of actual or suspected sexual assault, brought before a regulatory commission or court, and stripped of a license to operate.
If the patient knew before receiving anesthesia that hallucinations of sexual assault are a rare but possible side effect of anesthesia and took steps to reduce the risk Knowing can make you less likely to believe in sexual assault. The hallucinations were real. However, this does not reduce the trauma of hallucinations.In one case, an anesthesiology student volunteered in research She experienced sexual hallucinations after taking sedative hypnotics. Although she knew her vivid memories of her sexual assault were not real, the distress she felt over it caused her to withdraw from her studies.
After reviewing the literature, we found that: 71 individual cases The health care professional was alone with the patient at the time the sexual assault or sexual activity was allegedly committed. For the safety and well-being of both patients and health care professionals, having witnesses in the room and installing recording devices during dental and medical procedures can help prevent opportunities for sexual assault and reduce the risk of sexual assault experienced by patients. It may help reassure you that the hallucinations are not real.
But healthcare systems need to go further to protect patients. Patients who have suffered the trauma of hallucinatory sexual assault are referred for counseling, even if there is evidence that it did not actually occur, as are those who have suffered physical injuries during medical or dental procedures. and should be supported.
Many unknowns remain
It’s unclear why some people are more likely to remember their dreams under anesthesia. In a 2009 study of 97 patients receiving propofol, often remember dreams After receiving higher doses of anesthetics, he was younger than 50 years of age and had a slow recovery from anesthesia. A 2013 study of 200 patients taking propofol found that men were more likely to experience: remember dreams after anesthesia However, women were more likely to remember the unpleasant dreams. Dreams and hallucinations are related experiences, but people experiencing hallucinations believe it can be real.
Although we have reviewed all cases of sexual hallucinations published in the medical literature, the actual incidence of anesthesia-induced sexual hallucinations remains unknown. Given that it has been decades since the first case was reported, more work is needed. Understanding the prevalence of sexual hallucinations under anesthesia will require data from very large sample sizes of patients. However, pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to fund studies that show their drugs can cause harmful side effects.
Finally, although we limited our review to reports of sexual hallucinations during anesthesia, millions of Americans use other prescription sedative-hypnotics. benzodiazepines Some drugs, such as alprazolam (Xanax) and temazepam (Ristil), are used to treat anxiety and induce sleep. Z-drag Zolpidem (Ambien), eszopiclone (Lunesta), suvorexant (Belsomra) and sodium oxybate (Xyrem) are also used to induce sleep. opioid such as morphine and oxycodone gabapentinoids Gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) are used to treat pain. muscle relaxant Carisoprodol (Soma) and cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) are used for muscle spasms. There have been reports of patients experiencing hallucinations while taking each of these drugs.
In the review of FDA Adverse Event Reporting SystemThe survey, which public health officials and researchers use to monitor drug safety, reported 30,728 “abnormal dreams” between 1974 and 2022. Most of it was about sedative-hypnotics that treat insomnia, anxiety, pain, and muscle spasms. The report did not clarify the nature of these dreams or how they affected the patients’ sense of well-being.
When starting sedative-hypnotics, it is important to be aware that people may have unusual dreams and to inform their health care professional if they experience hallucinations. These symptoms may indicate that the drug is not the right choice for you or that the dose is too high.
