“How long does it take for general anesthesia to wear off?”
Having surgery on my back in 5 days and want to know how long does it take for general anesthesia to wear off. How long does it typically last?
3 Answers
Enough to wake up, 10-15 minutes. 45-60 minutes for most of it to be out of your body.
This depends on the choice of the drugs used for the anesthetic. Most drugs are short acting and you awake almost immediately after surgery, but you will be somewhat impaired for 12-24 hours. Most of the residual side effects are due to the pain meds or the surgery and not the anesthetic after 24 hours.
Steven Dain, MD, DABA, FRCPC
Steven Dain, MD, DABA, FRCPC
This will depend on your general health, and the type of anesthetics utilized. Most of the anesthetic is already "worn off" by the time you are in the recovery room. Most of the side effects patients experience such as nausea, sleepiness, etc are due to the pain medication and or other sedatives which may be given in conjunction with or after the anesthesia. Many back surgeries are now same day surgeries, and if in good health, and the usual type of anesthetics are given for this procedure, the effects should be gone within 6-12 hours post your surgery. The effects of the pain medication or other medications may persist while you are on them.
