8 Interactions involving relaxants

When more than one drug is used at the same time, there is the potential for an interaction. If a muscle relaxant is being used, there must already be at least one other drug in use, the anaesthetic agent. It is common to use several drugs simultaneously during an anaesthetic, for example, systemic analgesics or antibiotics. In addition, the patient may be receiving therapy for a pre-existing medical disorder. As the number of drugs in use at a time increases, so does the potential for interactions and with the large and increasing number of drugs available on the market it is certain that this problem is set to rise rather than fall. This article examines many of the common interactions involving muscle relaxants which may be encountered during anaesthesia.