I went for a colonoscopy yesterday. All I can remember is screaming because of the horrific pain at the Propofol insertion site. The Dr. Told me there would be " a little burning"! Had I not fallen asleep I would have pulled the line out. I am not a baby with no pain tolerance, but this was unbelievable!!! I need to go for more surgery and almost want to cancel because of only ?30-40 seconds of barbaric pain. Actually I am embarrassed for screaming like that but I couldn't help it. Anyone experience this, or know why it would have been so bad?? Thank you
Why does Propofol burn SO bad when injected?
Question posted by Rixiesmom on 7 Aug 2013
Last updated on 23 August 2024
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
65 Answers Page 5
mother54
21 Sep 2014
Please see what happened to me.
minnie1971
davemp88
16 Oct 2013
I just had my 9th Spinal epidural today, and I also experienced the same thing, prompting me to ask the anesthesiologist what was causing the burning sensation. He remarked that, "Propofol is very acidic and conflicts with the natural alkalinity of your body, therefore the increase in pH causes said burning sensation, that is until you're completely unconscious lol." Hope that helped :)
Chrissmile
17 Sep 2019
I've had six sets of three injections in my back and they never gave me anything they just shot me in the back with steroids and another one was called a coddled or cuddle. And they do not work on me. They make me a crazy lunatic.
Inactive
31 Aug 2013
I experienced the same feeling with Phenergan the last time I was hospitalized. I had been vomiting for days and had yet to get PICC line, as my veins hardly last a minute. They had temporary IV in crook of wrist and the nurse told me it would burn, but she had to push it slow to avoid blowing the vein. I screamed so loud other nurses came running to my room to see what was wrong. To make matters worse, it continued to burn after she finished pushing as it had to make its way up the vein. After several hours and still no PICC line, had to get more Phenergan and that one blew the vein b4 it was all administered. I was at a supposedly "Full Service" hospital, but, unable to get a PICC line on weekend. Give me a break, for those of us with virtually NO good veins left, every minute without a line can be horrible!!
kathyhanson
31 Aug 2013
You are so right! Benadryl and Phenergan burn like fire no matter where they put it. It sounds like you have veins like mine. Super tiny and they roll!!! After nearly 2 years of chemo, my veins are all used up. I had a life port for awhile, but developed a blood clot in it and it had to be removed. No luck!!! But, I agree with you. If the IV is in the hand or wrist, these meds burn terribly.
Kathy
simonenewyork
30 Aug 2013
Today, I had an endoscopy and underwent sedation with propofol. I experienced exactly the same thing that you described. The anesthetist told me to expect some burning but the sensation that I experience for those 15 seconds was the worse pain of my life. I also screamed so don't feel bad!
Good luck with the next procedure. Maybe ask them to try a little Lidocaine before or to use a mask induction.
Chrissmile
17 Sep 2019
I had a colonoscopy about 2 months ago and they gave me propanol to sedate me and I had no problem but when I had stents put in my groin they used fentanyl mixture in that burned like fire and I've never had anything like that and I don't ever want to go through that again but I also didn't want to be put out completely
kathyhanson
7 Aug 2013
Rixiesmom,
Not sure of the "why" on your question, but I can tell you what to ask them to do differently. Most people experience a burning sensation, but not to the extend that you describe. If for future surgeries, the anesthesiologist/nurse anesthetist will be using propofol for general anesthesia, tell them about your painful experience with propofol. They can 1) mix lidocaine in with the propofol to be injected, or 2) Inject a dose of lidocaine into your IV line and allow it to circulate to "numb" or more like "desensitize" your vein before injecting the propofol. 3) In lieu of using lidocaine, the anesthesia folks can give you other sedations prior to induction of propofol so that you won't care if the propofol burns (to put it simply). They have ways to make your experience more comfortable. Best wishes for your future surgeries.
Kathy
Rixiesmom
13 Aug 2013
Thank you Kathy! All they could get was a tiny vein on back of my hand, lousy veins. I would think since obviously with the warning he gave me he knew it would hurt. Wonder why he didn't do what you recommended, and I have since read about. It's all they can use because versed has not enough sedating effect, in large doses. Oh we'll , I'm petrified of going through that again. Not scared of needles, surgery, just that barbaric short pain!!' Thanks again, next time I will ask that they do that!!!
nurse1111
7 Nov 2013
I have had 4 colonoscopic polypectomies this year. Number 2-4 were under MAC anesthesia with Propofol. The first one was pain free. With #2 the anesthesiologist started the Propofol and I had 6/10 pain in my hand. When I yelped he stopped pushing the medication and called for lidocaine to be brought in. I declined and asked him to just go slowly as in another 15 seconds I would not care. That is how we proceeded. The pain in my hand stayed at 6/10 but did not go up my arm, and I went to sleep. On the third one the anesthesiologist started the infusion and I thought my hand was on fire which I rapidly conveyed to her. She DID NOT slow it down, but, rather, gave it faster so I would go out sooner. I kid you not, I thought someone had taken a blow torch to my entire arm. I am not a "woose". I have survived trigeminal neuralgia, compartment syndrome and rotator cuff repair post-op pain (failed IS block). This pain made compartment syndrome look like a hangnail.
I have had Propofol 2 other times outside of the situations listed above, and they were pain free.
I am absolutely convinced that the rate of pain is directly proportional to the rate of the administration. Obviously, a larger I.V. in the upper arm would also help.
kathyhanson
17 Nov 2013
Rixiesmom,
Just wanted to share with you that I was given Propofol last Thursday for an epidural. Before I would sign the consent form, I asked the nurse what they would be giving me and if lidocaine will also be given either before or combined with the propofol. When the medicine was injected, it burned slightly, but no more than some of the antibiotic injections I've been given in the hip. So, be your own advocate and refuse to sign the consent forms until you have a clear agreement on the antesthesia you will be given. Best wishes!
kathyhanson
17 Nov 2013
Rixiesmom,
Just wanted to share with you that I was given Propofol last Thursday for an epidural. Before I would sign the consent form, I asked the nurse what they would be giving me and if lidocaine will also be given either before or combined with the propofol. When the medicine was injected, it burned slightly, but no more than some of the antibiotic injections I've been given in the hip. So, be your own advocate and refuse to sign the consent forms until you have a clear agreement on the antesthesia you will be given. Best wishes!
jaybolt
10 Aug 2014
I had the same experience when I had a colonoscopy, although not to the same extent you had. I do remember the Nurse Anesthetist telling me I'm going to put you to sleep and injecting the propofol into my IV and then all of a sudden I felt this intense burning in my chest... I thought I was having some kind a allergic reaction and I yelled out it's burning my lungs and the nurse just repeated what I said, "it's burning your lungs?" and that was the last thing I remember. She's probably heard that comment a million times before. "Yeah, yeah yeah in a few more seconds you won't feel a thing". Before I went in for the colposcopy I read that propofol burns and asked the nurse before the procedure. She said that most of the times it only burns when it enters the smaller veins and capillaries. I think it depends on each person and yes next time I'm order my propofol with a shot of lidocaine!!!
nurse1111
23 Oct 2014
I am the nurse1111 with the comments regarding 3 colonoscopic polypectomies in 2013 with Propofol. I had a range of pain experiences , from 0 to 10+/10. I am scheduled to have a follow-up colonoscopy next week. What I am doing to make sure that there will be no repeats of the 6/10 and 10+/10 experience is:
1. I have deliberately scheduled my colonoscopy with the anesthesiologist that delivered the 0 pain level. Yes, you can ask the endoscopy department about when certain anesthesiologists will be scheduled.
2. I will insist on a reasonably sized IV in a large vein, i.e. 20g or 18g, high on the forearm. Fortunately, I have the veins to offer for this.
3. I will have a long chat with the anesthesiologist prior to the procedure, requesting the lidocaine option pre-propofol.
4. I still find it interesting that I have had Propofol anesthesia 3 times in my life with 0 pain. IT IS POSSIBLE. So, don't accept the "it can't be helped"
garbage that some will offer to you. I am completely convinced that the speed of administration is a HUGE factor in how much discomfort the patient has. As an R.N. I can tell you that I have observed anesthesiologists push IV meds very rapidly. My 10+/10 experience involved rapid administration followed by even faster administration (so that I would go out faster) and slapping my arm. I registered a complaint with both the head of the endoscopy lab and the gastroenterologist about this experience and this anesthesiologist.
Mx201
25 Jan 2017
Same thing happened to me last week. Have had four major surgeries and many spinal facet injections. Never had this happen before. I know I used bad language and lifted up off the table to scream. Feel dumb that I did that, but that burnt.
Mx201
25 Jan 2017
Same thing happened to me last week. Have had four major surgeries and many spinal facet injections. Never had this happen before. I know I used bad language and lifted up off the table to scream. Feel dumb that I did that, but that burnt.
Mx201
25 Jan 2017
Same thing happened to me last week. Have had four major surgeries and many spinal facet injections. Never had this happen before. I know I used bad language and lifted up off the table to scream. Feel dumb that I did that, but that burnt.
Jamada13
10 Feb 2017
I'm on here because I had a similar experience today. I went in for an endoscopy and when they pushed the sedative they said it will burn a little. My hand felt like it was on fire. The pain was very intolerable. The anesthesiologist just rubbed it and said he was sorry until I fell a sleep. I was almost in tears and I was about to pull it out. That was horrible.
Gypsyluv
15 Feb 2017
Oh. My. God. I know exactly what you are talking about. I had hip surgery last week ago. Now, I have had 5 back surgeries, a total thyroidectomy (in Germany -where I had no clue what was happening. Believe me- the nurse was brutal.) I am able to tolerate quite a bit of pain. I got the same line "you'll feel a little bit of a burn... " and 2 seconds later, I would have sworn that they had totally skinned my hand and poured acid overy the top!! It was unimagineable... I have never felt anything like that in my life!! If I hadn't been strapped to the table, I probably would have knocked the pretty little nurse right on her keester. It seemed to go on forever, as I felt it spread through my hand into my arm. I swear, it was torture. And the cute little nurse rubbing my arm did not cam me down at ALL. I remember looking at my hand to make sure it was still there! One week later, every time I remember the incident, I feel it all over again.
I suppose that's good, because for the first 4 days I thought of it, it brought tears to my eyes. It was actually traumatic. They really need to make it a requirement to use the lidocaine first. Fistbumps to everyone out there that had the god-awful experience.
pheenix99
12 July 2017
I had a very similar reaction once and I distinctly remember 2 or 3 people in the OR holding me down because I was trying to fight my way out of the room.
Fast forward to 2014, I explain this to another anesthesiologist and he smiles and says "you're not gonna feel a *** damn thing"
Fast forward again to last month and a different anesthesiologist explained the reaction as a sort of Ph imbalance between the drug and my bood. He took my painful experience into account because the last thing I remember was him saying "Say Goodnight" and everyone in the room saying "Goodnight!" and Poof... I woke up 90 min later a little cranky and hungry.
Related topics
anesthesia, pain, propofol, colonoscopy, burning
Further information
- Propofol uses and safety info
- Propofol prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Propofol (detailed)
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