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Apollo704 t1_itppenm wrote

It’s probably not a “normal” side effect. A sense of impending doom is a recognized medical symptom and is sometimes associated with heart attacks, blood transfusion, the medication adenosine (which slows the heart), and blood pressure drops, among other things. Quite often your blood pressure drops when taking anesthesia, so this could be a factor.

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skumdoc69 t1_itq0wbx wrote

Generally the way anaesthesia is practiced involved use of fast acting induction agents that knock you out fast... It takes just seconds to drift off. Some places will use drugs that act slower in many patients, especially if they have weak hearts or are prone for fluctuations in their blood pressure.... This slower induction involves use of some narcotics that are infamous for making the chest and throat feel tight and may be felt by the patient as inability to breath which is associated with an unpleaaant feeling.... Maybe some may describe our as impending doom

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Julrey t1_itqr5yo wrote

Could it be rooted in panic or anxiety, ie. people sometimes die in surgery and I may never wake up again? As others have mentioned, a feeling of impending doom can be a sign of an oncoming heart attack, but as someone who has anxiety issues myself I've had pause to look up "heart attack vs panic attack" and the feelings of doom are greatly similar to both.

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BoldyJame5 t1_itpmie7 wrote

No scientific studies or evidence to support this; I don't believe so. I'm pretty sure it should be akin to falling asleep. Everytime I've had surgery they've never talked about that feeling as an expectation or side effect I may experience.

Do you get the same feeling any other time?

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