Please....I bet you.

[epidural man]

Can you all do me a favor?

Besides refusing to ever use the word "provider" to describe a medical doctor, I was wondering if we could stop using the word "relaxant" for a drug that has no business being called a relaxant.

Neuromuscular blockers do not RELAX anything. They paralyze.

Call them correctly - and say - muscle paralytics. Just my thought for the day.

However, you may feel different. But if you do, the burdeon of proof is on you that they actually relax. I think you have to prove to all of us that you gave your "relaxant" to a patient, and they specifically say to you "Ya know, thanks for this drug. I'm feeling so much more relaxed, and my muslces that felt all tight and stuff are just a little more relaxed."

Personally, I haven't seen anywhere near that response - I see muscles that completely STOP WORKING. That isn't relaxed in my book - that is paralyzed. But you're probably way better at this than I am.

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[twoliter]

Can you all do me a favor?

Besides refusing to ever use the word "provider" to describe a medical doctor, I was wondering if we could stop using the word "relaxant" for a drug that has no business being called a relaxant.

Neuromuscular blockers do not RELAX anything. They paralyze.

Call them correctly - and say - muscle paralytics. Just my thought for the day.

However, you may feel different. But if you do, the burdeon of proof is on you that they actually relax. I think you have to prove to all of us that you gave your "relaxant" to a patient, and they specifically say to you "Ya know, thanks for this drug. I'm feeling so much more relaxed, and my muslces that felt all tight and stuff are just a little more relaxed."

Personally, I haven't seen anywhere near that response - I see muscles that completely STOP WORKING. That isn't relaxed in my book - that is paralyzed. But you're probably way better at this than I am.

relax

verb re·lax \ri-ˈlaks\
Simple Definition of relax

• : to become or to cause (something) to become less tense, tight, or stiff

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relax

 

[dmk5n]

Frankie say

 

[sleepallday]

Can you all do me a favor?

Besides refusing to ever use the word "provider" to describe a medical doctor, I was wondering if we could stop using the word "relaxant" for a drug that has no business being called a relaxant.

Neuromuscular blockers do not RELAX anything. They paralyze.

Call them correctly - and say - muscle paralytics. Just my thought for the day.

However, you may feel different. But if you do, the burdeon of proof is on you that they actually relax. I think you have to prove to all of us that you gave your "relaxant" to a patient, and they specifically say to you "Ya know, thanks for this drug. I'm feeling so much more relaxed, and my muslces that felt all tight and stuff are just a little more relaxed."

Personally, I haven't seen anywhere near that response - I see muscles that completely STOP WORKING. That isn't relaxed in my book - that is paralyzed. But you're probably way better at this than I am.

It's funny you say this. I've actually had someone request not to use the word "paralyze" or "paralytic" when describing a muscle 'relaxant' because it may infer a pathological cause of the inability to move.

 

[pgg]

You should call them "weakeners".

5 mg of rocuronium won't "paralyze" most patients.

 

[Planktonmd]

Isn't paralysis the ultimate form of relaxation???

 

[Urzuz]

Can you all do me a favor?

Besides refusing to ever use the word "provider" to describe a medical doctor, I was wondering if we could stop using the word "relaxant" for a drug that has no business being called a relaxant.

Neuromuscular blockers do not RELAX anything. They paralyze.

Call them correctly - and say - muscle paralytics. Just my thought for the day.

However, you may feel different. But if you do, the burdeon of proof is on you that they actually relax. I think you have to prove to all of us that you gave your "relaxant" to a patient, and they specifically say to you "Ya know, thanks for this drug. I'm feeling so much more relaxed, and my muslces that felt all tight and stuff are just a little more relaxed."

Personally, I haven't seen anywhere near that response - I see muscles that completely STOP WORKING. That isn't relaxed in my book - that is paralyzed. But you're probably way better at this than I am.

See above, the word "relax" has multiple meanings, and it is used properly in this context.

And throughout Miller they refer to them as muscle relaxants as well....maybe you should write a strongly worded letter to him describing how you feel. That may cause a newer generation of trainees to abide by your request

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Can you all do me a favor?

Besides refusing to ever use the word "provider" to describe a medical doctor, I was wondering if we could stop using the word "relaxant" for a drug that has no business being called a relaxant.

Neuromuscular blockers do not RELAX anything. They paralyze.

Call them correctly - and say - muscle paralytics. Just my thought for the day.

However, you may feel different. But if you do, the burdeon of proof is on you that they actually relax. I think you have to prove to all of us that you gave your "relaxant" to a patient, and they specifically say to you "Ya know, thanks for this drug. I'm feeling so much more relaxed, and my muslces that felt all tight and stuff are just a little more relaxed."

Personally, I haven't seen anywhere near that response - I see muscles that completely STOP WORKING. That isn't relaxed in my book - that is paralyzed. But you're probably way better at this than I am.

I feel your pain. I don't like the term because it implies they are in the same class as flexeril or soma or some other useless med. But, there are 2 advantages: 1) it sounds better if it ever comes up when talking to patients (not frequently but often enough), 2) it implies that we have some control over the degree of "relaxation," which we do, while "paralysis" seems more dichotomous: you either have it or you don't.

 

[Laryngophed]

To further echo @pgg, one could be feeling the tail-end of effects from an intubating dose of rocuronium with 4 twitches with fade and is clearly not paralyzed but still very much under the effects of the NMBs. I said something about redosing paralytics once in the OR, and one of the attendings told me to reconsider my wording. Partly for the reason listed above, and partly because when you instead say "neuromuscular blockade" it sounds more professional (i.e. less worry about your words being misinterpreted by patients and staff) and it's a big word to refer to something surgeons already don't understand. They are even more likely to not chime in on the topic if there is a chance you're talking about something they don't fully comprehend.

 

[drmwvr]

A paralytic is a person that is paralyzed. Or a noun modifier as in "paralytic agent". It's not correct to use it alone referring to, say, muscle relaxant.

 

[deleted59964]

neuro-muscular blocker.

 

[ArMed]

Nomoveoniums

 

[epidural man]

So no...I can't get you guys to stop using the word "relaxant" in these classes of drugs that aren't 'relaxing' the person receiving the drug?

Not a single one of ya?

Bummer.....

 

[pgg]

You keep using that word. I think it means what you don't think it means.

 

[No_Pain]

wibbly wobbly flaccid acids

 

[fakin' the funk]

PGG's word choice is probably the best

But let's stick to neuromuscular blockers

 

[cbrons]

It's funny you say this. I've actually had someone request not to use the word "paralyze" or "paralytic" when describing a muscle 'relaxant' because it may infer a pathological cause of the inability to move.

My thought was that "muscle relaxants" are things like cyclobenzaprine.

 

[mm2938]

I say relaxant if I am talking to a patient. I don't want to scare them with the word paralytic. I use the word paralytic and relaxant interchangeably when talking with fellow MDs.

If you want to get on people about using a word correctly, talk about "reversing" paralysis/relaxation. You don't "reverse" you "[competitively] antagonize" the neuromusclar blockade with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. With the FDA approval of sugammadex, though, its probably closer to "reversal" so maybe in the future (my hospital hasn't gotten sugammadex yet), using this terminology might be important.

 

[Apollyon]

I feel your pain.

Empatho-oligoanalgesia?