One drug. What actually happens.

The sedative that lets a patient wake up when you talk to them — and punishes anyone who rushes it. Highly selective α2-agonist with genuine analgesic, opioid-sparing, and delirium-sparing properties.

The white emulsion that behaves so well, so often, that the one time it doesn't can catch you off guard. The default IV induction agent — fast, clean, and unforgiving of complacency.

The local anaesthetic used so often, in so many forms, that its dose limits are the ones most likely to be assumed rather than checked. Fast onset, versatile, and unforgiving of arithmetic errors.

The one induction agent that supports blood pressure instead of dropping it — with a reputation that often precedes the pharmacology. Dissociative, bronchodilating, and genuinely haemodynamic-supportive.

Sweet-smelling enough to breathe a child to sleep, and ordinary enough that the calculation behind every vaporiser dial rarely gets a second thought. The default volatile agent, re-examined.

An old, inexpensive electrolyte that ended up as a seizure prophylactic, a treatment for torsades de pointes, and an anaesthetic adjunct — three separate careers under one name.