Wisdom teeth removal question re meds

[vcb]

My older teen needs his wisdom teeth removed. He takes 60 mg of Cymbalta (duolixetine) daily, as well as 2 mg of Abilify (aripiprazole) daily.

He is anxious about the pain of surgery but I'm concerned about him undergoing IV sedation due to concerns over serotonin syndrome and other possible side effects due to the drugs he is on. I know he cannot take most anti nausea drugs like zofran which are other combined with the IV sedation mixture.

Would local anesthesia with laughing gas / nitrous oxide be a safer option for him? Should he stop the Abilify completely before surgery?

He still has all four wisdom teeth in, but only one is so far giving him a lot of pain. Would removing one rather than all four be a safer option?

 

[Dr M]

This is usually best discussed with your anesthetist, so that they can advise you on alternatives. They should already be aware of the medication he is on, and possible interactions and risk of serotonin syndrome, if the date has been set for the procedure.
To determine if local anesthesia with nitrous oxide would be a better option, is dependent on the positioning of the wisdom teeth, which will influence the difficulty in removing them, as well as on the anxiety level of the patient.