Abstract
This article sought to review the interferences of drugs of abuse, legal or illegal, in anesthetic induction. This is a theoretical review of the literature that analyzes the mechanism of action, clinical presentation, development of tolerance and possible interactions of these substances with anesthetic drugs. The main local and systemic effects of the most used drugs are also discussed. In this sense, through the bibliographic analysis of the study, it is highlighted that, among the illicit substances, acute exposure to marijuana and cocaine leads to greater resistance to sedatives, requiring increasing doses to achieve the desired result. Similarly, in prolonged exposure to substances, even if legal, such as benzodiazepines, alcohol and opioids, a reduction in the duration of the effect of the medications used was observed. Thus, it is concluded that the indiscriminate use of substances of abuse promotes significant interactions in the anesthetic context, making it necessary to carry out an appropriate and targeted management in order to identify the ideal options to obtain a complete, safe and effective anesthesia.