http://blog.geekwithfibroids.com/2006/08/11/amnesia-from-anesthesia-my-experience-with-conscious-sedation/
Found this section from the above Wikipedia link most interesting:
One benefit of Midazolam (Versed) as it’s used in a clinical setting, is its ability to sedate a patient without causing unconsciousness. For this reason it is often used in a number of invasive, but relatively less painful procedures such as colonoscopy.
Midazolam also induces temporary amnesia following administration (and sometimes very minor retrograde amnesiac symptoms are reported), which is beneficial for the person to whom it has been administered prior to what would otherwise be traumatic emergency procedures, but has led to its abuse as a (very rare) “date rape” drug, sometimes in combination with alcohol. Importantly, in memory studies, participants under the influence of midazolam are unaware that their memory is impaired (Merritt, Hirshman, Hsu & Berrigan, 2005).
jerry Says: November 2, 2009 at 8:18 pm
I would never consent to amnesia drugsand have seen way too many people who were traumatized by uncaring or just plain dumb doctors who squirt in high doses of midazolam (versed) so that they can do a colonoscopy more quickly adn to hell withthe patient. I recently had all of the symptoms of colon cancer, but couldn’t find a GI doc to do a colonoscopy without sedation. I ended up in the ER, still refusing colonoscopy because of the sedation; then I met a nice young woman GI doc who listened to my versed rant and agreed “I wouldn’t consent to Versed myself; it’s a terrible drug”..I’ll do your colonoscopy without it. A
fter the prep, I ended up in the endo suite, ready to go; she asked permission to have some fentanyl (painkiller) ready…when I balked at this the nurse handed me the syringe (2ml/100mcg) that was hooked up to the IV and told me that I could give it to myself if I didn’t trust them (she knew I worked in the hospital and was credentialed to administer narcs)….this disarmed me totally, the the doc related how many patients were abused during colonoscopy with Versed and everyone was on my side. The doc went slowly, talked me thru the exam and it was easy. No amnesia, no versed freaky side-effects and even the biopsies were painless. One huge advantage to sedationless colonoscopy (besides no amnesia): you can’t get your bowel perforated if you are unsedated; the doc told me that an unsedated patient will feel the pressure and warn the endoscopist long before perforation happens.
Propofol sedation (heavy duty) increased the perforation risk a lot because the patient is really out. And if you think that I hate drugs, I do not. After the exam, I had some cramps from the air that the doc had to introduce into my colon; when I couldn’t fart, she suggested painkiller, I agreed and she squirted in the fentanyl in the syringe that I had been holding in my hand (forgot it) and I was totally blasted in minutes. She repeated the dose later and told me to take a nap.
http://colonoscopyblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-conscious-sedation.html
I do remember being wheeled into the room for the procedure, the IV starting, and then.......I was asking "did they find anything?""No," the nurse replied kindly, "did you know this was the fourth time you've asked?"I didn't. I noticed I was lying in bed in the recovery room, and ... hey, how did I get dressed?
http://www.usnews.com/health/blogs/on-health-and-money/2008/10/21/would-you-rather-be-out-for-your-colonoscopy.html
http://freeideasblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/long-post-versed-midazolam-for.html
Check out versedbusters for honest patient reviews of this drug; also askapatient.
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ReplyDeleteI asked the doctor during the procedure if, when he was done, he'd let me take a look through the camera for myself to see what my insides look like. They always looked at me with incredulity when I requested that. I guess most people don't care to know. They also warned me that it would mean I'd have to bear the discomfort for a little longer. But it was worth it, I tell you! The inside of your colon is... yeah, you're going to think I'm nuts... well, it's actually quite amazing. Even beautiful. It's like a piece of abstract art. You can see bile ducts opening and closing. The surface is a shiny pale pink, full of folds that look like a complex, hilly alien landscape. I'd had intestinal surgery before all of this, and you could see where they had done the repairs. That was interesting, too. For me, the opportunity to see something so unknown, complex, and fascinating that is actually part of my own body made the whole experience less unpleasant.
ReplyDeletehttp://askville.amazon.com/Colonoscopy-sedation/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=10173747
I found out from an OR nurse that under the influence of Versed a patient can still talk and move and follow directions and feel pain.
ReplyDeleteI also found out that Versed is routinely used prior to surgery now even if you're going to have general anesthesia.
You probably will not be told or asked about the Versed. They will just give it to you.
http://colonoscopyblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-conscious-sedation.html
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of professional experience with IV drugs and used to think that Versed was O.K. It is not. Too many patitnts experience severe trauma under it's influence, get pushed out the door in a semi-amnesic state, then gradually recover memories of a very traumatic event, often done with little or no effective anangesia. I have been a physician for 25 years and would never subject a patient to this drug. In my experience, about 2% of the women who undergo colonoscopy with versed/fentanyl develop moderate and sometimes debilitating mental problems from getting this drug. Colonoscopy can be done with nthing if one is slow and careful or with just fentanyl (painkiller)...and it works great. I have done moe than I care to count and NEVER use Versed.
November 26, 2008 2:59:00 PM PST
Bill said...
ReplyDeleteHaving been warned by blogs like this one, thanks, I insisted on NO versed. The language I used was the same as the wording of the Lahey Clinic's patient rights document: "advance directive", something the entire medical staff is sworn to obey. It worked! My only sedation was 50 micrograms of fentanyl, which I hardly noticed until I felt sleepy at home that evening.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI'm a clinical pharmacist with 30 years of experience as well as a Ph.D. in pharmacology and I always thought that the negative comments about Versed (midazolam) were exaggerated. I always told the nurses who consent the patient getting Versed that the drug is "to make you forget" not "sign this so the doc can give you something to keep you comfy", thinking that proper informed consent would prevent most Versed problems. Wrong! There ARE a huge number of patients who experience PTSD and lingering creepy amnesia/memory loss from even low doses of midazolam! I have talked to many, many of them and their stories are all credible. I recently had an outpatient colonoscopy that could have been done with CRNA and propofol but I was too cheap to pay the additional copay and at the last minute agreed to Versed. Huge mistake. Going in, I knew all about the procedural amnesia and was certian that this would not bother me. I trust the doc completely, we have seen each others naked backsides before, so I'm certianly not embarassed by colonoscopy. The exam was easy but the Versed experience was a nightmare: it caused severe anxiety, inability to communicate, sweating and paranoia...so bad that the doc had to abort the exam; what she did see looked really bad, but the exam was incomplete because of the Versed-induced paranoia. I'm not kidding. Now, I'm terrified f another exam and if I do it I will not consent to any sedation at all.
July 10, 2009 7:32:00 AM PDT
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI had a colonoscopy this morning without sedation; after reading the Versed horror stories on the net, I cornered my doc before the exam and insisted that she address the Versed problem. Surprizingly, she admitted that about 10% of patients who receive Versed in doses above 2mg have long-term memory impairment and generally horrible experiences with the drug. She only uses it because it's cheaper than propofol,but would not consent to getting it herself. And that's what you wanted to give me? What crap. As I was storming out, she offered propofol (no charge) but I refused. She told me that she could do the exam unsedated, no IV at all and would stop if it hurt. O.k., we did it, 2 polyps, biopsies no drugs and it was easy. Seeing the patient's in recovery zombified with Versed was awful. The doc told me that about 1/2 of the nurses had their colonoscopies unsedated, but "don't tell anyone"..Having Versed mess with your mind is way too dangerous for me.
October 12, 2009 7:09:00 PM PDT
Sarah Says:
ReplyDeleteMay 28th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I’m a nurse with 25 years of med-surg experience and my husband is a physician. Neither of us would ever consent to the amnesia drug Versed (midazolam); do a little research before you consent to this drug and don’t believe the line that “it’s to relax you”. This drug is wrecking patients emotionally. Pay to have Propofol if you want sedation. I’m lucky enough to have IBS and get yearly colonoscopies; I have never had sedation and my exams are difficult because I am a woman (we have more tortourous/twisty colons) and because of my IBS, and these exams are easy and painless. You have to find a doctor who will take his/her time, not an assembly line where nurses seate patients into imobile, docile and amnesic zombies…….then the exam is done roughly (they assume that the patient will not remember it) and thats when it hurts..then the fun starts when you get home and live with the nightmares. I became a nurse to help people; I kick myself when I think of how many patients I have hurt by giving them Versed.
versed
ReplyDeleteSubmitted by Ginny (not verified) on Mon, 2008-08-11 23:13.
I too agree that the medical folks lump everybody in the same boat and give these medications to zombie us up especially when we repeat "awake and aware" . I have had a horrible experience with a "routine colonoscopy" in 1995 and was told I would not be asleep. I awakened 48 hours later and cannot remember anything during a three day period. And guess what? I have had three of the same procedures done with NO sedatives at all. No valium, no versed, and no routine phenegran/stadol combos that they give to "everybody". My friend who is a surgeon has performmed my colonoscopies and now my husband has had all his done with "no sedatives"/ We drive ourselves to the hospital and drive ourselves home and have NO NIGHTMARES afterwards.
A common recipe for colonoscopy sedation is midazolam (Versed) plus an opioid like meperidine (pethidine, Demerol) or fentanyl. The most troublesome side-effect of this drug combination is the suppression of breathing which sometimes requires “rescue” to prevent serious harm. Blood pressure can drop too. A small but vocal minority of patients believe that Versed (midazolam) causes unpleasant short and long term psychological side-effects, and even post-traumatic stress disorder, although this is not supported by scientific study. They argue that an amnestic (memory-suppressive) drug like midazolam is simply a cover-up for an extremely painful, torture-like experience that a patient endures but cannot subsequently remember. Despite this conspiracy view, midazolam has been used successfully, and most would contend, safely, in millions of sedation procedures around the world.
ReplyDeletehttp://surgiprep.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/sedation-for-colonoscopy-do-it-yourself/
http://www.hospitalsoup.com/health-e-living/colonoscopy-sedation-medications
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hospitalsoup.com/health-e-living/colonoscopy-sedation-without-versed/
Here are the most commonly used colonoscopy sedation medications:
1.Fentanyl and Versed:
2.Fentanyl, (a pain medication) and Demerol (also a pain medication)
3.Fentanyl and Valium
4.Propofol
Full disclosure about medications: There are a significant number of patients who have reported very bad experiences using Versed. There should be real informed consent meaning that patients should be told that Versed is given to keep you relaxed and make you forget, not just ‘here’s something to make you comfy’.
refuse colonoscopy "sedation" if you want your brain intact
ReplyDeleteI'm a pharmacist with 30 years expreience; I always laughed when patients told me about the horrible experiences that they had with Versed; after all, it's only "like valium" isn't it? wrong! I'm sick of talking to patients who have long-term memory loss and nightmares from this garbage..............if your gastro "INSISTS" ON sedation, find another gastro who trats you like a person, most if not all, health-care professionals have colonoscopy done unsedated....why not you and me?? because the unsedated exam takes a few minutes longer.......they don;t want to waste time...just got an unsedated colonoscopy; the "secret" option, it was great!! but you won't have this option unless you are an insider...drug you up, you lie impobe and in pain then go home to nightmares adn they don;t care.........glad I'm an insider.
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jerry of MO @ Sep 02, 2009 09:53:31 AM
Colonoscopy with Versed (midazolam) is patient abuse
It's time for the medical community to admit what Versed is being used for during "conscious sedation". It's a patient control drug, it's not to make you relaxed or comfortable, it's to make the patient amnesic, unable to resist or to remember and it invites doctors and nurses (I'm one) to be as rough and careless as they can be; hey, it the patient won't remember, why not just let her suffer and squirm? Chances are, she will be home before she realizes how badly we treated her, an if she complains, we pull out the consent where she signed agreeing to an amnesia drug! Only a slob gastro would use Versed; remember: Katie Couric had her first colonoscopy on TV without sedation (she would never get Versed, nor would your own doctor consent to that garbage); Katie only got a small amount of Demerol (painkiller) and that's optional. Remember: 10% or more of the patients who receive Versed end up with significant long-term memory or mental health issues. Colonoscopy without sedation is comfortable and safe. Versed is not. Ask your doctor about Versed; prepared to be lied to.
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lauren of PA @ May 16, 2009 16:30:48 PM
No sedation
I have had two (or three?) coloscopies now with NO sedation. It only hurts while they're going in, while they "inflate" you, and that only hurts periodically. It is very interesting to see my insides!
Actually, she was very supportive and told me that most of the docs got colonoscopies without sedation. The exam without sedation was a breeze, no amnesia, no memory loss, no brain damage and I remember what I saw.
Versed is a terrible drug; you may regret getting it!
ReplyDeleteAs a nurse practitioner, I often recommend colonoscopy to patients who need one. But, most are done with the amnesia drug Versed and way too many patients report very traumatic experiences with this drug, permanant memory loss and depression. Fully 10% of our patients who receive Versed report a permanant decline in memory or cognitive function. 10% is HUGE!!! I would never recommend that anyone get a colonoscopy with Versed, nor would I ever consent to this drug bein used on any member of my family. Check out versedbusters ofr honest patient reviews of this drug; also askapatient. The comments will curl your hair. The use of this drug makes me sick.
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Sue of PA @ Mar 07, 2009 22:18:40 PM
BOTTOM LINE MAYBE:
ReplyDelete1. IF YOU GET VERSED WITHOUT ANY PAINKILLER, THAT'S IMMORAL.
2. YOU CAN GET A COLONOSCOPY WITHOUT VERSED, BUT THEY HAVE TO USE MORE PAINKILLER IN THAT CASE.
3. VERSED IS SUPPOSED TO CALM YOU DOWN, THE AMNESIA IS A SIDE EFFECT.
4. IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT WENT ON DURING THE COLONOSCOPY, JUST USE PAINKILLER WITHOUT VERSED.
5. IF YOU ARE CONCIOUS, IT BECOMES ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PERFORATE YOUR COLON.
6. SOME GI DOCS DON'T WANT TO DO IT WITHOUT VERSED BECAUSE IT SLOWS THEM DOWN.
7. SOME NURSES WARN THAT THERE COULD STILL BE A FECAL MESS THAT YOU COULD WITNESS IF YOU'RE CONCIOUS. AND FARTING LOUDLY.