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Anesthesia

Are there alternatives to versed

11/05/2007

Question:

My doctors have been pressuring me for several years to have a colonoscopy, but I don`t want any anesthetic that will induce amnesia. My doctors (and all of the media reports) keep insisting that "you won`t feel a thing". If that`s true, why do they insist on blocking out my memory? What is it they don`t want me to remember? I was the "designated Driver" for a friend`s colonoscopy, and while sitting in recovery at the outpatient gastroenterology center, heard a woman screaming in agony from the direction of the procedure rooms. When I asked the nurse what was going on, she laughed and said "Don`t worry, she won`t remember a thing". The thought of being that woman in pain horrifies me more than the thought of cancer. I have no symptoms, this is a screening colonoscopy, and I can`t convince myself that it`s worth the agony. Do I have any other choices?

Answer:

Thank you for visiting NetWellness.  A question similar to yours has been previously addressed.  The links below will connect you to those answers.  NetWellness may also have some additional information available that you can access thorugh our search feature.  Feel free to write back if you still have questions or need an explanation.

Related Resources:

Conscious sedation without versed
Alternatives to IV conscious sedation
Colonoscopy with only painkiller?
Having Colonoscopy without Sedation
Is colonoscopy possible without an IV?
IV drugs without amnesiac properties
Midazolam (Versed®)
Colonoscopy Sedation

For more information:

Go to the Anesthesia health topic, where you can:

Response by:

Gareth S Kantor, MD Gareth S Kantor, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University