Endoscopy sedation dangerous

I was just wondering if the conscious sedation...or "twilight" sedation that they give you during an endoscopy is dangerous. I'm worried about the memory loss...have any of y'all ever heard of someone getting permanent memkory loss from the sedation during an endoscopy? Like where they wake up and don't know who they are...or who their family or friends are? I heard about someone experiencing this.

Linds-
I haven't had any issues like this myself. I have had quite a few of them with sedation, but I agree with Kitt. Talk it over with your doctor.

Take care,
Bill

Of course it's dangerous! Research the drugs. Usually "twilight sedation" means Versed. Occasionally it means propofol - but don't accept the generic which has a bad record from using sulfite as a preservative.

Versed is a benzodiazepine which gives a little muscle relaxation but does nothing for pain. It's main action is giving you amnesia. Propofol will knock you out and also give you amnesia.

I reguarly refuse drugs that have no use but giving amnesia, but I'm not afraid of procedures. For some things I accept pain meds, but also demand anti-nausea meds because I always throw up for hours. Watching a few videos of the procedure online lets me know what to expect and then I'm not surprised or scared. I recently had 3 trigger fingers released, refused the Versed, only had the local. I felt absolutely nothing; the whole operation took 15 minutes. I would like to have watched, but they wouldn't let me. No wooziness, no pain, no upset stomach.

Hi Linds!
I have had three endoscopies done, two with conscious sedation and once totally out. i will do it totally out next time, which I 'm sure there will be. But the versed was actually fine; I won't do it again like that as my doc ONLY gave me versed, with no relaxant/pain killer. I guess I gave him a rodeo and yanked the scope out myself. THEY would prefer I am totally sedated!! I have had versed for several colonoscopies and prior to several surgeries with no problems. As for nausea, I have thrown up (once) after fentanyl (which they give a lot with versed) but now use phenergan suppositories which are, I have found, great for nausea! Used them after surgery too and they were a Godsend.

If you look up versed, and the "michael jackson drug",you will find things mentioning long term memory problems for some people though. As everyone has said, I'd sure talk about it with your doctor. My stepmother died of colon cancer, so obviously I would consider the risks of NOT doing anything to be a lot higher!!

Good luck!
Lila

i was given versed and demerol. i was sooooooo nervous...until that first injection lol

i mean, anybody could have a reaction to the drugs, but it's rare.

last year before i had mine, one of my followers on twitter mentioned having theirs done w/o sedation b/c they didnt bring a driver with them.

I was given a combination of demerol and something else. My doctor said I would not have memory loss except possibly during the procedure and would feel no pain. I did not feel pain and had no memory loss-I even remember the conversations he had with the nurse and he occasionally asked me if I was comfortable and told me to blink once for yes and twice for no.

Linds - the local was for the hand surgery. For endoscopy or colonoscopy I could accept something for pain, but no Versed. Opioids, fentanyl make me vomit, and the propofol available is usually the cheap generic with sulfite. So there's usually nothing they have to offer me.

Frankly it's not worth the side effects (for me) to have anything but the throat spray for endoscopy and nothing for the other end. It's all over in 10 minutes. Yeah, that 10 minutes hurts a lot. But I like not being asleep and not needing recovery, and being able to drive myself.

I've got another colonoscopy coming up. Now I have to check out the new less fluid prep. It's got soda bicarb, so I need to know how much, since I can't burp after fundoplication. (bicarb plus stomach acid = gas)