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If you have light or moderate sedation, you can usually go home within an hour or two of your treatment. If you have deep sedation, your recovery will usually take two hours or longer. When you can go home may also depend on how long it will take you to recover from the procedure itself.
Sedation is usually given into your vein (IV or intravenous), but can sometimes be given by mouth (oral) or through a face mask. What is intravenous sedation? Intravenous sedation is when a sedative (sedation medicine) is injected into your bloodstream (vein) through a drip (tube) to relax you.
- 76KB
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- Overview
- How do they work?
- Types of sedatives
- Side effects
- Dependency and addiction
- Other cautions
- Alternatives to sedatives
- When to see a doctor
- The bottom line
Sedatives are a type of prescription medication that slows down your brain activity. They’re typically used to make you feel more relaxed.
Doctors commonly prescribe sedatives to treat conditions like anxiety and sleep disorders. They also use them as general anesthetics.
Sedatives are controlled substances. This means their production and sales are regulated. In the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulates controlled substances. Selling or using them outside these regulations is a federal crime.
Part of the reason sedatives are so heavily regulated is that they can be highly addictive. They can cause people to become dependent on them beyond their control.
It’s important to be careful when using these medications to avoid dependency and addiction. Don’t take them unless your doctor has prescribed them to you. Take them only as prescribed.
Let’s go into more detail about how they work, what precautions to take if you use them, and some less potentially harmful alternatives you may want to try instead.
Sedatives work by modifying certain nerve communications in your central nervous system (CNS) to your brain. In this case, they relax your body by slowing down brain activity.
Specifically, sedatives make the neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) work overtime. GABA is responsible for slowing down your brain. By upping its level of activity in the CNS, sedatives allow GABA to produce a much stronger effect on your brain activity.
BenzodiazepinesBarbituratesHypnotics (non-benzodiazepines)Opioids/narcoticsSedatives can have both short- and long-term side effects.
Some of the immediate side effects you might notice include:
•sleepiness
•dizziness
•blurred vision
•not being able to see depth or distance as well as usual (impaired perception)
Signs of dependency
You may be experiencing dependency if you find yourself taking them regularly and feel you can’t stop taking them. This may be especially evident if you’re going beyond your prescribed dose or a safe amount. Dependence also becomes evident when you need a higher dose to achieve the same effect. This means your body has become used to the drug and needs more to achieve the desired effect.
Withdrawal symptoms
Dependency tends to become most obvious if you experience withdrawal symptoms. This happens when your body responds to the absence of the sedatives with uncomfortable or painful physical and mental symptoms. Common withdrawal symptoms include: •increased anxiety •irritability •inability to sleep In some cases, you can become sick or experience seizures if you’re body is used to high amounts of the sedative and go “cold turkey” without easing yourself off the drug. Dependence develops depending on your body’s tolerance to the drug. It can happen over a few months or as quickly as a few weeks or less. Older adults may be more susceptible to certain sedatives, such as benzodiazepines, than younger people.
Recognizing dependence and withdrawal symptoms
Dependence can be hard to recognize. The clearest symptom is that you can’t stop thinking about taking the drug. This may be clearer when you compulsively think about the medication when having any symptom related to the condition you’re using it to treat and think that using it is the only way you’ll be able to cope with it. In these cases, your behavior and mood can change instantly (often negatively) when you realize you can’t have it right away. Some of these symptoms, especially mood changes, can happen immediately. Other symptoms point to withdrawal. These symptoms may appear several days or weeks after stopping use. Withdrawal symptoms can include: •nausea •vomiting •losing consciousness
Even if you’re taking small doses of sedatives as prescribed by your doctor, you can still take extra care to make sure you stay safe:
•Avoid alcohol. Alcohol also works like a sedative, so drinking and taking a sedative at the same time can compound the effects and lead to dangerous, life-threatening symptoms, such as loss of consciousness or stopping breathing.
•Don’t mix sedatives together or with other medications that have similar effects. Mixing sedatives together or taking them with other medications that cause drowsiness, such as antihistamines, can lead to harmful side effects, even overdose.
•Don’t take sedatives while pregnant without consulting a doctor. Sedatives in high doses can harm a fetus unless taken in a controlled medical environment.
If you’re concerned about developing a dependency on sedative medications, talk to your doctor about alternatives.
Antidepressants, like SSRIs, can help treat anxiety or panic disorders. Stress-reduction techniques can also help, such as:
•exercise
•meditation
•aromatherapy with essential oils (especially lavender)
Practicing good sleep hygiene is another tool to help manage sleep disorders. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time (even on your days off) and don’t use electronics close to bedtime. Here are 15 other tips to sleep well at night.
Talk to your doctor if you feel like you can’t stop yourself from using sedatives.
Addiction is a brain disorder. Don’t feel like there’s something wrong with you or a loved one with an addiction or that you’re failing yourself or others.
Reach out to one of the following resources for help and support:
•Call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential treatment referrals and information about addiction.
•Go to the SAMHSA website to find an addiction treatment center near you.
•Go to the National Institutes of Health’s official website for tips and resources about drugs and addiction.
Sedatives are powerful. They lower brain activity and relax your mind.
They can be effective treatments for conditions that make you feel overly wired, fearful, antsy, or tired, such as anxiety or sleep disorders. But they can also become addictive, especially if they’re misused.
Talk to your doctor before you start taking sedatives and be sure to follow their directions.
Help is available in many forms if you’re concerned about an addiction to sedatives. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
This review describes four approaches to managing opioid-induced side effects that can be implemented both before and during opioid treatment: dose reduction, opioid rotation, altering the route of opioid administration, and symptomatic management of adverse effects.
- Emma Rogers, Sonal Mehta, Rose Shengelia, Manney Carrington Reid
- 2013
Sep 30, 2021 · alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Sedatives are drugs that people commonly misuse. Misusing sedatives and prolonging their use may lead to dependency and eventual withdrawal symptoms. This article...
Practice Guidelines for Moderate Procedural Sedation and Analgesia 2018: A Report by the American Society of Anesthesiologists Task Force on Moderate Procedural Sedation and Analgesia, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American College of Radiology, American Dental Association, American Society of Dentist Anesthesiolog...
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Key Takeaways. Sedatives, prescription medications that calm the nervous system, aim to alleviate anxiety and induce relaxation. Here is what you need to know: When used appropriately, sedatives can lead to positive effects, such as acute anxiety reduction.
