Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 7/10/2008

Question
when i was sedated during my colonoscopy,i was given verced for the 1st time.The nurse said i would'nt remember anything,like a dreamstate.Well,it was anyhthing but,i was in a highly aggitated state,really hyper.3 nurses had to hold me down,I left as soon as they got the iv out without telling anyone i was so scared.For 2 days my heart was pounding,I really thought i was going to have a heart attack,chest pain,ect.He found 9 polyps in my colon and said i had to get this procedure don once a year,that was 10 yrs ago.I did'nt go to sleep or even get drowsy and i am scared to death to ever do it again,althouth i am having extinsive intestinal problems,do you think this was some sort of reaction to verced.I take xanax on a daily basis and it said its made of the same type of medication,can you shed some light on this for me?thank you very much.k.greene

Answer
First of all, that was 10 yrs ago. Now we give it along with other drugs so it is likely better now. If you are in doubt, have an anesthesiologist give the sedation instead of the nurse. They have more choices in their arsenal. This is not a reaction to Versed, this is Versed administration by someone who doesn't know how to use it. Yes Xanax and Versed are similar and you might require a higher dose of Versed for proper effect but I think you should speak to an anesthesiologist about the problems you had last time.

Ronald Levy, MD
Assoicate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston