[OncallRN]

Hello, I hope you folks don't mind my posting here.

I'm a hospice nurse and post over there but thought you folks could help me more w/ your area of practice, receintly had Versed and am looking for some feedback.

after a bunch of online research and finding a few groups of "off the deep end" people I feel like I'm having a negative reaction to Versed.

I had a bad reaction to Valium back in College, took it for a bad muscle strain and it made me very paranoid. now I think the Versed has left me with a terrible sense of dread, ( I had it for a upper endoscopy). I've had Versed in the past ( a kidney stent) and in hindsight am pretty sure the short term counselling I sought after was at least in part related to a reaction to the Versed. at the time I related to other stress in my life but I think the Versed put me over the edge from coping on my own to felling totally overwhelmed.

in the near future I'm having elective surgery and want to make sure I don't get Versed again. I will tell them of my reaction and that I refuse versed, but my one concern ( but I realize it may be unfounded as I read mostly about it on the "off the deep end" website) that the anesthesiologist giving me a hard time.

I'm guessing some of this is just my post Versed unease, I'm almost at the point of cancellling my elective surgery, but my Nurse brain knows it's really just the Versed rx.

I'm hesitant to say anything to anyone as I'll come off looking like a loon, I can't wait until this darn fog clears...

well thank you for listening, "talking" about it has helped

I welcome input and commments, and personal or professional experience w/ versed

B

[ewattsjt]

For starters, you already know that any medical condition should not be dismissed. We get all kinds of latex allergy patients that are wearing underwear (the band contains latex). We have to treat them as a latex allergy. The same consideration should be given.

Since you are a patient, you must address your concerns with your doctor(s) and get their advice as we are not allowed to discuss matters like this on the forum (It could be considered giving medical advice to a patient). If the administrators lock this thread it is to keep people from stepping across that line.

Hope all goes well in your surgical experience.

[OncallRN]

thanks, I realized after that some might consider the post asking for medical advise,

it isn't intended to, more of a vent. I was still managing the residual sense of dread when I posted.

funny you mention the latex allergy, when I met w/ the anesthesiologist I mentioned my latex sensitivity, and he took it very seriously. saying I should not dismiss it because it's still mild, and it could go from mild to severe at any point. and the only way to keep it mild is to stay away from latex as much as I can.

thanks for the feedback and I will of course tell the anesthesiologist at my future surgey.

[justjenny]

Someone please correct me if I am wrong but with Versed (vs. propofol) you can have realization of what is happening to you and also what is said in the room. I don't work in endoscopy but the couple upper GIs that I saw in school the patients sometimes had a really strong gag and would fight and try and pull out the tube, etc.
Have you considered just the psychological effects of this? Also, you mentioned stress and difficulty in our life....did the "short term" counseling help? Do you require further counseling? Do you have coping issues?
We are not supposed to give medical advice on this site, also...simply talk with the docs at your next procedure.
I am also reminded of the "story" of a patient who just loved her doc, gave him hugs and all.... had a procedure with light sedation in which the doc said some pretty mean things about her and though she had no actual memory of the specific words, the next day during rounds she could not look the doc in the face and acted very cold towards him (is this story an urban legend I wonder? LOL)

Jenny

[wtbcrna]

Originally Posted by OncallRN

Hello, I hope you folks don't mind my posting here.

I'm a hospice nurse and post over there but thought you folks could help me more w/ your area of practice, receintly had Versed and am looking for some feedback.

after a bunch of online research and finding a few groups of "off the deep end" people I feel like I'm having a negative reaction to Versed.

I had a bad reaction to Valium back in College, took it for a bad muscle strain and it made me very paranoid. now I think the Versed has left me with a terrible sense of dread, ( I had it for a upper endoscopy). I've had Versed in the past ( a kidney stent) and in hindsight am pretty sure the short term counselling I sought after was at least in part related to a reaction to the Versed. at the time I related to other stress in my life but I think the Versed put me over the edge from coping on my own to felling totally overwhelmed.

in the near future I'm having elective surgery and want to make sure I don't get Versed again. I will tell them of my reaction and that I refuse versed, but my one concern ( but I realize it may be unfounded as I read mostly about it on the "off the deep end" website) that the anesthesiologist giving me a hard time.

I'm guessing some of this is just my post Versed unease, I'm almost at the point of cancellling my elective surgery, but my Nurse brain knows it's really just the Versed rx.

I'm hesitant to say anything to anyone as I'll come off looking like a loon, I can't wait until this darn fog clears...

well thank you for listening, "talking" about it has helped

I welcome input and commments, and personal or professional experience w/ versed

B

1st let me say that just a quick look at the literature there doesn't seem to be anything to suggest that Versed will have lingering effects after 24hrs in most adults (non geriatric) w/o liver or kidney problems. The second thing is that Versed works on GABA A receptors and unless you are getting surgery under regional anesthesia/narcotics only then most of the induction agents used in anesthesia, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates also work on GABA A receptors. In other words you are more than likely to get more than one medication with a similar mechanism of action as Versed during surgery.
Also, if someone takes an extremely long time to wake up/return to baseline cognition after one of these drugs they may have a deficency in the main enzyme used to metabolize Versed etc.
Almost every medication given in anesthesia has the potential to have mind altering effects. The medications that are often overlooked that can potentially cause changes in cognition are the antiemetics. Most of the antiemetics work on serotonin or dopamine receptors blocking their action/uptake in the brain whereas a lot of antidepressants work by making more serotonin available to the brain.

[OncallRN]

HI thanks for the feed back,

the recient issue w/ the Versed was pretty much resolved within 24-30hrs, the older issue was definately related to other issues but pushed over the edge of normal coping w/ the use of benzos.

I did speak w/ my doc and he feels the 3 episodes are signifiacnt enough to considered a strong possiblity of a paradoxical reaction and to speak w/ the anthesiologist. which I did and he didn't use any benzodizapines during surgery.

[KCSCH]

All drugs have can cause side affects ranging from no side affect to death. By your first post you showed your fear of Versed, the trauma it caused you, and the need to find some answers before you would let it be used on you again. It amazes that as a medical person you would label patients that had trauma and fears of the drug greater then your own as "off the deep end". It is obvious by your last post that you gleaned information from both this site and what you call the "off the deep end" sites in order to get the dr and the anesthesiologist to address your fears and concerns.

[OncallRN]

Just to clarify, "off the deep end" refered to people stating that versed was a horrible drug which should be outlawed, and no one should ever allow the drug to be used on them.

I have a reaction/ side effect, I find intolerable, but know that there are many people out there that much prefer complete amnesia to any memory of a medical procedure, and to them Versed is a wonder drug.

there a lots of " off the deep " infomation onthe web and it's important to be a careful consumer of the internet