Are you immune to benzos amnesiac effects?

[Mycotheologist]

I've had two endoscopies (where they shove a camera down your throat so they can see inside your GI tract) and the 2nd time, I decided to take the sedative they offered. I didn't bother asking them what it was but it felt just like a benzo. They told me I wouldn't remember the procedure but thats not the case, I remember everything. It was brutal, I had stayed up the previous night on amphetamines so I felt asleep once the benzo kicked in and I woke up to a doctor forcing a camera down my throat, it felt like a struggle for my life. The first time, I didn't take the sedative and it was fine, they told me when to swallow and the whole thing went smoothly. The second time they just started trying to forcibly shove the thing down my throat. Hospitals really need to start taking into consideration the fact that not everyone reacts to drugs the same way. The sedative didn't sedate me nearly enough to overcome the fight or flight response and didn't cause any memory loss.

 

[kokaino]

You are definitely not immune to benzos amnesiac effects, you may have a tolerance and the previous nights amphetamine could've played a role also. Nobody is immune to benzos amnesiac effects, anterograde amnesia is one of six of the benzodiazepines intrinsic effects: anxiolytic, amnesic, sedative-hypnotic, anticonvulsant, antiemetic and muscle relaxant.

 

[Alex000]

Benzos still can still cloud my memory with certain things after near 2 years of daily dosing. While I can keep a good amount of detail in my memory of things which interest me, my chronological memory is often a bit clouded, and often I have to think about what I had done on such and such a day. When it does come to me, I can usually remember fairly well. Short-term memory is somewhat effected for me, as in forgetting what I was going to say. All in all, however, the amnesia experienced is rather slight and certainly does not interfere with my functioning. I have certainly become tolerant to the amnesic effects as kokaino said is quite possible, but they are still present.

As for your anesthesia, it sounds rather like they gave you a "pre-operative" dose of Versed (midazolam) if it felt like a benzo. This is a VERY common drug used for "pre-operative" sedation, as well as an adjunct to general anesthesia. However, you were not under general, which I thought endoscopies usually entailed. It sounds like you were just given what was intended to be twilight anesthesia or even just plain old sedation, but just wasn't enough. I would certainly request, should I ever get an endo, that I be put under a heavy twilight anesthesia with an opioid involved as well as GABAergic sedative-hypnotic like a benzo or barb.

 

[eldub v7.0]

wait, wait?

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Drugs affect different people very differently. I have heard of people being given benzos or other drugs used for sedation in minor surgeries/procedures, or even serious anesthetics and still being fully conscious of what was going on. Myself I have only experienced this with benzos not being enough or local anesthesia not working, but I had a friend who was under general anesthesia and was supposed to be totally unconscious but was merely paralyzed yet completely conscious. Creepy. I'm sure it's possible to have benzos not work on you or to have a much higher natural tolerance to benzos than normal. Perhaps if you were doing amphetamines all night they partly counteracted the effects of the benzo, or perhaps it wore off too soon. The other thing is how can you know for sure whether or not it caused any amnesia? I had a time where I was sure my memory was intact except that I realized I had been there for 3 hours and could only account for about 1 1/2 hrs. It's not as simple as just taking a set dose and being guaranteed to not remember a thing. Sorry you had to go through that, it sounds awful

 

[pally pete]

I've had two endoscopies (where they shove a camera down your throat so they can see inside your GI tract) and the 2nd time, I decided to take the sedative they offered. I didn't bother asking them what it was but it felt just like a benzo. They told me I wouldn't remember the procedure but thats not the case, I remember everything. It was brutal, I had stayed up the previous night on amphetamines so I felt asleep once the benzo kicked in and I woke up to a doctor forcing a camera down my throat, it felt like a struggle for my life. The first time, I didn't take the sedative and it was fine, they told me when to swallow and the whole thing went smoothly. The second time they just started trying to forcibly shove the thing down my throat. Hospitals really need to start taking into consideration the fact that not everyone reacts to drugs the same way. The sedative didn't sedate me nearly enough to overcome the fight or flight response and didn't cause any memory loss.

Ive had an endoscopy done and i mostly certainly did want the sedative, this was before id tried any Benzos (March 2009) I asked the nurse what the sedative was called that they would give me, she muttered something about it being some sort of Valium based drug, it actually turned out to be Midazolam (which is the most commonly used sedative for many short medical procedures here in the UK)

Anyway it worked a charm, i dont remember a thing about the endoscopy, the last thing i remember about the whole thing was the doctor informing me that he was just about to inject the sedative.... the next thing i remember im sitting next to my hospital bed drinking tea and eating biscuits. :D

Id hate to think what the hospital would need to give me now to sedate me!

 

[Mycotheologist]

but I had a friend who was under general anesthesia and was supposed to be totally unconscious but was merely paralyzed yet completely conscious. Creepy.

Could he feel the pain? That would be pretty horrible. I get sleep paralysis every now and again but I'm never fully paralysed, I can still wiggle my toes and mumble.

The other thing is how can you know for sure whether or not it caused any amnesia? I had a time where I was sure my memory was intact except that I realized I had been there for 3 hours and could only account for about 1 1/2 hrs. It's not as simple as just taking a set dose and being guaranteed to not remember a thing. Sorry you had to go through that, it sounds awful

You're right, it probably did cause a bit of amnesia because I can only really remember the part where they were shoving the camera down my throat. I had a colonoscopy straight after, I can remember that well because I got to see inside my own intestines on the screen which was pretty cool.

 

[kokaino]

There are several benzos which are used as surgery pre-medicants (either orally or parenterally). Any benzo with powerful amnesiac activity is used and the ones approved for this purpose are midazolam, brotizolam, flunitrazepam, temazepam, lorazepam, clorazepate (yes, it has strong amnesiac effects), delorazepam, phenazepam and remimazolam (this one isn't available in the US, but I have a feeling one day it will be approved).

Oral temazepam has proven to be a valuable premedicant given on the evening before operation and/or the following morning, before surgery. Administered as a sedative in a single 20 mg oral dose the night before surgery, temazepam provided a good night's sleep in 77 percent of gynaecological surgical patients; patients slept for 7.6 hours and had no significant residual effects. As a premedicant, temazepam was as effective as parenteral diazepam or papaveretum. Temazepam's short duration of action facilitates rapid postoperative recovery in children, adults, and in the elderly. Thus, it is indicated especially for short operative procedures when rapid recovery and swift return to fitness are essential.

Read the bolded part from above!
(Study regarding temazepam)


I'm a bit surprised that triazolam was never indicated for this purpose. It is a great amnesiac.

 

[Steps]

I've never blacked out from a benzo dosage

I've taken up to 20mg doses of clonazepam at once and haven't gotten amnesia

For all of you who don't know how much that is

20mg Clonazepam = 20mg Alprazolam = 40mg Lorazepam = 40mg Phenazepam = 400mg Diazepam = 800mg Temazepam = 1,000mg Chlordiazepoxide
AKA 20mg Klonopin = 20mg Xanax = 40mg Ativan = 40mg Phenazepam = 400mg Valium = 800mg Restoril = 1,000mg Librium

Even though 20mg Clonazepam = 20mg Alprazolam... Clonazepam lasts easily 3-8+ times longer

 

[kokaino]

^ Yes, 20 mg of clonazepam is a big dose but clonazepam is generally a weak sedative. Your conversions are right, but the conversion chart only takes into account anxiolytic activity. So that 0.5 mg of clonazepam is as effective as 10 mg of diazepam for anti-anxiety purposes. It doesn't take into account the fact that some benzos are more powerful sedative-hypnotics, some produce more profound muscle relaxant effects and yet others are more amnesiac in nature.

Although 20 mg clonazepam may equal 800 mg temazepam, the 800 mg temazepam would be far more sedating and cause more impairment. Mix in the fact that temazepam is a far more rapid-acting and a more toxic benzo than clonazepam (and all other benzos) and you'll end up zombied out for sure. It would be the same thing if you were to take 10 mg triazolam, 400 mg nitrazepam or 40 mg flunitrazepam (which are all equal to 20 mg clonazepam).

 

[Tripman]

There are several benzos which are used as surgery pre-medicants (either orally or parenterally). Any benzo with powerful amnesiac activity is used and the ones approved for this purpose are midazolam, brotizolam, flunitrazepam, temazepam, lorazepam, clorazepate (yes, it has strong amnesiac effects), delorazepam, phenazepam and remimazolam (this one isn't available in the US, but I have a feeling one day it will be approved).


Read the bolded part from above!
(Study regarding temazepam)


I'm a bit surprised that triazolam was never indicated for this purpose. It is a great amnesiac.

I often wonder if you are a sales representative for Restoril Kok...

 

[kokaino]

I often wonder if you are a sales representative for Restoril Kok...

LMAO! Hardly. I don't even think Restoril is the best temazepam brand. I just happen to love temazepam. I find it very recreational and enjoyable. I also find it euphoric and it has all six intrinsic benzodiazepine effects: anxiolytic, sedative-hypnotic, skeletal muscle relaxant, anticonvulsant, amnesiac, and anti-emetic. It's powerful and effective in every single one of the categories. It's an excellent sedative-hypnotic, very good anxiolytic, very powerful anticonvulsant, a strong amnesiac (which is why it is used as a premedicant before surgery) and it is a great muscle relaxant. You cannot say that for too many benzos.