Godd/Bad colonoscopy experiences

[newpatient2011]

I have read many patient experiences about colonoscopy, some good and some are really scary, especially about the sedation....many patients have horrible experiences and seem to have encountered doctors who don't explain the side effects of the meds (amnesia, lack of pain control) and some of these are troublesome.  A friend of mine who is a nurse had a colonoscopy last year and she tld me that it was very painful and that the endo doc and staff treated her badly; basically not informing her of the risks of long-term memory loss from the sedation drug (Versed) and she's still having problems many months later.   Any ideas as to how common this really is? (If I google "Versed problems" I get thousands of hits).  I'm asking because I have a bad family history and I'm supposed to get yearly colonoscopies, but I'm now reluctant to do so.  Several years ago, I got my first one and told the doctor that I didn't want Versed, she wasn't surprized and did the exam without it.  I have move since then and can't seem to find a doctor who won't do it without this drug, and I really don't like their reasons (cover their butts with an amnesia drug etc)...when they tell me "it's too painful" I just tell them that I had one without it and they just plain refuse.  Any ideas? thanks

[patient915]

Welcome to the gastroenterology community!  This is actually pretty uncommon.  If you've found a drug combination that works for you, I would recommend searching until you find a doctor that will do it the way that works (as long as what you are asking for is reasonable).

[newpatient2011]

Thanks for the reply.  I wanted to do the next exam without Versed (like my first one in a different state), but none of the doctors here will do the exam that way.  The first gastro was super; she did the exam with just painkiller (fentanyl) on standby if I asked for it, but didn't need it.  The endo centers here all want sedated and amnesic patients which I don't get at all.  One of the nurses told me that they prefer sedation so that the doc can do the exam faster (schedule more patients). Versed seems to have a lot of issues; I was referred to askapatient and read the hundreds of Versed horror stories; the endo nurse told me that they rarely got complaints about the drug, but she was honest in telling me that the problems often happen after the patient leaves.  Since I am bleeding, I met with one GI doc and discussed the sedation; he admitted that he would not want Versed personally (but it's evidently o.k. for his patients)  and that his was done with propofol...which they discourage since the CRNA slows down their schedule.  When I asked about an unsedated exam; I got yelled at; "anyone who claims that they had an unsedated colonoscopy is lying to you; it's never done, blah, blah"   He knew the out of state GI doc who did my first exam and he asked me what type of sedation that she used.  I told him "nothing" and he abruptly told me: "I can't help you".  Anyway, I'm surprized that taking an extra 5 minutes to do an unsedated exam is such a big deal..

[patient915]

I always recommend finding a place/doctor that you trust and that are concerned about your safety/comfort/health not money/time.  Yes there are hundreds of horror stories about Versed out there, but Versed has been given millions of times.  I think that if you have never had Versed, you would be fine trying it, but it is up to you.

[fredjs]

I had a colonoscopy last week and told the nurse that I had a bad reaction from the sedative given to me recently for an endoscopy which knocked me out completely and left me with a very high temperature for a couple of hours. The nurse told me there was an alternative, a gas inhaled sedative which I accepted and it was fine for me. I stayed awake and felt nothing and was disharged very quickly, unlike the other people who were still in bed when I left and I assume had been drugged. I would recommend this alternative and commend the treatment I had at Hemel Hempstead hospital. Well done them!