MY WARNING ABOUT SHORT-ACTING BENZODIAZEPINES:
INCLUDING MIDAZOLAM AND OTHER “MEMORY DRUGS”

Gibbs had a incident with Midazolam, a drug often used for sedation which led to personality changes.  This led us to taking responsibility for what drugs our cats use, and in this post I am also offering an article on dogs, which are different in terms of some drugs. Their lives are in our hands…

Memory drugs actually work something like this.  If you are going to experience pain, they don’t stop you from feeling the pain, but make you forget you felt the pain.  As someone who has had one of these drugs used on me during a procedure, I felt tremendous pain in the moment, and the damn doctors didn’t believe me, so they didn’t STOP.  When I recounted every damn thing they said they had to realize that I did, and felt it all.

(See bottom for links to articles; Versed has been discontinued in the USA — but other brands may be in circulation.  Important for humans and pets!)

I am not a medical person, but have had personal experiences with these drugs.  I say this because I may not describe something correctly, which is why you should read the information I offered below and print it and keep it on hand if you have a cat and be ready to argue and discuss with your vet or a emergency hospital.  We have these drugs on a list of never ever give to either one of us or our animals.

A fact sheet from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration is a good short description of the short-acting drugs, though you will notice other unstable drugs are also in the category, such as Valium:   “Benzodiazepines are depressants that produce sedation and hypnosis, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and reduce seizures. The most common benzodiazepines are the prescription drugs Valium®, Xanax®, Halcion®, Ativan®, and Klonopin®.  Shorter-acting benzodiazepines used to manage insomnia include estazolam (ProSom®), flurazepam (Dalmane®), temazepam (Restoril®), and triazolam (Halcion®). Midazolam (Versed®), a short-acting benzodiazepine, is utilized for sedation, anxiety, and amnesia in critical care settings and prior to anesthesia.”

Versed was used on my 90-year-old-mother during a heart procedure.  After she spoke of all the people in the room with her, odd stories I’d never heard (or my brother so perhaps not real), she didn’t recognize me, called the nursing staff to have me removed, and became violent with me when I stood near her.  After days she recognized me but then would slip into not trusting me.

With Gibbs Midazolam turned him into a different cat from the gregarious cat he was before he was sedated!  He became frightened (which is still true sometimes though he has gotten better), appears autistic at times, and seems to forget things, but unfortunately we cannot ask him questions as we could my mother.  This drug is often used for dental work, for imaging (imagine risking their personality to take an xray?!), and light surgeries/procedures.

Your vet may tell you that it is all they have for sedation, but there are other drugs.  The reason they prefer it is that it is a quick in-and-out drug, the animal is only under for a short time.  But for us, the risks are such that we always push for the other drugs which might keep them under longer, but are safer.  Ask your vet about Gabapentin.

For more information on these drugs read the following articles:

1. drugs.com/versed Discontinued under this name in the USA, but still might be given under other names, so read the next two articles…
2. drugs.com/midazolam
3. www.goodrx.com/midazolam
4. Fact sheet from United States Drug Enforcement Administration on benzodiazepines
5. Wikipedia on Benzodiazepines
6. Gabapentin for cats (which is a bit different than dogs, as Xylitol is used to sweeten commercially prepared gabapentin oral suspension and this can be toxic to dogs… See this article if you have a dog, and discuss with your vet.)