Sedatives: How Long Do They Take To Work?

Injected sedatives don't take long, in my experience. When I had an endoscopy, they gave me Versed, which took only a few seconds to work. They injected it into my IV, I felt a dizzy rush, almost like pure bliss, but it only lasted a split second, and then everything tilted upside down and I was out. Or at least, it felt like I was out. Apparently, Versed makes you lose your memory, so I was probably not totally unconscious, I just thought I was.

I'm not sure a sedative works the same if it's injected into the muscle as opposed to directly into a vein. I would think it would take longer if it's not in a vein. (But, I'm not a doctor, so I can't really say.)

Alsikepike said:

Does anybody have experience with these kinds of things?

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Only about a half dozen times a year...

Okay, basic surgical sedatives are like:

"Count backwards from 100."

"100, 99, 98, 9... Hey! Who changed the wallpaper!" (You wake up in a different room)

Sleeping pills, such as Ambien, etc (pretty mild) are slower, five to ten minutes and you're drowsy, 20 and you're out for a decent sleep.

Opiates, like Fentanyl, Oxycodone, etc. are non-stop talking about nonsense for 10 minutes and then you're out for 12 hours.

Tranquilizers, what you really want to know about, depend greatly on dosage, where it hits you, how much you weigh and other factors. A solid hit with a decent dose and you get a few steps and go down. A hit to an extremity or a lower dose can just make you groggy and a little lethargic, but still mobile and conscious. Or anywhere in between. Animal tranquilizers aren't normally used on humans simply because the government hasn't approved them for that use, but they work the same on any mammal. A shot from a dart meant for a deer will be very similar in a person, possibly slightly longer in larger people.

Jeff

Depends on the person and the sedative.

I'm exceptionally difficult to sedate, even though I'm not even 5 feet tall. When I went in for an endoscopy, the sedative never kicked in, even through the "recovery" time. I did the whole thing awake. I had to warn them about my resistance when I had my gallbladder removed, so they switched drugs and the one they put through my IV kicked in within seconds, but I was in and out for several minutes, requiring a booster that then made it difficult for me to wake up. Incidentally, I've got an extreme resistance to things like Novocaine and most narcotics, too. Oxy's like a drink of water. It might make me itch, but there's no sedative effect. Most sleeping pills are useless.

There are genetic components that make certain groups, such as natural redheads (like me) extra resistant to certain chemical agents. It's a weird thing, but it can happen, depending on the gene combination that results in the red hair. In my case, I had horrible childhood and adolescent migraines, which resulted in high pain killer usage which has since given me a higher threshold for such things.

It's going to depend on what kind of sedative or tranquilizer is used. If you have one in mind, you can google it and find out all the prescribing information. I'm a bit of a control freak and do this with everything my doctor has ever prescribed. Do you know and doctors or anesthesiologists you could consult? That would be my first suggestion. If the drug you're planning to use in the story is something easily obtained on the street, there are actually forums where people discuss abusing prescription drugs and how each one affected them. It's a wealth of shocking information.

Cyia, yes! I have auburn hair (red/brown gene--both parents are brunette, but my grandmother had flaming red hair). When I had my appendix out at age 10, I woke up screaming because the IV morphine did nothing. Literally, nothing. They gave me enough to knock out a small horse and I was still crying. Also, when I had my wisdom teeth removed, the anesthesia wore off and I woke up halfway through. Terrified the poor nurse. (And me. . . .)

So yes, how long a sedative takes to knock someone out can vary drastically.

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

One other variable: If your character is not resistant and almost never takes sedatives, street drug or even pain killers, then he/she may knock out very quickly. I'm out almost instantly with modern anesthesia.

But type also matters: Took forever back in the day when they used ether. The anesthetist almost went out before I did (and I was not quite 10).

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

1. I started getting surgeries that required IV needles to transport the anasthesia when I was eight. That was a really clunky sentence. "I was eight when a surgeon first stabbed me with a huge needle that made me go to sleep" is a clearer explanation, but uh, I need to work on my descriptions. I will be getting various surgeries for the rest of my life.
2. Due to my development of a fear of needles, I inhaled nitrous oxide during two surgeries as an adult. It didn't go well, and I considered myself super doped-up and -calm-. Apparently I was screaming and crying horribly loudly the entire time. I remain convinced to this day that I was singing and at one point, laughing. According to everyone else: no.
3.I have post-traumatic stress disorder, for which I take a pill every night.

I echo the "it depends on the person and the sedative." I am five feet two inches tall and a hundred twenty pounds.
2: The doctors were wonderfully patient and kind, and explained everything up to "breathe deep." They explained they'd be watching me carefully because I was getting such a high dose (see #1 and let me provide you 20 minutes of backstory).

1. My latest surgery, they put an IV of sedatives in my hand long before the actual surgery occurred. When I was wheeled into the operating theatre, I managed to ask, "Can you wait to perform the surgery until I'm completely out?" and fell immediately asleep. It was...I want to say forty minutes or something.

3. I talked to my doctor about my PTSD, and...my experiences with dosages of different sedatives when outside a doctor's office. (That is -such- a classy way to put it. I am so proud right now.) The first time I took the pill, I panicked because I thought I was getting high, and had relapsed. The next night, I realized that was what the pill -did.- So, some sedatives take entire bottles to work on me, but others work immediately to help me feel drowsy and keep anxiety at bay.

I hope this helps! Feel free to ask for clarification; I have a strange way of answering questions sometimes.

Alsikepike said:

But, if ketamine sounds like it’d work, I’ll use it in the story.

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Ahhh... Special K. Puts you on cloud nine, knock you out or kills you. Needs a decent tech to figure dosage needed.

Jeff