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Dear Folks, I feel your pain. I am a nurse anesthetist with over 27 years of experience. Every single day I watch as patients are given this drug needlessly. I very rarely administer midazolam for all the reasons I read above. There is a subset of patients who desire to be heavily sedated before they ever leave their families. I accommodate this request of course, but first I have a calm caring conversation with my patient about their specific fears. Sedation anesthesia is very challenging. Most of the time what we call sedation is actually a variation of a general anesthetic. An oversedated patient will loose the ability to cooperate. They may misinterpret sensations causing them to respond inappropriately. For instance, an elderly patient presents for a cataract surgery may think that a drop of water tricking down her face is a fly and move to swat it away. This prompts the staff to restrain her or administer more sedation when what she really needed was a different medication and some reorientation. Ask questions. Take control of your care. Tell the professionals caring for you what you expect.