Chloral Hydrate – Belongs to the group of medications known as sedatives and hypnotics. It promotes sedation and sleep by acting on certain areas of the brain. It is given orally. Possible side effects include: slow breathing rate, vomiting, irritability and prolonged sleepiness.
Many patients find that an oral benzodiazepine, such as Xanax, Ativan, or Valium, taken prior to the exam sufficiently relieves their anxiety and allows them to complete an MRI with relative ease.
It's common to use a combination of Versed (a benzodiazepine) and Fentanyl, an opioid medication commonly prescribed for pain and sedation. You must have a physical and medical history within 30 days prior to your MRI in order to ensure the safety of these medications.
For patients who may experience claustrophobia during an MRI scan and require prophylaxis, the University of Wisconsin Department of Radiology suggests the use of Lorazepam (Ativan, Temesta), a short-to-intermediate duration benzodiazepine.
Gadobenate is a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA). Gadobenate is given by injection before an MRI scan to help find problems in the brain, spine, and other parts of your body. This medicine is to be used only by or under the direct supervision of a doctor.
Medication
If you need additional support for your anxiety, your referring provider may prescribe a benzodiazepine to take prior to the exam. Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs commonly prescribed to treat anxiety and can typically relax an anxious patient enough to complete an MRI.
A. Diazepam 5 mg po, once for MRI study or Lorazepam 1mg po, once for MRI study.
An MRI scan is a painless procedure, so anaesthesia (painkilling medication) isn't usually needed. If you're claustrophobic, you can ask for a sedative to help you relax. You should ask your consultant well in advance of having the scan.
What type of anesthesia is used for MRI? Generally, MRIs under anesthesia are performed under sedation, although sometimes they are performed under general anesthesia. Sedation is characterized as being in a state between relaxed and very sleepy, but not quite unconscious.
Expect the patient to stay at the hospital for 3 to 4 hours. The MRI will take 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Since the MRI machines are magnets, it is best to not apply deodorants, antiperspirants, perfumes, or body lotions before the examination. These items contain metals that might interfere with the magnetic field inside the MRI machine and cause you to have distorted images and wrong results.
By mouth. 5–10 mg, to be given 1–2 hours before procedure, for debilitated patients, use elderly dose. 2.5–5 mg, to be given 1–2 hours before procedure.
The usual dose is: anxiety – 2mg, taken 3 times a day, this can be increased to 5mg to 10mg, taken 3 times a day. sleep problems (related to anxiety) – 5mg to 15mg, taken once a day at bedtime. muscle spasms in adults – 2mg to 15 mg a day.
You have been given two medications to take prior to your appointment. The first prescription is for Diazepam. You are to take one tablet (5mg total) thirty minutes before bedtime the night prior to appointment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT TAKE your medication until you arrive for the MRI and the technologist has told you to do so. We need to ensure you are properly screened and that we are running on time before you take the medication.
– Your GP may prescribe a sedative (usually diazepam) to be taken on the day of the scan. This will not send you to sleep but will take the edge of the anxiety and may be enough to get you through the scan especially if combined with one of the other techniques described here.
It is much less confining than an MRI. It is also very quiet and comfortable. Most claustrophobic patients have no difficulty with the procedure. However, if you are severely claustrophobic, you might ask your doctor to consider a mild sedative.
Open MRI is a modified type of unit that is typically designed to be completely open, either side to side or front to back. The obvious draw to open MRI is the fact that the open spacing can alleviate stress in a patient with severe claustrophobia.
Thus, claustrophobia preventing MR imaging is a common problem. Between 1% and 15% of all patients scheduled for MR imaging suffer from claustrophobia and cannot be imaged, or they require sedation to complete the scan (mean: 2.3%; 95% confidence interval: 2.0% to 2.5%) [3].
One key difference is that claustrophobic patients may be more anxious about MRI scanners compared to CT scanners. This is because MRI scanners are larger and, depending on the area being scanned, more enclosed.
More to the point, researchers in one study found that as many as 13% of all patients who received an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), reported feelings of panic and or anxiety during their MRI.
Can a subject wear deodorant for an MRI scan? It is recommended to refrain from wearing any powder, perfumes, deodorant and/or lotions on your underarms and chest area prior to the procedure. This is to prevent the possibility of localized burns because these items may have metal in them.
The Morning of Your MRI
You can brush your teeth in the morning, just be sure to spit the water out!