Sedative and Anxiolytic Drugs
TABLE 7.1
Continuum of Depth of Sedation: Definition of General Anaesthesia and Levels of Sedation/ Analgesia. American Society of Anesthesiologists, 2009
INDICATIONS FOR THE USE OF SEDATIVE DRUGS
Sedative Drugs
Most sedative drugs may be categorized into one of three main groups: benzodiazepines, antipsychotics and α2-adrenoceptor agonists. Drugs classified more usually as intravenous anaesthetic agents, particularly propofol and ketamine, are also used as sedatives in subanaesthetic doses; the pharmacology of these drugs is discussed in Chapter 3. Similarly, remifentanil, which is used increasingly as part of a sedative regimen, is described fully in Chapter 5. Inhaled anaesthetics (see Ch 2) are also used occasionally as sedatives (e.g. sevoflurane to an end-tidal concentration of 0.3–0.5 kPa, or nitrous oxide).