Midazolam Injection

Midazolam injection may cause serious or life-threatening breathing problems such as shallow, slowed, or temporarily stopped breathing that may lead to permanent brain injury or death. You should only receive this medication in a hospital or doctor’s office that has the equipment that is needed to monitor your heart and lungs and to provide life-saving medical treatment quickly if your breathing slows or stops. Your doctor or nurse will watch you closely after you receive this medication to make sure that you are breathing properly. Tell your doctor if you have a severe infection or if you have or have ever had any lung, airway, or breathing problems or heart disease. Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medications: antidepressants; barbiturates such as secobarbital (Seconal); droperidol (Inapsine); medications for anxiety, mental illness, or seizures; opiate medications for cough such as codeine (in Triacin-C, in Tuzistra XR) or hydrocodone (in Anexsia, in Norco, in Zyfrel) or for pain such as codeine, fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Subsys, others), hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo), meperidine (Demerol), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), morphine (Astramorph, Duramorph PF, Kadian), oxycodone (in Oxycet, in Percocet, in Roxicet, others), and tramadol (Conzip, Ultram, in Ultracet); sedatives; sleeping pills; or tranquilizers.

🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?

Midazolam injection is used before medical procedures and surgery to cause drowsiness, relieve anxiety, and prevent any memory of the event. It is also sometimes given as part of the anesthesia during surgery to produce a loss of consciousness. Midazolam injection is also used to cause a state of decreased consciousness in seriously ill people in intensive care units (ICU) who are breathing with the help of a machine. Midazolam injection is in a class of medications called benzodiazepines. It works by slowing activity in the brain to allow relaxation and decreased consciousness.

🔔 How should this medicine be used?

Midazolam injection comes as a solution (liquid) to be injected into a muscle or vein by a doctor or nurse in a hospital or clinic.

If you receive midazolam injection in the ICU over a long period of time, your body may become dependent on it. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually to prevent withdrawal symptoms such as seizures, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist), stomach and muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, sweating, fast heartbeat, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and depression.

🔔 Other uses for this medicine

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.