Sedative for MRI

Hello Dr. Nagler,

First, I'd like to thank you for all your great work. Your letter helped me, and countless others, in our earliest (and worst) moments of T.

I am due for a brain MRI tomorrow because I have been having some nuerological symptoms and I am a bit scared. I will be wearing a pair of foam ear plugs but I am not allowed to wear ear muffs over them because my head is being placed in what I would best describe as a plastic basket and the technician told me that the earmuffs would not fit. I have asked them for a sedative because I hoped that it would keep me from focusing too much on the loudness of the machine. But I also have a fear that the sedative could also make the T worse (T has definitely brought the hypochondriac out in me).

I was wondering, if by any chance, you know of any instance where a sedatives caused the worsening T.

I've never been so scared and depressed as I have been in this past week because of these nuerological issues and the loudness of the MRI is adding to the stress of it all.

I would really appreciate an answer and again thank you so very much for your commitment to helping our community.

Best,

MrT

 

I am unaware of any instances where a short course of sedation to enable an anxious person to better tolerate an MRI has caused a worsening of his or her tinnitus. Anxiety itself can, of course, temporarily aggravate tinnitus - so by all means if you feel it necessary, you should take the medication under a doctor's supervision. On the other hand, please know that foam earplugs are just fine in terms of protecting you against auditory damage in an MRI given the dB involved and the relatively short exposure. You really shouldn't have any problem at all.

stephen nagler