On: The heroes of the Thai cave rescue

[Pharmakon]

Benzodiazepines have a depressant effect on the respiratory system, and have a risk of paradoxical reactions. In addition you’d need a heroic dose to cause total sedation, so a benzo is usually only a component of along with an opiate to induce “twilight” sleep. For the purposes of this dive obviously respiratory depression was unacceptable, and doubling down with an opiate would have been worse.

Ketamine is very safe, and some nasty side effects are preferable to death.

[refurb → Pharmakon]

Benzodiazepines require heroic doses before they start to depress respiration. At low doses, like what you’d use to keep someone calm, it’s a non-issue.

Not sure why you’d want them so sedated that they are semiconscious.

It doesn’t take much to keep someone from freaking out.

[toomanybeersies → refurb]

It would take quite a large doze of benzos to keep someone calm enough to drag them underwater through a cave when they can't swim.

You'd also want to stop them from moving about and potentially causing trouble.

[Pharmakon → refurb]

The whole point was to fully anesthetize them, not merely sedate them. The risk that they’d panic or become disoriented was too great.

[refurb → Pharmakon]

Seems like overkill to me! I’ve seen people given reasonable doses of benzodiazepines be quite compliant!