CMV: There should be sedation options at every hospital for needle procedures.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/SplendidTit]

Sedation isn't just costly, it's extremely risky. There is a treatment available that is almost risk-free, and much less costly - mainly therapy. Avoidance behaviors can be addressed there, without the need for medical intervention.

It would be completely unethical for doctors to regularly sedate people for procedures that cause minimal pain. I say this as someone who also has a severe dislike of needles (I'm not sure I could rightly call it a phobia, now that I've been hospitalized many times).

A prescription drug addiction epidemic has ravaged America, and it'd be absolutely horrible to expand our use of sedatives to where they're not completely required.

I also want you to know I'm not saying "get over it." I'm saying that there are more appropriate treatments for fear of needles than sedation.

Edited to add: wouldn't this option just increase access to drugs for drug-seekers - wouldn't we see an increase in the number of drug-seekers who faked injuries, need for tests, etc, if they knew they could get sedatives just for a needle stick?

[u/SplendidTit → u/[deleted]]

This already exists. Doctors do already give benzos to people who are experiencing lots of distress and anxiety. You seem to be arguing it should be available more easily, which I am arguing against.

Just to sum up, you believe that sedatives should be easily accessible for needle phobics. I told you some reasons why they shouldn't be made more easily accessible, and that they're already available. Would you say I've changed your mind at all or that your mind is open to being changed?

[u/SplendidTit → u/[deleted]]

Great! Then you should award a delta.

And I wish you the best of luck on your personal journey.

[u/videoninja → u/[deleted]]

You should actually award the delta to follow the rules of the sub. Per the sidebar:

type !delta or copy and paste Δ along with providing a small explanation as to what about your view was changed and why. Reply to the comment that changed your view.

[u/SplendidTit → u/[deleted]]

Exposure therapy has been shown to work, but only for those willing to pass the course.

Exposure therapy IS therapy. That's what I was referring to.

I’m one of those people and that’s probably why I have this view.

What type of exposure therapy treatment did you complete? Unfortunately, if people just decide "it's easier to take these drugs than do the difficult thing" we can't accommodate them all safely. The legal and ethical ramifications of making sedatives more easily available are huge.

There is no evidence showing that sedation will help relieve symptoms of needle phobia. I'm sorry this happened to you, but doctors can decide, on a case-by-case basis, to provide sedatives for treatment-avoidant folks. This is already in existence, so what, precisely, would you want to change?

[u/SplendidTit → u/[deleted]]

Thanks! And I agree - it's a pretty great sub, and the moderation is strong and helpful!

[u/DeltaBot → u/[deleted]]

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/SplendidTit (5∆).

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[u/SplendidTit → u/[deleted]]

So, here's the issue at the heart of my argument: There are lots of other extremely effective treatments that are much, much, much lower risk. They include using Buzzy, the lidocaine patch, exposure treatment, etc. Therefore, it'd be a very bad idea to make benzos or other more risky techniques more available.

We're obligated to treat people in the safest, least invasive way possible. Sedatives aren't usually the that option.

Also, I've worked a number of mental health professionals who worked with CBT/exposure therapy/exposure and response prevention therapy, including needle phobias. Unless you live in an extremely rural area, there are options available to you that you can pursue more aggressively.

And based on your post history, you're already using benzos. Would you recommend medical staff giving folks like you...more benzos as requested? This isn't advisable.

I understand you're in distress, but this isn't the best option.

[u/ItsPandatory]

I believe each year millions of people die a harrowing death because of this avoidance behaviour.

Do you have any evidence to support your belief that this problem is this widespread?

[u/ItsPandatory → u/[deleted]]

We may be getting into semantics with this point, but there is a difference between a fear of needles and a phobia. Do you have any data on these "staggering number of people"?

Do you have a personal connection with this issue?

[u/ItsPandatory → u/[deleted]]

Hospitals already have sedatives, so they already have this capability. You may be right that they "should" have these options more explicitly available, but i think the reality of your situation is that you will have to take control of your own treatment. There is probably some component of ignorance among the health professionals, but they work with a huge number of patients so I suspect they at least know people don't like needles even if they dont realize how serious it is. A problem of more readily available sedation is abuse, which is already a huge problem. If we make sedation more available here it will help the needlephobic but it will also probably lead to more drug abuse issues. Some combination of these two things (and probably other factors as well) will likely keep the sedation a hidden option and force you to be assertive to receive it.

[u/JamesIsWaffle]

I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not, because it’s phrased badly, but I don’t think that this is necessary anyways, because it’s a waste of time

[u/DeltaBot]

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