Midazolam, marketed under the trade names
Versed among others, is a medication used for
anesthesia,
procedural sedation,
trouble sleeping, and
severe agitation. It works by making people sleepy, decreasing anxiety, and causing a
loss of ability to create new memories. It is also useful for the treatment of
seizures. Midazolam can be given by mouth,
intravenously, by injection into a muscle, sprayed into the
nose, or in the
cheek. When given intravenously it begins working typically within five minutes, when injected into a muscle it can take fifteen minutes to begin working. Effects last for between one and six hours.