“How long are you sedated for a colonoscopy?”

Sedation time depends on many things but a few of the items are: how difficult is your colon to navigate, how well do you tolerate the sedation, what sedation medications are to be used, how many polyps need to be removed or biopsies performed. In general i tell my patients to expect 20-45 minutes of sedation time.

The procedure itself takes 20-45 minutes and you are sedated for the entire time. It does take time for the sedation effects to wear off, so most people are in a recovery area for at least 30 minutes after the procedure. Because of the sedation, you will not be able to drive that day and need to arrange for a ride.