Double-blind comparison of midazolam and temazepam as oral premedicants for outpatient anaesthesia.

Oral premedication with midazolam 7.5 mg was compared with temazepam 20 mg in a double-blind study of sixty patients undergoing day-stay urological surgery. One hour following ingestion similar degrees of anxiolysis and sedation were reported by patients for both compounds. However, midazolam was observed by anaesthetists to produce the greater anxiolytic effect and was given the better overall assessment. Midazolam produced significantly greater amnesia both at the time of induction and 30 minutes postoperatively. At the time of discharge four hours postoperatively no significant difference could be observed in psychomotor performance or subjective sedation although on the evening of surgery the temazepam group had a greater incidence of sleepiness and an earlier time to retiring. Although the differences were small, the residual post-discharge effects of temazepam lead us to conclude that midazolam 7.5 mg is the more suitable premedicant for outpatient use.