Would fentanyl be used as a sedative?

Fentanyl is probably superior to morphine because it acts more quickly, has no active metabolites (morphone-3-glucuronide can cause seizures, thus morphine must be reduced in patients with renal insufficiency), and does not produce histamine. read more

Fentanyl is often part of combination of medicines (as well as muscle-relaxers like diazepam, a benzodiazipine and paralytic agents, like succinylcholine) used by anesthesiologists to induce sedation. Induction is the initiation of anesthesia before other methods are used to continue sedation and allow surgery, for prolonged hours. read more

Concomitant use with other CNS depressants, including other opioids, sedative or hypnotics, general anesthetics, phenothiazines, tranquilizers, skeletal muscle relaxants, sedating antihistamines, and alcoholic beverages may produce increased depressant effects; monitor patients receiving concomitant CNS depressants and consider adjusting fentanyl dose. read more