homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Sexual Fantasies During Surgery Are a Disturbing Side Effect of Sedatives No One Talks About

Some anesthetics and sedatives may trigger vivid sexual fantasies — or hallucinations of assault

Tudor Tarita
May 11, 2025 @ 5:41 pm

share Share

Under the haze of anesthesia, some patients undergoing surgery experience something you wouldn’t expect in this tense setting — vivid, sometimes disturbing sexual fantasies. In rare but striking cases, these dreams and hallucinations have blurred the lines between reality and delusion, leaving behind confusion, distress, and in some instances, legal fallout.

A growing body of literature is shedding light on an unsettling phenomenon: certain sedative and hypnotic drugs, especially those used in anesthesia, can provoke sexual hallucinations. These are not idle daydreams. They unfold with startling clarity, often in a logical sequence, and some patients recall them with an eerie sense of certainty.

A higher percentage of men interpreted the hallucinations as being pleasurable while most women often felt them like assault
A higher percentage of men interpreted the hallucinations as being pleasurable while most women often described them as assault. Image generated using Sora/ChatGPT

A Hidden Side Effect

The sedatives most commonly linked to these hallucinations include benzodiazepines like midazolam and diazepam, as well as propofol, ketamine, nitrous oxide, and even older agents like ether and chloroform. Most of these drugs act on GABA, a neurotransmitter that slows brain activity and induces relaxation — but in certain doses, they seem to open a peculiar erotic window into the subconscious.

A recent blog post published in Psychology Today described 87 published cases of drug-induced sexual hallucinations. About 41% involved midazolam or diazepam, often at high doses. Patients have recounted everything from fleeting sexual dreams to distressing hallucinations of assault.

In one study of 110 dental surgery patients, 13.6% reported experiencing sexual arousal, dreams, or hallucinations during or after anesthesia. Most described them as dreams. But 10 percent reported sexual visions that were unpleasant and lingered into recovery.

The sex of the medical team appeared to matter. In a report of roughly 300 male patients undergoing urological surgery, none reported sexual dreams when the team was all male. But when a female anesthesiologist was present, at least one patient did — and declined to elaborate.

Women also reported these episodes, though differently. In a group of 130 female patients sedated with propofol and alfentanil, 12% showed amorous or disinhibited behaviors. Some patients later described these episodes as hallucinations. Others simply remembered feelings of exposure or vulnerability.

Real Feelings, Imagined Events

A study from 1990 documented 41 incidents of women experiencing fantasies during sedation with intravenous midazolam or diazepam. Twenty-seven involved a sexual element, and twenty were described as unpleasant. These were not vague impressions. The events “occurred in a logical sequence and all were certain of their authenticity,” the study reported.

But here lies the disquieting twist: of 25 verified patient reports regarding occurrences during sedation, 17 turned out not to have occurred. In some of the remaining cases, the fantasies mirrored actual procedures or gestures, but with altered meanings. For instance, the pressure of a surgical swab might be reimagined as inappropriate touching.

“The events felt real,” noted one researcher, “but independent witnesses confirmed they did not happen.”

Such hallucinations have spurred legal complaints, often against health care providers who were later found to have done nothing wrong. The study concluded that “during or following sedation, lady patients should not be treated or examined without the presence of a responsible third person.”

The question remains: why do some people experience these fantasies under sedation?

Their Chemical Romance

Researchers point to the drugs’ actions on neurotransmitters like GABA and dopamine. Benzodiazepines and propofol, for example, enhance GABA’s calming effects. But in high doses, these effects may disinhibit certain brain regions — allowing suppressed thoughts or emotions to surface in exaggerated or distorted forms.

Some dopamine-enhancing drugs, such as those used for Parkinson’s disease or ADHD, have also triggered libido surges or sexual fantasies. Antipsychotics and antidepressants — especially those altering dopamine pathways — have been implicated too.

Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic now also used in depression treatment, has caused some patients to experience graphic or distressing sexual visions. “One patient stated she would not undergo anesthesia again if ketamine was used,” a review found. During the Vietnam War, soldiers sedated with ketamine sometimes emerged with hallucinations of sexual assault — a phenomenon known as emergent psychosis.

Importantly, men were more likely to report fantasies, and often found them pleasurable. Women, however, reported more hallucinations resembling assault, and were more likely to find them disturbing.

Calling Saul

For health care professionals, these findings carry both clinical and ethical implications. The hallucinations, while rare, are vivid and potentially traumatizing. Some patients, believing the visions were real, have discontinued care or filed complaints.

“Although such sexual hallucinations and fantasies are rare, the vivid recollection of the patient’s experiences should be recognized and acknowledged,” the review warned.

Experts now recommend that clinicians inform patients — especially those receiving high-dose sedatives — that such hallucinations are possible. They also urge protective protocols, like ensuring a witness is present, or using video monitoring, particularly during sensitive procedures.

Even if the events never happened, the emotional scars can be real.

One woman, after receiving sufentanil, propofol, and midazolam for a routine procedure, described a compelling urge to show the medical team a private tattoo — a hallucination she later found deeply distressing. Though no one had touched her inappropriately, the sense of violation lingered.

As powerful as they are, sedatives don’t just quiet the mind — they sometimes unmoor it.

For decades, these drugs have made invasive procedures less painful and more bearable. Midazolam and diazepam, in particular, are considered among the safest short-term sedatives in medicine. But safety isn’t everything.

What happens under sedation may stay in the mind long after the drugs have worn off.

“Some events,” as the 1990 paper put it, “are very real to the patient — and yet, on the evidence of two or more independent witnesses, did not occur.”

That contradiction makes these hallucinations especially thorny (I said thorny). The memories may be false, but the emotions they carry are not. And in medicine, that distinction matters.

share Share

Science Just Debunked the 'Guns Don’t Kill People' Argument Again. This Time, It's Kids

Guns are the leading cause of death of kids and teens.

It Looks Like a Ruby But This Is Actually the Rarest Kind of Diamond on Earth

One of Earth’s rarest gems finally reveals its secrets at the Smithsonian.

ChatGPT Got Destroyed in Chess by a 1970s Atari Console. But Should You Be Surprised?

ChatGPT’s chess skills falter against a 46-year-old video game in a quirky AI test.

This Self-Assembling Living Worm Tower Might Be the Most Bizarre Escape Machine

The worm tower behaves like a superorganism.

Big Tech Said It Was Impossible to Create an AI Based on Ethically Sourced Data. These Researchers Proved Them Wrong

A massive AI breakthrough built entirely on public domain and open-licensed data

This Is How the Wheel May Have Been Invented 6,000 Years Ago

The wheel may have a more surprising origin story than you'd think.

So, Where Is The Center of the Universe?

About a century ago, scientists were struggling to reconcile what seemed a contradiction in Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Published in 1915, and already widely accepted worldwide by physicists and mathematicians, the theory assumed the universe was static – unchanging, unmoving and immutable. In short, Einstein believed the size and shape of the universe […]

Dehorning Rhinos Looks Brutal But It’s Slashing Poaching Rates by 78 Percent

Removing rhino horns drastically cuts poaching, new study reveals.

A Chemical Found in Acne Medication Might Help Humans Regrow Limbs Like Salamanders

The amphibian blueprint for regeneration may already be written in our own DNA.

Everyone Thought ChatGPT Used 10 Times More Energy Than Google. Turns Out That’s Not True

Sam Altman revealed GPT-4o uses around 0.3 watthours of energy per query.