Sedation During Esophagogastroduodenoscopy?

If anyone has had experience (or know someone who has) with EGDs in the UK - do they use sedation?  I've heard that in the UK, they only numb your throat, but don't sedate you.  Anyone know if this is accurate?

My daughter was numbed and sedated but that may be because she was quite young.  I had a colonoscopy and was sedated for that (the other end I think though!)

It may be more common to do numbing, but I know if you have a history of problems with that, or appear completely freaked out, you can get sedation and/or anaesthesia.

I had a minor GYN procedure done under general and a bone marrow test under sedation because it was clear my stress levels prior to and during the procedure would become problematic. Not proud of it, but at least they listened. I think my MIL has similar issues.

Aye I had a endoscopy and colonoscopy last year and they started by numbinb my throat but soon realised that sedation was necessary   And they had no problem with that. So if you have ANY issues let them know ahead of time.. They did ask me and i wanted to try with just the numbing and as soon as they started realised it wasna gonna work. Since i already had a IV line in for sedation for the colonoscopy they used it to give me sedation for both..

I just had a gastric endoscopy a few months ago and I was given the choice when I booked, to have either conscious sedation (which I know from bone marrow biopsies does NOT work on me, and just means I'd have to stay at hospital for hours afterwards) or the throat numbing spray. So I chose the spray.

And I must say, be SURE you fast exactly like they tell you. I thought it was so they could see the contents of your stomach properly, but really it's so you don't projectile vomit all over the room. For real, you just dry heave continuously for the entire procedure, with this open ball-gag type thing keeping your mouth open. It was definitely one of the more horrible things I've had done to me in the past year. And I didn't even have the "up the bum" one!

I had a gastric endoscopy as well and was given the choice- I was already in hospital, so it didn't matter that I was sedated or not
I chose to stay awake because the biomedical engineer in me was curious about the procedure.  

And I must say, be SURE you fast exactly like they tell you. I thought it was so they could see the contents of your stomach properly, but really it's so you don't projectile vomit all over the room. For real, you just dry heave continuously for the entire procedure, with this open ball-gag type thing keeping your mouth open. It was definitely one of the more horrible things I've had done to me in the past year. And I didn't even have the "up the bum" one!

Hmmm hmmm. It was awful.   Now that I know how its done,(curiosity killed the cat!)  if I ever need one again, I will definitely be asleep.  

Thanks for the replies everyone. 

I get them on a regular basis in the US to monitor a condition of mine, and here they always use sedation.  I tried once to only have them numb my throat, but that didn't go so great, so from then on, I was always sedated.  A doctor said that they don't use sedation in the UK, and it's been something that's made me a bit nervous about getting this procedure in the UK.  Glad it's an option. 

I have to say I have nothing to say about sedation, I just had to read this thread because of the word "esophagogastroduodenoscopy"