GPs will not issue prescriptions for sedating medications (such as diazepam) prior to MRI scans.

It’s estimated that every year, approximately two million MRI scans worldwide are not performed because of patients refusing to be scanned or terminating the scan early due to claustrophobia.

There are many resources online that can help prepare patients for what to expect during a scan, including step by step explanations and videos of MRIs procedures. In more severe cases, the NHS website suggests that mild sedatives may be an option for people with significant MRI-related anxiety. Click here for further information.

GPs are advised to carefully consider the 2024 Royal College of Radiologists’ guidance:

Sedation, Analgesia and Anaesthesia in Radiology, Third Edition | The Royal College of Radiologists. This guidance states:

“Sedation and analgesia can effectively alleviate the pain, anxiety and psychological and physical distress of radiological procedures and is extensively used in routine clinical practice.
Sedation and analgesia should be administered by a competent and well-trained sedation team, and oversight provided by a sedation committee within the institution.”

There is also an emphasis on thorough pre-procedure assessment, planning and monitoring of the patient throughout the procedure.

This means that the GP is not the right person to prescribe these medications. If they are needed, then this should be discussed with the radiology team. The radiology team may also be able to offer other options such as the use of a less restrictive scanner.