I just reread the original SDMB thread on the rescue. At post 133, nearwildheaven suggests the possibility of sedating the boys, long before it was ever mentioned in the press coverage. There’s also some evaluation of that option from post 149 forward. But during the rescue, everyone thought the boys were awake and swimming out. It wasn’t until after all of the boys were rescued that the sedation aspect was discussed by the media, and it’s finally mentioned in post 420 of the thread.
Reading that thread is almost as entertaining as the movie, especially because the discussion was live and no one knew what the outcome would be.