pethadine

[claire2602]

Ive just been told by my friend who had her baby on saturday that theyve stopped doing pethadine....is this true? Anyone heard it?
Xxx

 

[littlemonkey]

It may be the hospital she gave birth at doesn't offer it anymore. I know pain relief options differ between hospitals. Mine only offers diamorphine. If it was something you were planning on speak to your midwife about it.

 

[Coletteypie]

Same as what littlemonkey said - my healthboard only offer diamorphine now!

 

[BonzE]

Sorry I cant help as I have no idea, but maybe speak with midwife? xx

 

[wispy]

does anyone have any experience with Diamorphine?
Did it help at all?? x

 

[Emapot1]

I had diamorphine with my last labour she was sadly already passed away. It's long lived opiate so administration of the drug should be used in the middle of the labour so that the drug where's off before it passes into baby. It's got effects on labouring babies breathing and can make them a bit lathargic and not latch on for bf. As far as effect goes, it's possibly the best type of pain reliever that I think you can get. However I might be trying remifentanyl for this labour which I've been told is very effective. X

 

[Emapot1]

Remifentanyl is short lived opiate and is safer for unborn baby during labour x

 

[littlemonkey]

does anyone have any experience with Diamorphine?
Did it help at all?? x

I had diamorphine. I'll be perfectly honest, most of my son's labour is a bit of a haze so I couldn't tell you actually how good it was for pain relief. In short, I was induced by being given the hormone drip which caused too strong contractions. I don't know how much the diamorphine helped with the contractions and how much of it was having my hormone drip turned down and eventually off to help with contractions.

I was pretty out of it during the whole thing though. I was also really sick after having my son, which was a combination of things including opiate based pain relief I was given. My son also had issues with an unstable heart rate, which I've been advised since was most probably due to the hormone drip causing too strong contractions, but diamorphine can also lower baby's heart rate as well.

ETA I'm having a planned section this time around, so won't be having it again!

 

[wispy]

Thanks ladies x
I had an epidural with my daughter due to blood pressure issues, however I would like to try something else this time if I could (not that anything horrible happened on the epidural, I just found it made the experience abit hazy for me).

I'll ask midwife next week what options are at our local hospital x

 

[littlemonkey]

Thanks ladies x
I had an epidural with my daughter due to blood pressure issues, however I would like to try something else this time if I could (not that anything horrible happened on the epidural, I just found it made the experience abit hazy for me).

I'll ask midwife next week what options are at our local hospital x

To be honest wispy any thing opiate based (diamorphine, morphine etc) has the potential to make you feel a bit out of it.

 

[Laura29]

I had diamorphine with my first
It helped me during the pushing stages but I only asked for half the recommended does as I was worried about it passing to baby
To be fair im quite petite and probably a good job I did only have half a dose because I kept falling asleep in between contractions
But all in all it helped me and baby was fine also x

 

[TTT]

I was induced and in labour for 42 hours. I hadn't managed to get any sleep and had a mini melt down so was given diamorphine and it enabled me to get two hours sleep which relaxed me enough and the labour progressed rapidly while I slept. I had no side effects at all.

 

[wispy]

It sounds like good stuff lol

 

[Emapot1]

Oh yes that's true, I slept deeply i between contractions and felt when it came to pushing, I had more energy than I thought. And Yes I was sick too but like littlemonkey said, it's an opiate based drug which might make you sick. It's short lived though. I also find I was sick with henry from the epidural but after research from the midwives and consultant, they do say dependable on each patient, adrenalin from giving birth can increase involuntary sickness. Like after running a marathon. I would just have some bedpans on the ready as last time the midwife, floor and husband got covered and I sheltered poor bubs lol xx

 

[littlemonkey]

It sounds like good stuff lol

It's medical heroin!

 

[littlemonkey]

Oh yes that's true, I slept deeply i between contractions and felt when it came to pushing, I had more energy than I thought. And Yes I was sick too but like littlemonkey said, it's an opiate based drug which might make you sick. It's short lived though. I also find I was sick with henry from the epidural but after research from the midwives and consultant, they do say dependable on each patient, adrenalin from giving birth can increase involuntary sickness. Like after running a marathon. I would just have some bedpans on the ready as last time the midwife, floor and husband got covered and I sheltered poor bubs lol xx

Yeh I never really got a straight answer on what made me sick, but I'd been given so much and been through so much in 48 hours I'm not surprised I was throwing up! It's just one of the things that could have done it!

 

[Emapot1]

i wouldn't be surprise if it's a combination but when it comes down to pain control for bad pain, you just take what's there as long as it safe and the sickness side of it is just a little blip that we live with. The fact my husband slept for 4 hours on the floor during the worst part of my labour meant I should have aimed to throw up all over him lol x