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Epidural, Should A Woman Addicted To Pain Killers Avoid This? - Dr. Reitzel (VIDEO)

 
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Epidural, Should A Woman Addicted To Pain Killers Avoid This? - Dr. Reitzel (VIDEO)
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Dr. Reitzel shares if a woman should be concerned about receiving an epidural if she is addicted to pain killers and discusses how long the effects from an epidural generally last.

Dr. Reitzel:
No, actually you would probably preferentially look to get an epidural. Painkillers as well as other medications rarely, if ever, interact with the types of medicines that we use for your epidural.

If you are requiring a significant amount of pain medicines for other medical reasons then what we are essentially doing is taking away another level of pain so as a consequence you may find yourself not having to use as much pain medicine during the time that your epidural is running.

Typically speaking, if you would shut off and once you have an epidural established, once you shuttered off, you have about 35 to 40 minutes before normal sensation returns, okay?

As a consequence it’s a fairly common question that we get is, are they going to shut off my epidural when it’s time for me to push? Well, only if you believe in cruel and unusual punishment. That’s not what our goal is.

It seems wrong to be able to have you comfortable from centimeters 2 thru 9 and then to shut it off for delivery. It makes no sense.

What they will do is they can adjust the epidural if you are too numb or if you are not numb enough, and the way that we do that is all through the luer lock where the syringe actually connects up. Once we have the epidural placed there are no more needle sticks. It’s all just a matter of adjusting the medication.

About Dr. Keith E. Reitzel:
Dr. Keith Eric Reitzel, M.D., is the Clinical Director at Anesthesia Resources, Ltd. in Tempe, Arizona. Dr. Reitzel is certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology and he is certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). Additionally, he is on the Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Surgery Committees at Banner Desert Medical Center. Dr. Reitzel is licensed in Arizona, as well as North Carolina.

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