To not want strong painkillers after c-section?

[northerngirly]

Will I be given strong painkillers after a planned c-section? My SIL had morphine in a drip after hers and for various reasons related to past medical trauma I absolutely do not want any form of morphine - no oramorph, or any painkillers in a driver. I’ve reacted badly to cocodamol/codeine in the past and it makes me feel completely insane which I really don’t want. Will I be fine on just ibuprofen and paracetamol? Will they listen when I say I don’t want anything stronger?

I can’t seem to find a good answer online so I’ve turned to Mumsnet!

Just tell the surgeon

Talk to your doctors, but personally I wouldn’t have survived without my morphine for the first two days!

You'll need effective pain relief which may need to be stronger than ibuprofen.

They can't force painkillers on you. Just tell them.

Have you had a C-section before though? I can't imagine not taking painkillers after mine. It is major surgery.

I had a bit of oramorph the first 2 days, but not loads. Then paracetamol and ibuprofen were fine. You would be sore on just those in the first couple of days. But possible I think.

I was fine with just paracetamol and ibuprofen after both my c sections. Just make sure you take them regularly so they don't have chance to wear off.

I wasn't offered anything really - just paracetamol and ibuprofen. It's all numb for a few hours after surgery anyway. I'm allergic to codeine and they vaguely mentioned oramorph but nothing came of it..!

FYI I have not liked codeine in the past, but didn't have any issues with oramorph

I had an EMCS. I may have been lucky but I don't think I had anything stronger than paracetamol as I was breast feeding.

I never had morphine after mine. I used voltarol/diclofenqc. I was home the next day and collected the older two from school.

They won’t force you to have anything stronger and if you say you are coping fine with paracetamol and / or ibuprofen they won’t push other stuff other than asking if you want it as they will want you to know the option is available as some people do find it a huge help if their pain is bad.

I would personally have found it hard to cope without the stronger painkillers but everyone is different.

Do try to keep an open mind and keep taking to the nurses and doctors about it so you are aware of all your options.

Good luck and congratulations in advance! I loved my planned c section, it was so calm and beautiful. I hope you have a great experience too

I've had 2 sections and was fine with just taking ibuprofen and paracetamol afterwards.

There are other types of painkillers.

You may struggle on just paracetamol and neurofen.

I asked for no painkillers (just paracetamol) after my third c-section. I'd had bad reactions to the drugs in my previous two c-sections.

Big mistake. When the epidural wore off it was agony. The worst pain I'd ever felt. A massive deep incision across me - it felt like I was being burned that evening.

I asked for more pain relief but it took 30 horrible minutes to kick in.

Maybe just explain your concerns and ask for something mild? But stay on top of it and ask for more when you need it, especially the first day.

I’d ask for diclofenac and paracetamol. Diclofenac is the same drug family as ibuprofen but stronger and only on prescription. It was massively effective after mine and no side effects like those you get from coedine

I can’t remember what pain killers they gave me during the OP but when I came around they offered me paracetamol which I demanded something stronger. When they got me out of bed for the first time I passed out, which apparently is a normal response to severe pain!

You might find that they won't be strong enough. I needed more than that after mine.

I did have codeine days 1 and 2 I think. You will need something - the key is not letting anything wear off so I would plan on taking maximum doses of paracetamol and ibuprofen for first few days and spacing these out for maximum effect. Ibuprofen is every 8 hrs and paracetamol every 6

The anaesthetist gave me diamorphine during mine but that may have been because the spinal didn't work (extremely unusual I'm told so please don't worry about this). It made me feel like shit, so when I needed pain relief in the early hours the midwife said she'd need to speak to the doctor about oramorph and I said I just wanted paracetamol and ibuprofen which for me did the job fine. I'm sure if you speak to the anaesthetist they will respect your wishes.

When I had my c-section I was just given paracetamol and ibuprofen on a schedule and oramorph when needed. It depends what your situation is really. I was traipsing back and forth to nicu, sterilizing bottles etc after my elective c-section so I needed all the oramorph I could get. My emergency c-section baby was out of nicu and breastfeeding on day 5 so the pain was a lot more manageable then. You can absolutely say no to morphine if you want to, lots of women just have paracetamol and ibuprofen.

I was ok with ibuprofen and paracetamol afterwards. Tbh it is hard to get pain relief in a lot of recovery wards! The codeine can lead to nasty constipation, so I avoided it and was ok. Everyone reacts differently though. Good luck!

It is major surgery, and everyone is different afterward, I imagine. It’s many years since I had mine so things will probably be different now but I had some sort of painkillers via suppository right after my section, no idea what they were and couldn’t have cared less. Then I had a morphine drip, but it was on demand, I could press a button whenever I needed it. I never used it because I was lucky and somehow didn’t really have much pain. I didn’t take any other painkillers. My roommate maxed out on her button all the time, obviously she had a lot more pain than me.

I didn’t need anything other than paracetamol but if you need it then you need it.

Your anethetist is probably the best person to talk to. They won't make you take strong pain medication but you might find you need to. You could ask about anaesthetic pain blocks, I don't know if they're an NHS thing, they use local aesthetic and are supposed to last long enough for you not to need any strong pain medication post csection. A transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is the most common one used post csection, it involves injection of local anesthetic around the abdominal muscles to provide targeted pain relief.

As PPs have said, talk to those caring for you - I had an emergency C section, and it was a very calm and positive experience. I feel very lucky.

I think I had a couple of doses of something stronger than paracetamol/ibuprofen afterwards in hospital, but that was because they were offered and I said yes. They weren't forced or pushed on me at all, and I took them orally. I think I would have struggled to sleep that first night without some strong painkillers, but otherwise I think I'd have been v sore but fine. I was given something stronger to bring home with me the next day, but I didn't need to take any by that stage, I was fine with paracetamol.

If you discuss your worries and previous reactions, I'm sure you can agree a plan to manage the pain without anything you feel uncomfortable about. Good luck!