Info on Stadol

[cappuccinosmom]

Looking for anecdotal stories or clinical stuff on the effects on women in labor.

I have mostly what I need for the facts, but I'm especially interested in how many women experience negative effects from it. For instance...On one site I found that offered a place to "review" medications, the rating was 3.5 and the reviews were almost evenly split--migraine sufferers appreciated it even with side effects and said it helped them live a normal life while women who had it in labor complained vociferously about the side effects and gave it a low rating.

My "theory" is that this stuff is not nearly as wonderful as it's being presented, and that it is probably an earlier step in the "cascade of interventions" than the epidural or even monitoring. I know it made me nuts, and the difference in my sister's perception of what was going on changed dramatically after she had a dose.

It can also cross the placental barrier. Drug info, including the FDA, presents negative fetal reactions (lowered heart rate during labor or respiratory distress post birth) to this as "rare", but I have to wonder, given the effect I've seen it have on women.

Any thoughts?

[MyFullHouse]

It didn't lead to any further interventions in my labor, and my baby was fine, but I *hated* it.
Stadol took away my ability to speak coherently. My mind was fine, comparatively, but I couldn't communicate at all. It didn't take away the pain, either. It just "allowed" me to doze restlessly in between contractions.

I went on to have 2 natural births after that, and they were much more comfortable (physically and mentally) than my Stadol nightmare.

[VillageMom6]

I've never heard a postpartum woman say anything good about Stadol.

During transition in my first labor I had a low dose shot of Demerol (per my request) and it helped tremendously. It took the edge off the pain that had grown untolerable and baby was born several hours later with no ill effects.

In my case, I'm convinced that the Demerol helped me to avoid more interventions, like an epidural, i.v., continuous monitoring, c-sec, etc...

I'll be interested in reading more responses about Stadol.

[mauraa629]

During labor of my second baby I really wanted to try to avoid an epidural. After 21 hours I needed something, was told about stadol said it would help me relax a little but could slow down the contractions. I was ok with that I just really needed a break, but it did much more than relax me a little, I was totally out of it, couldn't really speak, nothing was making sense, my poor husband was worried that they gave me too much by mistake. A dr came by to talk to me and all I remember of him was him saying "nevermind I'll come back later" because it was pretty much pointless for anyone to talk to me at that point it was like I wasn't even there. But it did give me a short break in my long labor.

[porcelina]

I transferred from birth center to the hospital after 8 hours of back labor, involuntary pushing and cervical swelling, with the intention of getting the epidural and then pitocin. The anesthesiologist was unavailable (in surgery) so they had to get one on call and I had to wait quite a while. They gave me stadol to "take the edge off" while I waited. My experience was also that it did not take the pain away at all, just made me loopy. I had little "daydreams" about the pain, like I imagined it turning into something (hard to describe). I guess in the end, it did make my sense of time a little off, so maybe the wait for the epidural was easier, so I'm not sure it was all bad. I could see how it might give you a "break" (more like time distortion) during a long labor, if that is needed. However, let me emphasize that the pain is still there. My son was given preemptive antibiotics because I developed a fever with the epidural, but he ultimately had no adverse effects (other than that intervention, which I can't help but wonder if it contributed to his immature digestive system and milk sensitivity), neither from stadol or epi.

[Lady Mayapple]

My Stadol Horror Story:

After nearly 18 hours of labor, two doses of Demerol, and two failed epidurals, the nurses in the hospital where I gave birth to my firstborn son announced that if I didn't start pushing the baby out, they were going to give me a C-section. I had not made much progress because they had forced me to stay in bed the whole time and starved me. An older, wiser nurse intervened and got me out of bed and had me push while squatting. I made a lot of progress and finally started bringing my son down. Then the OB walks in on us, and forces me BACK into bed. My son was malpositioned and I was having horrible back labor the entire time, so being forced onto my back was just too much and all I could do was scream. The "evil" nurse, who if anyone remembers the news story about "Runaway Bride" from Georgia back in 2005, she looked just like her!, started yelling at me and said I was disturbing other patients on the ward. Without my consent this nurse administered IV Stadol to keep me "quiet".

The room went black. My family watched in horror as I began hallucinating, drifting in and out of consciousness. Through some Divine Act I delivered my son vaginally, although I have no recollection of these events.

Breastfeeding was a nightmare and took 10 days to get him to nurse properly. I was fortunate to have an army of LC's and LLL leaders with me in the early days.

He is almost 5 years old today, a strong and healthy boy who is nearly half as tall as I am. He has undiagnosed speech, gross motor, developmental problems and will be going to a specialist sometime in the next few months. He is the only child of my three that were exposed to narcotic drugs in labor, and the only one with these problems. I used to place exclusive blame on the vaccines he recieved until he was 14 months old when we stopped vaccinating after a bad reaction, but I now believe the narcotics also harmed him.

Please do not let them give you Stadol. I would do anything to reclaim what that nasty drug took away from me and my family.

[Raine822]

I HATE STADOL!!! Some of my reasons are not due to the side effects but the misinformation and violation of informed consent rampant in the hospital I delivered at. I will keep my response to just the med itself but if anyone would like the whole story I would be happy to provide all the details.

I was not told this at the time but found out later that at the hospital I delivered at the stadol they give is mixed with another drug. This other drug causes a sore spot where the injection is given. For several months after the birth I could not lay on/put pressure on that part of my hip/bum.

As stated before it does not help the pain as I was told it would. For me, it made the pain worse because I would pass out cold between contractions but be fully awake and aware during them. For 2 hours this had me feeling like I was having one long and very painful contraction with no break.

[Adamsmama]

I was given a narcotic of some sort (I don't think it was Stadol, although I had friends that got that) put into my IV with my first 2 births and both times I had the same effect ... feeling a bit out of it ... still felt pain, made me feel sleepy though and I couldn't walk right while it was being put into my IV ... I felt like my legs were limp. I won't get drugs like that again because of how loopy I felt.

[elsie123]

I had a positive experience with stadol. I had a labor with pretty much no interventions, and had the vaginal delivery that I wanted. I had no side effects at all. The only things I had that I didn't want were internal monitoring for a part of labor, and the IV tubes o my hand. I had no other interventions.

The doc told me stadol would help me rest in-between contractions, and was very clear that it would do nothing for pain. Rest was what I needed, so I agreed to 1/2 a dose. It was perfect. I got to sleep between contractions, and during contractions I was lucid and coherent.

My babe was able to nurse immediately, and nursed well. He suffered no ill effects. He's a healthy 11 year old now.

[Adamsmama]

Originally Posted by elsie123

I had a positive experience with stadol. I had a labor with pretty much no interventions, and had the vaginal delivery that I wanted. I had no side effects at all. The only things I had that I didn't want were internal monitoring for a part of labor, and the IV tubes o my hand. I had no other interventions.

The doc told me stadol would help me rest in-between contractions, and was very clear that it would do nothing for pain. Rest was what I needed, so I agreed to 1/2 a dose. It was perfect. I got to sleep between contractions, and during contractions I was lucid and coherent.

My babe was able to nurse immediately, and nursed well. He suffered no ill effects. He's a healthy 11 year old now.

Ok -- I really wish my nurses/doc told me this. I wasn't prepared for no pain relief. I guess mine did the right job, then. My babies had no trouble nursing/latching.

[annettemarie]

I had Stadol with my first and hallucinated that the Sesame Street Babies (specifically, Baby Elmo, Baby Big Bird, and Baby Cookie Monster) were hanging out in my hospital room trying to talk to me.

[broodymama]

nak.

i had stadol when i went into preterm labor at 29 weeks with ds. between my migraines (i get daily migraines) and the splitting headache from the mag sulfate i wasn't getting any rest. i was given the stadol to help me sleep but all it did was cause horrible hallucinations, i spent the next several hours talking to clowns and dead relatives. stadol was bad stuff for me!

[nutritionistmom]

I've only ever taken Stadol for migraine, it's not something they administer in Canada for labour (and they actually don't prescribe it for migraine anymore either.) It didn't do much for pain, but it made me high as a kite so I didn't care anymore. Forget forming a coherent sentence or doing anything involving coordination though because that wasn't happening. I wouldn't want to be taking it during labour, that's for sure.

[Hey Mama!]

I had a shot of stadol about 30 minutes before middle dd was born. It didn't take away any pain just made me high as a kite. I remember pushing her out and trying to look at the clock to see what time she was born and all of a sudden clocks with wings were flying all over the room. I don't remember the moment of her actual birth, and afterwards they were trying to get me to hold her and I physically couldn't. I couldn't get her latched on right after birth either. It totally sucked.

[cappuccinosmom]

Thanks all, this is very enlightening.

Obviously, some people must have positive experiences, so I'm not looking to deny that.

I do think it is often not honestly presented by doctors though. For myself and my sister, it was presented as "Something to take the edge off...to help with the contractions". The implication being that it *does* help with pain. I wasn't told of *any* of the possible side effects, and I certainly wasn't told it would make me feel terrified and out of control. My sister was jokingly told it would make her feel "high", and it did, but there was a definite shift in her demeanor that was not a "good" high at all. Aside from the "drug" jokes, she also was not given any information about possible side effects.