Oral Surgery, nursing and pain meds? BTDT? drug interactions?

[Ldavis24]

So I need to have a wisdom tooth removed, soon, nothing major. I have no milk stored up as I stopped pumping many months ago. I can't even get more than an ounce anymore when I pump, my supply at this point is just so finely tuned to how much DD nurses.

I know that I can have the option of vicadin (sp) or percocet for after the procedure and I am trying to find threads relating to drug interactions and imcompatibility with nursing babies.

I know there are lots of great websites out there that can give me in the info I need but whenever I search for them I get junk about how you should NEVER take drugs while nurses. Duh, I'm not taking street drugs. I just will need something for the pain. 

Where were those threads about medications and nursing? DH's solution is that I should just wean dd (20 months)...Not so interested in that thanks!

[princesstutu]

Nah. No need to wean. I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted at once, got an infection cuz one broke in the process, was prescribed pain meds and an antibiotic (only needed the antibiotic), took 2 weeks to heal up, and still nursed the toddler. It's not a big deal. Definitely not worth weaning over. I'd be more concerned about having metal fillings removed while nursing than being on pain meds.

Besides...I only received Tylenol plus Codeine and didn't even need it. Why you would need Vicadin or Percocet is beyond me. It is not that bad.

I took one Tylenol + Codeine and all it did was make me sleepy.  I had a friend who had her wisdom teeth extracted recently and she didn't think it was all that painful afterward, either.  And, all the meds did were to make her sleepy, too.  Pointless.

So...good luck!  And, no worries.  It's not that bad.

[thedenverduo]

I just went through all of this in November when I had an emergency appendectomy.  I had no milk in the freezer and no time to prepare.  The anesthesiologist was great though and worked with the L&D doctors to reassure me.   I had percocet right after surgery, and vicodin for a few days at home.  DS was 15 months at the time.

If I had delivered via c-section they would have sent me home on some narcotics even with a newborn, so that helped me relax about taking narcotics while nursing a toddler who weighs a lot more.  I'm sorry I don't have a link for you.  Where are you having your surgery done?  I wouldn't hesitate to contact a lactation consultant or ob before my surgery if it was at a hospital.  If it is in a dental office, they should be able to look up the drug info for you (or direct you to their pharmacist who can).  All drugs are rated on how safe they are for bfing moms, so they should be able to give you more detailed info.

Also, if you have a choice I personally would go for Vicoden.  It is basically just a narcotic form of tylenol, so I was able to transition off of the vicoden to tylenol pretty quickly which made me feel a lot safer nursing.

[Ldavis24]

Originally Posted by princesstutu 

Nah. No need to wean. I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted at once, got an infection cuz one broke in the process, was prescribed pain meds and an antibiotic (only needed the antibiotic), took 2 weeks to heal up, and still nursed the toddler. It's not a big deal. Definitely not worth weaning over. I'd be more concerned about having metal fillings removed while nursing than being on pain meds.

Besides...I only received Tylenol plus Codeine and didn't even need it. Why you would need Vicadin or Percocet is beyond me. It is not that bad.

I took one Tylenol + Codeine and all it did was make me sleepy.  I had a friend who had her wisdom teeth extracted recently and she didn't think it was all that painful afterward, either.  And, all the meds did were to make her sleepy, too.  Pointless.

So...good luck!  And, no worries.  It's not that bad.

Ok so this is how I know women are just built tougher than men.

My DH had 2 wisdom teeth removed a few months ago and was prescribed vicadin. He was a bawling miserable puddle on the couch for an entire week after he had them removed. He appeared as though it was excruciating and was miserable the whole week. 

So now is he a wuss or do you have super mama strength and have a really high pain tolerance? Ok let me rephrase, I know he is a baby in regard to pain but most people I talk to say it is very painful afterward. Thats the general consensus I believe. 

I should have realized that vicadin wouldn't be a problem. I took them for about a week after DD was born due to the massive number of stitches I got from my tear during labor...Now that was pain, more than labor but thats another story.

My only other concern is that I really need to be put completely under for the procedure due to the fact that Novacaine has little to no effect on me. The last cavity I had filled required 6 separate shots of novacaine and I could still feel what they were doing. It was a horrible experience. My biggest fear is having the same situation and instead of just a cavity being filled it is a tooth being ripped out of my head..

[Sfcmama]

I just had surgery and was told by the LC that vicoden is better than percocet for babies but I can't remember why. I've taken both for gallbladder attacks and found that percocet did make dd a little drowsy, even at 20lbs. I can't imagine having to take pain meds with a newborn! Anyways, I found the nausea to be worse than the pain and ended up taking just advil after the first night. As for general anesthesia, I was told you are fine to nurse as soon as you are not groggy any more but I pumped and dumped the first time anyways. I also reminded myself that occasional exposure isn't likely to be harmful and that most of the warnings are to prevent longterm exposure. Hth! Good luck!

[Marissamom]

I had my wisdom teeth out when DD was 8 months. I think I was on Darveset after? I have an allergy to codine and hydrocodone, which are the more typical drugs the oral surgion prescribes. with the GA, you'll need to have someone babysit while you have the procedure and I would plan on them keeping your DD for a couple hours after so you can sleep off the groginess, but after that you are fine to nurse. and you don't have to pump and dump, the concentration in your milk goes down at the same rate as the concentration in your blood without you needing to remove any milk. all told I think it was 4-5 hours in which I wasn't able to breastfeed (going to the office, getting put under, the actual surgery, and the GA wearing off). with an 8 month old, she had a couple of bottles, but with a 20 month old you probably won't need to have milk on hand (though I'm sure there are some toddlers that would want some)

[Ldavis24]

Originally Posted by Marissamom 

I had my wisdom teeth out when DD was 8 months. I think I was on Darveset after? I have an allergy to codine and hydrocodone, which are the more typical drugs the oral surgion prescribes. with the GA, you'll need to have someone babysit while you have the procedure and I would plan on them keeping your DD for a couple hours after so you can sleep off the groginess, but after that you are fine to nurse. and you don't have to pump and dump, the concentration in your milk goes down at the same rate as the concentration in your blood without you needing to remove any milk. all told I think it was 4-5 hours in which I wasn't able to breastfeed (going to the office, getting put under, the actual surgery, and the GA wearing off). with an 8 month old, she had a couple of bottles, but with a 20 month old you probably won't need to have milk on hand (though I'm sure there are some toddlers that would want some)

my little piglet thats who!

Thanks for all the info, I have serious dentist issues as it is so the idea of not being able to do general anesthesia was freaking me out. 
DH will be available to handle DD and everything else for the weekend...

You know what is crazy, whoever mentioned the percocet. I remember now, that while I took Vicoden at home after DD was born the first 2 days I had percocet and she slept the entire time, even more than a newborn, both DH and I thought it was the percocet but weren't sure and that just confirmed out suspicions. Hence the switch to Vicoden. 

Now I just have to get this done and put it behind me...Why are dentist's so scary?

[Drummer's Wife]

My DH just had 3 teeth extracted (two were wisdom).  He was put to sleep, and he absolutely needed the pain meds for almost a whole week afterwards.  Swelling, bruising, tons of pain. I had one wisdom tooth extracted with only numbing shots, and I hurt for less than a day.  It really depends on how hard it is to remove them, whether they are impacted, etc., and how smooth the recovery goes.  I had a friend who swelled up really bad and needed ice and soft food for like a week.  I was eating a cheeseburger - in small pieces - that same night.  I do think some men are a bit of crybabies - LOL - my kids and DH both had the same virus recently and the kids just napped more than usual... DH groaned and moaned and stayed in bed for the better part of several days. 

Anyhow, I took Percocet after all 4 of my c-sections (for about 2 weeks each time), and I felt comfortable nursing a newborn - and a toddler when tandeming - while taking it.  I've taken Vicoden a couple times (just for like a day or two) while nursing over the years and also felt comfortable with the amount that would transfer to breastmilk.  Did you read up on Kelly mom or Hales to see what they say?  I really don't think pumping and dumping would be necessary, and you might end up being fine with nothing more than ibuprofen. 

[babymommy2]

I had all my wisdom teeth out at once when my baby was 1 and I was nursing. I had IV sedation. I would find out if you are having that or general anesthetic, because I think for teeth extration it is usually IV sedation.  They are not the same thing. They feel the same to you as the patient, you go out and don't remember anything after, but they can still talk to you and you can follow directions but you are not intubated like you would have to be for a general. It is lighter anesthetic and wears off quicker. I told my dentist, and they said, no issue with breastfeeding. After I have some type of narcotic, I dont' remember which. I only took it the first day. I also had prescription strength ibuprofen. I used a lot of icepacks the first 2 days, that helped with the swelling. It was painful, but not unbearable, but I could sure tell when the ibuprofen was wearing off, I made sure to take it regularily. I hate taking narcotics because I feel so weird on them so I didn't use them for long. I also had an infection, had to have surgery agian a few days later a lot of antibiotics.

[Ldavis24]

Well thanks for the replies. 
I called the dentist and the earliest they could get me in is the 21st of March (not so good)...I explained the situation with my wisdom teeth. There is some crowding going on and one is breaking through it is starting to cause pain on one whole side of my mouth. Not constant just intermittent. If I can make it until that appointment (in which they will schedule the actual surgery because I have to get a referral from my dentist for the surgeon) and then maybe a week longer  I can at least pump a little bit to ease my anxiety.

I haven't been to the dentist in a really really REALLY long time. I am a SA survivor as a child and as bad as the last time I went to the dentist was honestly the thought of going again has me practically in tears now. DH was so callous (very unlike him) about telling me I should just wean DD when I get the procedure done.

I have done some research and read from numerous places that as you all mentioned I should be fine as far as nursing DD.

I often forget how quickly stuff is filtered out of breastmilk, what wonderful things our boobs are. Now I just get to get the look of the dentist when I tell him I am still nursing a toddler. That and the fact that I will probably be crying in the chair for no apparent reason. Sigh...I was hoping I just would never have my wisdom teeth come in.

[princesstutu]

I'm sorry your dh wasn't supportive of nursing through this.  Maybe he's just remembering how much pain he was in and not wanting you to be overwhelmed. 

Why do you need to tell your dentist you're still nursing?  I don't tell service providers anything they don't absolutely need to know, so I'm just curious.  Of course, you can always just say, "I'm nursing and I want to confirm that I can nurse within 4 hours after this procedure, right?"  I wouldn't bother bringing up that the nursling is a toddler. :shrug:

And, you know...I do have a pretty high pain tolerance, I guess.  I mean...I'm hardly ever in pain, so I'm not really sure, but...I wasn't in that much pain after the extraction.  All my teeth were above the gums, though, so maybe that's part of it.  Plus...I'd given birth 4 times by then and had pitocin-augmented labor with the first.  My mouth isn't nearly as big a deal. LOL

My face did hurt for a day or so, but it wasn't that bad. I rested and ate a lot of creamy soups.  I lost quite a bit of weight since I couldn't chew for about a week.  I respected my mouth and in return, I healed up just fine.  Like I said, most of my issues came from the fact that I got an infection. 

I'm sorry dental work is a scary subject for you.  I hope you can have a friend come be with you while you have the procedure if you feel you need that. 

You will be fine.  You will be more than fine.  You're a woman and a mama!  You can do anything!

[PatioGardener]

Not sure if you have seen this - great resource! http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/dentalwork.html

[Ldavis24]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener 

Not sure if you have seen this - great resource! http://www.kellymom.com/health/illness/dentalwork.html

thank you for the link. I am currently zooming around kellymom, I love that site anyway I don't know why I didn't think to check it out first...Crazy me...

Princesstutu you sound like one tough mama! I do feel I have a high pain tolerance as well, I barely flinched when I broke my wrist a few years back. 

As far as telling a dental provider, I figured that I would need to mention it for the anesthesia/pain management aspect of it. Although at this point I have most of the info I need

to feel confident in regard to that. If I don't have to mention it I won't, I don't need the eye roll of whatever reaction I could typically expect. 

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. I swear I could handle labor better than the dentist and all that stuff. 

DH was trying to be supportive I think, he is generally my biggest champion. I was so shocked at the cavalier nature he suggested the weaning. He knows how strongly I feel about nursing quite a while longer. He did apologize and explain that like a PP guessed he was just worried about how miserable I was going to be and add in DD climbing all over me and using my boobs as gymnastic equipment he just wanted me to be comfortable etc.