CHILDBIRTH & ANESTHESIA
Printer FriendlyADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INTRAVENOUS OPIOIDS
The main advantage is that these medications do reduce
one's perception of pain, as well as the anxiety that is associated with
severe pain. This property is most effective in early labor when pain may be
getting difficult to cope with, but is not yet as severe as it will become
in the later part of labor.
Disadvantages of intravenous opioids are that:
• They cannot eliminate pain
• They are limited by their universal side effect of sedation for both the
mother and her unborn child
With increasing severity of pain, higher doses are required
for reduction of pain perception. However, these higher doses are
accompanied by the dulling of all senses, leading to altered consciousness,
and a reduced urge to breathe. In worst cases these drugs can dangerously
impair breathing in the mother and, more commonly, in her newborn.