Pain relief during childbirth: benefits, techniques and side effects

Is lidocaine dangerous during pregnancy?

According to the instructions for the drug, Lidocaine is contraindicated for use while waiting for the baby. However, cases where this drug was used for anesthesia in pregnant women are not so rare. Is the medication really suitable for use during pregnancy?

Lidocaine during early pregnancy

The first trimester of gestation (before the 12th week of pregnancy) is the most dangerous in terms of the use of any medications. The child’s body is just beginning to develop, so chemical compounds can cause irreparable harm to it. The most dangerous period is from 2 to 8 weeks of gestation, because the drug can have a teratogenic effect (provoke deformities, as well as dysfunction of organs and systems). Another danger lies in the threat of increased uterine tone. As a result, there is a threat of spontaneous pregnancy loss. Therefore, the use of lidocaine in the first trimester of pregnancy is strictly prohibited. The only exceptions may be urgent interventions.

Lidocaine during pregnancy in the second trimester

The second trimester of pregnancy is the safest for many interventions. Regarding the use of medications, restrictions on many of them are also becoming less stringent. This is due to the fact that the baby has already formed by this period, so negative effects on his body are practically excluded. Another factor is a decrease in the uterine sensitivity to external influences. The most common reason for using lidocaine during this period is the need for dental intervention. The severe pain that a pregnant woman may experience during treatment or tooth extraction can cause much more harm to the pregnancy than the anesthesia administered. During this period, it is also recommended to carry out other planned interventions, the duration of which does not allow the end of pregnancy.

Lidocaine during pregnancy in the third trimester

The final weeks of waiting for the baby again call into question the possibility of using Lidocaine. During this period, the woman’s body experiences maximum physiological stress. The result of using the drug may be premature onset of labor. At the same time, it is worth taking into account a possible reaction to the drug from the woman’s body - a drop in blood pressure and oxygen starvation of the expectant mother can lead to a slowdown in the baby’s heartbeat and asphyxia. The doctor must constantly monitor the woman’s condition and respond to the slightest changes. If the problem can be postponed for a while, it is better to return to it after the birth of the baby (especially if we are talking not about health, but about aesthetic beauty).

Lidocaine for toothache during pregnancy

Oral health is difficult to underestimate. The pain that occurs at the site of inflammation causes significant discomfort to the woman. No less dangerous is the infection that has accumulated in the affected area. In this case, you should under no circumstances hesitate to contact the dentist. Even if a woman does not experience acute pain, it is strongly recommended to visit a doctor if she has the following conditions:

1. Periodically occurring or constant pain in the teeth (even of mild intensity).
2. Bleeding gums.
3. Increased sensitivity of teeth, manifested in pain when eating hot or cold food (or drinks).

A timely consultation with a dentist will help you adjust your oral care, thereby preventing the need for more radical intervention, incl. and with the use of anesthesia. During pregnancy the following treatment is allowed:

1. Caries (resolution of hard dental tissues).
2. Stomatitis (inflammation of the mucous tissue lining the oral cavity).
3. Gingivitis (inflammation of the marginal surface of the gum).
4. Pulpitis (inflammation of the internal tissues of the tooth).

Tooth extraction is allowed only if the latter are painful. An exception is wisdom teeth, because... their extraction is often accompanied by a complicated recovery period. So that tooth pain does not come as a shock and surprise to you, be sure to sanitize your oral cavity at the stage of pregnancy planning.

In dental practice, when treating pregnant patients, Lidocaine is used (if the doctor chose this drug) in the form of a spray (from 1 to 3 doses), as well as in the form of injections. It is worth considering that the area that needs to be numbed with the spray should be small, and the anesthesia time will last about 5 minutes. The medicine can be used no earlier than 16 weeks of gestation. The use of lidocaine during pregnancy for dental treatment in the form of “conduction” anesthesia is strictly not recommended. The dose of the drug is calculated based on the body weight of the pregnant woman. The maximum permissible dosage for an adult is 4.5 mg/kg.

Kamistad: composition and release form

Kamistad is a modern drug for the treatment of dental diseases. This drug effectively reduces pain and inflammation in the mouth and lips. The German company produces the drug in children's and adult forms, 10 g each in an aluminum tube. Kamistad gel has an anti-inflammatory and strong analgesic effect due to the content of the following components:

1. Kamistad for adults 2% (content per 100 g of gel):

• lidocaine (monohydrate) – 2 g;
• chamomile flower extract – 18.5 g.

Auxiliary components: 200 mg of 50% benzalkonium chloride solution, 100 mg of camphor cinnamon oil, 100 mg of sodium saccharinate, 1.5 g of carbomer, 40 mg of 98% formic acid, 2.81 g of trometamol, 820 mg of 96% ethanol, 73.93 g distilled water.

2. Kamistad for children:

• polidocanol;
• extract from chamomile flowers.

Auxiliary components: carbomer, glycerol, water, propylene glycol and other components. The excipients also include flavors (mint and honey), they give the gel a pleasant smell and taste, which children especially like.

How does lidocaine affect pregnancy and the fetus?

Lidocaine cannot be considered an absolutely safe drug, but panic after a single use of the drug (not earlier than the second trimester) should not be caused either. The main concerns associated with the use of Lidocaine are based on its ability to easily penetrate the placental barrier, and therefore into the baby’s body.

1. The use of anesthesia in the first weeks of pregnancy can cause congenital deformities. The use of lidocaine even externally during early pregnancy is strictly not recommended.
2. At later stages, it is necessary to be extremely careful if there is a tendency to arterial hypotension. A dangerous decrease in a woman’s blood pressure can lead to oxygen starvation of the baby.
3. Exceeding the permissible dosage can lead to the development of bradycardia in a child.
4. Using the product after 28 weeks of gestation may cause premature birth. In the last months of pregnancy, a woman’s abdominal organs experience maximum pressure from the uterus, and blood flow may be disrupted. Pressure in the epigastric area often provokes tightness of the thoracic region, and the pregnant woman may experience shortness of breath. The use of Lidocaine can cause difficulty breathing, decreased blood pressure, and muscle spasms. The listed phenomena can seriously disrupt the course of pregnancy and lead to its completion ahead of schedule.

Drug pain relief

For drug pain relief during childbirth, analgesia and anesthesia methods are used. They differ in that during analgesia they use drugs that only partially reduce pain, while during anesthesia the patient is completely anesthetized, often with the loss of motor functions and consciousness.

Analgesia is provided both during contractions and during childbirth, and anesthesia is most often used during a cesarean section, that is, during childbirth. Epidural anesthesia occupies a special place in this classification - it is used both to relieve pain during contractions and for anesthesia during childbirth or during surgery.

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Contraindications to the use of Lidocaine (spray, injection) during pregnancy

Before using any drug, the doctor should check with the woman for possible contraindications. For Lidocaine, this list is as follows:

1. Individual hypersensitivity reaction.
2. Low blood pressure.
3. Pathologies of the liver and/or kidneys.
4. Disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Lidocaine during pregnancy - reviews of the drug

Despite the restrictions on the use of Lidocaine during pregnancy, many doctors still use this drug for anesthesia during various medical procedures. The experience of most women who have already given birth is based on a single administration of the drug. No negative phenomena were noted, the children were born on time and without developmental deviations. A number of women noted that the drug was prescribed as part of an antibacterial “cocktail” in the second half of pregnancy. There were also no significant negative consequences noted.

To summarize, it is worth noting that despite the warnings of the drug manufacturers, the drug still finds use in such a category of patients as pregnant women. It is difficult to answer for sure whether Lidocaine is harmful during pregnancy. While there are potential risks from exposure of the drug to the baby in the womb, there is no statistical data regarding a higher number of complicated pregnancies after a single use of Lidocaine. The drug is a drug of last resort, so you should not use it unless absolutely necessary, especially since the modern pharmaceutical market can offer safer alternatives (for example, Ultracaine).

What benefits do dentists and patients report?

• Versatility of use.

  The drug is available in two forms, which allows it to be used by both children and adults.

• In
  normal doses, the drug is inert and does not react with other drugs
  , which makes it possible to include it in combination therapy.
• No side effects or overdose

  , if you use the drug according to the instructions. Otherwise, redness, burning and itching may occur at the application site, and in severe cases, swelling of the oral mucosa may occur.

• The gel contains sugar.
• The gel form of the product allows the active components to penetrate quickly and deeply into the tissues

  , providing a strong and long-lasting analgesic effect.

• Kamistad gel does not affect the psychomotor state of the patient

  , so it can be used while driving vehicles or working with complex mechanisms.

• Children enjoy the taste and smell of Kamistad Baby

  .

• The gel is applied topically

  , the effect is instant.

• Availability and popularity.

  Kamistad is sold without a prescription, so you can easily purchase it at any pharmacy.

  Read also:  Periapical abscess: description and treatment
• There is no need to store the product in the refrigerator

  , besides, after opening the tube, Kamistad is suitable for up to 1 year.

Gel Kamistad: analogues and prices

Gel Kamistad - the price is about 250 rubles (data as of March 2017), there are no direct analogues at a lower price.

Analogues of Kamistad in terms of therapeutic effect:

• Holisal.
• Luan.
• Dantol, Dentol baby.
• Kalgel.
• Lidocaine.
• Lidoxor.
• Dentagel.
• Solcoseryl and others.