Study: Redheads Resist Anesthesia
I know that there have been arguments on the board about some of this. Nice to see the medical profession admitting this stuff happens.
1%?! :eek:
I read this similar article yesterday, even posted it in my live journal. I’m glad to see I’m not crazy.
Saw it, and I don’t understand why they didn’t use male subjects as well.
I know I’m not easily susceptable to … other … substances … but this worried the heck out of me when I had surgery a year ago. I wish there was more proof in the pudding and something on the male persuasion there.
Explains why the Irish and Scots drink Whiskey.
I’ve done my own study of female natural redheads, and developed other conclusions, but they may not be appropriate for this forum.
Hey folks, we’re talking about a study of 20 women, between the ages of 19 and 40.
You’re trying to extrapolate that to everyone you’ve ever seen with red hair? Pul-leeeze.
Oy vey. First we get picked on in school. Then old geezers at the gas station insist on saying “Hi, Red!” to us. Then we have to listen to skeevy guys saying “So, do the curtains match the carpet? Huh huh.” Now this. Man, it sucks to be a natural redhead! 
:: flips hair and flounces away ::
Barbarian, I am speaking from experience. I have to take more Tylenol or Ibuprofen, get more anaesthetic, more topical than the norm for someone my size, according to my past surgeons and dentist. During labour with my son, I felt every single thing, even though they had shot me up with Demerol.
I am also muttering about the small sample size… only 10 redheads? But, it’s a start that’ll hopefully get larger experiments done so that this can be settled once and for all.
And I also speak from experience… pain meds/anesthesia take longer to kick in, and wear off quicker when compared to my non-red headed friends. Good thing I have a high tolerance for pain.
<< There is no spoon. >>
The Master has spoken on this topic (minus the red head angle):
That’s interesting, even if the sample size is small. My mom, who is responsible for Vince and I being redheads too, has a history of
anesthesia and painkillers not working the “right” ways on her. Many of them don’t work at all, or cause paradox reactions (you have to scrape her off the ceiling because she’s so wired). I’ve always found that strange, but I’ve never connected it to her being a redhead. I haven’t been put under since I was two, and Vince never has, so I can’t even make an intelligent guess that it’s genetics working oddly there…
Male natural redhead checking in here…
I have an experience that correlates to the article. I was in my then doctor’s office for an endoscopy - the thing where they put a tube with a camera in it down your throat to look for ulcers, etc. They gave me a dose of Demerol (I think) and Valium (I think) in a drip. I slept in the arms or Morpheus for a while, or so I thought. I apparently woke up during the procedure and struggled mightily, tearing my IV out and requiring four people to restrain me. I have no recollection of this, but I can’t see why they’d make it up. At the time, I thought that my size (6’1", 185 lbs) had something to do with it…
Flash forward to about a year ago…I fell down with a bowl of pasta in my hand and a shard cut my hand pretty bad. I went to the emergency room to get it sown up. The ER doc gave me a local anesthetic then proceeded to stitch me up. I felt pain. He then said something to effect that I must be a drug user to need that much anesthetic. I bristled at that, because I don’t do that sort of thing anymore (I never used hard drugs either).
Anyway, that article makes me wonder if my being a redhead has anything to do with it…
How odd. I’ve only had to be anesthetized a few times in my life (twice with local, once general) and AFAIK the doctors used a normal dose. If anything, I’m more affected by things like painkillers/alcohol/‘other substances’ than most of the non-redhaired population.
Whoah, that’s bizarre!
I woke up during a tonsillectomy about 7 or 8 years ago. I wansn’t hugely traumatized by it or anything, don’t remember feeling pain, but I completely remember waking up for a second or so.
I also need a third shot of novocaine when I go to the dentist, and it seems to take FOREVER for it to start working.
I think all other pain meds work fine on me, however. Normally they just put me to sleep, pain free, even if it’s something mild. Ketoprofin puts me to sleep even.
Neat link, thanks!
I suppose I have to cave and admit that my hair is red, though I’ve really considered myself more of a blond…my beard is definitely red. And I have a story that’s on point.
I don’t know if they do this anymore, but when I had my wisdom teeth out, it was under general anesthesia. I was 15 at the time. Anyway, I remember waking up during the procedure. I opened my eyes and saw people in white with masks standing around me. I didn’t feel any pain. I remember thinking, “Wait, I’m not supposed to be awake,” and closing my eyes. Then, I woke up in recovery.
My hair isn’t red but I have noticed that with locals I need a higher dose… I haven’t had much stuff done but last time I went to the dentist to get fillings they froze my mouth and one side they had to do it twice… and even then I still felt it…
Funny thing is despite my hair not being red (It’s like this light brown that gets redder in the summer… heck when I dye my hair no matter what colour it is it eventually turns red. Like now… I dyed my hair black purple… and now it’s a dark auburn) I have the skin tone of a red-head. I freckle more than I tan and I burn before I freckle… I have a lot of funky things coming from my Grandpa…
I went to the dentist for a root canal once and after he had been working for a while I tapped him on the shoulder and said I could feel what he was doing, it wasn’t really painful but more “annoying”.
The look on his face was priceless as he explained that he was in the process of removing the nerve and I should have been feeling more than a little uncomforable. I guess most people would have backflipped right out of the chair but I let him finish without another shot of anaesthetic.
I have a pretty high threshold for major pain (arthritis) but a lower tolerance for things like stubbed toes and papercuts.
So it’s either the auburn hair or my huge balls to blame.
My mother - who used to be a red head (she’s gray, now) - woke up during her first open heart surgery.
The doctor didn’t believe her until she recited some of the conversation that had gone on in the OR. She reportedly said some other things to the surgeon which can not be repeated in a “family friendly” forum.
The second time she had heart surgery they were very very careful to dope her up real good.