I had a patient once that was telling me pre-op that she had very weird reactions to medications. As she told me about it (with her family in the room), I asked her if she had any redheads in her family? She stated that she was one, but her sister convinced her to dye it! I think she was so relieved to have someone believe her. Told her and her family about "Redhead Syndrome". Often require more anesthesia, and can be bleeders as well. People are very unique.
WHAat? I have auburn hair Requested an epidermal with the last pregnancy Knew I wasn’t going to be present for the birth- God is always right Acquired Hemophilia - had a boy Survived to say the least
Good Physicians ask if a patient was born with red hair, or if any family members have red hair. My red hair went completely white ( due to shock and almost dying) after I bleed out when losing my son full term at 29 years old. For over 44 years with over 29 poor Physicians I was not believed even once that I was a "bleeder" including by a Hematologist Specialist, even with red hair, being half Irish with a father with orange hair, and after losing 13 babies! I was not once taken seriously, or correctly diagnosed with a rare Platelet function disorder. Finally a young female Intern in ER while I was bleeding out again ordered basic blood tests and identified I had to have a rare blood disorder.It took years of genetic testing to find out which type. I had repeatedly told ALL doctors and my family I fully understood what they were saying, doing, and felt pain while sedated, and grabbed their arms, including recently while intubated after several skull fractures in ICU. Good Physicians ask many questions, personally take and listen to their patients history, and honestly do their jobs including for female patients to be taken as seriously as male patients. Poor Physicians don't care to take the necessary time to ask the necessary questions, or understand differences with gender and heritages of their patients. I'm now finally closely followed by one of the best Hematologists in Canada and her team that takes women's conditions seriously in the bleeding and blood disorder clinic in Kingston Ontario thank god!
THANK you for saying bleeders. In the olden days, 1978, I had my first child. Epidurals were becoming very popular but we had no insurance so we couldn't afford it. Also, being 19 for a whole week & so very mature and married, I knew pretty much everything and figured it couldn't be that bad. I don't need no stinkin' epidural. My grandmother's had six kids without even a doctor. Sooooooooo. I was wrong and it &#@*?=!@ HURT. I remember as I was in the delivery room, certain that death was near, I heard my Nurse tell a student to make sure to have the "pit" ready, drawn up and waiting. The student asked and the nurse told her to look at me. My screaming drowned out the rest. Then 1980, same thing exactly. Even same nurse, different student. Again, "You want to have the pit drawn up and waiting. The doctor is going to ask for it NOW because she is going to......". No insurance, no epidural, plenty of screaming. Now though I had the wisdom of a 20 year old. After it was over, I was in my room and my nurse, Cookie (best nurse I've ever known), came in and I asked her about it. I knew about pitocin and it's uses but why was she predicting an emergency? She kind of laughed but told me that while new doctors poo poo this as a wives tale, older docs have become true believers. When the laboring patient is a redhead, especially a blue eyed redhead, and they have very long thigh bones, as soon as the baby is born the patient is going to start bleeding and it will be bleeding that falls between excessive and hemorrhage. Between the birth of child and placenta , long thighed redheads can bleed to death. The pitocin hastens delivery of placenta and keeps uterus firm. I became an RN and all through school I quizzed L & D docs and nurses. Those with some years of experience said "Oh yes, while there is no literature, no scientific explanation, it is still a fact." My instructors talked about butting heads with residents and new baby OB's who refused to be ready. During the rest of my career, I never heard an experienced doc poo poo or question a patient who described bizarre reactions to anything when that patient was a redhead or if male and blond, had a red beard.
I have to hold my head just right next to the lights or just bring my mom when I go to the ER, denstist or in for surgery. my hair is redish brown and my mom is a full on ginger. I react to things like her.
I’m a redhead and have experience this on more that one occasion. If I mention it to the anesthesiologist they sometimes look at me like I’ve grown two heads. I’m glad it’s being talked about more now.
I'm a redhead, not only do I require a larger amount of anesthesia, but I come out of surgery fast and throwing up. I always tell the anesthesiologist. Most will give me an additional medication during surgery to take the sickness away.
This has been known for at least 30 years. My whole career as a Critical Care RN, RRT, patients with red head and other peoples genetic differences require more or very little pain medication to arrive at the same pain relief goal. This information is not new.
@@lisanetgark415 may I ask what other genetic differences? IE people with different eye colour in each eye or brown eyes etc this is really interesting! (If you don't mind answering question that is )
As a redhead, I can agree 100% Any time I go to the Dentist for a procedure that requires a numbing shot, I generally need 2 or 3 injections to be fully numb.
Same! It takes at least 2 injections for me, often more, for me to get numb and it takes forever to take effect. Even then I’m not always completely numb, just numb enough that I no longer feel that much pain and I just tell the dentist to go ahead because it’s taking so long to get me completely numb. Luckily I have a really good dentist that was already aware of the effect and had read the studies before I became a patient. He’s always been really careful about managing my pain during procedures, and never tries to rush or to proceed before I tell him I’m numb enough.
Same here. I had one procedure that I was awake for and I was not supposed to be. Not a surgery thank goodness but the camera down my throat made it so I couldn’t tell them. It was awful as on top of that, he yelled at me during , not realizing something was wrong
I'm a redhead and during surgery I heard everything the nurses and doctors were discussing while under anesthesia. I told the doctors this during recovery and they didn't believe me, so I told them what was said. Needless to say, everyone was surprised. Also, after given an epidural during childbirth, I could feel all the pain anyway.
Also 👩🏻🦰 here. My epidural was pretty good, but they gave me my own button to control my own drugs, but there was a cutoff point where it would not dispense any more. I couldn’t feel it that much, but I def could still move my legs.
@@jill4806 My dad's a redhead, but I'm a sort of reddish brunette, but show all the same issues. I had one critical surgery that *required* an epidural so that the piece of anatomy they were removing would not be "in pain" when removed. (Theoretically, phantom limb syndrome is linked to the message that the missing limb was sending the brain at the time of removal. If your big toe was itchy, you'll have an itchy phantom toe. If it was in agony, you'll experience periods of agony....).... in my case the epidural didn't work, and I woke up from the surgery in agony (they thought I'd be good for 72 hours before I would need pain meds). Unfortunately there are no do-overs for removing anatomy in agony. Now I'm faced with the exact pain for which the anatomy was removed, but with no solution.
@@LadyLithias I'm so sorry you're dealing with the life changing and life dominating chronic pain. I had a brain tumor removed and I had a similar post op experience. I live one day at a time. Each day is dictated by how much pain I have. It's changed me in every way. I hope you have the best possible life you can and somehow, someday soon there's a true treatment for chronic pain. Best wishes and you're in my thoughts and prayers. Keep fighting.🌥️🏝️
@@jill4806 Thank you so much, I appreciate the kind words. Luckily for me I'm not really bitter about it. In fact, this video and this comment stream made me realize that likely I've got a lot of the genetic makeup of a redhead and my surgeon probably just didn't give me *enough* but it's not his fault if this genetic tendency doesn't require a person to *be* an in-your-face redhead like my dad is/was. Pretty sure that when I had the surgery I was sporting pink, purple, orange, green, blue, teal and other exotic colors. Just not red, as my hair won't hold red coloring. All other colors. Just not red.
I’m red haired, like most of mums family. I had a hip replacement under spinal anaesthetic as I’m scared of general anesthesia. About an hour into surgery I started to feel sharp tugging where the surgeon was working. The anesthesiologist was very surprised it was wearing off so fast but gave me a shot of fentanyl to twilight me while the surgeon finished. I was wide awake again as they wheeled me into recovery which they didn’t expect!
Thank you - great video. My girlfriend is a redhead and had two cataract surgeries. The first, the anesthesiologist was very familiar with the “Redhead Effect” and gave appropriate medication. The second anesthesiologist felt the redhead effect was “myth”. My girlfriend had an awful experience, feeling the pain through the entire procedure. Keep up the good work. You do very interesting and educational videos.
Yeah Frank with both of mine- I felt intense pressure, not pain but I was ready to tell my surgeon " I Can't Stand THIS!" at that exact millisecond my Eye Surgeon Said " And we're all done!"
My wife went through a C-section and woke up really early. I snuck into the recovery room at just the right time (for her), but I was soundly bounced from the area ... but not before I told them that she was going to need a little extra juice. God love her!
its good to know there are anesthesia for cataract surgery. Not red head, but I have the genetics and fucking hell - have a dentist drill through your jaw and be like "he's fine. We numbed him up." Word of advice - DONT GET MEDICAL DONE IN TEXAS. Fukin freaks
As a female redhead in my late fifties, I have resigned myself to not being believed about anything I tell my doctors. It would be awesome for the gaslighting to just stop. Thank you for this.
I think you need to toughen up and speak up about it! You really want to be in SURGICAL pain just because they haven't heard of it? Really??? I've discussed it with my doctor at the first mention of any surgery. It's not a last minute thing. I won't be reclining in pre-op worrying about this at this point in my life (I am 50).
A tougher, more outspoken redhead you will never meet, but there is no way to overcome bias, especially if it is wrapped in misogyny and ageism. Many of the doctors I have recently encountered have been taught to think like computers. They are highly specialized and treat only the issue in front of them. That does not allow for any consideration of the patient’s past experiences. I faint on airplanes, but most doctors won’t give me the medicine to prevent it because even though I use it sparingly, others don’t. I must suffer because of illnesses others have. I am just a statistic. I have recently found a good GP. I look forward to putting some of this poor treatment behind me by once again building a relationship of trust. Fingers crossed my new GP sticks around for a while. @@SirenaSpades
@King The magic ability to not be believed by medical staff or the magic ability to need different quantities of medication than non-redheaded people? No idea about the first one, but possibly for the second one -- depends upon genetics and it's something I'd mention to my doctors were I you.
I'm a red head and I've woken up in almost every surgery I've ever had. The last surgery my anesthesiologist was amazing and tracked my brain waves to watch for wakening and I didn't wake up. I also don't have any of that twilight time when waking up...I go from out to fully awake and scare recovery nurses almost every time
My first surgery I jumped straight up the moment they took me to recovery. I had had an epidural and wasn’t supposed to be able to move but I only felt like my feet were cold.
Not a redhead but after a cardiac ablation I popped up and started to,ask the Doc's how it went .They had to scramble to remove the ETT so I could talk
I had a myomectomy back in 2019. The anesthesiologist came in and as soon as she saw my red hair she goes “shit, I hope I have enough drugs ready for you”. One of my nurses heard her say that and asked her why she said that. She explained to her that redheads typically need more anesthesia than others because of a genetic mutation. The nurse thought that was a myth. She found out it wasn’t. She was the only nurse in the room when I woke up. I sat straight up and asked what time it was. She jumped about 2 feet in the air and dropped her clipboard.
As a redhead, I can also attest to this. I've been very fortunate that most of my anesthesiologists were well aware of this "myth" and treated me appropriately. Those who didn't quite buy into it, were educated quickly as soon as they began prepping me. I also have a very high pain tolerance. I guess the two go hand-in-hand.
As a blonde wth two red headed children, I also have this problem with anaesthesia. I’ve been told when having dental surgery “I’ve put enough in to sedate a horse” . Funny thing is my hair changed colour from blonde to blonde with red streaks naturally when I was Pregnant with those two children and yes those two children need more anaesthetic than non red heads.
You can get a copy of the gene from your parent without red hair expression because it is a recessive trait, but that doesn't mean the neighboring weird pain numbing gene isn't there being weird.
sometimes your hair does change color with hormone changes, not just fading as you age. My hair has a 'coppery amber' highlights in it, which I guess is the red gene. Not a ginger, by no means. But under certain lights, the coloration can be apparent. But from the video, it's the gene mutation which can viewed by the person with those colors. But my brother for whatever reason, grows a red beard, and his head hair is not reddish at all
I'm a natural dirty dark blonde with incredibly light body hair and eyebrows. If I took off my mascara, I'd have see-through blonde eyelashes. I have had two operations and a few dental procedures that required sedation and every time I needed more than usual. This resulted in me sitting through an entire filling screaming my head off (14yrs old, so no one listened at the time) because I could feel every single movement that he made with the drill. To this day, it's one of the most painful things I've ever experienced - way worse than breaking bones or trauma injuries.
@@splendidpursuits genetics is more than just you can't. There is always a probability especially when there is as many as 8billion+ people on Earth that are constantly being renewed and added upon
That's not reassuring as I am also blonde and have an immunity to most anesthesia and going in for dental surgery in a couple days. My family has redheads a couple of cousins and a nephew. I'd have never thought that would be a factor
As a redhead, I think there should also be more studies into the after effects. I had a c-section with my daughter. I made sure to let the anesthesiologist know that I was a natural red head and did not react well to anesthesia. He was great about taking me seriously. But it took me 8 HOURS to recover from the anesthesia and they had to keep me in observation because I wasn't recovering well. My right side recovered but my left was still fully numb. They brought in a neruologist and it was decided that it had to do with that mutated gene. Same for the dentist. I had to have a partial root canal and received the max amount of numbing. I still felt the pain and was crying the whole time. Luckily my dentist was nice and tried to work fast. I cracked a tooth that had to be pulled and they again, gave me the max amount. The dentist told me he could give me more but that it wouldn't do anything. It took FOUR assistants holding me down and me screaming like I was being murdered while he took the tooth out. The pain was so bad that I lost my lunch after he pulled it.
Wow, you have a spectacular amount of anesthesia resistance. When I was having a cavity filled, I was given a normal dose of local anesthesia and immediately felt the harsh pain of the drilling on my tooth. After the third dose I was completely numb and the procedure went by painlessly, but my face was left numb for the next 6-8 hours!
I’m not a redhead but carry the gene, and always need more anaesthetic for every procedure I’ve had done, local, general and sedation. Was my biggest fear with my last surgery under sedation, that they wouldn’t give me enough and I’d wake up. Thankfully I didn’t!
@@bun04y Same! I'm so glad to see someone else say this. I have red undertones and 3 out of my 5 children are redheaded. I've always had issues with anesthesia.
As a redhead, any time I need either general or local anesthesia, I always ask if they know about The Redhead Effect. One doctor, doing a needle biopsy on my thyroid, didn't believe me, until I wouldn't let him stick the needle in because I could still feel it. He became a believer, when it took a lot more than he was used to having to use.
That's really disappointing that you had to do that. I've read about this in about 3-4 trivia books. If its in a trivia book, it should be part of actual medical training!!
my dad is an OR nurse, came home one day hollering “youll never believe this! we were cuttin on a guy and they didnt give him enough anesthesia and he woke right up during the surgery!” what a nightmare for everyone im sure
Obviously this is not the point of your post, but lucky you for getting anesthesia for your thyroid biopsy. I had one last year and they just used ice to "numb" it. 😂🥲 (Note: Also a redhead, and thankfully one with a high pain tolerance!)
Well yeah it is true. Let me tell my story- was having an endoscopy- in my case an EGJ because post bypass my duodenum is pretty inaccessible. Was prepped, bite block in place, tube after back of throat numbed nicely in place, Anesthesia ( I suspect a resident) stated" you'll be going to sleep shortly". Okay- there I am , on my left side and peacefully waiting & waiting- and it didn't happen. I watched the monitor, much better than even TH-cam cause this was ME. After the procedure was over, my endoscopy performer stated " Okay I'm through Wake Her Up!" I flopped over onto my back , stated " I'm still awake" the people there tried to tell me I'd merely dreamed it. Nope, described where everyone was- looked over my right shoulder and there was the Anesthesia Guy, red- faced and cowering.in the corner. Hey, NBD. I truly enjoyed it- if it HAD to Happen- I was cool with it. You know I counted myself blessed to be in America where they don't do it with patient sitting up in a chair like a dental chair. Incidently my next such procedure I was given enough sedation to stop a plow horse in its tracks- no more Oopsies for ME, at least at This Hospital. And thats my story, such as it Is! Still gingerly red hair after 76 years on this earth!
Thanks Max for doing this wonderful and much needed update. We redheads do seem to have unusual anesthesia needs. I am a redhead (my mom has white blonde hair, and my father has copper colored red hair). Almost everyone in my family is a redhead. Strangely, I have severe sensitivities to some local anesthetics (bradycardia, hypotension, ringing in my ears, "feeling like I am going to die"). This causes unending problems with my medical care, as my symptoms are so far from normal. I am a nurse, and am quite familiar with anesthesia medications. These reactions happened when I got eye drops, local dental anesthesia, and local anesthesia for a mole removal; I know that my symptoms are definitely related to the anesthetic (that was given correctly). I am actually afraid to have surgery done; thankfully I am quite healthy. I also have a very high pain tolerance (with a pain level of 10 out of 10, I'll take an aleve, and it works for me). Keep up the good work; we redheads appreciate it.
This sheds light on so much that has happened to me. I remember having a terrifying reaction with eye drops. I started sweating and feeling really weird. It made no sense because it was just numbing eye drops!
I have white, white skin and lots of very pale freckles but my hair is dark. My ancestry is Scott and Irish. I don’t get numb at the dentist - I take the full allotted time for the anesthetic plus more and the dentist has to give me extra shots. My Mom has red hair but more of a tan skin tone and doesn’t have the same issue. So I do have red hair in my background but I have very little melanin. Just FYI. Takes forever to get numb.
Same, but I'm 1/4 native American I have mad freckles, I'm not allergic to the sun, but the red hair effect certainly affects me. I always wake up at some point, and then they kick in more.
Me too. I'm dark but my hair has a lot of red undertones and I'm pale. Dentists terrify me. I'll finally be fully frozen 2 hours after I leave the dentist.
Interesting, I had genetic testing with no inheritable genes, but I do bruise easily, lidocaine does not work, and I have a thoracic ascending aortic aneurysm. Living the life.
I love this. As a child I've woken in the middle of surgeries. I am a genetic redhead and my mother used to say there is no such thing. I've always been able to absorb or have a higher tolerance of anesthesia and pain killers. Along with that I also process pain differently. With dentists I need almost double the dose to numb or stop my pain receptors. I absolutely love what you've covered and I appreciate you dispelling the myth that red heads are no different than others. Many anesthesiologists don't ask if someone is a genetic redhead. (genetic being natural, not dyed) And it frustrates me when others around me tell me I am lying or that there is no such thing.
My mom had adenocarcinoma in her stomach, surgery took six hours, and she was in the post surgery room she wasn't able to be conscious, she was a red haired and when I told to a nurse to tell to the anesthesiologist to give her morphine, surgery was over but he stayed on her side until she was okay to go to her room. I never met him, but God bless good doctors and transform those who doesn't listen to the patients.
As both a health care provider & a frequent surgical patient who happens to be a redhead, I've known about this phenomenon for a very long time & it's appalling how few clinicians are aware of this. Very scarey! I had a total hip 3 years ago & was treated kike a drug addict.
So excited to see someone else telling others about our curse/superpower. I am a redhead and have had issues with anesthesia in the past...there is one time Igot too light during one operation. My last surgeon was a redhead and totally got it. It's so true we need more anesthesia!
Very much appreciate the extra time my anesthesiologists have taken when interviewing me pre-surgeries. Awareness has definitely improved over the last two decades.
Thank you for this. I always make sure to let my dentist and anesthesiologist know that my hair is naturally red. The last anesthesiologist I spoke with blew me off and said it was an old-wives tale. The whole reason I had said something was to ease my own anxiety, and because he blew me off, I ended up having even more anxiety just before my procedure. I know my body. I always require 3 shots before dental work, and I got sick from anesthesia after having my tonsils and adenoids removed, as well as after having my gall bladder removed.
My dad was a strawberry blond and as a child my hair was red but darkened over time. However my pain sensitivity is out of this world. Way beyond normal.
my dentist found that out the 5th time I asked for more numbing while getting a root canal. My son needs at least 3 shots before they can even start a filling. I have to ask to come in early so the dentist has the time to get him numb before his appointment! Redheaded daughter of a redheaded father. When my son grew up we learned he has a beautiful red beard!!
The first thing my anesthesiologist said when he met me was “Ah! A redhead!” And I said “So is it true?” And he said in his experience, absolutely yes. Not only that but getting IVs in us can be real tricky, which the nurse had just gone on a fishing expedition in my inner elbow right before he came along and painfully failed to place the needle and had to go for my wrist, which was still awful and left me with a massive wrap-around bruise afterwards! I have ALWAYS had a terrible time at the dentist and with blood draws/IVs, didn’t know that was cause of the same gene mutation as my red hair!
I have always needed more anesthesia. My hair was very red as a child, and got darker as I have gotten older; so now I get push back from because "your not really a red head"- but sure enough, I still need more than others. I am also weirdly allergic to the entire novocaine "cain" allergy and resistance. Always triggers a migraine. - Thank you for this video.
This is great! I'd love to see a video on anesthetic resistnace in folks with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). We often need HUGE amounts of anesthetic (on all planes of anesthesia), and opioids also often don't work to reduce our pain significantly. I have watched my past orthopedic surgery and both my past colonoscopies as they were taking place, since I woke up in the middle; and in the recovery room for another surgery, I was involuntarily screaming in 11/10 pain and required substantial additional doses of opioids!
Great idea! I would also like to mention that this isn’t 100% true across the board for patients with EDS, although it has been reported by many. I have hypermobile EDS myself, and fortunately, I’ve never experienced any issues with lowered sensitivity to any type of anesthesia. I’ve had local, moderate sedation, and general, and they all did their job well. I did experience pain during a steroid shot in my shoulder after local anesthetic was given, but I’m not sure if that was within the expected range of discomfort for that procedure, since the local anesthetic can’t block pain in all of the layers of tissue there. That said, I’ve had no issues with local anesthetic when I needed it for dental procedures. Unfortunately, I also have narcolepsy, and that can cause its own issues. When it comes to general anesthesia, I actually have the opposite problem: trouble waking up afterwards. I recently had a minor surgery (deviated septum repair + turbinate reduction). The surgery itself took around 45 minutes, but I took nearly 90 minutes to actually wake up in recovery afterwards. By the time I’d woken up, the pain meds from surgery were starting to wear off, so I woke up confused and in a lot of pain. Even though nasal surgery is a minor surgery in the grand scheme of things, the pain afterwards SUCKED! I was on around-the-clock pain meds for almost a week afterwards, and still needed occasional pain meds the following week. I do wonder if it took me longer to recover because of EDS and the way it affects healing. Thankfully, my surgeon graciously provided anything I needed, even when he had to call in a script for more pain meds on a Sunday night.
I'm a zebra too and was wondering the same. Only thing that does it to my pain is a shot of alcohol. So I don't drink then when I need it to work; it does.
Suspected EDS here, the referral is in, and now I wait 2+ years. I've found anaesthetics do not work well on me either, and nobody ever believes me, partly because I never had a reason why. I felt everything in my wisdom tooth surgery, and had a colonoscopy + endoscopy and the sedation didn't take. Frustratingly, they didn't ask for my consent to proceed without sedation, which I found unprofessional.
@@kana-is-sleepy Hey, I am suspected to have EDS, and was recently recommended a steroid shot, but also urged to research first. I found out that collagen and steroids aren't the best of friends. The Ehlers-Danlos society recommends avoiding them when possible, just so you know for the future! Super disappointing to find out, but now I've started down the rabbit hole on platelet rich plasma (PRP) prolotherapy, which seems promising.... Sharing in case this can help.
I had never heard of this until I underwent cataract surgery a year ago and with the second surgery the nurse anesthetist mentioned it. This certainly explains a lot, such as why even after being dosed with fentanyl prior to getting a spinal anesthetic, I was awake for the entire process of getting the spinal up to and including being moved to the operating table. I have talked to friends who have had the same spinal anesthetic and they were knocked out almost immediately after receiving the fentanyl or whatever sedative was given prior to instilling the spinal. I would comment that receiving the spinal was not painful and that the local anesthetic did its job but that I do remember the entire process. I was also completely knocked out for the cataract surgeries as well as a cardioversion but it took more propofol to knock me out for the cardioversion then normal. This also explains why when I received morphine for three fractured ribs, my pain level did not decrease significantly, no doubt because they were only giving me the morphine in 2 milligram increments and it just simply was not enough.
While I’m not a redhead my moms best friend is and I’ve heard all the stories from her and totally believe them so it’s nice to see this video openly talking about it. I may not have red hair but I sort of understand some of what they go through because I have sensory processing disorder so I have a very high pain tolerance as a result and because of that I had a horrible experience getting my wisdom teeth out. I was awake enough to see everything going on but not enough for the dentist to realize that I was and it totally messed me up because I felt paralyzed and powerless screaming inside but not being heard and time moved forwards in a very strange way as a result and it completely terrified/traumatized me after the fact thanks to my anxiety. I still remember hearing/seeing/feeling some of my teeth being crunched and removed and not needing any pain medication afterwards despite what I went through and that’s something I’m glad I’ll never experience again! Great video!
oof. No red hair either... I was 17 when had wisdom teeth removed long ago. Novocain, gas mask, and a shot in my arm. I did not "feel" anything but the sensation of the dental surgeon breaking up the teeth and removing them and hearing the pieces go up a suction pipe I was well aware of. I remember nearly fainting in the bathroom afterwards when I was home again. I have had a lot of more typical dental work in the decades since but that event still stands out.
In Australia they don’t typically sedate someone to have teeth removed (even wisdom teeth) so this is something I’ll have to remember if my ASD daughter has to have her wisdom teeth removed, thanks for sharing your experience.
@@alyssaoconnor Same in my country, but they can give a mild sedative pill for anxiety if needed, you just have to ask for it and be there for like 30 minutes earlier. It's absolutely better than nothing. But even more importantly, make sure she tells the doctor if the numbing injection doesn't work properly because she might need extra doses of that too! I know some people with ASD will just say what they think the other wants to hear 'cause it's easier.
@@alyssaoconnor she might be fine. I'm autistic and had a difficult tooth extraction with a local anaesthetic only. I was in the dentist's chair for over an hour. They had to remove a piece of jaw bone. The original dentist couldn't actually remove it and had to get a more experienced dentist to take over. I also had my second baby with no pain relief. 12 hours established labour with no gap between contractions for about the final 90 mins. So it's not true that we all have low pain thresholds. It's generally a good idea to tell dentists and health professionals about an autism diagnosis before procedures are performed though - in case of low pain threshold or sensory processing difference. I find having my teeth cleaned at the dentist more unpleasant than the extraction I described. The vibrating when they use the electronic tool to remove plaque is awful.
Being a red head my experience with anesthesia is also somewhat interesting: When I was about 2 years old I ended up being attacked by a dog and thus I was taken to the hospital. The hospital staff was shocked that I was still awake at chatty after one dosage, in the end, they gave me three dosages.
I sincerely hope more surgeons, to include oral surgeons, embrace your information. Years ago my daughter,every bit a ginger had her wisdom teeth out. Later that afternoon, the Dr's office called to check in her as they had given her extra drugs to keep her under. They would not discuss with me prior to surgery! One on many stories
I'm a red head and have many red heads in my family. We all need more of any pain med drug and it takes longer for it to kick in. It also wears off alot quicker. I've also woken up during surgery. While in the ER I was given an injection of fentanyl and I was still wide awake and alert. The doc couldnt understand why so he called over another doc who understood the redhead effect. I also find I need a stronger and longer dose of antibiotics. Seems most pain meds for me and all my redheaded family members find them about as useful as taking a Flintstone vitamin for pain relief. I've found most docs or dentists are not well versed in the red head effect and look at you like you have 3 heads when you tell them.
I am a natural redhead and I am so grateful you are covering this topic. It is absolutely real. The trips to the dentist are always the worst because they generally do not believe this is relevant. Thank you so much.
Yes my poor son had a very traumatic experience at the dentist. Our dentist thought it was a good idea to extract some baby teeth to make room in the mouth for permanent teeth. They didn’t numb him enough and when I saw him, I immediately knew he was not ok. All the color had drained from his face and was on the verge of passing out. We didn’t get to the car before he started vomiting. He told me that he felt all the pain. I was so furious and felt like a terrible mother for allowing that procedure.
@@judymurray191 -+I am so so sorry to hear of what you and your son were made to go through. It absolutely was no fault of yours! This was all on the dentist. The information has been out there for decades that this is valid. They should have done better by him.
I have been to red-headed dentists who agreed with me as a patient and then still refused to do more. Thankfully, my current dentist (dark brown hair) mentioned it to me before I could to him. I was impressed beyond words.
Good information. I'm not a red head, but my mom is. She recently had MOHR surgery for her nose. Everything turned out fine except that while doing the biopsy the first time she could feel more than tugging or pressure. She's had a much higher pain tolerance than most, I never thought that it was related to her hair color! Hopefully no more surgeries or biopsies needed but it's good to know for future reference.
As a redhead who’s had 11 surgeries in 2 years, I can confirm this is all true, and consistent with my surgeries. I also have way above average pain tolerance.
@@randomgoodies7181 redheads can truly say this though. It’s part of having that genetic mutation. Even in surgery we tend to require significantly less pain management than those who are not redheads.
👩🏻🦰 here! Do you all also get like NO effect from Tylenol, ibuprofen, or aspirin? I stopped taking them bc I was always waiting for it to kick in, it never did and then it was time for the next dose. I need like 2 pills of some kind of opiate a year, for like a headache or something. I can’t get Dr.s to give me any.
@@randomgoodies7181 we also have higher resistance to some viruses and bacterial infections. Comes with the territory of "anesthesia might not work, but you probably will survive :/ "
Not just red heads! We have a very strong Scottish/Irish background in our family. Some red heads, ut my mom, sister and myself have this issue with anesthesia. My dentist finally realized that I have not been entirely numb for most procedures throughout my life. It takes 3-5 injections to work on one tooth!
Im a redhead. Freckles, blue eyes, pale... the whole works. I've delivered 5 babies. Tried epidurals a couple times. Felt EVERYTHING. My babies were 8.10 pounds up to 11.5 pounds. Apparently I should've been given extra doses in the epi lol . I have also been told that redheads have higher likelihood of bleeding out. I did that too. Its all good though. Worth it for my family.
Could you do a video on the Vaishyas caste and their reaction to Anaesthetics? We have a large Indian community, and it would be informative to know more about this potential complication of having an operation.
When I was 7 i had to have a tooth pulled, and later a couple more teeth. They gave me the typical local anesthesia via needle and that extraction was traumatic, which i now realize in hindsight. I was mortified of dentist offices for years after that. This explains why it felt like there was no numbing of the pain like they told 7 year old me there would be. I'm gonna be viewed as such an asshat one day when I'm pregnant and push to get stronger epidurals etc.
I’m a redhead and I’ve definitely experienced this during local for dentistry but I’ve had three long general anaesthetics and I’ve never had an issue. I also come around really easily.
Is it possible they just didn't tell you if they needed to use higher doses? Because "coming around really easily" could mean it wore off more quickly.
This changed my family's dental experiences once we learned about the tums methods! Now it's so much easier, since we've all.been traumatized with root canals and not being numb enough, or it wears off too fast
I'm a natural dirty dark blonde with incredibly light body hair and eyebrows. If I took off my mascara, I'd have see-through blonde eyelashes. I have had two operations and a few dental procedures that required sedation and every time I needed more than usual. This resulted in me sitting through an entire filling screaming my head off (14yrs old, so no one listened at the time) because I could feel every single movement that he made with the drill. To this day, it's one of the most painful things I've ever experienced - way worse than breaking bones or trauma injuries.
This is very interesting. I'm someone who wakes up during anesthesia, and it's always been an issue for me. It also takes me a lot of lidocaine to get numb. I am not a red head, however, many people in my family are. So I wonder if the physical sign of being red haired is only one indicator of the issue with anesthesia.
That's definitely the case. It's progress on the one hand that doctors are more aware of the issue with many red-heads, but if they are convinced it can't be an issue for others too that's a step back.
I wonder the same thing! I've always had these issues. I'm blonde but my brother, niece, cousin, and uncle are redheads. I was so upset the time I was fully awake and aware during an endoscopy and gagging on the equipment, and telling them I was awake, and the doctor said, "don't listen to her. She'll never remember this." Gaaa! There has to be something that runs in a family even if you're not a redhead yourself.
You carry the recessive red hair gene. Just like I do. You don't express the hair color but the metabolism that burns off drugs is active. Just like me.
@@jennhoff03 yes, same. I remember trying to calm myself down with all the instruments down my throat telling myself if I started to gag, it would do damage to my stomach and throat. The nurse was telling me it was fine, but I could tell they didn't think I was "awake" awake. Well, I was. When I told them, they acted like I was delusional.
As a redhead, i have found that it's not just Anesthesia, but regular medications also. I've heard the term, Redhead syndrome when talking about this. Regular pain meds seem to lose their ability to work correctly after a few days. It is not as strong as the first day, and everyday after the third dose, at that point it is beneficial to skip a day and restart the cycle again.
I'm a redhead and yeah I've had to have extra anesthesia. Last month I got a pacemaker and my doc gave me local and I was not numb yet lol. Then he started procedure and I screamed anesthesia had to hit me with something to put me out. Lol My doc is now aware to give me extra.
Natural redhead here (3rd generation Irish). I first encountered this when having my wisdom teeth removed, of course I felt it/heard it throughout, because of my continued struggling, was given more local, I was just 17. I later had some minor surgeries and made CERTAIN to mention this issue. So far I have had only one medical professional - only an assistant at that same dentist, provide validation as she worked at an Irish area in South Boston where this was common. But, I did have a (not sure if it was a nurse or anesthesiologist) tell me they would monitor me the whole surgery after I stressed to them about the issue. I was doubtful. How would they know, I would be completely helpless. Horror :(
Interesting! My family are not redheads but we all have a lot of red in our hair. All of us have issues with anesthesia especially my sister. It doesn't affect the left side of her body unless given massive doses, even with an epidural.
In my family no one is a redhead but i have always had some redish tones in my light brown hair and when exposed to sun rays it is very redish. I remember having a gastroscopic endoscopy and they had to double the dose to put me under. Then i had a surgery to remove my adenoids and i remember taking at least 15 minutes to fall asleep. I was thinking the wholr time: what the hell are they doing why am i still awake? They would put something in the iv and i felt like a dizzing effect but it immeditely went away. Then they did it again and and my head was spinning longer this time but i was still awake. Then they did it again and i felt very sleepy and calm but was still awake. The fourth time the anestesiologist suddenly took my face between her hand and kindly whispered don't worry you are about to fall asleep now just relax. And after that i don't remember anything. When i woke up however i realized i was awake but couldnt move my body yet. The nurses were saying: open your eyes the surgery is over but i couldnt. That was really scary.
As the only non-redhead in my family, I can confirm that I still have this same issue. After 8 surgeries I've heard multiple times, "you needed way more anesthetic than I thought you would"
Yes, this is absolutely true for me - I have dark red hair and have been told I need much more freezing than is typical at the dentist. My mom - also a redhead - had the same problem.
Very interesting. I have a very low threshold for pain (the dentist can do very little without novocaine and can't use the stuff with epinephrine). Woke up once during knee surgery. My hair was blonde, now going gray but my father's was reddish.
Max : Unrelated - Love your videos you have taken the mystery out of anesthesia and also shocked the anesthesia team when my 84 year old father had unscheduled surgery and I was so knowledgable about the process thanks to your videos - Here is a topic I would love for you to do a video on - DNRs and specifically lifting the DNR for surgery - My father (who's surgery went great) had a DNR, and the hospital by policy lifted it for the duration of surgery as intubation and routine anesthesia activities by nature are life sustaining measures - would love a video on the subject
You already did this video a while back, but thanks for doing it again I suppose. As a red Head. I have only had one surgery, but my anesthesiologist chose Propofol over gas anesthetics, I suppose this might be why. She was an excellent anesthesiologist! I will say having lidocaine a few times for dental and sutures, it does not work well for me at all, which I find unfortunate! I have received versed twice, once before the previously mentioned surgery, and once when I needed my jaw wired shut, and both times it worked wonderfully, although for the later it was given with Fentanyl for conscious sedation, but I am not sure what dose they gave me.
Anne Marie Nestor 0 seconds ago I’ve had doctors tell me it’s just anxiety, not pain I’m feeling because they’ve numbed me thoroughly. They couldn’t possibly be more wrong. I really appreciate this video.
When I had one of my wisdom teeth out, I wasn’t given enough local anaesthetic at first. I told the dentist who replied “You should be able to feel some tugging”. I replied that I could feel the roots pulling out of my gum. Needless to say, they gave me more anaesthesia. That was fun!
I don’t have red hair but I suffer from Fibromyalgia and I have been told several times by different anesthesiologists that I require a significant higher amount of medication than usual. Have you ever encounter this situation? I would be interested in a video on how anesthesia is affected in someone with Fibromyalgia. In the US alone there is an estimated 5 million people suffering with Fibromyalgia. Thanks.
As a redhead I concur. I’ve woken up during surgeries. The last surgery I had was a lipoma excision. I told the anesthesiologist that she might need to put me under or give me more sedation as she’d informed that that was what she was planning on. She asked my I thought I’d need more. I pointed to my hair and said “this is my natural color. Us redheads generally need more knockout drugs than non redheads. She proceeded to tell me that she didn’t believe that ridiculous myth. She started to when I turned my head and saw a chunk of the lipoma tumor out and said “f*** eating chicken again”. Next thing I remember was hearing her say “oh s***” before rushing to get more propofol in me. I also have a really high pain tolerance. Even the surgeon was impressed with the fact that I only needed one or two doses of pain killers post surgery.
I've given up with dentists and just accepted that I'm going to feel whatever procedure they're doing. I never get fully numb. I have to have a surgery soon and I'm terrified lol.
Hi, I recently found out that I have a rare hemophilla type clotting disorder (factor 7 deficiency), and I would love to know the whole process of surgery/post op, with this condition as I am intrested......, if not could you do a video on it.....I love watching your videos, am from the uk (orthopedic hardwear removal might be on the cards)
@@mustlovedogs5569 Hi, well I suffer from spontaneous prolonged painless blood in urine with and with out clots episodes for a good while/years now that can vary in intensity, being mild to severe as it can include straight up pure blood, I also get joint pain hip/knee, blood spots/bruises, extreme fatigue.....they are the main sort of symtoms I get with it all, also in the past I have had spontaneous prolonged rectal bleeding with abdominal pain, spontaneously thown up blood...... weirdly though my factor 7 is mild so that is intresting as I can get sever symptoms, but am not on any treatment plan, also when the symptoms are severe I feel like I need iv iron as I feel like litteral death and cannot function
When I was a kid I smashed up my finger pretty bad and had surgery to fix it. I recall feeling a tingle which I suspect was when they sliced it open. I'd recently decided I probably felt it as I was waking up and attributed it to an earlier time during the surgery in my memory, but this suggests perhaps I actually did feel the scalpel...
As a natural redhead and I tell you that this is indeed true. Thanks for covering this. A lot of people don’t believe it. I also have a pretty high tolerance to pain killers. Weird isn’t it.
I'm not a red head but I apparently have the genes for it (thx mom), so this phenomenon affects me as well and I have to be extra vigilent to inform doctors about it before procedures. I forgot once on a surprise procedure and WOW big pain.
I do not have red hair but my siblings and dad did. Haven’t had general anesthesia in decades but at dentist, I require a lot more lidocaine than average patient. Sending this to my siblings
My daughter is a redhead and when she was 18 she had to have her appendix removed and they could not give her enough medication to give her pain relief after surgery. It was very traumatic for both of us. Also when she had dental work we would show up an hour early so she could have Valium.
My dentist said there was a class in his school about anesthesia and people with red hair so he knew about the problems. 50 years ago I had an epidural for a c-section for my first child. I felt the doctor cutting me open. It was horrific. They put me under general to finish the surgery.
Same happened to me and the surgeon was shocked that I could still lightly move my toes and lift my foot up. I could barely move but was still able. I knife going in felt for lack of better terms a cracking creepy feeling. I can still see the look of shock on the surgeons face when I spoke up and he looked down and saw movement.
Another ginger here! So delighted to see a doctor confirm what we redheads have been trying to tell them! My daughter is also a redhead. She was given so much lidocaine once to remove a melanoma spot that she started having heart problems. Why, oh why, don’t doctors listen! Thanks for addressing this.
My sister was born with red hair, but it later lightened to blonde. She had a lot of pain when having her wisdom teeth removed, and I was wondering if this was a factor in her getting a lower dosage than she needed to fully deal with the pain.
This was very interesting. I don't have red hair myself, but I have redheaded relatives on both sides of my family and a redheaded daughter. I've also noticed whenever I've received anesthesia I, just like my daughter, need a truckload of anesthetic to have any effect. I've been told many times that I needed much more than expected and can attest to that with local anesthesia. Also, it wears off much more quickly than normal. Is it possible to react like a redhead if you only have the recessive genes for redheadedness? BTW I hardly ever take OTC painkillers, and when I do, have to take the max dose for them to do any good at all.
My oldest daughter had her hair dyed black when she gave birth to her oldest, she made a point of telling the medical staff that she was a natural redhead under that black dye. Which was good to know when she eventually needed a cesarean delivery
My Dentist is a believer and knows that I will need about 3 to 4 shots to numb me up. But my GP says he has never heard or be taught that red heads need more. After nasal surgery I was asked by a nurse if I was in pain and when I said I was she gave my morphine in my IV, I felt nothing and had no decrease in my pain level.
Thank you. I don't think I have ever been properly numbed with lidocaine. The only time I did not feel awful after surgical anesthesia the anesthesiologist was a fellow redhead, and I wish I knew more about what he used so I can request it.
My grandma was a redhead. Anesthesia put her in a three-day coma just for dental work. My mom was also a redhead. She needed a lot of anesthesia but she was heavily reactive to it.
What a great relief to view and hear this video. But it has gotten me to wonder if the same criteria can be valid for PO requirements in controlling acute and/or chronic pain post injuries/surgery. I’ve been a patient at a pain clinic for almost 18 years post neurosurgeries, and fractures, and other injuries. The genes haven’t changed, but the hair is mostly whitish grey now. Thanks for your efforts to present superb instructions.
@@theanxiouslegume9280 76 year old red head going white but ppl think I’m getting streaks of blonde at the hairdressers. It is fun to being going from red to blond. Who knew.🤣🤣🤣
I wonder if this is similar to people like myself with hjs (possibly eds) needing more anaesthesia. Its great that people are looking into things like this more in recent years!
im an OR RN and have chatted extensively with anaesthesiologists about The Redheaded Thing. Not a myth, seems to be true, that redheads need more anaesthesia, bruise more, bleed more, wake up weird.
People with EDS/MCAS/POTS seem to need a great deal more local anaesthesia (my dentist goes right to FOUR TIMES the amount he normally uses). There’s also a genetic link starting to show- we’re Northern European, Scandinavians and Brits, the same genetic pool as red-heads. I wonder if there is a link.
Thank you Dr Max this is an awesome video. I have read a couple articles about this but I wasn't convinced that the fact that someone is a red head is taken seriously by an anesthesiologist. I remember when I had spine surgery and unfortunately had to have three revision surgeries all within 2 years and all under general anesthesia. Funny thing is I remember being helped to put a surgical bonnet on (I needed two because of my long hair) before each surgery AND before talking to the anesthesiologist right before I was taken back in the operating room. Is this normal? Do anesthesiologist peek under the bonnets to check hair color? Funny question but this is a fascinating topic - especially for us red heads LOL. Thank you Dr Max.
I can say that I’m not a redhead but I’ve had a bunch of surgeries and usually meet the anesthesiologist just before the surgery and before the surgery cap goes on. You were probably sedated before surgery but they usually have your hair covered before you are wheeled into the operating room. That’s my experience. Maybe different protocol in different countries.
Very interesting topic. My mom has woken up during surgery, and she has strawberry blonde hair. Now I wonder if this red hair situation had something to do with it.
I’m a redhead and I have woken up twice when under general anesthesia during surgery. The first was when I was 6 years old (in the 1980) and the second more recently. Neither anesthesiologist had ever had a patient wake up during surgery and they were pretty freaked out about it.
Waking up under a full general anaesthetic is extremely rare and due to doctor incompetence rather than hair colour. Bests on it didn’t happen. People think they wake up during but it is the end and they meant to wake up
@@mustlovedogs5569 I definitely woke up under general anesthesia. Twice. Once was in the 1980s. I was only 6 but I remember it clearly because it was traumatic. The anesthesiologist and surgeon both told my parents how shocked they were that it happened and they apologized. A lot. They knew I woke up and they were honest and up front about it. I woke up during a shoulder surgery about 14 years ago also. The surgeon and anesthesiologist were up front and honest about it. They knew I would remember because I was awake and panicked. They apologized as well. The anesthesiologist obviously didn’t want to be sued. I didn’t want to cause any problems for him either. But both were put in my chart. My parents got copies of it so we could let other anesthesiologist know if I needed surgery as I got older. Back in the 80s they didn’t mention anything about red hair. There had been no studies on redheads and anesthesia at that point. The one 14 years ago they did mention red hair. I have had many surgeries since and every anesthesiologist has commented on how they had to give me significantly more than most patients my size. They all said it must be that gene that goes along with red hair. I have been sedated for procedures recently, the thing is the side they did nerve ablations on in my neck they couldn’t get me sedated and I remember the whole thing and screaming at one point and crying the rest of the time. I felt really bad because they felt bad I didn’t actually respond to the sedation. I went back the next week to have the other side done and they used 50% more medication to try and sedate me but I still remember the whole thing and how painful it was. I was able to stay calmly that time though. They could tell by my vitals and the fact that I talked to them coherently the whole time that 8 wasn’t really sedated. They also said it was a redhead thing but that they hadn’t ever had anyone quite as resistant as I was. I have no ide why I am so resistant to sedation other than what all the doctors say about it being the gene that goes a,one with being a red head.
I've only had one general anesthesia experience which left me sick for days. But in general as a redhead I've experienced higher metabolism of medications, I need less but more often, especially regarding pain medications. Cold medicine is like this too, I'm much better off taking 1 dayquil instead of 2 but taking the other half dose about 20 min before the directed redose time
I'm a redhead but I also have Ehler's Danlos Syndrome so I haven't a hope. I just have to deal with a certain level of pain in everything. Including getting stitched after birth. Breast feeding with the baby attached was impossible for me. My skin is so stretchy that it just wouldn't work and was beyond excruciating. I've felt teeth being pulled, I feel very little from pain medication and have mad tolerance to everything including alcohol.
LOL did the fear most have, WOKE UP as my foot was being sawed. Asked "Am I supposed to be awake?" The foot Dr. "PUT HER BACK UNDR NOW!!" Now there's a note in my chart.
My husband who is a natural red head, needs minimal anesthesia. When he got his wisdom teeth removed, the oral surgeon kept commenting on how easy it must be for him to get drunk. “One beer and he’s buzzed.” All is very true.
Usually redheads could metabolize liquor faster so maybe he doesn’t carry the gene. In other words they can many times drink others until “they are under the table.” I never was a drinker thankfully.😊
Thank you for this video. As a redhead I’ve always maxed out Novocain (Caine-family) medications for dental procedures. I’ve also been painfully aware during 2 major moderate sedation procedures. And lastly, I was told after my first general anesthesia surgery to inform future anesthesiologists to request my anesthesia records (if needed) because I had emergence from anesthesia during an appendectomy. Thankfully, I don’t remember that. Must have given some good benzodiazepines, or whatever they used. My fear now is an upcoming very long back surgery (ALIF/PLIF) where I’m terrified of emerging enough to know or feel. Watching other videos of yours has given me enough confidence that my vitals will give a good indication if I’m getting close to consciousness, as well as the EEG. If I’m being honest about my now dark hair not being the red that it is under the dye that’ll help. But, my fair skin, transparent lashes, and freckles should give it away despite the dye. ☺️
Hi Max, thank you for yet another interesting video. Do you think this might also be applicable to animals? My dog recently underwent surgery and needed about twice the normal dosage to be put under general anesthesia. I attributed this to anxiety-induced elevated adrenaline levels, until I saw this video and thought: hold on a sec... my dog's fur is just a few shades short of tangerine 🤔 So if you ever catch up with Dr. Wypart, please do cross-check this with her 😉
I can absolutely confirm this. I received lidocaine years ago for Sarge gash that required 20 stitches. The doctor at the time was very new and gave a low dose. After increasing the dose three times I was still feeling everything and decided to deal with it instead of spending the entire day in the ER getting stitches.
How much genetics do you work with? Different people have different amounts and variations of fase 1 and 2 enzymes (due to lifestyle and genetics), leading to different effectiveness and elimination capabilities. Do you tailor anesthesia to the patient's genetics or do you just adjust it "on the spot" ?
@@pegaseg70 yes, that happens, and it could be because of several reasons. He could be on the spectrum of being an ultra metabolizer, where his body makes more enzymes (could also be more effective than normal). He could also be taking a medication that induces certain enzymes (makes the body produce more => faster metabolism) or he could be doing something else that induces enzymes, such as smoking, eating burnt food, smoking, or abusing alcohol. Anyways, this increased metabolism could result in faster elimination, or faster metabolism to an active form (prodrug to active substance or drug to more active substance and yes of course, the usual active substance to inactive substance that could be eliminated easier). There are other genetic variations, that's why i asked my question.
I wish this was more than anecdotal in medical teachings. I'm a redhead and have woken up during a procedure while under general anesthesia more than once. Same with local during dental procedure etc. And I become alert after very quickly.
Wow that’s amazing amazing! And great info!! I love red hair, I’ve never had red hair tho lol 😂, it’s nice! I really enjoy donating to the anesthesiologist Foundation since it was hard for me to go to college to be a anesthesiologist because of my cerebral palsy! You rock man! I alway learn a lot from you!
Interesting. I’ve had a lot of surgery. Initially the post surgery interview from the anaesthetist concentrated on my use of alcohol and drugs (minimal) because I needed quite alot administered. The other issue I’ve had is not presenting with adequate pain during trauma (ie triaged as low needs - but on review end up in an emergency situation). I’ve spoken with a number of red heads who’ve experienced the same issue - I’m convinced my body produces a natural anaesthesia. I call it the Viking effect (hit us with an axe and we can keep running because we don’t feel traumatic pain). A video on the management of cold urticaria would be fabulous ! Next video pls
Everyone has anxiety though. We are born with it. I am not a doctor so I dont claim expertise but in context I dont think it matters in terms of medication itself. It could matter in how well you respond to it to maybe a small degree but that is such a grey area. I have been under general anesthesia before a couple times and I am not in favor of being a patient at all. What I remember is that being in the OR can bring up your anxiety. You dont need to be diagnosed with the uncontrolled anxiety (as most of society can control their anxiety). I was told to try and calm down but even when I didn't, the doctors managed to put me to sleep anyway. Took them a whole 10 seconds before I fell asleep. So I cant see it being more then a consideration. I get anxious with unknowns and being put to sleep was certainly one of them. If you watch other videos and what they mention here. What they look at is often physical, not mental. Which when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Red hair is physical and that even is a consideration. Other videos its often body weight and height. Plus existing medical conditions and in past videos he has mentioned the type of surgery seems to matter a lot. Even when I watched Dr Terry Dubrow do a surgery, what he mentioned was a physical factor when putting a patient to sleep. As its the physical body responding to the medication, not our mentality. Watching other videos he makes would tell you lots about goes into it. I think about his comment that red hair is taken into consideration, I would think anxiety is that too. But I doubt it would be the determining factor if you need more anesthesia because being in a hospital can bring up anxiety on its own and you dont need to be a anxious person to feel that way in such a place. People get anxious walking into a dental office! Where they wont be anxious anywhere else. If anxiety determined if you needed more anesthesia, they would go through a whole lot of mediation for every patient who became anxious being inside the hospital. I hate to say, I think about my aunt who had to get both her hips replaced (for the fourth time). She had severe arthritis and had many joints replaced multiple times in the course of 33 years. One prior surgery that had to fuse her neck to her spine. She needed another hip replacement and due to that one surgery, she could not be put to sleep due to the airways. She had an epidural and probably other things to help. I would think it was not a common occurrence for the anesthesiologist. She was awake the entire surgery! I couldn't imagine the anxiety she must have had!! I think she would have much preferred being put to sleep.
@@luxthesarcastic1027 we just have a different shade of " just 🙂 fine" and it's ever so nice when it is achieved. Incidently I asked my orthopedic, suspect I've paid his way on a cruise a couple times, why I'm going to sleep for procedures . His answer " I don't want comments from the peanut gallery like " Dr so and so DOESN'T use that technique on TH-cam!" He knows ME pretty well, doesn't he?"
This can be very frustrating. My BF has SJS, and we get nurses that have only read a little about it and think he only gets hives if he has a pain med that will induce a TENS reaction. It is always a relief when we get a doctor who has actually encountered a case. Pain management is soooo important.
I work in a kitchen and cut my thumb pretty bad, so I had to go to the hospital. The doctor shot my with some anesthetics in my thumb, but he shot my 5 times. I was getting worried but now I think it makes sense 🤔 This is a topic that doesn’t come up that often so I love that you’ve made this video, it warms my heart!
This is still anecdotal, but I have always needed extra anesthesia to get the job done. I've never been put under but I've had several dental procedures and I always need three or four shots before I can't feel them working on me. I've also spoken with several anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists and they all have stated that their experience has unequivocally shown redheads need more. We're just too damn stubborn to be put out 🤣🤣
I had a relative with end stage liver disease, was clean and sober for 8 years and doing well until the last year of life. Confusion first, then swelling. Doctors wouldn't do a drain for the swelling, although it had been done before when the liver disease was first diagnosed 8 years ago. They said it wasn't bad enough for a drain so the relative requested hospice but didn't live long enough for the paperwork to get done.
I had a patient once that was telling me pre-op that she had very weird reactions to medications. As she told me about it (with her family in the room), I asked her if she had any redheads in her family? She stated that she was one, but her sister convinced her to dye it! I think she was so relieved to have someone believe her. Told her and her family about "Redhead Syndrome". Often require more anesthesia, and can be bleeders as well. People are very unique.
WHAat?
I have auburn hair
Requested an epidermal with the last pregnancy
Knew I wasn’t going to be present for the birth- God is always right
Acquired Hemophilia - had a boy
Survived to say the least
@@WinstonSmithGPT mcr-1 gene
Good Physicians ask if a patient was born with red hair, or if any family members have red hair. My red hair went completely white ( due to shock and almost dying) after I bleed out when losing my son full term at 29 years old. For over 44 years with over 29 poor Physicians I was not believed even once that I was a "bleeder" including by a Hematologist Specialist, even with red hair, being half Irish with a father with orange hair, and after losing 13 babies! I was not once taken seriously, or correctly diagnosed with a rare Platelet function disorder. Finally a young female Intern in ER while I was bleeding out again ordered basic blood tests and identified I had to have a rare blood disorder.It took years of genetic testing to find out which type. I had repeatedly told ALL doctors and my family I fully understood what they were saying, doing, and felt pain while sedated, and grabbed their arms, including recently while intubated after several skull fractures in ICU. Good Physicians ask many questions, personally take and listen to their patients history, and honestly do their jobs including for female patients to be taken as seriously as male patients. Poor Physicians don't care to take the necessary time to ask the necessary questions, or understand differences with gender and heritages of their patients. I'm now finally closely followed by one of the best Hematologists in Canada and her team that takes women's conditions seriously in the bleeding and blood disorder clinic in Kingston Ontario thank god!
THANK you for saying bleeders. In the olden days, 1978, I had my first child. Epidurals were becoming very popular but we had no insurance so we couldn't afford it. Also, being 19 for a whole week & so very mature and married, I knew pretty much everything and figured it couldn't be that bad. I don't need no stinkin' epidural. My grandmother's had six kids without even a doctor. Sooooooooo. I was wrong and it &#@*?=!@ HURT. I remember as I was in the delivery room, certain that death was near, I heard my Nurse tell a student to make sure to have the "pit" ready, drawn up and waiting. The student asked and the nurse told her to look at me. My screaming drowned out the rest. Then 1980, same thing exactly. Even same nurse, different student. Again, "You want to have the pit drawn up and waiting. The doctor is going to ask for it NOW because she is going to......". No insurance, no epidural, plenty of screaming. Now though I had the wisdom of a 20 year old. After it was over, I was in my room and my nurse, Cookie (best nurse I've ever known), came in and I asked her about it. I knew about pitocin and it's uses but why was she predicting an emergency? She kind of laughed but told me that while new doctors poo poo this as a wives tale, older docs have become true believers. When the laboring patient is a redhead, especially a blue eyed redhead, and they have very long thigh bones, as soon as the baby is born the patient is going to start bleeding and it will be bleeding that falls between excessive and hemorrhage. Between the birth of child and placenta , long thighed redheads can bleed to death. The pitocin hastens delivery of placenta and keeps uterus firm.
I became an RN and all through school I quizzed L & D docs and nurses. Those with some years of experience said "Oh yes, while there is no literature, no scientific explanation, it is still a fact." My instructors talked about butting heads with residents and new baby OB's who refused to be ready. During the rest of my career, I never heard an experienced doc poo poo or question a patient who described bizarre reactions to anything when that patient was a redhead or if male and blond, had a red beard.
I have to hold my head just right next to the lights or just bring my mom when I go to the ER, denstist or in for surgery. my hair is redish brown and my mom is a full on ginger. I react to things like her.
I’m a redhead and have experience this on more that one occasion. If I mention it to the anesthesiologist they sometimes look at me like I’ve grown two heads. I’m glad it’s being talked about more now.
I'm a redhead, not only do I require a larger amount of anesthesia, but I come out of surgery fast and throwing up. I always tell the anesthesiologist. Most will give me an additional medication during surgery to take the sickness away.
The wise doctor will listen to his/her patients.
This has been known for at least 30 years. My whole career as a Critical Care RN, RRT, patients with red head and other peoples genetic differences require more or very little pain medication to arrive at the same pain relief goal. This information is not new.
@@dianahinkley9082 I throw up too an always ask for a scopolamine patch and Zofran.
@@lisanetgark415 may I ask what other genetic differences? IE people with different eye colour in each eye or brown eyes etc this is really interesting! (If you don't mind answering question that is )
As a redhead, I can agree 100% Any time I go to the Dentist for a procedure that requires a numbing shot, I generally need 2 or 3 injections to be fully numb.
I never get completely numb. I have to take a Xanax to get through it.
Same! 2-3 every time, and it takes a long time start to have an effect. I always warn the dentist about it.
At the dentist, I just grit my teeth and bear it😂
Same! It takes at least 2 injections for me, often more, for me to get numb and it takes forever to take effect. Even then I’m not always completely numb, just numb enough that I no longer feel that much pain and I just tell the dentist to go ahead because it’s taking so long to get me completely numb.
Luckily I have a really good dentist that was already aware of the effect and had read the studies before I became a patient. He’s always been really careful about managing my pain during procedures, and never tries to rush or to proceed before I tell him I’m numb enough.
Same here. I had one procedure that I was awake for and I was not supposed to be. Not a surgery thank goodness but the camera down my throat made it so I couldn’t tell them. It was awful as on top of that, he yelled at me during , not realizing something was wrong
I'm a redhead and during surgery I heard everything the nurses and doctors were discussing while under anesthesia. I told the doctors this during recovery and they didn't believe me, so I told them what was said. Needless to say, everyone was surprised. Also, after given an epidural during childbirth, I could feel all the pain anyway.
Also 👩🏻🦰 here. My epidural was pretty good, but they gave me my own button to control my own drugs, but there was a cutoff point where it would not dispense any more. I couldn’t feel it that much, but I def could still move my legs.
I had 5 epidurals during labor. None of them worked. None!!!!
@@jill4806 My dad's a redhead, but I'm a sort of reddish brunette, but show all the same issues. I had one critical surgery that *required* an epidural so that the piece of anatomy they were removing would not be "in pain" when removed. (Theoretically, phantom limb syndrome is linked to the message that the missing limb was sending the brain at the time of removal. If your big toe was itchy, you'll have an itchy phantom toe. If it was in agony, you'll experience periods of agony....).... in my case the epidural didn't work, and I woke up from the surgery in agony (they thought I'd be good for 72 hours before I would need pain meds). Unfortunately there are no do-overs for removing anatomy in agony. Now I'm faced with the exact pain for which the anatomy was removed, but with no solution.
@@LadyLithias I'm so sorry you're dealing with the life changing and life dominating chronic pain. I had a brain tumor removed and I had a similar post op experience. I live one day at a time. Each day is dictated by how much pain I have. It's changed me in every way. I hope you have the best possible life you can and somehow, someday soon there's a true treatment for chronic pain. Best wishes and you're in my thoughts and prayers. Keep fighting.🌥️🏝️
@@jill4806 Thank you so much, I appreciate the kind words. Luckily for me I'm not really bitter about it. In fact, this video and this comment stream made me realize that likely I've got a lot of the genetic makeup of a redhead and my surgeon probably just didn't give me *enough* but it's not his fault if this genetic tendency doesn't require a person to *be* an in-your-face redhead like my dad is/was. Pretty sure that when I had the surgery I was sporting pink, purple, orange, green, blue, teal and other exotic colors. Just not red, as my hair won't hold red coloring. All other colors. Just not red.
I’m red haired, like most of mums family. I had a hip replacement under spinal anaesthetic as I’m scared of general anesthesia. About an hour into surgery I started to feel sharp tugging where the surgeon was working. The anesthesiologist was very surprised it was wearing off so fast but gave me a shot of fentanyl to twilight me while the surgeon finished. I was wide awake again as they wheeled me into recovery which they didn’t expect!
My wife is exactly the same. I think she's 3/4 Irish, lol.
This is scary scary stuff. I should say, glad you're on the mend or have already healed from your procedures.
I was having a colonoscopy and I started waking up in the start of it. Doctor was surprised, got more gas to put me out.
Yeah, the body rapidly chews up and spits out the pain meds.
I needed some Xanax for and MRI. I learned that one pill was useless. Ending up needing 3 pills and they were shocked.
Thank you - great video. My girlfriend is a redhead and had two cataract surgeries. The first, the anesthesiologist was very familiar with the “Redhead Effect” and gave appropriate medication. The second anesthesiologist felt the redhead effect was “myth”. My girlfriend had an awful experience, feeling the pain through the entire procedure. Keep up the good work. You do very interesting and educational videos.
Yeah Frank with both of mine- I felt intense pressure, not pain but I was ready to tell my surgeon " I Can't Stand THIS!" at that exact millisecond my Eye Surgeon Said " And we're all done!"
Makes me sad to think of all the redheads he dismissed and perhaps put them through avoidable consequences.
My wife went through a C-section and woke up really early. I snuck into the recovery room at just the right time (for her), but I was soundly bounced from the area ... but not before I told them that she was going to need a little extra juice. God love her!
Same happened to me during cataract surgery! I raised my hand and asked for more.
its good to know there are anesthesia for cataract surgery. Not red head, but I have the genetics and fucking hell - have a dentist drill through your jaw and be like "he's fine. We numbed him up." Word of advice - DONT GET MEDICAL DONE IN TEXAS. Fukin freaks
As a female redhead in my late fifties, I have resigned myself to not being believed about anything I tell my doctors. It would be awesome for the gaslighting to just stop. Thank you for this.
I think you need to toughen up and speak up about it! You really want to be in SURGICAL pain just because they haven't heard of it? Really??? I've discussed it with my doctor at the first mention of any surgery. It's not a last minute thing. I won't be reclining in pre-op worrying about this at this point in my life (I am 50).
A tougher, more outspoken redhead you will never meet, but there is no way to overcome bias, especially if it is wrapped in misogyny and ageism. Many of the doctors I have recently encountered have been taught to think like computers. They are highly specialized and treat only the issue in front of them. That does not allow for any consideration of the patient’s past experiences.
I faint on airplanes, but most doctors won’t give me the medicine to prevent it because even though I use it sparingly, others don’t. I must suffer because of illnesses others have. I am just a statistic.
I have recently found a good GP. I look forward to putting some of this poor treatment behind me by once again building a relationship of trust. Fingers crossed my new GP sticks around for a while.
@@SirenaSpades
Ditto. I've had severe pain, but of course, the clinician had me pee in a cup to prove I'm not a drug addict. My pain was left untreated.
@King The magic ability to not be believed by medical staff or the magic ability to need different quantities of medication than non-redheaded people? No idea about the first one, but possibly for the second one -- depends upon genetics and it's something I'd mention to my doctors were I you.
@@SirenaSpades way to add on to their trauma and gaslighting
I'm a red head and I've woken up in almost every surgery I've ever had. The last surgery my anesthesiologist was amazing and tracked my brain waves to watch for wakening and I didn't wake up. I also don't have any of that twilight time when waking up...I go from out to fully awake and scare recovery nurses almost every time
"If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." - Lord Kelvin #brainmonitoring #goldilocksfoundation
@@opioid.free.anesthesia Just because my car doesn't have an mpg monitor, doesn't mean I can't remove cargo to improve mpg.
My first surgery I jumped straight up the moment they took me to recovery. I had had an epidural and wasn’t supposed to be able to move but I only felt like my feet were cold.
Not a redhead but after a cardiac ablation I popped up and started to,ask the Doc's how it went .They had to scramble to remove the ETT so I could talk
I had a myomectomy back in 2019. The anesthesiologist came in and as soon as she saw my red hair she goes “shit, I hope I have enough drugs ready for you”. One of my nurses heard her say that and asked her why she said that. She explained to her that redheads typically need more anesthesia than others because of a genetic mutation. The nurse thought that was a myth. She found out it wasn’t. She was the only nurse in the room when I woke up. I sat straight up and asked what time it was. She jumped about 2 feet in the air and dropped her clipboard.
As a redhead, I can also attest to this. I've been very fortunate that most of my anesthesiologists were well aware of this "myth" and treated me appropriately. Those who didn't quite buy into it, were educated quickly as soon as they began prepping me. I also have a very high pain tolerance. I guess the two go hand-in-hand.
How u have high pain tolerance and need extra numbing
@@memenazi7078 has to do with genetics of those that have red heads. The doctor literally explained that in the video
As a blonde wth two red headed children, I also have this problem with anaesthesia. I’ve been told when having dental surgery “I’ve put enough in to sedate a horse” . Funny thing is my hair changed colour from blonde to blonde with red streaks naturally when I was Pregnant with those two children and yes those two children need more anaesthetic than non red heads.
You can get a copy of the gene from your parent without red hair expression because it is a recessive trait, but that doesn't mean the neighboring weird pain numbing gene isn't there being weird.
sometimes your hair does change color with hormone changes, not just fading as you age. My hair has a 'coppery amber' highlights in it, which I guess is the red gene. Not a ginger, by no means. But under certain lights, the coloration can be apparent. But from the video, it's the gene mutation which can viewed by the person with those colors. But my brother for whatever reason, grows a red beard, and his head hair is not reddish at all
I'm a natural dirty dark blonde with incredibly light body hair and eyebrows. If I took off my mascara, I'd have see-through blonde eyelashes. I have had two operations and a few dental procedures that required sedation and every time I needed more than usual. This resulted in me sitting through an entire filling screaming my head off (14yrs old, so no one listened at the time) because I could feel every single movement that he made with the drill. To this day, it's one of the most painful things I've ever experienced - way worse than breaking bones or trauma injuries.
@@splendidpursuits genetics is more than just you can't. There is always a probability especially when there is as many as 8billion+ people on Earth that are constantly being renewed and added upon
That's not reassuring as I am also blonde and have an immunity to most anesthesia and going in for dental surgery in a couple days. My family has redheads a couple of cousins and a nephew. I'd have never thought that would be a factor
As a redhead, I think there should also be more studies into the after effects. I had a c-section with my daughter. I made sure to let the anesthesiologist know that I was a natural red head and did not react well to anesthesia. He was great about taking me seriously. But it took me 8 HOURS to recover from the anesthesia and they had to keep me in observation because I wasn't recovering well. My right side recovered but my left was still fully numb. They brought in a neruologist and it was decided that it had to do with that mutated gene. Same for the dentist. I had to have a partial root canal and received the max amount of numbing. I still felt the pain and was crying the whole time. Luckily my dentist was nice and tried to work fast. I cracked a tooth that had to be pulled and they again, gave me the max amount. The dentist told me he could give me more but that it wouldn't do anything. It took FOUR assistants holding me down and me screaming like I was being murdered while he took the tooth out. The pain was so bad that I lost my lunch after he pulled it.
Wow, you have a spectacular amount of anesthesia resistance. When I was having a cavity filled, I was given a normal dose of local anesthesia and immediately felt the harsh pain of the drilling on my tooth. After the third dose I was completely numb and the procedure went by painlessly, but my face was left numb for the next 6-8 hours!
Sorry to hear this! I've had similar issues and was told NEVER Novocaine, but the slower acting stuff without Epinephrine.
You were undertreated. No question. Much love your way.
Aw. That hurts to even read
Went through something very similar
I’m not a redhead but carry the gene, and always need more anaesthetic for every procedure I’ve had done, local, general and sedation. Was my biggest fear with my last surgery under sedation, that they wouldn’t give me enough and I’d wake up. Thankfully I didn’t!
I'm so glad you posted this. I'm not redheaded, but my grandmother was. I am going to make sure my doctors know this in the future.
@@bun04y Same! I'm so glad to see someone else say this. I have red undertones and 3 out of my 5 children are redheaded. I've always had issues with anesthesia.
As a redhead, any time I need either general or local anesthesia, I always ask if they know about The Redhead Effect. One doctor, doing a needle biopsy on my thyroid, didn't believe me, until I wouldn't let him stick the needle in because I could still feel it. He became a believer, when it took a lot more than he was used to having to use.
That's really disappointing that you had to do that. I've read about this in about 3-4 trivia books. If its in a trivia book, it should be part of actual medical training!!
my dad is an OR nurse, came home one day hollering “youll never believe this! we were cuttin on a guy and they didnt give him enough anesthesia and he woke right up during the surgery!”
what a nightmare for everyone im sure
Obviously this is not the point of your post, but lucky you for getting anesthesia for your thyroid biopsy. I had one last year and they just used ice to "numb" it. 😂🥲 (Note: Also a redhead, and thankfully one with a high pain tolerance!)
Well yeah it is true. Let me tell my story- was having an endoscopy- in my case an EGJ because post bypass my duodenum is pretty inaccessible. Was prepped, bite block in place, tube after back of throat numbed nicely in place, Anesthesia ( I suspect a resident) stated" you'll be going to sleep shortly". Okay- there I am , on my left side and peacefully waiting & waiting- and it didn't happen. I watched the monitor, much better than even TH-cam cause this was ME. After the procedure was over, my endoscopy performer stated " Okay I'm through Wake Her Up!" I flopped over onto my back , stated " I'm still awake" the people there tried to tell me I'd merely dreamed it. Nope, described where everyone was- looked over my right shoulder and there was the Anesthesia Guy, red- faced and cowering.in the corner. Hey, NBD. I truly enjoyed it- if it HAD to Happen- I was cool with it. You know I counted myself blessed to be in America where they don't do it with patient sitting up in a chair like a dental chair.
Incidently my next such procedure I was given enough sedation to stop a plow horse in its tracks- no more Oopsies for ME, at least at This Hospital. And thats my story, such as it Is! Still gingerly red hair after 76 years on this earth!
The same happened to me when I had an endoscopy (never again) - I felt like I couldn't breath.
I had endoscopy done while sitting up, not even with a sedative, just the numbing spray.... that didn't work properly. It was a nightmare.
Thanks Max for doing this wonderful and much needed update. We redheads do seem to have unusual anesthesia needs. I am a redhead (my mom has white blonde hair, and my father has copper colored red hair). Almost everyone in my family is a redhead. Strangely, I have severe sensitivities to some local anesthetics (bradycardia, hypotension, ringing in my ears, "feeling like I am going to die"). This causes unending problems with my medical care, as my symptoms are so far from normal. I am a nurse, and am quite familiar with anesthesia medications. These reactions happened when I got eye drops, local dental anesthesia, and local anesthesia for a mole removal; I know that my symptoms are definitely related to the anesthetic (that was given correctly). I am actually afraid to have surgery done; thankfully I am quite healthy. I also have a very high pain tolerance (with a pain level of 10 out of 10, I'll take an aleve, and it works for me). Keep up the good work; we redheads appreciate it.
I am a redhead, too, and also have a high tolerance for pain. I had heard many years ago that high pain tolerance was also common in redheads.
This sheds light on so much that has happened to me. I remember having a terrifying reaction with eye drops. I started sweating and feeling really weird. It made no sense because it was just numbing eye drops!
I have white, white skin and lots of very pale freckles but my hair is dark. My ancestry is Scott and Irish. I don’t get numb at the dentist - I take the full allotted time for the anesthetic plus more and the dentist has to give me extra shots. My Mom has red hair but more of a tan skin tone and doesn’t have the same issue. So I do have red hair in my background but I have very little melanin. Just FYI. Takes forever to get numb.
Me too
Same, but I'm 1/4 native American I have mad freckles, I'm not allergic to the sun, but the red hair effect certainly affects me. I always wake up at some point, and then they kick in more.
Me too. I'm dark but my hair has a lot of red undertones and I'm pale. Dentists terrify me. I'll finally be fully frozen 2 hours after I leave the dentist.
This is also common in something called H EDS. Thats Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It might be worth doing some reading on.
Interesting, I had genetic testing with no inheritable genes, but I do bruise easily, lidocaine does not work, and I have a thoracic ascending aortic aneurysm. Living the life.
I love this. As a child I've woken in the middle of surgeries. I am a genetic redhead and my mother used to say there is no such thing. I've always been able to absorb or have a higher tolerance of anesthesia and pain killers. Along with that I also process pain differently. With dentists I need almost double the dose to numb or stop my pain receptors. I absolutely love what you've covered and I appreciate you dispelling the myth that red heads are no different than others. Many anesthesiologists don't ask if someone is a genetic redhead. (genetic being natural, not dyed) And it frustrates me when others around me tell me I am lying or that there is no such thing.
My mom had adenocarcinoma in her stomach, surgery took six hours, and she was in the post surgery room she wasn't able to be conscious, she was a red haired and when I told to a nurse to tell to the anesthesiologist to give her morphine, surgery was over but he stayed on her side until she was okay to go to her room.
I never met him, but God bless good doctors and transform those who doesn't listen to the patients.
As both a health care provider & a frequent surgical patient who happens to be a redhead, I've known about this phenomenon for a very long time & it's appalling how few clinicians are aware of this. Very scarey! I had a total hip 3 years ago & was treated kike a drug addict.
Same here. The only
Anesthesia person who didn't doubt me was one in Charlottesville, VA. ⁸
Yeah there’s nothing like being accused of being a closet addict as a reason for your resistance, hey? Been there.
I hate that happened to you. It's always scary but when the doctors act like they don't belive you, it's worse.
*scary
@@kellenfurter *believe
So excited to see someone else telling others about our curse/superpower. I am a redhead and have had issues with anesthesia in the past...there is one time Igot too light during one operation. My last surgeon was a redhead and totally got it. It's so true we need more anesthesia!
This explains so much, including my experiences at the dentist. Thank you for doing this.
Me too. I have had a dentist be incredulous that I was still in strong pain despite two injections.
@@KB4QAA just two? My normal is shot or two, test, another shot or two, maybe a fifth. Then my whole face is numb and eye and eyebrow are twitching.
@@DougKremer I had two shots and was still trying to lurch out of the chair with every step the dentist made.
@@KB4QAA yikes, so sorry.
I'd never been numbed until my current dentist... Multiple root canals feeling everything.😭😭😭 EDS here
Very much appreciate the extra time my anesthesiologists have taken when interviewing me pre-surgeries.
Awareness has definitely improved over the last two decades.
Thank you for this. I always make sure to let my dentist and anesthesiologist know that my hair is naturally red. The last anesthesiologist I spoke with blew me off and said it was an old-wives tale. The whole reason I had said something was to ease my own anxiety, and because he blew me off, I ended up having even more anxiety just before my procedure. I know my body. I always require 3 shots before dental work, and I got sick from anesthesia after having my tonsils and adenoids removed, as well as after having my gall bladder removed.
My dad was a strawberry blond and as a child my hair was red but darkened over time. However my pain sensitivity is out of this world. Way beyond normal.
I'm a redhead, and this not only applies to sedation, but to numbing agents as well.
my dentist found that out the 5th time I asked for more numbing while getting a root canal. My son needs at least 3 shots before they can even start a filling. I have to ask to come in early so the dentist has the time to get him numb before his appointment! Redheaded daughter of a redheaded father. When my son grew up we learned he has a beautiful red beard!!
The first thing my anesthesiologist said when he met me was “Ah! A redhead!” And I said “So is it true?” And he said in his experience, absolutely yes. Not only that but getting IVs in us can be real tricky, which the nurse had just gone on a fishing expedition in my inner elbow right before he came along and painfully failed to place the needle and had to go for my wrist, which was still awful and left me with a massive wrap-around bruise afterwards! I have ALWAYS had a terrible time at the dentist and with blood draws/IVs, didn’t know that was cause of the same gene mutation as my red hair!
I have always needed more anesthesia. My hair was very red as a child, and got darker as I have gotten older; so now I get push back from because "your not really a red head"- but sure enough, I still need more than others. I am also weirdly allergic to the entire novocaine "cain" allergy and resistance. Always triggers a migraine. - Thank you for this video.
Thank you for this video! I am a redhead! I had to remind a nurse one time about this and she said oh yes you're right!
This is great! I'd love to see a video on anesthetic resistnace in folks with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). We often need HUGE amounts of anesthetic (on all planes of anesthesia), and opioids also often don't work to reduce our pain significantly. I have watched my past orthopedic surgery and both my past colonoscopies as they were taking place, since I woke up in the middle; and in the recovery room for another surgery, I was involuntarily screaming in 11/10 pain and required substantial additional doses of opioids!
I'd love to know about EDS patients and anaesthesia too.
Great idea! I would also like to mention that this isn’t 100% true across the board for patients with EDS, although it has been reported by many. I have hypermobile EDS myself, and fortunately, I’ve never experienced any issues with lowered sensitivity to any type of anesthesia. I’ve had local, moderate sedation, and general, and they all did their job well.
I did experience pain during a steroid shot in my shoulder after local anesthetic was given, but I’m not sure if that was within the expected range of discomfort for that procedure, since the local anesthetic can’t block pain in all of the layers of tissue there. That said, I’ve had no issues with local anesthetic when I needed it for dental procedures.
Unfortunately, I also have narcolepsy, and that can cause its own issues. When it comes to general anesthesia, I actually have the opposite problem: trouble waking up afterwards. I recently had a minor surgery (deviated septum repair + turbinate reduction). The surgery itself took around 45 minutes, but I took nearly 90 minutes to actually wake up in recovery afterwards. By the time I’d woken up, the pain meds from surgery were starting to wear off, so I woke up confused and in a lot of pain.
Even though nasal surgery is a minor surgery in the grand scheme of things, the pain afterwards SUCKED! I was on around-the-clock pain meds for almost a week afterwards, and still needed occasional pain meds the following week. I do wonder if it took me longer to recover because of EDS and the way it affects healing. Thankfully, my surgeon graciously provided anything I needed, even when he had to call in a script for more pain meds on a Sunday night.
I'm a zebra too and was wondering the same.
Only thing that does it to my pain is a shot of alcohol. So I don't drink then when I need it to work; it does.
Suspected EDS here, the referral is in, and now I wait 2+ years. I've found anaesthetics do not work well on me either, and nobody ever believes me, partly because I never had a reason why. I felt everything in my wisdom tooth surgery, and had a colonoscopy + endoscopy and the sedation didn't take. Frustratingly, they didn't ask for my consent to proceed without sedation, which I found unprofessional.
@@kana-is-sleepy Hey, I am suspected to have EDS, and was recently recommended a steroid shot, but also urged to research first. I found out that collagen and steroids aren't the best of friends. The Ehlers-Danlos society recommends avoiding them when possible, just so you know for the future! Super disappointing to find out, but now I've started down the rabbit hole on platelet rich plasma (PRP) prolotherapy, which seems promising.... Sharing in case this can help.
I had never heard of this until I underwent cataract surgery a year ago and with the second surgery the nurse anesthetist mentioned it. This certainly explains a lot, such as why even after being dosed with fentanyl prior to getting a spinal anesthetic, I was awake for the entire process of getting the spinal up to and including being moved to the operating table. I have talked to friends who have had the same spinal anesthetic and they were knocked out almost immediately after receiving the fentanyl or whatever sedative was given prior to instilling the spinal. I would comment that receiving the spinal was not painful and that the local anesthetic did its job but that I do remember the entire process. I was also completely knocked out for the cataract surgeries as well as a cardioversion but it took more propofol to knock me out for the cardioversion then normal. This also explains why when I received morphine for three fractured ribs, my pain level did not decrease significantly, no doubt because they were only giving me the morphine in 2 milligram increments and it just simply was not enough.
While I’m not a redhead my moms best friend is and I’ve heard all the stories from her and totally believe them so it’s nice to see this video openly talking about it.
I may not have red hair but I sort of understand some of what they go through because I have sensory processing disorder so I have a very high pain tolerance as a result and because of that I had a horrible experience getting my wisdom teeth out. I was awake enough to see everything going on but not enough for the dentist to realize that I was and it totally messed me up because I felt paralyzed and powerless screaming inside but not being heard and time moved forwards in a very strange way as a result and it completely terrified/traumatized me after the fact thanks to my anxiety. I still remember hearing/seeing/feeling some of my teeth being crunched and removed and not needing any pain medication afterwards despite what I went through and that’s something I’m glad I’ll never experience again!
Great video!
oof. No red hair either... I was 17 when had wisdom teeth removed long ago. Novocain, gas mask, and a shot in my arm. I did not "feel" anything but the sensation of the dental surgeon breaking up the teeth and removing them and hearing the pieces go up a suction pipe I was well aware of. I remember nearly fainting in the bathroom afterwards when I was home again. I have had a lot of more typical dental work in the decades since but that event still stands out.
In Australia they don’t typically sedate someone to have teeth removed (even wisdom teeth) so this is something I’ll have to remember if my ASD daughter has to have her wisdom teeth removed, thanks for sharing your experience.
@@alyssaoconnor Same in my country, but they can give a mild sedative pill for anxiety if needed, you just have to ask for it and be there for like 30 minutes earlier. It's absolutely better than nothing. But even more importantly, make sure she tells the doctor if the numbing injection doesn't work properly because she might need extra doses of that too! I know some people with ASD will just say what they think the other wants to hear 'cause it's easier.
@@alyssaoconnor she might be fine. I'm autistic and had a difficult tooth extraction with a local anaesthetic only. I was in the dentist's chair for over an hour. They had to remove a piece of jaw bone. The original dentist couldn't actually remove it and had to get a more experienced dentist to take over. I also had my second baby with no pain relief. 12 hours established labour with no gap between contractions for about the final 90 mins. So it's not true that we all have low pain thresholds. It's generally a good idea to tell dentists and health professionals about an autism diagnosis before procedures are performed though - in case of low pain threshold or sensory processing difference. I find having my teeth cleaned at the dentist more unpleasant than the extraction I described. The vibrating when they use the electronic tool to remove plaque is awful.
Being a red head my experience with anesthesia is also somewhat interesting:
When I was about 2 years old I ended up being attacked by a dog and thus I was taken to the hospital. The hospital staff was shocked that I was still awake at chatty after one dosage, in the end, they gave me three dosages.
I sincerely hope more surgeons, to include oral surgeons, embrace your information. Years ago my daughter,every bit a ginger had her wisdom teeth out. Later that afternoon, the Dr's office called to check in her as they had given her extra drugs to keep her under. They would not discuss with me prior to surgery! One on many stories
I'm a red head and have many red heads in my family. We all need more of any pain med drug and it takes longer for it to kick in. It also wears off alot quicker. I've also woken up during surgery.
While in the ER I was given an injection of fentanyl and I was still wide awake and alert. The doc couldnt understand why so he called over another doc who understood the redhead effect. I also find I need a stronger and longer dose of antibiotics. Seems most pain meds for me and all my redheaded family members find them about as useful as taking a Flintstone vitamin for pain relief.
I've found most docs or dentists are not well versed in the red head effect and look at you like you have 3 heads when you tell them.
I also realized that those OTC pain meds do Jack. I just want like 2 pills of opiates a year for those incidental pain needs.
I am a natural redhead and I am so grateful you are covering this topic. It is absolutely real. The trips to the dentist are always the worst because they generally do not believe this is relevant. Thank you so much.
Yes my poor son had a very traumatic experience at the dentist. Our dentist thought it was a good idea to extract some baby teeth to make room in the mouth for permanent teeth. They didn’t numb him enough and when I saw him, I immediately knew he was not ok. All the color had drained from his face and was on the verge of passing out. We didn’t get to the car before he started vomiting. He told me that he felt all the pain. I was so furious and felt like a terrible mother for allowing that procedure.
@@judymurray191 -+I am so so sorry to hear of what you and your son were made to go through. It absolutely was no fault of yours! This was all on the dentist. The information has been out there for decades that this is valid. They should have done better by him.
I have been to red-headed dentists who agreed with me as a patient and then still refused to do more. Thankfully, my current dentist (dark brown hair) mentioned it to me before I could to him. I was impressed beyond words.
@@judymurray191 Poor little boy, it wasn't your fault though
Good information. I'm not a red head, but my mom is. She recently had MOHR surgery for her nose. Everything turned out fine except that while doing the biopsy the first time she could feel more than tugging or pressure. She's had a much higher pain tolerance than most, I never thought that it was related to her hair color! Hopefully no more surgeries or biopsies needed but it's good to know for future reference.
Same here....I told the Dr I could feel him sewing...but it's OK if it's only a few more...he was shocked!
As a redhead who’s had 11 surgeries in 2 years, I can confirm this is all true, and consistent with my surgeries. I also have way above average pain tolerance.
Yeah everyone has way above average pain tolerance. Just ask them.
Most of us gingers have a high pain tolerance.
@@randomgoodies7181 redheads can truly say this though. It’s part of having that genetic mutation. Even in surgery we tend to require significantly less pain management than those who are not redheads.
👩🏻🦰 here! Do you all also get like NO effect from Tylenol, ibuprofen, or aspirin? I stopped taking them bc I was always waiting for it to kick in, it never did and then it was time for the next dose. I need like 2 pills of some kind of opiate a year, for like a headache or something. I can’t get Dr.s to give me any.
@@randomgoodies7181 we also have higher resistance to some viruses and bacterial infections. Comes with the territory of "anesthesia might not work, but you probably will survive :/ "
Not just red heads! We have a very strong Scottish/Irish background in our family. Some red heads, ut my mom, sister and myself have this issue with anesthesia. My dentist finally realized that I have not been entirely numb for most procedures throughout my life. It takes 3-5 injections to work on one tooth!
I have been told to ask the slow acting, non Novocaine stuff.
True, my dentist takes this into consideration and actually almost leaves my eyes numb😂
Im a redhead. Freckles, blue eyes, pale... the whole works. I've delivered 5 babies. Tried epidurals a couple times. Felt EVERYTHING. My babies were 8.10 pounds up to 11.5 pounds. Apparently I should've been given extra doses in the epi lol . I have also been told that redheads have higher likelihood of bleeding out. I did that too. Its all good though. Worth it for my family.
Could you do a video on the Vaishyas caste and their reaction to Anaesthetics? We have a large Indian community, and it would be informative to know more about this potential complication of having an operation.
When I was 7 i had to have a tooth pulled, and later a couple more teeth. They gave me the typical local anesthesia via needle and that extraction was traumatic, which i now realize in hindsight. I was mortified of dentist offices for years after that. This explains why it felt like there was no numbing of the pain like they told 7 year old me there would be. I'm gonna be viewed as such an asshat one day when I'm pregnant and push to get stronger epidurals etc.
I’m a redhead and I’ve definitely experienced this during local for dentistry but I’ve had three long general anaesthetics and I’ve never had an issue. I also come around really easily.
Is it possible they just didn't tell you if they needed to use higher doses? Because "coming around really easily" could mean it wore off more quickly.
This changed my family's dental experiences once we learned about the tums methods! Now it's so much easier, since we've all.been traumatized with root canals and not being numb enough, or it wears off too fast
I'm a natural dirty dark blonde with incredibly light body hair and eyebrows. If I took off my mascara, I'd have see-through blonde eyelashes. I have had two operations and a few dental procedures that required sedation and every time I needed more than usual. This resulted in me sitting through an entire filling screaming my head off (14yrs old, so no one listened at the time) because I could feel every single movement that he made with the drill. To this day, it's one of the most painful things I've ever experienced - way worse than breaking bones or trauma injuries.
This is very interesting. I'm someone who wakes up during anesthesia, and it's always been an issue for me. It also takes me a lot of lidocaine to get numb. I am not a red head, however, many people in my family are. So I wonder if the physical sign of being red haired is only one indicator of the issue with anesthesia.
That's definitely the case. It's progress on the one hand that doctors are more aware of the issue with many red-heads, but if they are convinced it can't be an issue for others too that's a step back.
I wonder the same thing! I've always had these issues. I'm blonde but my brother, niece, cousin, and uncle are redheads. I was so upset the time I was fully awake and aware during an endoscopy and gagging on the equipment, and telling them I was awake, and the doctor said, "don't listen to her. She'll never remember this." Gaaa! There has to be something that runs in a family even if you're not a redhead yourself.
You carry the recessive red hair gene. Just like I do. You don't express the hair color but the metabolism that burns off drugs is active. Just like me.
@@jennhoff03 yes, same. I remember trying to calm myself down with all the instruments down my throat telling myself if I started to gag, it would do damage to my stomach and throat. The nurse was telling me it was fine, but I could tell they didn't think I was "awake" awake. Well, I was. When I told them, they acted like I was delusional.
@@julilla1 YES! Ugh, I'm so sorry that happened to you, too!
As a redhead, i have found that it's not just Anesthesia, but regular medications also. I've heard the term, Redhead syndrome when talking about this. Regular pain meds seem to lose their ability to work correctly after a few days. It is not as strong as the first day, and everyday after the third dose, at that point it is beneficial to skip a day and restart the cycle again.
I'm a redhead and yeah I've had to have extra anesthesia. Last month I got a pacemaker and my doc gave me local and I was not numb yet lol. Then he started procedure and I screamed anesthesia had to hit me with something to put me out. Lol My doc is now aware to give me extra.
Natural redhead here (3rd generation Irish). I first encountered this when having my wisdom teeth removed, of course I felt it/heard it throughout, because of my continued struggling, was given more local, I was just 17. I later had some minor surgeries and made CERTAIN to mention this issue. So far I have had only one medical professional - only an assistant at that same dentist, provide validation as she worked at an Irish area in South Boston where this was common. But, I did have a (not sure if it was a nurse or anesthesiologist) tell me they would monitor me the whole surgery after I stressed to them about the issue. I was doubtful. How would they know, I would be completely helpless. Horror :(
Interesting! My family are not redheads but we all have a lot of red in our hair. All of us have issues with anesthesia especially my sister. It doesn't affect the left side of her body unless given massive doses, even with an epidural.
In my family no one is a redhead but i have always had some redish tones in my light brown hair and when exposed to sun rays it is very redish. I remember having a gastroscopic endoscopy and they had to double the dose to put me under. Then i had a surgery to remove my adenoids and i remember taking at least 15 minutes to fall asleep. I was thinking the wholr time: what the hell are they doing why am i still awake? They would put something in the iv and i felt like a dizzing effect but it immeditely went away. Then they did it again and and my head was spinning longer this time but i was still awake. Then they did it again and i felt very sleepy and calm but was still awake. The fourth time the anestesiologist suddenly took my face between her hand and kindly whispered don't worry you are about to fall asleep now just relax. And after that i don't remember anything. When i woke up however i realized i was awake but couldnt move my body yet. The nurses were saying: open your eyes the surgery is over but i couldnt. That was really scary.
Patients who have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome also metabolize anesthesia much faster than the general public as well. Locals rarely work on us at all.
As the only non-redhead in my family, I can confirm that I still have this same issue. After 8 surgeries I've heard multiple times, "you needed way more anesthetic than I thought you would"
Yes, this is absolutely true for me - I have dark red hair and have been told I need much more freezing than is typical at the dentist. My mom - also a redhead - had the same problem.
Very interesting. I have a very low threshold for pain (the dentist can do very little without novocaine and can't use the stuff with epinephrine). Woke up once during knee surgery.
My hair was blonde, now going gray but my father's was reddish.
Max : Unrelated - Love your videos you have taken the mystery out of anesthesia and also shocked the anesthesia team when my 84 year old father had unscheduled surgery and I was so knowledgable about the process thanks to your videos - Here is a topic I would love for you to do a video on - DNRs and specifically lifting the DNR for surgery - My father (who's surgery went great) had a DNR, and the hospital by policy lifted it for the duration of surgery as intubation and routine anesthesia activities by nature are life sustaining measures - would love a video on the subject
You already did this video a while back, but thanks for doing it again I suppose. As a red Head. I have only had one surgery, but my anesthesiologist chose Propofol over gas anesthetics, I suppose this might be why. She was an excellent anesthesiologist! I will say having lidocaine a few times for dental and sutures, it does not work well for me at all, which I find unfortunate! I have received versed twice, once before the previously mentioned surgery, and once when I needed my jaw wired shut, and both times it worked wonderfully, although for the later it was given with Fentanyl for conscious sedation, but I am not sure what dose they gave me.
Must have been " Just Right" because you're still here to tell us, Betty, and that's a BLESSING!
Anne Marie Nestor
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I’ve had doctors tell me it’s just anxiety, not pain I’m feeling because they’ve numbed me thoroughly. They couldn’t possibly be more wrong. I really appreciate this video.
When I had one of my wisdom teeth out, I wasn’t given enough local anaesthetic at first. I told the dentist who replied “You should be able to feel some tugging”. I replied that I could feel the roots pulling out of my gum. Needless to say, they gave me more anaesthesia. That was fun!
I don’t have red hair but I suffer from Fibromyalgia and I have been told several times by different anesthesiologists that I require a significant higher amount of medication than usual. Have you ever encounter this situation? I would be interested in a video on how anesthesia is affected in someone with Fibromyalgia. In the US alone there is an estimated 5 million people suffering with Fibromyalgia. Thanks.
As a redhead I concur. I’ve woken up during surgeries. The last surgery I had was a lipoma excision. I told the anesthesiologist that she might need to put me under or give me more sedation as she’d informed that that was what she was planning on. She asked my I thought I’d need more. I pointed to my hair and said “this is my natural color. Us redheads generally need more knockout drugs than non redheads. She proceeded to tell me that she didn’t believe that ridiculous myth. She started to when I turned my head and saw a chunk of the lipoma tumor out and said “f*** eating chicken again”. Next thing I remember was hearing her say “oh s***” before rushing to get more propofol in me. I also have a really high pain tolerance. Even the surgeon was impressed with the fact that I only needed one or two doses of pain killers post surgery.
“eating chicken again” 😂
@@lia2523and I honestly haven’t been able to even look at chicken breasts in the package without having flashbacks. So no, I haven’t eaten it.
I've given up with dentists and just accepted that I'm going to feel whatever procedure they're doing. I never get fully numb. I have to have a surgery soon and I'm terrified lol.
Hi, I recently found out that I have a rare hemophilla type clotting disorder (factor 7 deficiency), and I would love to know the whole process of surgery/post op, with this condition as I am intrested......, if not could you do a video on it.....I love watching your videos, am from the uk (orthopedic hardwear removal might be on the cards)
Do u make clots or do u bleed more with it?
@@mustlovedogs5569
Hi, well I suffer from spontaneous prolonged painless blood in urine with and with out clots episodes for a good while/years now that can vary in intensity, being mild to severe as it can include straight up pure blood, I also get joint pain hip/knee, blood spots/bruises, extreme fatigue.....they are the main sort of symtoms I get with it all, also in the past I have had spontaneous prolonged rectal bleeding with abdominal pain, spontaneously thown up blood...... weirdly though my factor 7 is mild so that is intresting as I can get sever symptoms, but am not on any treatment plan, also when the symptoms are severe I feel like I need iv iron as I feel like litteral death and cannot function
When I was a kid I smashed up my finger pretty bad and had surgery to fix it. I recall feeling a tingle which I suspect was when they sliced it open. I'd recently decided I probably felt it as I was waking up and attributed it to an earlier time during the surgery in my memory, but this suggests perhaps I actually did feel the scalpel...
As a natural redhead and I tell you that this is indeed true. Thanks for covering this. A lot of people don’t believe it. I also have a pretty high tolerance to pain killers. Weird isn’t it.
I'm not a red head but I apparently have the genes for it (thx mom), so this phenomenon affects me as well and I have to be extra vigilent to inform doctors about it before procedures. I forgot once on a surprise procedure and WOW big pain.
I do not have red hair but my siblings and dad did. Haven’t had general anesthesia in decades but at dentist, I require a lot more lidocaine than average patient. Sending this to my siblings
My daughter is a redhead and when she was 18 she had to have her appendix removed and they could not give her enough medication to give her pain relief after surgery. It was very traumatic for both of us. Also when she had dental work we would show up an hour early so she could have Valium.
My dentist said there was a class in his school about anesthesia and people with red hair so he knew about the problems. 50 years ago I had an epidural for a c-section for my first child. I felt the doctor cutting me open. It was horrific. They put me under general to finish the surgery.
Same happened to me and the surgeon was shocked that I could still lightly move my toes and lift my foot up. I could barely move but was still able. I knife going in felt for lack of better terms a cracking creepy feeling. I can still see the look of shock on the surgeons face when I spoke up and he looked down and saw movement.
Another ginger here! So delighted to see a doctor confirm what we redheads have been trying to tell them! My daughter is also a redhead. She was given so much lidocaine once to remove a melanoma spot that she started having heart problems. Why, oh why, don’t doctors listen! Thanks for addressing this.
My sister was born with red hair, but it later lightened to blonde. She had a lot of pain when having her wisdom teeth removed, and I was wondering if this was a factor in her getting a lower dosage than she needed to fully deal with the pain.
I’d say that is likely
This was very interesting. I don't have red hair myself, but I have redheaded relatives on both sides of my family and a redheaded daughter. I've also noticed whenever I've received anesthesia I, just like my daughter, need a truckload of anesthetic to have any effect. I've been told many times that I needed much more than expected and can attest to that with local anesthesia. Also, it wears off much more quickly than normal. Is it possible to react like a redhead if you only have the recessive genes for redheadedness? BTW I hardly ever take OTC painkillers, and when I do, have to take the max dose for them to do any good at all.
My oldest daughter had her hair dyed black when she gave birth to her oldest, she made a point of telling the medical staff that she was a natural redhead under that black dye.
Which was good to know when she eventually needed a cesarean delivery
My Dentist is a believer and knows that I will need about 3 to 4 shots to numb me up. But my GP says he has never heard or be taught that red heads need more.
After nasal surgery I was asked by a nurse if I was in pain and when I said I was she gave my morphine in my IV, I felt nothing and had no decrease in my pain level.
Maybe this is why I remember being SOOOOO uncomfortable during my last colonoscopy!
Thank you. I don't think I have ever been properly numbed with lidocaine. The only time I did not feel awful after surgical anesthesia the anesthesiologist was a fellow redhead, and I wish I knew more about what he used so I can request it.
My grandma was a redhead. Anesthesia put her in a three-day coma just for dental work. My mom was also a redhead. She needed a lot of anesthesia but she was heavily reactive to it.
What a great relief to view and hear this video. But it has gotten me to wonder if the same criteria can be valid for PO requirements in controlling acute and/or chronic pain post injuries/surgery.
I’ve been a patient at a pain clinic for almost 18 years post neurosurgeries, and fractures, and other injuries. The genes haven’t changed, but the hair is mostly whitish grey now.
Thanks for your efforts to present superb instructions.
As a redhead with an inordinate fear of dentists and Drs, I thank you! Especially important to ask if you are older and going grey.
Or rather, going blonde. My mom had red hair darker than mine, but now in her early 50s she can easily be mistaken for blonde
@@theanxiouslegume9280 , my sister did that! But the skin and other things are forever!
@@theanxiouslegume9280 76 year old red head going white but ppl think I’m getting streaks of blonde at the hairdressers. It is fun to being going from red to blond. Who knew.🤣🤣🤣
I wonder if this is similar to people like myself with hjs (possibly eds) needing more anaesthesia. Its great that people are looking into things like this more in recent years!
im an OR RN and have chatted extensively with anaesthesiologists about The Redheaded Thing. Not a myth, seems to be true, that redheads need more anaesthesia, bruise more, bleed more, wake up weird.
People with EDS/MCAS/POTS seem to need a great deal more local anaesthesia (my dentist goes right to FOUR TIMES the amount he normally uses). There’s also a genetic link starting to show- we’re Northern European, Scandinavians and Brits, the same genetic pool as red-heads. I wonder if there is a link.
Thank you Dr Max this is an awesome video. I have read a couple articles about this but I wasn't convinced that the fact that someone is a red head is taken seriously by an anesthesiologist. I remember when I had spine surgery and unfortunately had to have three revision surgeries all within 2 years and all under general anesthesia. Funny thing is I remember being helped to put a surgical bonnet on (I needed two because of my long hair) before each surgery AND before talking to the anesthesiologist right before I was taken back in the operating room. Is this normal? Do anesthesiologist peek under the bonnets to check hair color? Funny question but this is a fascinating topic - especially for us red heads LOL. Thank you Dr Max.
I can say that I’m not a redhead but I’ve had a bunch of surgeries and usually meet the anesthesiologist just before the surgery and before the surgery cap goes on. You were probably sedated before surgery but they usually have your hair covered before you are wheeled into the operating room. That’s my experience. Maybe different protocol in different countries.
Well...as a redhead, I have had numerous surgical procedures and must have been be blessed with the most knowledgeable anesthesiologists!
Very interesting topic. My mom has woken up during surgery, and she has strawberry blonde hair. Now I wonder if this red hair situation had something to do with it.
Never heard of that actually happening
I’m a redhead and I have woken up twice when under general anesthesia during surgery. The first was when I was 6 years old (in the 1980) and the second more recently. Neither anesthesiologist had ever had a patient wake up during surgery and they were pretty freaked out about it.
Also if people are alcoholics or take drugs
Waking up under a full general anaesthetic is extremely rare and due to doctor incompetence rather than hair colour. Bests on it didn’t happen. People think they wake up during but it is the end and they meant to wake up
@@mustlovedogs5569 I definitely woke up under general anesthesia. Twice. Once was in the 1980s. I was only 6 but I remember it clearly because it was traumatic. The anesthesiologist and surgeon both told my parents how shocked they were that it happened and they apologized. A lot. They knew I woke up and they were honest and up front about it.
I woke up during a shoulder surgery about 14 years ago also. The surgeon and anesthesiologist were up front and honest about it. They knew I would remember because I was awake and panicked. They apologized as well. The anesthesiologist obviously didn’t want to be sued. I didn’t want to cause any problems for him either. But both were put in my chart. My parents got copies of it so we could let other anesthesiologist know if I needed surgery as I got older. Back in the 80s they didn’t mention anything about red hair. There had been no studies on redheads and anesthesia at that point. The one 14 years ago they did mention red hair. I have had many surgeries since and every anesthesiologist has commented on how they had to give me significantly more than most patients my size. They all said it must be that gene that goes along with red hair.
I have been sedated for procedures recently, the thing is the side they did nerve ablations on in my neck they couldn’t get me sedated and I remember the whole thing and screaming at one point and crying the rest of the time. I felt really bad because they felt bad I didn’t actually respond to the sedation. I went back the next week to have the other side done and they used 50% more medication to try and sedate me but I still remember the whole thing and how painful it was. I was able to stay calmly that time though. They could tell by my vitals and the fact that I talked to them coherently the whole time that 8 wasn’t really sedated. They also said it was a redhead thing but that they hadn’t ever had anyone quite as resistant as I was. I have no ide why I am so resistant to sedation other than what all the doctors say about it being the gene that goes a,one with being a red head.
I've only had one general anesthesia experience which left me sick for days. But in general as a redhead I've experienced higher metabolism of medications, I need less but more often, especially regarding pain medications. Cold medicine is like this too, I'm much better off taking 1 dayquil instead of 2 but taking the other half dose about 20 min before the directed redose time
Really enjoy your videos Max!
Could you possibly do one on emergence agitation and delirium?
What has been your experiences with it?
Any good stories?
I'm a redhead but I also have Ehler's Danlos Syndrome so I haven't a hope. I just have to deal with a certain level of pain in everything. Including getting stitched after birth. Breast feeding with the baby attached was impossible for me. My skin is so stretchy that it just wouldn't work and was beyond excruciating. I've felt teeth being pulled, I feel very little from pain medication and have mad tolerance to everything including alcohol.
That has to be terrible 😟
This is very interesting! This is making me wantnto choose Anesthesiology as my specialty.
LOL did the fear most have, WOKE UP as my foot was being sawed. Asked "Am I supposed to be awake?" The foot Dr. "PUT HER BACK UNDR NOW!!" Now there's a note in my chart.
My husband who is a natural red head, needs minimal anesthesia. When he got his wisdom teeth removed, the oral surgeon kept commenting on how easy it must be for him to get drunk. “One beer and he’s buzzed.” All is very true.
Usually redheads could metabolize liquor faster so maybe he doesn’t carry the gene. In other words they can many times drink others until “they are under the table.” I never was a drinker thankfully.😊
Thank you for this video.
As a redhead I’ve always maxed out Novocain (Caine-family) medications for dental procedures. I’ve also been painfully aware during 2 major moderate sedation procedures. And lastly, I was told after my first general anesthesia surgery to inform future anesthesiologists to request my anesthesia records (if needed) because I had emergence from anesthesia during an appendectomy. Thankfully, I don’t remember that. Must have given some good benzodiazepines, or whatever they used. My fear now is an upcoming very long back surgery (ALIF/PLIF) where I’m terrified of emerging enough to know or feel. Watching other videos of yours has given me enough confidence that my vitals will give a good indication if I’m getting close to consciousness, as well as the EEG. If I’m being honest about my now dark hair not being the red that it is under the dye that’ll help. But, my fair skin, transparent lashes, and freckles should give it away despite the dye. ☺️
Hi Max, thank you for yet another interesting video. Do you think this might also be applicable to animals?
My dog recently underwent surgery and needed about twice the normal dosage to be put under general anesthesia. I attributed this to anxiety-induced elevated adrenaline levels, until I saw this video and thought: hold on a sec... my dog's fur is just a few shades short of tangerine 🤔
So if you ever catch up with Dr. Wypart, please do cross-check this with her 😉
I can absolutely confirm this. I received lidocaine years ago for Sarge gash that required 20 stitches. The doctor at the time was very new and gave a low dose. After increasing the dose three times I was still feeling everything and decided to deal with it instead of spending the entire day in the ER getting stitches.
How much genetics do you work with? Different people have different amounts and variations of fase 1 and 2 enzymes (due to lifestyle and genetics), leading to different effectiveness and elimination capabilities. Do you tailor anesthesia to the patient's genetics or do you just adjust it "on the spot" ?
A friend has a document saying he requires more anesthesia because their enzyme "eats" it very fast
@@pegaseg70 yes, that happens, and it could be because of several reasons. He could be on the spectrum of being an ultra metabolizer, where his body makes more enzymes (could also be more effective than normal). He could also be taking a medication that induces certain enzymes (makes the body produce more => faster metabolism) or he could be doing something else that induces enzymes, such as smoking, eating burnt food, smoking, or abusing alcohol. Anyways, this increased metabolism could result in faster elimination, or faster metabolism to an active form (prodrug to active substance or drug to more active substance and yes of course, the usual active substance to inactive substance that could be eliminated easier).
There are other genetic variations, that's why i asked my question.
I wish this was more than anecdotal in medical teachings. I'm a redhead and have woken up during a procedure while under general anesthesia more than once. Same with local during dental procedure etc. And I become alert after very quickly.
Wow that’s amazing amazing! And great info!! I love red hair, I’ve never had red hair tho lol 😂, it’s nice! I really enjoy donating to the anesthesiologist Foundation since it was hard for me to go to college to be a anesthesiologist because of my cerebral palsy! You rock man! I alway learn a lot from you!
Interesting. I’ve had a lot of surgery. Initially the post surgery interview from the anaesthetist concentrated on my use of alcohol and drugs (minimal) because I needed quite alot administered. The other issue I’ve had is not presenting with adequate pain during trauma (ie triaged as low needs - but on review end up in an emergency situation). I’ve spoken with a number of red heads who’ve experienced the same issue - I’m convinced my body produces a natural anaesthesia. I call it the Viking effect (hit us with an axe and we can keep running because we don’t feel traumatic pain). A video on the management of cold urticaria would be fabulous ! Next video pls
This is so interesting to me. Do people with anxiety require more anesthesia than people without anxiety?
Everyone has anxiety though. We are born with it. I am not a doctor so I dont claim expertise but in context I dont think it matters in terms of medication itself. It could matter in how well you respond to it to maybe a small degree but that is such a grey area. I have been under general anesthesia before a couple times and I am not in favor of being a patient at all. What I remember is that being in the OR can bring up your anxiety. You dont need to be diagnosed with the uncontrolled anxiety (as most of society can control their anxiety). I was told to try and calm down but even when I didn't, the doctors managed to put me to sleep anyway. Took them a whole 10 seconds before I fell asleep. So I cant see it being more then a consideration. I get anxious with unknowns and being put to sleep was certainly one of them.
If you watch other videos and what they mention here. What they look at is often physical, not mental. Which when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Red hair is physical and that even is a consideration. Other videos its often body weight and height. Plus existing medical conditions and in past videos he has mentioned the type of surgery seems to matter a lot. Even when I watched Dr Terry Dubrow do a surgery, what he mentioned was a physical factor when putting a patient to sleep. As its the physical body responding to the medication, not our mentality. Watching other videos he makes would tell you lots about goes into it. I think about his comment that red hair is taken into consideration, I would think anxiety is that too. But I doubt it would be the determining factor if you need more anesthesia because being in a hospital can bring up anxiety on its own and you dont need to be a anxious person to feel that way in such a place. People get anxious walking into a dental office! Where they wont be anxious anywhere else. If anxiety determined if you needed more anesthesia, they would go through a whole lot of mediation for every patient who became anxious being inside the hospital.
I hate to say, I think about my aunt who had to get both her hips replaced (for the fourth time). She had severe arthritis and had many joints replaced multiple times in the course of 33 years. One prior surgery that had to fuse her neck to her spine. She needed another hip replacement and due to that one surgery, she could not be put to sleep due to the airways. She had an epidural and probably other things to help. I would think it was not a common occurrence for the anesthesiologist. She was awake the entire surgery! I couldn't imagine the anxiety she must have had!! I think she would have much preferred being put to sleep.
In my experience (13 years), anxiety = more drugs to induce anesthesia, but no more than average to maintain anesthesia….
Yes, that's why they give people Versed (a Benzo) prior to surgery.
@@Skatejock21 well there's normal anxiety and the disorder. But as somebody with the disorder I don't recall it being moreso than usual.
@@luxthesarcastic1027 we just have a different shade of " just 🙂 fine" and it's ever so nice when it is achieved. Incidently I asked my orthopedic, suspect I've paid his way on a cruise a couple times, why I'm going to sleep for procedures .
His answer " I don't want comments from the peanut gallery like " Dr so and so DOESN'T use that technique on TH-cam!" He knows ME pretty well, doesn't he?"
This can be very frustrating. My BF has SJS, and we get nurses that have only read a little about it and think he only gets hives if he has a pain med that will induce a TENS reaction. It is always a relief when we get a doctor who has actually encountered a case. Pain management is soooo important.
Great video Doctor!
I work in a kitchen and cut my thumb pretty bad, so I had to go to the hospital. The doctor shot my with some anesthetics in my thumb, but he shot my 5 times. I was getting worried but now I think it makes sense 🤔
This is a topic that doesn’t come up that often so I love that you’ve made this video, it warms my heart!
This is still anecdotal, but I have always needed extra anesthesia to get the job done. I've never been put under but I've had several dental procedures and I always need three or four shots before I can't feel them working on me. I've also spoken with several anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists and they all have stated that their experience has unequivocally shown redheads need more. We're just too damn stubborn to be put out 🤣🤣
I had a relative with end stage liver disease, was clean and sober for 8 years and doing well until the last year of life. Confusion first, then swelling. Doctors wouldn't do a drain for the swelling, although it had been done before when the liver disease was first diagnosed 8 years ago. They said it wasn't bad enough for a drain so the relative requested hospice but didn't live long enough for the paperwork to get done.