Red-haired people require more pain medication than people with other hair colors.

Is it true that Red-haired people require more pain medication than people with other hair colors?

Partly. Some sources report that people with red hair need higher doses of anesthetic medication, while others report higher pain tolerance and lower opiate requirements in redheads. The evidence is mixed and addresses anesthesia and pain sensitivity rather than pain medication dosing directly.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 4 sources for, 2 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Why Do Redheads Need More Anesthesia?. (n.d.). health.clevelandclinic.org. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-redheads-need-more-anesthesia

Discrimination against people with red hair. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_against_people_with_red_hair

CR, M., VE, P., BL, F., AT, S., & M, A. (2024). A Comparative Analysis of the Efficacy of Local Anesthetics and Systemic Anesthetics in the Red-Headed Versus Non-Red-Headed Patient Population: A Comprehensive Review.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.61797

Do red-headed people feel pain differently?. (2012). skeptics.stackexchange.com. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/10469/do-red-headed-people-feel-pain-differently

Baloh, R. W. (2018). Sciatica and Chronic Pain. play.google.com. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=nv1oDwAAQBAJ&source=gbs_api

Pain sensitivity and experimentally induced sensitisation in red haired females. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjpain.2010.08.005