Did anyone use pain relief instead of epidural? How was your experience

I had one dose of pain relief and it made me sleep before contractions, but I'm so glad I didn't get an epidural because my body knew just what to do when it was time

I tried it first and it wasn't doing a thing. All it was doing was making me fall asleep in between contractions. I was so out of it and felt drunk. Worst feeling! I'm glad I got the epidural.