Help with Headaches/migraines!!

Try two Tylenol and two Ibuprophen at the same time,as they each work differently. It's worth a try...it works for me.

I also had migraines during pregnancy. I started having them at a very early age and when I was 6, I was in the hospital for them. A lot of testing later, they determined that I had an abnormal blood sugar and that I'd grow out of my migraines. I did for the most part, until I got pregnant. Then they came back. With a vengeance. If you are not a big caffeine drinker, try a cup of coffee. You just have to be careful not to over do the caffeine. One or two cups a day will not hurt your baby, but just might help.

It looks like you are getting a lot of suggestions on the causes of your headaches. It's a great place to start.

good luck,
K.

please consider trying chiropractic services. the only time i ever used a chiropractor was when i was pregnant. it feels great. My father in law had great success with migranes.

Hi M.,

I too suffered from migraines while I was pregnant. I would see my chiropracter on a regular basis and that helped. However at one visit he told me to try an ice pack on the back of the neck right at the base of the head. This closes down the blood vessels that are overly dialated and causing the headache. It worked like a charm. I would keep 2 in the freezer at work and a couple in the freezer at home. After doing this for a couple of weeks I stopped having problems. Don't know if it was the ice packs or just the hormones starting to level out in the pregnancy. But regardless, the ice pack would help everytime. Hope this helps.

Try getting a massage, go to a spa, chiropractor or buy a massager for home. I suffer from migrains as well and that always helps. The massage stimulates blood flow and allows oxygen into the brain easier. Good luck.

I've suffered from migraines since I was about 12yo. You have to find what works for you. I have found that taking Benadryl helps my migraines because many times histamines cause the migraine (and if you go to the ER with a migraine, they will usually give you benadryl as well). Being pregnant, however, I would clear the use of Benadryl with your OB before taking. It's my understanding that it is ok to use while pregnant, but I would still clear it with the doc.

Also, here's a few non medication ideas:

Check out this website about easing migraines using pressure points. These are things you can do yourself.
http://www.migrainereliefblog.com/relief-for-migraine-hea...

Another old fashioned trick that my grandma(also suffers from migraines) taught me was to partially fill the bathtub with water as hot as you can stand it, sit in a chair next to it(or you can use a small tub that you can put on the floor somewhere and sit close to), and put ONLY your feet in. Soak your feet for about 15-20 mins if you can stand it that long. It helps.

Talk to your doctor about cluster headaches as well. My mom has them and they are different than regular migraines. They last more than 2 days (sometimes up to a couple weeks!) and are more severe. Good luck!

Dear Meagan,
Last week I laid in bed for 3 days with this same headache that you have described. Sometimes, it is my sinus's and sometimes, creeping up the back of my neck is a migraine.I have done some reading on the subject, simply because I do not have any insurance and cannot afford to go to the doctor. In my reading,Bottom Line's Ultimate Healing, I have discovered that there are foods that cause these headaches. Chocolate, caffeine, foods high in fat, red wine, deli meats, hot dogs, bacon, salami, and alcohol. Sometimes it is a toss up between the headache and the chocolate, but the chocolate wins at times. This really triggers the headache. The other night I rubbed some deep heat on the back of my neck, and took, 2 advil migraine, with a cold rag on my eyes. However, ask your doctor because that is what the label says to do. I know the pain of these things and my heart goes out to you. The book says to eat omega 3 fatty acids like figh, flaxseed and olive oil. Eat almonds, artichoke, brown rice, peanut butter, spinach, and drink lots and lots of water.
Hope this has helped.
P.

Hi M.!

Have you checked to see if you might have a Sinus Infection? This happened to me a couple of months ago, I am also a migraine sufferer and my migraine pills weren't working and I went to the dr and she told me that I had a sinus infection, that is why my pills werent' working. Just a thought, I know how horrible those headaches can be.

Good Luck and I hope you feel better soon!

Take Care!
B.

If they are really bad, I have a friend that goes to a neurologist and gets botox shots in her scalp to prevent her migraines. It is not covered by insurance and is very expensive, but to her it is worth it. She was down with a headache at least 3 or 4 days once a month, sometimes twice a month, so it was worth it to her.

I don't know if about it effecting the baby, if you are interested you'd have to ask your doctor.

I tried reading through all the responses to see if anyone mentioned re-bound headaches, didn't see it. You can get a re-bound headache, similar or just as bad as the one you had before, if you are taking too much medicine. As your doctor if this could be the case for you.

Also, have you had your blood pressure checked recently? High b.p. can cause migraines. Finally, a few things that can help....
*stay away from triggers (ie, chocolate, wine, sharp cheeses, etc.),
*a cup of coffee may help ~ the caffiene causes the blood vessels to open and make the blood flow easier in the brain.
*ask you doctor if LAMICTAL would work for you ~ it's a pregnancy safe seizure medication that's been proven to work for migraines... I take it b/c if I get a severe enough migraine then I'll have a seizure.
*it goes against what most think is safe, but vicodine is helpful for migraines... in the right dose it's safe for pregnancy, again, something I had to take for migraines when I was preggo. Your doctor can advise you on what's best.
BTW, I'm allergic to everything but Tylenol, so I'm limited on the pain meds I can take, therefore Vicodine is on the list for me.
*A chiropracter is a good option and may eleminate the migraines... that's the FIRST choice I'd recommend.
*Ice and heat, alternate them. Ice on the head and heat on the back.

That's all I can think of for now. I'll be praying that you feel better soon.

Before getting pregnant, with my now 19 mo son, i used to get migrains due to stress and hormones. I have not had any migrains until i went back to work the beginning of the month. Since then, i have had two. I normally take excedrine and/or zomig, but while pregnant you can't take any.
My mom has them also. She has gone to a chiropractor and he does accupuncture. I am seriously looking into it if mine continue. You may want to look into it also, especially being pregnant, i heard it chiropactics and accupuncture are great!
Good luck and congrats on your new addition (i have a June baby too!)

I had those severe headaches when I was pregnant with my first child (I also worked with computers and bright lites can trigger migraines). In the end I developed pre-eclampsia and was induced. So, I'm assuming they are monitoring your BP closely. But, I also had migraines when not pregnant and in hindsight they were due to undiagnosed celiac disease. I have not had a single migraine (and I would get them very regularly since the age of 14) since I have been on a gluten and casein (dairy) free diet. You can google and find there is a correlation between migraines and celiac. So, I would make sure your doctor tests for that. There are currently almost 3 million people with this disease that haven't been diagnosed, since most doctors were taught that it was rare when they were in medical school. If your doctor doesn't think you have it and won't test for it (unfortunately, an all too common situation), you can get yourself tested at enterolab (www.enterolab.com).