Migraines While Pregnant

I don't know if she knows the cause of her migraines? Mine are allergy induced, one of my nieces can't eat food with nitrates otherwise she gets them. I know pregnancy has a way of flaring up allergies. I'm sorry, I didn't get any while I was pregnant so I don't know any remedies.

I used Vapor rub on my forehead and temples, a hot bath and a cold room... she can't use the hot bath, but a heating pad around her neck and shoulders may help.

S.

I suffered from a debilitating migraine in my first pregnancy. It lasted approximately 6 weeks. I lost 30 pounds and ended up with a PIC line to feed me b/c I could not keep any food down. That caused a host of problems in itself that literally almost killed me. My husband is a pharmacist, so I was fortunate to have him to reassure me on the safety of different meds. None of the migraine preventatives are "safe" for pregnancy, so you're kind of just left with treating them when they come. We tried demorol, but it just didn't cut it. Finally, stadol is what helped me. I was in the hospital for the better part of a month, but things turned out well in the end. Narcotics are quite safe in pregnancy, really the main risk is the baby becoming addicted, but she is WAY too early on for that to happen. If she is in pain, it needs to be treated, it's not good for the baby when the mother is experiencing extreme stress, which pain can easily cause. Stadol helped me, and it is available IV, IM, or in a nasal spray for use at home - it is not available in any form to be taken my mouth. Demorol is another good choice, it just didn't help me. Tylenol is good for a more mild choice once the edge is taken off. But, believe it or not, the narcotics are quite safe, and I get my RX advice from someone that has a clear, vested interest in the safety of me and my babies(my husband!). I truly hope she is feeling better soon!

try chiropractor &/or massage by a trained therapist! Massage helped me tramendously with my headaches while preg., but mine were at the base of my skull!

Just a thought!
T.

Hi J.,

I would tell your sister to go in to a chiropractor and get adjusted!! It is a safe, effective way to eliminate Migraines. It also helps with so many of the stages of pregnancy and can help her delivery to go easier. I am a chiropractor and I have been treating pregnant women since I opened my practice. They respond very well to chiropractic care. If you have any questions please don't hestitate to call me at ###-###-####. Thank you!
Dr. Sandra S.

Since there are sooooo many triggers for migraines and it is almost impossible to find out 100% what the real cause could be, I would be concerned about taking a lot of medications while she's pregnant. Try to look into acupuncture. She could even consult with them to find out more. Best to your sister.

I used to gtt really bad headaches when I was pregnant with both of my children. Totally hormones! She might want to try a chiropractic adjustmnet for some relief, followed by some homeopathic treatment. Dr. Massie in Friendswood is awesome, ###-###-####. Also, there is an eye doctor in the Medical Center, Dr. Ruiz I believe and I am pretty sure that he can prescribe red contact lens that can be worn to help ease the pain of the migraine and help with light sensitvity. Hope she feels better soon, just keep reminding her, pregnancy does not last forever... it just feels like it.

As weird as this sounds a colonic is the quickest and fastest way to get rid of a migraine. However, I am not sure if they are rec. while pregnant. Dr. Massie would know the answer to that.

Tell her to try a chiropractor, that is what helped mine out. I had a horrible migraine during my 1st trimester and once I started getting adjusted on a regular basis they seemed to go away.

The other thing that helped me out greatly was whenever I would feel one coming on I would put an ice pack on the base of head. This tightens the blood vessels and helps with the headache.

I had migraines during both of my pregnancies. Although caffeine is known to trigger migraines in many migraine sufferers, it can also keep one from coming on full-blast once it has started. When pregnant, I would drink a caffeinated cola and take 2 tylenol, and that would sometimes help it from being so bad that I was completely out of commission. A second thing that helped me tremendously was acupuncture. My insurance actually covers acupuncture for very few medical reasons, and migraines are one of the reasons it covers. That tells me it's accepted in the western medical community that acupuncture CAN help migraines! An important thing to look at is what might be triggering the migraines besides the hormone changes. I had never had problems with chocolate or avocados, which are known migraine triggers. When I was pregnant, I cut these out of my diet and I stopped having migraines. Other common triggers are citrus fruits (also citric acid which is in alot of drinks!!), cheese, coffee, tea, all nuts, and caffeine.

Chiropractic treatments are known to help, too.

Since she's well into the migraine by now, I would encourage her to try acupuncture. One treatment may help some, but it may take a few treatments to get it to go away. Having acupuncture on a regular basis, say once a week, could keep her from getting another one at all, so long as foods she's eating aren't triggering the migraine. Good luck!!! I feel for her!

I was horribly sikc during myentire pregnancy and at about 3 months I got a horrible migraine. I thought I would die because the pain was so bad. I couldn't have any lights on...I was miserable. I finally ended up in the emergency room. They gave me a shot of some narcotic. I was freaking about because I was pregnant, but they said it was ok. I tiold them to call my doctor (which took time because they had to hunt him down) and he said it was ok. Well, I felt relief immediately. And my son turned out fine. They did say that it is not something you can do regularly, so it wouldn't be a way to sop recurrent migraines.
Hope you friend feels better...

I had the same thing happen while I was pg. I had to go to emergency and they gave me demoral but that always made me throw up more. Then they would counter it with some other shot. Over years I learned to curb what was stressing me out. Part of it at this time of year was my mom always insisting we spend the holidays with her and my ex's family putting pressure on us too. I then was able to control stresses by limited what I had in a day of activities. Finally about 10 yrs ago a Oriental doctor gave me some thing that totally relieved it in about an hour. Something new Nuclear but not sure what it was. I was not pg then. So I really can relate. I think there are different degrees of Migrains. I got sick saw half faces and threw up. I had a customer years ago go ahead and finished getting her hair done with one. No way. One time I was at work and jumped in my car to run home for my bed. It was all I could do to keep from vomiting in the car. So good luck not sure what new meds they have now but I have not had one for over 10 yrs now. Probably longer. G. W

J.,

I had migraines when I was pregnant with my daughter (in the emergency room at 10 weeks). My neurologist prescribed tylenol with codeine and phenegran suppositories(sp?). I had another at 20 weeks, did the suppository and then took the tylenol w/ codeine...the meds knocked me out for about 3 hours, but then I was good. Fortunately, I didn't have anymore through my pregnancy, but I carried around the rescue meds with me. After, my daughter was born, it was so much worse! I ended up stopping breastfeeding at 5 months to get on a preventative med (Topomax) and it worked wonders! I know it is scary to take meds while pregnant, but my daughter is 3 1/2 now and is so smart, energetic, beautiful, etc! If the migraines are really bad it is good to be under the care of a neurologist. I recommend Dr. Stuart Black at Presby...he is the Migraine doc! (travels nationally and internationally with work on migraines)My husband and I want to have another baby, so I am off of my migraines preventative and Dr.Black gave me again the Tylenol with codeine, but this time gave me Zofran with it. The Zofran cuts the nausea but doesn't knock you out like the phenegran. A pediatrician told me there are several studies now where phenegran is not recommended in infants and toddlers because it can slow down respiration...so she agreed Zofran was a better choice.

Hope this info helps!
K.

I didn't read all the responses also so I don't know if this was mentioned. I know this sounds strange, but you might want to tell her to see a dentist. Migraines are sometimes due to wisdom teeth coming in or some other dental problems. It could also be that she is not taking in enough calcium. If a pregnant woman does not take in enough calcium to support the building of the baby's bones, sometimes calcium is pulled from the woman's bones as well as teeth to help the baby have good bone development. Also make sure she is taking her prenatal vitamins which I am sure she is already doing.

Hi there, I feel your sister's pain! Try accupuncture, it was absolutely the only thing that worked for me. My cousin who also suffers from migraine's recommended it to me. It is totally safe, all natural, so no worries about harming the baby. Sometimes you have to go back for a couple of treatments, but after one I had immediate relief. It was a total life saver. I don't know what area your sister is in, but on the Northeast side there are a couple of places that will even take your health insurance with a co-pay. It is totally pain free, very relaxing, and I know it has helped us! Good luck and please try!

I had a terrible migraine with my last pregnancy (on Christmas Day -- it must be the stress of the season). After three days of minor medication not working, my OB sent me to emergency room for a narcotic. What begins to happen after multiple days of only partially relieving the pain is that your migraine headache turns into "rebound" headaches. The only way to fix it is to get the headache pain to absolute zero. They wouldn't even let me leave the emergency room with a slight headache -- I had to continue with the medication until I had absolutely no pain left. Otherwise, I was at risk for rebounding into a new migraine the next day. It wasn't my ideal choice, but it certainly worked. The health of your sister's baby is absolutely important, but her health is, too. Good luck.

I feel her pain. I had a few while pg and a lot of allergy problems.

1. find and target triggers--foods (onions, cheese/dairy in abundance, chocolate, diet soda -sweetners actually, bright lights and sounds like in a movie theatre, etc.)

Once you get a migraine these can actually feed it to keep it going for days.

2. ice packs. I put a small pack on my head and wear a ball cap to hold it there. The flat wraps they use for lunch boxes.

3. heating pad sometimes helps but not a whole lot.

4. quiet steamy hot bath--but she will have to be careful as she can do more damage than good. It is said to be bad for pg ladies to use hot tubs too long or too much.

5. massive amounts of caffine, but again you have to be careful as that can also be bad for pg ladies.

6. eating really well. I find I don't eat when I am in pain and that just makes the migraine worse.

It is like a vicious cycle to medicate it without neglecting something, therefore making it worse.

I took Dolgic (Butabital) during my pregnancy. It did not work as well as the true migraine medicines, but helped take the edge off so I could continue my regular schedule.

E.

Migraine relief can be obtained from the juice of ripe grapes and is an effective home remedy. Grind fresh ripe grapes and drink without adding any water.

Cabbage leaf compress can help relieve the pain of a migraine headache. Crush a few cabbage leaves, place in a cloth and apply on the forehead for extended period of time.

And finally,Lemon crusts can cure migraine. Grind lemon crust and apply as a paste on the forehead. Migraine cures using this remedy has been found very effective and long lasting by many.

I,too,have heard about cayenne being a great remedy as well.

A warm footbath is helpful. Possibly even a massage.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Natural Progesterone cream. Since she's preganant, her hormones are working overtime and she may need more progesterone to balance the estrogen. I've heard many testimonies of how rubbing this cream into your skin will help migraines, as well as many other ailments such as fibromyalgia, endometriosis, pms, etc.... It safe for the baby because it's absorbed through the skin and is bio-identical to the natural progesterone made in the body. Progesterone also increases the uterine wall lining, preventing miscarriages. Doctors don't know much about this because it's NATURAL - Give God's resources a try. You can buy the cream from Arbonne or a health store. Blessings to your family!

More info. on balancing hormones found at: www.johnleemd.com
Purchase from Arbonne at www.gaylalindsay.myarbonne.com

This happened to me and nothing helped. I finally went to the ER. I HAD MENINGITIS. No kidding! She might need to be seen by the dr... nothing - absolutely NO painkiller worked for me... not even the morphine drip that they gave me. If her neck is stiff or sore or "in need of massage"... she needs to go to the ER... just an fyi. I TRULY HOPE SHE FINDS RELIEF SOON!

I got migraines w/ all 3 of my pregnancies. I fell in love with an eye mask that had lavender in it. I would put it on at night, take a Tylenol PM and my migraine would be gone by the morning. The Tylenol PM by itself helped a little too, but the combination worked the best for me. During the day I used a stress relief aromatherapy lotion from origins that smelled like peppermint. My DR also prescribed Phenergen & Midrin (both worked but made me so out of it that I couldn't care for my other kids). Good luck. Hopefully, they will be gone by the 2nd trimester.

Tell her to try a chiropractor that works with pregnant women. I'm a chiropractor that treats pregnant women and if you need help finding one in your area just let me know. Dr. G. ###-###-####. Good luck and I hope she finds releif soon.

Hi J.,
I don't know if it is still actual, I hope your sister feels better already. If not she can try a vitamin B2 (riboflavin), you can get it in the pharmacy as a pills. The body needs it more while being pregnant and it is proved in a lot of cases that it helps get rid of migrains better than some complicated pharmaceuticals.
V. Z.

I did not review all of the wonderful responses that you have received; therefore, forgive me if I repeat someone elses suggestion. I strongly recommend visiting a chiropractor and massage therapist. Also, lay with an ice pack at the base of your neck and one on your forehead. Good luck, I know how miserable you must feel.

M.

Tell her to ask her OB if he knows of the compounding pain gel. She would have to have a prescription for it and a pharmacy that does compounding. I used it while I was pregnant with both kids and still use it for my migrains. You just rub it on where the pain is. Also, Wal Mart is carrying a lotion where their spa stuff is that is Migrain Relief. I always try and use this before I take any meds orally for migrains. About 75% of the time it will work without any other meds. Hope she feels better soon and finds something that works.

She needs a magnetic bracelet. You can get them for five or six dollars are walmart or even your local pharmacy. I used to suffer with migraines all the time when I was working, and the migraine itself will make you sick to your stomach. I don't know why it works, but the magnetic bracelets are wonderful, and she should wear it all the time, even after her headache goes away. This could also signal high blood pressure, but I think that the magnets can help with this too.

I got a lot of migraines in my first trimester. Tylenol did precious little, unfortunately, but fortunately, my headaches only lasted a day. It's apparently somewhat normal due to hormone changes. The good news is, after my first trimester, I haven't had a single headache!

I just read an article in a magazine that said capsacin (made from cayenne peppers) can help with headaches. I've used capsacin cream before, but never used it like this!

It says to take a tsp of cayenne pepper and add 4 tablespoons of warm water. Mix together, then dip a q-tip in the mixture and gently coat the inside of your nostrils. It will burn at first, but will soon go away and they swear it takes the headache away too.

Has she tried acupuncture? I started having migraines during my first trimester with my son. very painful throwing up kind of migraines. Someone suggested acupuncture to me because it is safe for pregnant women with migraines. i never got a chance to try it because once the 2 trimester hit i was free of migraines. hop eshe gets some relief soon!

Some great advise, another one I got from my OB was take a benydryl and tylenol, and that combination amazingly helped me. Or he suggested a Tylenol/ cold medicine. It really worked for me and now when I am not pregnant, and have been prescribed migraine medicine I am still fond of the benydryl and tylenol solution for me. The other thing is if its been four days she really should talk with her ob. A headache that long is not good and a migraine that long is worse. My sister got them so bad they prescribed her a blood pressure med that helped with the migraines, and she doesn't have high blood pressure.

Hope that might help a little. C.