Headaches While Pregnant - Trussville,AL

After suffering with migraines since age 16, I have learned a few things. Take medication at the first sign of onset, however if you don't want to, skip that part. Do not lay down, if you must, make sure your head if highly elevated. The best thing is to start moving...i.e. go for a walk or do something that keeps you moving in the house...this gets your blood circulating. Take a bath...something about it always made me feel better. Yes caffine is great and BC powders, cause most migraine meds have a high amount of caffine in them. Very important, keep your blood sugar up, especially in the morning , dry wheat toast and a big glass of orange juice is fine if you have morning sickness, and don't skip meals. I have used ice packs on the base of my neck and on my head, and those black covers for the eyes. All I know is, I feel for you, because migraines are horrible!

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I thought Tylenol was about the only thing you could take while pregnant. Hmm, I would be very hesitant to take that medication. I also had terrible headaches during both of my pregnancies, so I drank more water to stay hydrated and took Tylenol only if I was really in a lot of pain (obviously not as strong as migraine medication), but it did help a little.

Maybe you could schedule a pregnancy massage to relax your body. I know, migraines are horrible and not being able to take anything for them is even worse. Good luck, I hope you feel better.

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Are you sure they aren't sinus or allergy related? I would talk to your doctor about it and see if there is a sinus or allergy mediation you can take. I know I was able to take Claritin when pregnant, just not the Claritin-D. I also found that a Pepsi and a sugar treat in the afternoon helped with my headaches while pregnant. That boost of Caffinee and sugar helped. I know there are different views on caffinee while pregnant, but my doctor told me I could have up to 200 mg of caffinee a day and a pepsi only has 55 mg.

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I had to give up all dairy when I was pregnant and make sure I got plenty of sleep otherwise I would have migraines.

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You could try alternating hot/cold packs on your forehead. When I have a headache (and it's usually spring/fall when we have big leaps/drops in temp outside or rapid weather fronts are moving through the area), if Tylenol isn't helping me, I'll have a lie down with a heating pad on my face.
Sometimes it helps having the heating pad on the back of my neck.
There's no harm in trying it out.

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I had headaches that were awful, I did not take any medicine, but the only thing that helped was drinking cola and some asperin....now they say no caffine and almost no meds, so I don't blame you for not feeling comfortable with migraine meds. I did have a very healthy 8 pound boy, without Rx meds???

Blessings...

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Tylenol is okay but sometimes it just doesn't do the job. You could try massaging your temples, by your ears and other parts of the head and neck. You could check with a chiropractor. Putting heat or cold on your head/neck may help (I like heat my husband likes cold). These suggestions may not work but at least they are drug free options. Hope you are feeling better soon.

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Mine were caused by my prenatal vitamins.

No vitamins for a week, and then flintstones chewables a few times a day fixed me right up

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Are your headaches on top of your head towards the forehead..late afternoon? Those are usually signs of tension headaches so drinking water (like others have said) will help. I freeze a neckwrap in my freezer and put that over my head as well. I did take tylenol and tylenol pm while pregnant and my kids are very healthy and smart.
Do you have sinus/allergy problems? Is your nose stuffy? Does your cheekbones and nose feel sore to the touch? If so, you can get something like rhinocort nasal spray (it's a prescription) for relief. It is localized to the nasal area and doesn't really enter your bloodstream. You can also get OTC versions too, but ask your doctor or pharmacist about those before using them. You can also do nasal rinses or get a neti pot to help clear out any mucus that can cause a stuffy nose headache.
Does the pain originate from your back or neck area? It could be you are overworking large muscles like the trapezius muscle and that can cause terrible headaches. Regular massage works very well for this type of headache. Good luck and I hope you find some relief soon. I get headaches all the time and they are no fun!!!
A.

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Try water. If I didn't drink a TON!!! of water while pregnant I got horrid headaches. And I mean a TON, yes, it makes you pee a bunch, but it got rid of the headaches. My mom did the same thing and a friend of mine and water was the best thing they could do stop the headaches.
Good luck!

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I'm in your boat right now, but my headaches aren't too bad. The biggest thing that has helped me is letting myself have a little bit of caffeine. Before I was pregnant I drank a couple cups of coffee a day, but for now I've given that up. If I drink a little bit of caffeinated soda or coffee, it makes me feel much better. Aside from that, sleep.

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I got the worst headaches when I was pregnant with my first baby. They were debilitating. In fact, I started getting them before I even knew I was pregnant.
I don't think your doctor would give you something that isn't safe to take. If you have to take the meds take them. Hopefully, as your pregnancy progresses, your headaches will decrease. I know mine did. But in the beginning, I didn't think I was going to make it. They were that bad.
Make sure you are eating on a regular basis and avoid food that trigger migraines.

I hope you'll be feeling better soon!

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haven't read the other responses, but i KNOW your pain. i suffered exceptionally severe headaches(migraine and tension) during all of my pregnancies. one last six weeks in my first pregnancy. i would caution you not to let the pain spiral completely out of control. my OB and my husband(a pharmacist) were not comfortable with me taking the "migraine meds"(imitrex and the like), but i used the hydrocodone/tylenol(generic vicodin) as needed, usually broke them in half to see if the smaller amount could handle it. i also had stadol ns(stadol in a nasal spray form, it doesn't come in pill form) for when i had a BAD headache. yes, it's better not to take meds, but pain can put your body and your baby under an incredible amount of stress as well. for me, a sonic coke daily helped mine, but the coke HAD to be from sonic(go figure?). it didn't solve my problems completely, but i did find it to be helpful.

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I had horrible headaches when I was pregnant with my daughter and my doctor prescribed tylenol/dodeine mix. I only took it before bed since it made me so sleepy and only when it was so bad I couldn't function.

I'm hoping your doctor is aware of the fact that you're pregnant. If your doctor gave it to you, it should be safe to take during pregnancy. You could always call and verify, but he/she should be competant enough not to give you medicine that is not safe it take during pregnancy.

Tylenol is one of the few OTC medications that OB's say are safe to take while pregnant. My OB gave me a list, but the meds on the list were only OTC. If the situation arises where one needs a prescription, the doctor should know which are safe and which are not.

Have you tried going to the chiropractor? It worked great for me when I was pregnant and I still go from time to time when I have a headache for a couple days in a row!

I would recommend trying a chiropractor. A friend of mine was having debilitating headaches, trying everything under the sun and still couldn't function. She started seeing a chiropractor and she's gotten so much relief and is amazed at how she's gotten her life back. I would ask around for a good one and make a number of calls to see if one in your area specializes in headaches and let them know you're pregnant up front. Might be worth a try. Best of luck to you.

I had migraines start around week 17 of my last pregnancy. They were horrible and sent me to the ER once and an over night hospital stay once. After all this, I was sent to the nuerologist who prescribed me a medication I could take daily throughout my pregnancy that was safe for baby. It was GREAT!!!! Baby was born healthy with NO side effects. I can't remember off the top of my head what the medication name was, but would be happy to go home and look, then message you back. Just let me know if interested! I feel for you. I was working full time, pregnant, and had a two year old.... life doesn't stop when these headaches keep coming.

Sort of taking the meds, which I actually recommend, there isn't anything that's going to help a ton. But here are some things that helped me:

Cutting chocolate and straight diary (like milk and cheese) out of my diet. I was able to eat dairy again post-pregnancy, never able to go back to chocolate.

Stand in the shower with full-force water pounding down on wherever it hurts.

Make sure you're eating a really well balanced diet without too many carbs (which is hard if you're still battling morning sickness).

Try a little caffeine. The studies show that, especially this far along, one cup of coffee isn't dangerous to the fetus, and might make you feel a heck of a lot better. Caffeine is a natural painkiller. If you don't want to try coffee, have a coke.

Apply counter-pressure with a tennis ball. Have your husband rub your back with a tennis ball if you can't lay down on it comfortably.

Try accupuncture, chiropractic, and/or massage. They work for some, but not for others.

Good luck. I had the worst headaches when pregnant. Oh, the misery.