Migraines in Early Pregnancy

Sorry to hear that...it's awful! My doctor also suggested what another poster said...drink 1 can of regular coke with a tylenol. It really did help me. Like others said...they suddenly just stopped one day. Good Luck! :)

Hi, I am in my second Trimester now and had horrible tension/migraine headaches in the beginning. What I did was depending on where my headache was at, I would either put hot or cold rags across my forehead or the back of my neck and just kept my eyes closed for 20 minutes (if I could, I have a toddler right now). It would always help and I would take Tylenol. It might not go away right away but if you alternate it throughout the day it would get better.

Are you normally a caffeine drinker (even in small amounts) but have cut it out completely due to the pregnancy? That could be causing your migraines. While I understand that everyone wants to be absolutely perfect in how they treat their bodies during a pregnancy, sometimes there comes a time when you need to do things that will help you function during the day. I'm not saying go out and have 10 ventis from Starbucks every day, but you can consume caffeine in moderation while pregnant.

Try cutting out dairy products. I had a nurse suggest this when I was pregnant with my first daughter and it did help. You can always get plenty of calcuim from other places like jucies.

Ask for a massage maybe? I have them too but am in the second trimester thank goodness. My OB was able to prescribe specific painkiller to help me sleep since they were keeping me up at night as well as making me miserable during the day. I was having tension headaches. Not much you can do in the first tri though.

i love love love the Blue Oil Balancing Concentrate from Aveda. You rub it on the back of your neck and temples and it really works! I rub it on, lay down with an ice pack on the back of my neck and forehead for 20 minutes or so and most of the time my headaches are gone or greatly reduced.

Resting is the best. In early pregnancy your body is dealing with an increased blood flow in the body and sometimes that can lead to headaches. It should lighten up by the second trimester. Tylenol should be safe for you to take, not that it will give you a ton of relief. If the headaches are severe I would check in with your doc and make sure your blood pressure is normal and not elevated and maybe they can prescribe you something that is safe but stronger. As for natural remedies, I personally wouldn't take anything your doc doesn't okay first, many "natural" herbs can be harmful during pregnancy and keep in mind that these are not always regulated by the FDA if they aren't considered a food. Your doctor probably has the best suggestions for what to take that is safe for you and baby.

I had terrible migraines. I ended up going for accupunture for the 1 st time. It really helped alot. My migraines were lasting 3 days. It is a little pricy to do but worth it.
Make sure you tell them how far along you are before going.

You should go to your doc to determine whether you are getting migraines or another type of headache. I know hormonal changes can bring on migraine, so it could in fact be that. Migraines are treated totally differently then other headaches-sometimes nothing helps, but there is specific meds for migraines as opposed to tension headaches etc. (not sure about the pregnancy part of it) The doctor can help you determine that. Good luck from a fellow sufferer.

Hi T.!
I feel your pain--I had these in early pregnancy with my first as well. As far as natural remedies go rest was the best for me, but would be almost impossible with a toddler. Have you talked to your dr about any medications they could give you? Mine gave me Tylenol with codeine for when they are really bad--I took a regular tylenol most of the time. It is probably best to find a medication that won't harm the baby, but will give you the relief you need! Hopefully your hormones will balance out and these will end soon!

L.

I was just reading to see if anyone had ideas I haven't tried....It's so hard when you're already not feeling your best. I'm guessing you're already following a low tyramine diet...seems that with the extra blood flow and hormone fluctuations we may be even more susceptible to migraine triggers when pregnant. The other thing I've had recommended is a cold stone massage to decrease the inflammation. You're supposedly able to do it to prevent instead of once the migraine starts. There's a massage therapist at Delnor Community Health & Wellness Ctr. trained in it. If you need more info let me know! Good luck!

I occasionally break down and take a fioriset(I am sure I spelled that wrong). I have done that 3 times in 6 months because standing up and being in a room with any light made me want to throw up. So you can imagine that taking care of my other 2 kids was nearly impossible.
Something that would work for me was hot showers followed by sitting in a dark room and doing some deep breathing exercises that a yoga instructor taught me. I wish I could explain them, but maybe you know someone...
I also try to really watch what I eat--nothing with MSG or aspertame. Those are terrible triggers for me.
Being a nurse, you probably know that the recipe that Tammie C gave might be helpful, but I was told NOT to take Excedrin, espically late in the pregnancy because of, I believe, the risk of bleeding.

I had migraines postpartum with my first two kids. What helped me was Tylenol and caffeine. Maybe one cup of coffee or a soda when you feel one coming on would be helpful? Caffeine is commonly used to treat migraines and although it should be limited in pregnancy it is probably better than migraine medication. Hiding away in a quiet and dark room is best, but those of us with young kids rarely get to do that. Hope you feel better soon and congrats on the pregnancy.

I read through the other responses to see if I could learn any new tricks and I just wanted to say be careful about taking exccedrin because it contains aspirin which is generally a no-no during pregnancy. It can cause bleeding problems and that's always a concern with the placenta. Talk with your doc or midwife about that one. Otherwise I hope you are feeling better already.

make sure you tell your healthcare provider what is going on! Yoga provides breathing and relaxation exercises but this is best when you are not in the middle of the migraine...I also know that a little lavendar oil along the side of the neck can be relaxing (assuming that you are not annoyed by this aroma) and some rest in a quiet, dark room (can a friend play with your son for a few hours to help you out?). I teach prenatal yoga in Naperville and Aurora - details at www.universalspirityoga.com or you can email me for more details.
It is important for you to take some time for yourself to relax every day...be hydrated...get the right vitamins and diet... (give the toddler a toy and let your toddler put his toy down for nap just like Mommy needs to have a short rest time...or let him have an approved childrens' video tape that he can watch while you take a short rest time with the baby monitor so you can listen for him if you don't have help at home...).
You can get lavendar oil at Whole Foods.

I use something called Mygrastick (or maybe it's Mygrastik) which is a little roll-on stick with peppermint and lavender essential oils. You rub it on your temples, forehead, and the back of your neck. I've also found smelling (solid) pure lavender essential oil to be very helpful. I have a jar (it might be made by aromabar?), and it actually helped me get through labor naturally, too.

A little caffeine couldn't hurt either -- just don't overdo it.

Best,
R.

Hi T.,
I have a terrible time with migraines as well. Have you tried massage or acupuncture? I have had a lot of luck especially with massage. It takes a little while to take effect, but if you stay with it, I at least have had a lot of relief from it.
Good luck,
MC

Good morning T.!

I know you are looking for natural remedies but I have no advice to give to you in that area besides sleep, ice and a dark room! Sorry!

Here is what happened with me though and if you decide to not go the natural route I promise you it works!!!

When I was prego with my daughter I got a severe migraines and called the Drs office to ask if Morphine was safe with one of my worst ones and if it was I was going to the ER. The nurse practitioner gave me a different thing to try first and if it did not work to call her back in 30 minutes. I never had to call her back! I was amazed!

Ok, this is gonna sound strange but here is the "recipe" of what she gave me....

1 can of Coke
2 Tylenol
1 Chlortrimeton Allergy Pill in the green box

Instead I took Mountain Dew, 2 Excederin and the Chlortrimeton. Within 15 minutes it took the edge off of a severe migraine (had for about 2 days) and after the second dose it was completely gone.... I wish I would have known about this at the start of it. Now anytime I start to get one I take that and within 15 minutes it is completely gone!!!

The caffiene will speed up the medications. The Tylenol or Excederin are pain relievers and the Chlortrimeton is for allergies and the majority of migraines are caused by allergies!

I hope you find some relief you are comfortable taking! I wish I had a natural way to give you but this is the only thing that has ever worked for me besides going to the hospital for Morphine!

Blessings to you!

Lots of water consumption and humidity in the atmosphere. Sleeping at night? Sometimes inadequate rest is the culprit and then having a lot on your mind. Get a theraputic massage a couple times a month (insurance can cover these too), or chiropractic adjustments (also can be covered by most insurance). Eating iron rich foods helps with blood levels too.

Since I couldn't take my perscribed migrane med (Maxalt) my OB gave me vocodin and told me to increase caffine..I can hear the screams out there now :-) I took the Vicodin only when necessary and increased caffine a bit (I believe 300 mg is supposed to be the daily max)... have two very healthy and happy kids ages almost 2 and almost 4.

I had that same problem when pregnant with my son. I was prescribe vicadin, but couldn't bring my self to take it. It just made me too nervous. I increased caffine and took tylenol and stayed in bed alot. The only up side is by the time I was about 20 weeks they magically disappeared.
Take care.
K.