Headaches

[emmyloo2]

Hello,
I am almost 18 weeks pregnant and have been having terrible headaches for the past week. I know this is normal but what I can't figure out is whether it is safe to take a couple of paracetemol every now and then just to give me some relief. I took two last night just to help me sleep because my head was pounding.

Does anyone have any advice? I have checked all my pregnancy books and none seem to give an answer.

Thanks

[1TiredBunny]

I'm the same. 18 weeks and 2 days. Frequent headaches. As far as I know it is safe to take paracetamol but I'm a bit fussy and dont like to unless I absolutely have to.

I've done it once, but to be honest they didnt really help much.

Try and stay hydrated too - drink plenty of water. De-hydration can give you headaches.

[LittleMissSnowShine]

Poor you

I read it was ok to take paracetamol too but when I went to the chemist and asked the pharmacist she discouraged me from using it unless absolutely necessary

I'd agree that plenty of fluid helps - water, juice, herbal tea, anything that stops you getting dehydrated.

I also found not having caffeine really difficult and prone to give me a headache so allowing yourself a can of diet coke or a cup of tea now and again can help and is probably not quite as bad as the paracetamol.

[mummytosquidgies]

I'm 28 weeks and 3 days now, and have had headaches pretty much every day since about week 14 or 15

They've got more and more severe as time has gone on, and I've decided that I'm going to mention it to the midwife at my next appointment (end of the month) as I'm so fed up. I will only take a paracetamol when it gets really bad so I seem to have a low level headache constantly that gets worse a few times a day.

Make sure you're drinking plenty, as dehydration can cause headaches. I have a bottle of water with me all the time and found that really helps me drink loads.

[PenguinNZ]

In my last pregnancy I used the cold gel pads for headaches that you can buy in Boots, they really helped me. But that may be partly because you have to lie down with one on for at least 5 mins...

[japhrimel]

Paracetamol is generally considered okay, but you shouldn't take anything unless really necessary. If the headaches are getting severe, talk to your doctor or midwife. Pain is a stressor, so if it's bad, it'll need to be managed.

I'm struggling to not get dehydrated now - Gatorade is keeping me going (it's got electrolytes in it, and no artificial sweeteners).

You might also find that your shoulders and neck are getting tense and that can elad to headaches. If your bra isn't supportive enough, that can cause that, as can poor posture at the computer or in the car, etc.

[Hevster]

I asked my GP as I too get banging headaches and she said you can take up to 8 paracetamol in 24 hours but no more than 2 every 4 hours (much as it says on the box). She also suggested having a coffee/caffine might help and to be fair it does for me. I think you will always get differing opinions on medication in pregnancy so you have to make the decision for yourself. Personally my GP has never let me down and I trust her implicitly so I am quite happy to gobble the paracetamol when I feel rough.

[emmyloo2]

Thanks everybody. I have been trying to monitor my water intake but perhaps I was drinking less on the weekend because I am not as my desk with a bottle in front of me.

I will definitely try the cold compresses from Boots.

I am still going to take the paracetemol when necessary but I would like to keep it to a minimum if possible.

God pregnancy is hard - if I am not exhausted, I am nauseaus, or I have a splitting headache, and I am not even half way there yet!

[rockinghertosleep]

Take the paracetamol with a cup of tea or coffee - if you look at most over-the-counter headache medicines they contain paracetamol, ibuprofen, & caffeine - something about the combination seems to work. I've found that it helps head off developing migraines too if I can take both early enough... Good luck!

[PixieCake]

Hi Emmyloo,
I have been having pretty bad headaches too - I find that they are worse when I am constipated, so high fibre cereals, fruit and veg have helped me. Plus lots of water.