Migranes in pregnancy?!

[Kayano]

I do not get migranes....

However I have recently had 2. Crippling crippling migraines.

Everything I have googled on Migraines during
Pregnancy says if anything, they should get better during this time. However it's only now I'm pg I am getting them!

Any advise! I don't have any special meds as don't get ten
Normally but I har just been relying on paracetemol!

Bump sadface

mine re appeared when pg!

have no idea about medications though, cos mine were quite rare, although recently they have started again ...it's my age!

Firstly, I would get checked out at the doc's - sudden migraines can be the sign of something else.

I get them anyway and I find Tiger Balm really useful if I can't take my usual painkillers. Rub onto your temples. And take paracetemol if you're comfortable with that (I personally didn't want to take anything when expecting, but that's just me - my GP said paracetemol were fine).

Hi there - I had very bad migraines since I was a teenager. Since being pg I have had awful headaches, but they aren't migraines. Migraines are a neurological phenomenon, often with physical symptoms like visual disturbance, extreme light/sound sensitivity, nausea and vomiting (although the latter obv is a symptom of pregnancy too!). The reason I make the distinction is that I don't want you to worry that you are developing migraines, as you probably aren't.

My pregnancy headaches seem to be caused by really, really congested sinuses - absolutely horrible but apparently normal. I can just about function with them, whereas with a migraine I am totally incapacitated - just have to go to bed for a day and can't even bring myself to get undressed or go to the loo.

If you are worried I would speak to your GP who will be able to help you diagnose what's going on. Good luck!

Yup, get thee to your GP. Migraines are more than very bad headaches...some migraines are infact pain free...but any severe headace should be investigated during pg so they can rule out bad stuff like pre-eclampsia and such scary things. Probably nothing, but 'bad headaches' def. worth ruling out these causes.

I'm getting viscious 2nd trimester headaches, and am using many of the below migraine tips to get me through.

You can be prescribed codeine based drugs, but these are highly addictive and cause refractory migraines, so best avoided if you can get them under control and can use alternative methods of halting the pain.

As a migraineur, who's pg (luckily I've onyl had 3 whilst pg) I have found these things useful:
Prevention:

1. Cut out caffeine totally.
2. Keep hydrated. Always carry water with you when you're out, always take a glass to bed.
3. Keep as cool as you can in bed.
4. Common triggers are: Citrus fruits, caffeine, raw tomatoe, dark chocolate, wine/alcohol, ripe/moulded cheeses, erratic sleep and importantly stress. You might want to keep a food & mood diary for a week and see if you find anything on common. Citrus fruits are also a common cause of stomach aches/IBS in pregnancy, the 2 are often linked, so you may notice a pattern there.
5. Exercise regularly. You might want to try something like Pilates/Yoga as they teach you brilliant breathing techniques which can help keep you calm when all you want to to is bang your head repeatedly against a wall.
6. reduce your stresses. Not easy when pg, but accept that you're not going to be able to do 'everything' today and leave some stuff til tomorrow...or get someone else to do it.

Treatment:

1. you can take paracetamol at 1000mg doses, 3 times a day
2. If you need it, and are caffeine free, often a cup of tea/coffee it a good muscle relaxant. Again, be aware of the strength. 2 standard mugs of tea or cups of coffee are your limit for the day. Doesn't work if you have caffeine regularly. But def. keep your fluids up.
3. keep cool - a cold head helps with vaso-constriction (one of the many theories of migraines is dilated blood vessles): 3a) There are migraine strips you can use on you head/neck available from most chemists. Similar 'sticks' are available for use in the day (4head being well known brand). I like to have a hot shower, followed by these as I feel clean and comfy...aids sleep. 3b) things like tiger-balm have a similar effect, but I find tiger balm warming rather than cooling.
4. Ventilated room - if you can, sleep with the window open. Fresh air feels great.
5. Darkness. Theory is, after 90minutes or so in the dark, your brain finally realises it's dark and can start to re-set. Often migraineurs report being in the dark as useless as with their eyes closed everything's really bright. Theories about the visual cortex being over stimulated by light here, so being in the dark for long enough will calm this down.
6. When you can bare it, take a walk. Endorphines make you feel better, fresh air's good...
7. most of all, relax as much as you can and accept it, sleep through the worst of the pain if it helps (it does me). Stressing about work/ being pg whilst mid migraine will do you and baby no good.

Good luck!

Just to add to the advice above, my migraines came back when pregnant with dd1, and reappeared when pregnant with dd2. And I'm talking visual disturbances etc.

I think if you are past 24 weeks the midwife will keep an eye on blood pressure for pre eclampsia. I never had any probs witth blood pressure though so guessed it was hormone related.

Thank you so much for all the advice!!! I really appreciate it :D

The reason I think it's a
Migraine and not a bad headache is because I do have the bad reaction to light and I seemed to have a
Line across my vision.

I can't get a GP appointment today but I have hospital appointment on Mon and a GP appointment on Tuesday so
Will definitely mention it.

X mumsnet is fab thanks!

Wonderful advice
I have seen a consultant ob at the Rosie in Cambridge who told me sumatriptan ok in pregnancy if you are desperate
Need to talk to your own to confirm
I get them badly anyway and in pregnancy they change but don't stop. I find clutching an ice pack helps when the cool strips are not enough

I've just been diagnosed with migraines and am 27 weeks pregnant - after going through multiple tests for pre-eclampsia, I might add. However, my consultant has prescribed for me 'baby' aspirin - the 75mg daily which appears to be helping so far. Definitely do mention it to your GP and midwife (although my GP rather oddly said to me, when I first experienced it at 16 weeks "we don't do anything about headaches when you are pregnant until you are at least 24 weeks" ) as it is a symptom of pre-eclampsia.

Hope you get them sorted out asap - you really have my sympathy, it's bloody horrid

You might think this is an odd question but are you still taking Pregnacare or similar? I noticed a huge surge in 'aura' migraines when I temporarily stopped my Pregnacare tablets, between 25-32 weeks. I only realised the link when a post on here alerted me to the link between a lack of magnesium in pregnancy (contained in Pregnacare tablets) and the onset of migraines. Certainly worth a try. I suffer from hemiplegic migraines but, thankfully, have not had a bad attack during pregnancy and have managed to ride them out with paracetamol only. I hope you get some respite as the aura is, in my experience, often the hardest part to deal with.

I'm still on pregnacare plus.
I'm now wondering if 2 of the 3 migraines I've had were following days where I couldn't keep anything down all day... Last one I know I was ok by the evening meal, so def. kept it down. Humm, will have to look out for that.

I am not a migraine sufferer, but when I was pregnant with DS1 I started to suffer from them - from about 11 weeks until about 18 weeks.

Obviously you need to see your doctor/midwife, but the key thing is to take whatever medication you are allowed to have as soon as you feel one coming on. Your system shuts down and you will not absorb the drug. For this reason, a soluble form of paracetamol is best, as you have enzymes in your saliva which mean that it will be absorbed/digested as soon as you take it.

If you can, go and lie down in a darkened room as well.

Caffeine/cool/wet cloth also good, as recommended above.

I feel for you. I hated every minute of them. But when they went, they went. With DS2, I had bad headaches, but nothing close to these migraines.