Headache relief - which is preferable, caffeine or sugar or paracetamol?

[peanutfoldover]

I’m 7w2d and really struggling with nausea and headaches. They feel connected. If I can tackle the headache the nausea eases up a lot.

Anyway, I find a few things help.... caffeine, sugar and paracetamol. I would much prefer to avoid all 3 (I’m 39 and over weight so high risk of gestational diabetes) but I work full time and have a 5 year old. I NEED to sleep (night times feel worse) and I really can’t take time off sick (I work in the NHS and the service I work for is already stretched so thinly it’s barely functioning).

Paracetamol gets about 50% of the pain for about an hour.

Sugar works almost instantly for about 15 mins.

Caffeine (cup of tea - urgh - tastes of metal at the moment) seems to work for an hour.

Which is the lesser of 3 evils??

have you tried plain water you might be dehydrated? although it may take a few days to improve your hydration.

Because of the nausea I’m sipping water constantly. 2-3 litres a day I’d estimate as I’m refilling my bottle twice. I have all this saliva and it’s making me wretch!

Oh god that’s disgusting isn’t it.

I feel like shite! Only my husband knows why I’m so bloody miserable and useless.... and my poor DD must be wondering what’s going on! (Can’t tell her though, she would tell EVERYBODY(

Caffeine is okay in small doses, but it's not recommended to have more than 2 cups of caffeinated tea or coffee a day. Sorry to hear you're suffering so much. You can always ask the GP for anti-emetics to tackle the nausea, then that's hopefully one less problem

Have you tried ginger? It’s great for nausea. You can get ginger tea or just a ginger biscuit.

Try to avoid caffeine when you’re pregnant.

When I was pregnant with my first I suffered from awful headaches all the time. Going to work was so hard. My gp told me to take paracetamol and take the 8 a day if I needed them. Like you, they only temporarily took off the edge.
When I was around 20 weeks I tried acupuncture and this helped much more.
My second pregnancy I didn't get the headaches

For me it was dehydration. I thought i drank a lot. But increased water and herbal tea and headaches stopped within a few days. Now, nearly 20 weeks and they come back if i have been out and about and drank less than usual.
I think I drink around 5 glasses water, 2 herbal teas, 2 decaf black teas. Thats my minimum to keep the headaches at bay

Ok will try all this

Try eucalyptus oil - I have horrendous migraines that don’t respond to most painkillers, but eucalyptus oil really helps. Just put a few drops on a tissue and keep it under your nose

I got terrible headaches in early pregnancy, like you I found sugar was a temporary fix. Have you tried eating something complex carb based (eg porridge) I found that really helped as it keeps blood sugar a bit more stable.

Ok, I opted for sugar. Sipped lucuzade sporr all all day. Loads loads better! Yayyyy!!

You don’t have to avoid caffeine in pregnancy! Limited yes, but not avoid! It won’t do any harm! The NHS have guidelines on the amount. I couldn’t function without some caffeine, I have a toddler who doesn’t sleep well 😴

Have you tried paracetamol plus, it has added caffeine & works better than regular paracetamol in my experience. I think it speeds up how fast it works! Just check the dose of caffeine in it.. I think it varies by make!