migraine and pregnant

Hi,

Sorry you are going through this. I too get worse headaches and migraines when I am pregnant. Actually it is the tell tale sign that I am pregnant. I get migraine about twice a week and daily headaches. I have had these since I was 10 yrs old.I am now 29 yrs old. I don't know about alternatives in treating migraine while you are pregnant but I take paracetamol/codiene in pregnany which is a category A, safe while pregnant. But considering that you react badly to meds it may not be the best thing for you. Have you asked your Dr about what you could take?

I know how hard it is going to be for you throughout the next 7 months. They told me that most of the time migraine gets better while pregnant and the same as you mine got worse. I knew that they would because they get really bad around the time of my period. You will fine this site good because it seems that most of the people on here are from the states (I'm in Australia) and they tend to be infront of us with the meds. Which means that you will be able to get the low down of how migraine are being treated over there.

Good luck with your searching and I hope that somebody else can help ypou more than I have.

Hi Polly, We don't have all the answers here in the US, but we have a few things available in the form of natural supplements.

But even vitamin supplements and herbs should be checked with your doctor to make sure they won't harm that precious little baby, OK?

Some people use an herb called Feverfew, 50 to 100mg, to get rid of a migraine. It sometimes has to be taken regularly in order to become effective in preventing migraines. You can probably find this in a health food store. Feverfew can cause nausea, which you might experience with your pregnancy. Ginger tablets can help that. Another thing that works for me is sucking on peppermint candy. Avoid candy that shows artificial flavor. It has to have peppermint oil in it or it won't help.

Another supplement that works for some people is Magnesium. Try to find magnesium as citrate or oxide. Sometimes it's a combination of both. If you take Magnesium by itself, get about 250mg. Some people get some good results taking a magnesium tablet at the first signs of a migraine, along with a cup of coffee or a soda with caffiene.  I was very surprised, it has worked for me a few times. Takes about an hour if I lie down as soon as I finish the soda. (I drink the soda because I can drink that faster than I can drink a cup of hot coffee!)

The other good supplement is B2, also known as Riboflavin. The amount to take is 200mg twice a day. That is far greater than the usual amount that our body needs. But it is not harmful. Not to healthy adults, anyway. But be sure to check with your doctor. I don't know if it's OK for your baby!

I listed these items seperately because it might be easier for you to find them this way. There is a product that combines all of these ingredients that is to be taken twice daily for at least 90 days before you get the maximum benefit. Then you continue to take it twice a day for continued benefit. I've been taking it for about 6 weeks so far and I'm going to stick with it. Combined, the ingredients will be about:

B2--200mg  Magnesium--180mg   Feverfew--50mg

It's marketed under the names: MigraHealth and MigreLief. (Do not buy MigreLief from Canada, because their brand only has Feverfew in it.)

I am not selling a product. I'm only telling you about something that's mentioned elsewhere in this forum. My neurologist has told me to take it, and other members' doctors have also recommened it. If you can't find it where you live, you might be able to buy it on line.

I get migraines, too, so I know what you're going through. This might sound too simple, but in addition to the coffee, tea or soda, when you get a migraine, tie a scarf around your head (dip it in cold water first and wring it out a bit) tighly or loosely, whatever feels better, put a cold cloth over your eyes, and retreat to a dark room. If it's noisy in your home, put on some soft music to help block out the other noise.

I do hope you feel better soon. I know how careful you must be and how difficult it must be to be feeling so bad this early in your pregnancy.

Write often. You will be encouraged by the people here. They are wonderful!

~~Pegasis

Good to hear from you again, Polly. I just wrote about a relaxation technique in another post. I'm just going to copy and paste it here:

I've found that to be really helpful. I lie down and concentrate on each body part individually, beginning at my feet, working my way up to my head. A friend gave me a "lesson" that included deep breathing and slow exhaling. When you exhale, you allow the tension to flow out of the body part that you're relaxing. It's been really helpful!

I leave my head for the last part because that's the part where the most pain is. By the time I get there, I've been concentrating AWAY from it, so the pain has had a chance to ease up a little. It takes a bit of work to get your concentration to stay with what you're doing and try to ignore your migraine, but that's part of the point of the exercise. It's a good idea to learn this now. After your baby is born, you will be so good at it that you'll be able to really relax while your baby takes a nap!

It's interesting that Tracey was saying that you'll hear about how migraines are treated here in the States because we're in front of you with the meds. I've never even HEARD of

paracetamol!

I'm guessing it's like tylenol that we have here. It, too, can be prescribed with codiene.

Be sure to keep in touch!

~~Pegasis

Polly, Have you been following Tracey's posts? She's pregnant, too. She, too, is going against the odds. Migraines in women are frequently affected by hormones. For most women, migraines improve during pregnancy. But, as with you, Trace doesn't have the improvement during pregnancy. Keep in touch and let us know what your doctor and/or midwife have to say about the alternative meds I mentioned.

~~Pegasis

Thanks for the laugh, Polly

~~Pegasis