Pregnancy and headaches

[PrincessFiona]

Anyone else out there experienced a lot of headaches? I'm absolutely dying over here...well...you know what I mean. I went through a phase of having headaches where my ob actually prescribed Tylenol 3 because I was waking up at 2am in blinding pain...they went away and now they're back Yesterday I started feeling badly in the evening, and today I've had a full-fledged awful headache all day.

Anyone want to commiserate 8)

kris

[Rapunzel]

Oh boy, do I commiserate! I get migraines that last for five to seven days at a time, include uncontrollable vomiting, and can completely incopacitate me if not reigned in early. When I feel one coming I generally use ibuprofen profilactically. Since you are preggers I would take as much Tylenol as you safely can BEFORE you have the headache. If you are getting the headaches at a certain time of day I suggest you take the Tylenol a half hour before that time period and consider taking a nap immediately thereafter. Sometimes fatigue can trigger a headache. You might ask your md if there are any "emergency" head ache meds you can safely take if you can't medicate in time to nip it in the bud. For instance, I take promethazine right now as my last-ditch safety net. It stops the nausea caused by the pain and it knocks me out.

I really, really do feel for you. Headaches can be the worst pain. Last summer I had a migraine that sat in the background for a full week. When it finally erupted it was the worst pain I have ever had - even worse than childbirth. My husband was about to take me to the er when an er resident neighbor of ours gave us some compazine that did the trick. I was so weak the next day from the aftermath of the pain that I couldn't walk for quite a while. I really don't know if your headaches are quite this bad - but I just wanted to tell you that headaches are truly awful and I encourage you to seek all medical treatment possible to stop these things now (and possibly prevent them from getting worse).

[Phoebe]

I can relate to this occurance. My first pregnancy I got migraines often. My OB is pretty conservative and didn't want to prescribe or suggest any medication for them. He suggested drinking extra water. Since my regular medication, imitrex, is considered a class c drug and not allowed during pregnancy, I tried the water thing and it didn't do anything. Sometimes I would drink a caffeinated pop which he said may give relief. Tylenol never works for my migraines. Finally, I got some medication from my mom (an RN in a perinatologist's office). Her boss perscribes Fioricet as a last ditch pain reliever. It and an immediate nap did wonders for the pain. Like Jennifer, I was always tired the next day.

This pregnancy, I have been lucky with migraines, but have been getting more regular headaches. I try to drink lots of fluids and take tylenol which usually helps. Sleeping is always the best solution for my headaches, but not always possible with a toddler around.

Kris, I hope your headaches subside. I know they can be debilitating. Try and get some rest.

Jennifer

That sounds like a bummer! Especially if it cuts into your sleep. Sounds like something you should definitely ask you dr about.
I was lucky in that I did not have any migraines during pregnancy. I have found that getting some caffeine -- either a Coke or cup of coffee -- at the first sign of any symptoms can really help.