Immobilizing headaches. Anyone else? Advice?

CheezeFace

I have tried so, so hard not to complain once about this pregnancy because we tried for years to have a baby so it just seems ungrateful somehow but...

I literally cannot stop hurting.  I've had a headache pretty much from day one.  I thought maybe it was sinus stuff/allergies but for the last 3 nights I've been woken up by blindingly painful headaches.  I see bolts of light then I feel like my head is being stabbed.  Not fun.

I haven't slept, I screamed at my DH this morning, I scared the dog and I cannot concentrate at work. 

Any advice at all?  I feel like I might be a big, giant baby because I rarely  - if ever- have had a headache prior to getting PG.

Now that I actually typed all that out, I feel like crying. 

Hormones + exhaustion = Crazy Cheeze.

lottac

I am so sorry.  I am prone to headaches too and have had two severe migraines during this pregnancy.  I had to stay home two weeks ago because I just couldn't function.  I just tried to sleep it off along with some Tylenol and a little caffeine.  My doc told me I can take two extra strength every six hours but not to exceed 8 pills in 24 hours.  Tylenol really doesn't do much, for me it is more just waiting them out.  They are truly debilitating and I know how you feel.  Good luck.

Haribo1

I'm sorry you are feeling so awful =(  Tylenol and caffeine do the trick for me.  Feel better!!

Peppernut

Oooh, ow.  Maybe give your doctor a call, if he/she can suggest something that might be nice.

RaggedyAnne

This has been my only major pregnancy issue. I wouldn't have told my doctor if DH wasn't so worried. He gave me a prescription with acetametaphin, caffiene and something else, that worked. Ice packs and heat also curbed the pain.

fabfive

when i'm not pg i have TERRIBLE migraines.  i have had to go to the hospital for them a couple times for IV meds to stop the pain.  one of the things in the IV that helps is Benadryl, which is safe during pregnancy.  what has worked for me during pregnancy is to take 2 tylenol, drink a little caffeine, and pop a couple Benadryl. Ice packs & extra sleep also help.  My ob said that if i got a bad headache, it was okay to head to the ER for medication.  he said there is really nothing he could prescribe that is deemed "safe" for pg headaches.  in the past they prescribed midrin but for some reason it is no longer available (i think that was the reason).

hope you get some relief very soon.  

yankeebear

I had these in the first trimester with both pregnancies.  You can try caffeine and tylenol and they help, but don't really make them go away.  Also try putting some ice and /or heat on your head or your neck.  I told the doctor about them and she gave me a prescription pain killer, but I haven't filled it.  The best news is that the headaches have stopped since getting into the 2nd trimester.  I hope yours go away too.

CheezeFace

Thanks everyone.  I called my Dr. and she had me come down right awawy.  Apparently, my BP is on the higher side (news to me) and she wanted to check.  All the ladies in the office were so sweet to me and my Dr. even sat in a dark room with me and talked to me for about 20 minutes.

 We determined that the headaches have gotten worse since I went off Prometrium suppositories.  Which is strange b/c Prometrium usually causes headaches.  Anyway, she gave me a shot of progesterone and Tylenol3.  Before I even got home from her office, I felt 90% better (it takes about 20 minutes for the shot to be completely in your system, 30 minutes for me to get home) so I think this has something to do with Progesterone.  Weird, huh? 

She is doing some research for me and will call back when she has an answer.

Again, thanks for your support.  Next time someone tells me they have a migraine, they have my total sympathy.  I had NO idea.

 

 

tinkerbelle

I'm so sorry about the headaches!  That's been my major pregnancy issue as well.  Starting at about 10-11 wks, I think, I started getting these blinding migraines, always on the left side of my head. My eye would start hurting first, and then it would move up my head, to the point that it felt like I had a knife going right through the top of my head.  By that point, I'd also start getting nauseous and my eyes would be really sensitive to light.  If I really let it go, I would start throwing up. 

 I tried Tylenol and caffeine (I usually have tension headaches when not pregnant), but that would only give me some relief for a few hours, and then the migraine would come back.  I ended up calling my OB and he prescribed a generic form of Vicodin and nausea medication so I could keep the Vicodin down.  It was a lifesaver. 

After several weeks of these migraines coming on 2-3 times a week, they finally tapered off at about 20 weeks.