Hi, everyone.

I am new to this board, but post on the fibromyalgia and pregnancy boards sometimes.

I have suffered severe, chronic migraines, tension headaches, etc. for years.

Now I am pregnant and they are coming in force and I cannot take meds for relief. I am starting to freak out a little and wonder if I am going to make it through this.


I think my diet might be wrong, or maybe there is nothing I can do.

If anyone has any advice about what I might do that is pregnancy safe, I would be grateful. Is anyone else having this problem?

Thanks.

I would suggest calling your neurologist and getting his advice as on what he feels would work for you since he is more knowledgable than any of us would be as to what meds are safe to use during pregnancy for migraines etc. What triggers do you have for your migraines? You would be wise to stay away from any foods or items that tend to trigger you migraines. Also MSG can be a big trigger and is found in lots of prepackaged foods so be sure to read your lables. For some relief you may want to try one of those new migraine pain reliever patches that you can get at your local drug/walmart store.

thanks for the advice:
i am starting acupuncture next week, but other than reglan and tylenol, there is little i can do. i am seeing a nutriitionist now, who suggested protein (not meat) with every one of the 5 meals i should eat daily. no results yet though. grrrrr...

One thing that might help and is safe to use would be to rub a little tea tree oil on both of your temples when you get a nasty headache. This is safe and can be effective at times.

Since it is almost a month since your posting you may be coming out of this headache phase (with luck)! If not, you may want to look at your protein intake. I had the same problem in the first trimester of my pregnancy and it may have been because my protein intake was well under 100 grams of protein a day. Check with your doc or midwife. One of the symptoms is a craving for sweets--or so I'm told and also cause headaches. Good Luck!

Hi janetp -

If you found anything that worked please let us know. I've had a chronic migraine for almost 8 years, and we were going to try to conceive this fall. I am still scheduled to see my headache doctor in Chicago, though, before we give it a shot. From the research I've been doing I thought migraines were supposed to calm down, a little, during pregnancy.

Thanks!