Chronic Migraines

[Anonymous]

I am thinking about trying to get pregnant next year, but my biggest obstacle is that I have had chronic migraines for years. I have a wonderful neurologist who I have talked to about acceptable ways/drugs to address migraines during pregnancy, but it is nowhere near the balance of preventative and rescue medications I take now.

Have any of you gone into pregnancy in a situation similar to mine? Do you an ob/gyn you would recommend who was aware of/sensitive to this situation? What types of coping mechanisms worked for you during pregnancy?

Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

I had migraines for several years prior to getting pregnant, too, and I was stricken at the idea of giving up my Relpax (it took me a long time to find something that worked, and OH how well that Relpax worked...) I talked with my neurologist about the various options, and I even bought a biofeedback machine and practiced relaxing with it (it is basically a machine that makes your body's tension audible, so you get immediate feedback on how relaxed you are and can learn to control it... you can listen to recorded relaxation exercises and practice... this did help!)

I just figured I would get pregnant and tough it out through some bad, bad days.

Then I got pregnant and never had another migraine again. Seriously. Knock on wood. That was nearly three years ago. I have heard other anecdotal evidence that migraines can begin or end with a pregnancy -- maybe it's the hormone changes. Maybe it's the lifestyle change. I don't know!

Anyway, don't want to get your hopes up, since of course this won't happen for everyone -- but I remember being in your shoes and sympathize!

[Anonymous]

PP adding: I went into labor very bravely, with the attitude of: I've survived migraines, I can do labor NO PROBLEM. And I truly thought my unmedicated labor was easier than a migraine. So you've got that going for you.

[Anonymous]

I've been suffering from migraines since I was 2. My neurologist thinks I had them before that, but there was just no way to tell. I'm now 34, so it's been a while. I was nervous about getting pregnant because of the migraines, but pregnancy is a short time compared to everything else in the grand scheme of things so after speaking with my OB and working with my neurologist, I decided to not let it be a factor. Well, not a factor in getting pregnant that is. I'll be honest- unlike the pp, it hasn't been easy. Going off my medications and not being able to take them during attacks sometimes was enough to drive me to a breaking point. The second trimester was the worst. I had a headache most days and had to visit the ER a few times to get injections (demerol, that kind of stuff) to help take the edge off. The third trimester (knock on wood) has been pretty good and in the homestretch now (3 weeks to go). The key for me is having an understanding boss, an understanding husband, supportive family and good neurologist. My OB pretty much differs to him on treatment, so maybe that helps. My OB is Dr. Brinkrant and he's been great.

I don't want to sound gloom and doom and apologize if anything comes off that way. It hasn't been easy at all times, but it's been doable and manageable. If you find that your headaches do not go away during pregnancy, you will have to watch yourself more than maybe a typical pregnant person would. Always carry water with you- stay hydrated. That's good advice for anyone, but more so for migraines. If you feel tired, rest, no matter what. Try to manage stress- highly recommend biofeedback techniques. Massages are nice. There are preventatives that you can take (I take magnesium and vitamin B2). There are pain killers you can take- fioricet and phenergran were approved for me. If things get bad, you may have to visit the ER, although if you are close to an urgent care and develop a relationship with one (my neurologist sent a letter for me to take to say that I was approved for certain treatments) you may find it is a lot better- way less stressful and less time. Sometimes the ER makes me worse because of the wait, lights, and noise. All in all, it's just another thing and the end result is so worth it. I wish you all the luck and hope it works out for you and may you be like the pp.

[Anonymous]

Another migraine sufferer here. I think it is important to know what kind of migraines you have -- mine are herald migraines or hormonally induced ones -- I get them each month when my estrogen dips and my period is about to start. So, LSS, I had no migraines while pregnant. It was such a relief. I can't wait for menopause.

[Anonymous]

To 8:59 -- have you ever tried the birth control pills that you take all year? That would keep your estrogen from dipping, no? Just a thought.

[Anonymous]

I continued getting migraines through my first trimester. I got regular accupuncture, which helped with pain/ frequency, but did not make headaches go away entirely. Second and third trimesters I was pretty much headache free. Worst part was first headache post-partum, when I didn't have anything to take (although I'd consulted extensively with lactation consultant about what I could take). Had to wait for phrmacy to open the next morning. Awful. Next time laying in a fresh supply of maxalt will be part of the nesting!.

[Anonymous]

I continued getting migraines through my first trimester. I got regular accupuncture, which helped with pain/ frequency, but did not make headaches go away entirely. Second and third trimesters I was pretty much headache free. Worst part was first headache post-partum, when I didn't have anything to take (although I'd consulted extensively with lactation consultant about what I could take). Had to wait for phrmacy to open the next morning. Awful. Next time laying in a fresh supply of maxalt will be part of the nesting!.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all of you. Your experiences - both good and bad - have really given me some hope that I can do it.

[Anonymous]

I have had migraines for 6 years or so and they are terrible. I went through one pregnancy with Tylenol 3 and that's it. The migraines eased up after the 1st trimester.
I am thinking about another baby and this time I think I will use acupuncture. I've been using it for a couple of months now and it's been wonderful! More energy, migraines are less frequent, it's great!

[Anonymous]

Another chronic sufferer here -- in my case, so bad I'm on disability. They're not all drop-everything-and-pray-for-death migraines, but I do get serious headaches many days a week. Also chronic fatigue to boot, from a larger circulatory problem.

Anyway, my experience has also been that the migraines backed off a bit during pregnancy. (I'm at 5 months.) Not completely, but any improvement is pretty welcome! My neurologist believes that's very common, and has seen a number of patients like the woman above who never had another headache.

When I do get headaches, I've been using Tylenol 3 to medicate. Neither my regular nor my high-risk OB sees that as ANY concern -- they're less concerned than I am! Just in case, I cut each pill in half and take the smallest dose that makes the pain bearable. (Unfortunately, just to give a counterpoint to a couple of experiences above, acupuncture did nothing for me....) Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I know how you feel, OP. I was really hesitant to get pregnant because of migraines. Like another poster, mine generally tend to coincide with my periods. I had only 2 migraines my entire pregnancy. They were truly awful, partly because for years I've relied on meds to get me through migraines, and I couldn't do that with these. I'm now 4 months post-partum and exclusively breastfeeding. I'm hoping to prevent periods coming back as long as possible, and then, when my baby is weaned, start taking birth control pills that limit the number of periods. My sister has similar migraine patterns and had a similar experience to mine. I did have a lot of regular headaches while pregnant, but not migraintes. Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

I just found out that I am preg and have terrible chronic migraines. Doctor says I can take toporol to prevent and immitrex if needed for rescue but to try to do without the immitrex. maxalt is forbidden.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Interesting about the Imitrex - my neuro also told me it was not completely forbidden, but something I could consider taking (rarely). I start acupuncture next week to see how that works for me.

[Anonymous]

I found accup vey helpful in the past and will try it now. I am only weeks but so far no migraines! I have found 125mg of toporol very helpful to reduce freq and intensity. Good luck!