Help with Headaches...

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melbhall
melbhall Posts: 519
in Health and Weight Loss
I've always had headaches...but since becoming pregnant they are almost unbearable! I get them all the time, morning noon and night, and I have even woken up several times over night to have a headache that wasn't there when I went to bed. Any ideas on what to do to relieve this...I'm sick of taking tylenol several times a day!

Also, I used to work with a lady that suggested magnesium? or milk of mangesia? for my husband's migraines. Anyone heard of this?

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  • cc_campbell81
    cc_campbell81 Posts: 622
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    You could try keeping a log of everything you do to find a trigger. Some people get them from stress, some from what they eat, some from other causes. I recently saw a neurologist for migraines and she explained some medications can cause rebounding headaches, meaning you take medicine and your headache goes away but then you get a headache because you body wants more of the medicine. This happens a lot with Tylenol. Sometimes pregnancy causes wierd problems or increases issues that go away after you have the baby. Are you taking a multivitamin? That may help. Hope you find relief.


    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/rebound-headaches/DS00613
  • debbysatit
    debbysatit Posts: 125 Member
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    Lots of times headaches can be hormonal, dehydration, allergy, sleep apnea related , increase in blood pressure and sometimes something more severe. For you I would think it might be hormonal from the pregnancy. I have not heard of Mg but have heard of med like Topamax, & Immitrex. I would suggest you talk with your Ob-Gyn to make them aware it is occuring. For a long time I would get a migraine on the 2nd day of my cycle. I would suggest going to a neurologist for further evaluation for chronic headaches.
    Good Luck!
  • jewelzz
    jewelzz Posts: 326 Member
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    Ugg,talk to your doctor,i get them to all the time such an annoyance.:ohwell:
  • jenn50
    jenn50 Posts: 81
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    another thing that also helps is drinking lots of water. my doctor told me taking med every day and drinking sodas cause rebound headaches. so i don't take med unless i have to. something i do when i get a really bad headache is take med lay down with ice just close your eyes and have the ice on the back of your neck. it cools down your temp and relieves the headache in no time
  • fasttrack27
    fasttrack27 Posts: 324
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    Have you seen your doctor? They may want to run tests.

    Something else to consider: www.theneurocore.com. Since investigating this and deciding to have 4 of the 5 in our family do the program, we have had positive results. We started because of behavioral issues but as a byproduct my 12 yr old son who had daily headaches (we were always medicating him) has not had one headache since! 3-month program, 2-3 hours a week. Maybe they have a video podcast or could send you a DVD - its very intriguing when you start learning about it. This company is only in MI and FL, but maybe they know of options if you're in a different location. This company is backed by Mr. DeVos of Amway Corp, so its not a fly-by-night deal. Its all about getting the Beta and Theta brainwaves working in harmony again.
  • Nina74
    Nina74 Posts: 470 Member
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    There could be many reasons for headaches, especially if they have increased with your pregnancy. Any triptan drug (Imitrex, zomig, etc) is effective on migraines, but it is highly doubtful a doctor will prescribe them to you during pregnancy as well as any other typical anti-migraine drugs.

    I have suffered from hormonal migraines (the hardest to control) for over 10 years. I have tried every preventative known to modern medicine and the few things that helped me are:

    *Triptan (As mentioned, prob won't give to you)
    *Magnesium- I use "Natural Calm" at bedtime. This is the most effective way to get magnesium to absorb into your body. You can buy at any healthfood store or on Amazon.com
    *Melatonin- People with migraines tend to be low on melatonin & this is an all-natural, non-habit forming supplement. The dose that is effective to stop migraines is 9mg/night. This has helped me also regulate my very crazy periods!
    *Get yourself out of the rebound cycle of tylenol/advil, etc. Unfortunately, you can't go cold turkey. Here is a good article on tapering: http://www.healingwell.com/library/migraines/jolly2.asp
    * for me, I cut caffiene, sugar and other foods that I am sensitive to.
    * ACUPUNCTURE! This is safe, effective and I have been going for over 5 years. They can help balance the hormones in your body AND reduce your headaches. I HIGHLY recommend this over popping more prescription pills (I have been a guinea pig to them all).

    I hope this helps and you find relief!
  • HealthyHereICome
    HealthyHereICome Posts: 36
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    With you being pregnant I would think water may help (your needs are higher when pregnant). Hopefully you're also monitoring your blood sugar and blood pressure. Hypertension (high blood pressure) can be a huge issue in pregnancy and will cause headaches. Gestational diabetes (problems with blood sugar while pregnant) can cause headaches when there are surges in sugar or carb intake. When I was pregnant, ibuprofen was the safest recommended medication. Good luck to you! Pregnancy is difficult enough but add horrible headaches and you are probably aching for some relief!
  • Kwilliams75
    Kwilliams75 Posts: 231 Member
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    My migraines are triggered by knots in my back muscles which for me are caused by stress!! Usually a deep massage and lots of water will keep them away for at least a few weeks. I know that alot of people get deep tissue massage during pregnancy. Hope this helps!!
  • Kwilliams75
    Kwilliams75 Posts: 231 Member
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    My migraines are triggered by knots in my back muscles which for me are caused by stress!! Usually a deep massage and lots of water will keep them away for at least a few weeks. I know that alot of people get deep tissue massage during pregnancy. Hope this helps!!
  • vanillasugar
    vanillasugar Posts: 246 Member
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    I know I've seen you post about having migraines before, and I don't know if this would help with a migraine or not. But if these daily headaches are regular headaches, it couldn't hurt to try it. When I have a headache that tylenol or regular pain medications will not take care of, I take a tablespoon or two of peanut butter and they are gone within ten minutes. Seriously. I've told this to a couple other people who thought I was nuts, but then when they tried it, they reported back that it worked. I have no idea why and I can't recall where I heard about it, but it works for me every time.
  • rhenichols
    rhenichols Posts: 3 Member
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    I don't know about magnesium, but I suffered badly from migraines and constant low-level headaches in my teens, which despite trying just about every medication out there refused to go away - the only thing that helped me to manage them at all was acupuncture. I know not everyone can stand the thought of needles, but it really doesn't hurt and I was totally sceptical about alternative medicine, but it really did help. In fact I still use the pressure points (where they stick the needles in) to help alleviate headaches now - try massaging your hand between thumb and your first finger or behind your ears at the very base of your skull.

    What solved my migraine problem for me was actually diet - not eating healthily - but working out the foods that were triggering my headaches. The reason I had so many migraines - aspartame. The artificial sweetener was in the fruit drink (a sugar-free variety to save my teeth) I had throughout the day - by the time I'd given it up for a week I was headache free (for the first time in about three years) and had far fewer migraines. When I first started getting migraines, I didn't think about diet being the cause at all - I was eating (and drinking) the same as before, but of course my hormones were all over the place due to puberty - I think that was why my body suddenly decided it couldn't deal with aspartame. Perhaps you've developed an intolerance (or had it made worse) due to the pregnancy? There are loads of other food triggers it could be, but to me waking up with headaches (I did that a lot) suggests that it is something you are having everyday...

    Hope this helps
    Ruth
  • melbhall
    melbhall Posts: 519
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    Thank you all so much for the advice. I can't get into my doc before late next week but I will print these suggestions to see what they say. I have always had headaches, but never before would I go to sleep and wake up with throbbing pains in my head before. Its miserable. I know I'm taking too much tylenol and most definitely not drinking enough water. I've had other things happen this pregnancy too like nearly fainting several times with my vision becoming cloudy and losing my hearing. Unfortunately this will be my first time getting back to the doc so I have tons of questions. Thanks again for the ideas...I now have a lot of different suggestions to throw their way!

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