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Pregnancy and Migraine?

Hi guys so myself and my partner are planning our first baby! So as well as having all the usual first time mum worries, a huge worry is migraines during pregnancy. I’m worried as I won’t be able to take my usual aspirin, ponstan or dizepam. The thoughts of just paracetamol makes me shiver in my boots as it doesn’t even make a dent in the pain. So how did other mums cope during pregnancy?! Any tips are very welcome and alternative therapy ideas welcome! Thanks in advance 😊

  1. Honestly my husband and I are on the same boat. I am extremely nervous about how bad they may get, however my mother who also gets migraines suggested trying certain essential oils. I use the peppermint on occasion right now which sometimes help with the pain but sometimes the smell can be too strong. There are other oils out there that help with migraines and most of them are pregnancy friendly and all natural! Worth a try if you don't mind using them!

    1. I will definitely look into some of the oil options! We are only trying to conceive at the moment and my anxiety is fairly high about it. I’ve been really lucky to find that aspirin can completely stop an attack in its tracks but that won’t be an option soon all going well. Maybe we will be some of the lucky ones and the migraines will be reduced. Best of luck and I hope you too find something that works for you x

      1. Hello. My husband and I want to start trying to conceive, but my neurologist wants me off all my meds (migraine meds) first. First, I agree with him. Second, I don't know if I can do it! I am completely off Gabapentin and am on the lowest dose of Effexor, and am struggling big time. The last two weeks, I have barely kept it together. I get migraines each weekend and have missed two days of work in the last two weeks. As a teacher, that adds a heck of a lot of stress! I'm behind in my work (grading and lesson planning) and am constantly forgetting about things because my mind is all over the place. I don't get to do my wanted diy projects at home because of migraines over the weekends and that adds to my stress and continuous thoughts. I had an anxiety attack earlier this week. I'm honestly ready to give up and we haven't even started trying!

        1. ,
          This a good question. Being in your situation is very hard and stressful. I’ve been through this myself.

          Are your doctors tapering your doses down gradually? I have heard that Effexor is particularly difficult to get off from. Do you have more time to conceive, so you know that you can function without the meds. Have you thought about whether a pregnancy will make your migraine attacks better before, during, and after?
          Peggy ~ (Migraine.com Team)

        2. I am tapering gradually. Started tapering at the beginning of August.

          I've thought about migraines before, during and after. We have the hope that they will go away, but know that isn't always the case. We're just taking it one day at a time, but I'm struggling with that.

      2. My partners and I are in this situation too, and I haven't decided if it's worth it for me. My wife wants to carry too and would not at all mind carrying twice... and my migraines are 10 days a month on a good month, 20 days on a bad month. They're often low impact on a given day because abortives are very effective for me. Take away the abortives (and my current preventers), add the risk of them getting worse during pregnancy, and... yeah. I'm trying to science the problem by getting more detailed information about what medications are and are not safe to take, and if there are any factors that tip the probabilities for my migraines getting better, worse, or staying the same during pregnancy. I'm only starting to dip my toe into prior posts here on the subject, and grateful for any information people already have gathered.

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