Pregnancy & Migraine Medicines
If you are pregnant and get migraines, you know you are miserable for two. Although most medicines — even alternative medicines — are right out because of risk to your baby, there’s no need for you to suffer for nine or more months…even though you could reassure yourself that you could remind your kid every day of his or her life of what you suffered because of them, but there are conditions where pregnancy and migraine medicine needn’t be enemies.
Remember, I’m not a doctor or a licensed alternative health practitioner. I’m a writer who gets a heck of a lot of migraines and headaches. Please don’t use this article in the place of your doctor’s advice.
Drugs That Definately Aren’t Safe During Pregnancy
Let’s get this out of the way first, shall we? The definate no-no list includes:
- Amitriptyline, even low-dose versions (although in some severe instances, it can be allowed, but don’t count on it)
- Triptans (especially when breastfeeding, as you can give the medicine to your baby through the milk)
- Prophylactic drugs
- Opiates and narcotics (including all the fun variations you can find for sale at any random street corner)
- Booze
- Aspirin (!)
- Ibuprofen (after 30 weeks)
What Can Be Allowed?
Believe it or not, paracetomal can be used. That’s called acetominophen in America (Tylenol).
More powerful drugs that are currently deemed safe for pregnant women include cyclizine and prochlorperazine.
There is also a drug called metochlopramide which is considered a “maybe” drug. There’s not enough data on it to determine if it causes any effects.
You can also try some nutritional therapy for pregnant migraineurs, which has some positive results. And make friends with the old stand-bys of cold packs for your head, massaging your temples with lavender essential oil and getting a freind to massage your shoulders.
Hope this helps.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
[...] indicate that Topamax may cause birth defects. It concentrates on women who take Topamax during pregnancy instead of any long term [...]