Migraine

Hi all - I'm new to this site, but am looking for help from people like you. I've had migraines for 10 years, but am entering into an unknown here with my migraines and meds. I'm currently trying to get pregnant - therefore went off all my preventatives. I took gabapentin and received botox. For abortives I took relpax, phenegran, and tylenol 3. Supplements I take - Magnesium, multi vitamin, Co-E Q10, Fish oil and calcium.

Ever since I went off of my meds - I've been having a terrible time with my migraines. I had to go on a course of steriods to break a cycle, and now wondering what the heck I'm going to do until I am for sure pregnant and during the pregnancy. I know - I keep hearing it will probably get better during pregnancy, but what do I do in the meantime?

Are there some of you out there that can tell me what you did during this process and what you took for meds? I'm getting a lot of conflicting messages from my neuro and gyn and it seems they both just want to pass me back and forth to each other and not really deal with me at all! I can't see an OB til I'm actually pregnant.

Thank you so much for any wisdom you can pass my way!
Kelli

Hi Kelli.
I can't tell you what you should do or anything. Actually I can't even really say what I would do in your situation, as I never had trouble until I was done having babies.

I will say though, you may still have some options. I read an article the other day about the use of baby aspirin in pregnancy for migraine prevention. I don't have a link or anything, but perhaps google it and talk to your doctors?

Also, maybe check into Petadolex? (again, ask your OB) I have no clue as far as if it is acceptable in pregnancy/nursing or not, but if it is, that could be a good option.

I'm sure some others on here will know alot more than I as far as pregnancy goes, but there's a couple things to start with!

Nice to "meet" you!

Hi, Kelli, welcome to the forum. We're glad you found us.

If you haven't already, Please take a look at the Start Here folder. Reading that folder will help you to get the most info and enjoyment from your use of the forum.

Your question has been addressed a couple of times on the Ask the Clinician feature of this web site. Here are links to those questions and answers:

8/6/07 #6 - Migraine-specific medications during pregnancy?

1/21/08 #1 - Pregnancy and Migraine treatment, genetic risks?

Good luck!

Hi Kelli..
Welcome!
I am 33 almost 34, & not yet married. But the time will come when I want to get pregnant too. & yes, I am worried about migraines with pregnancy.
I can't seem to get off Imitrex or Excedrin to abort the attacks, & I've had to stop all Rx preventatives I've tried, bad side effects.
I am a pediatric nurse, & I am also worried about what drugs would be safe for headaches during pregnancy, especially if they should occur in the first trimester of fetal development.
I hear you!
I often bring up my concerns to my neuro. & he keeps telling me we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
If you learn anything on your journey, let me know!
Good luck!
Kim

No advice here, I'm afraid. But I did want to pop in and say hello. Welcome to the forum!

hi sweetie and welcome!
i too was in your shoes. i'll share my experience with you. i was on keppra (antiseizure med) and cymbalta (antidepreent) but had to go off of both when i decided to get pg. luckily i got pg the first month. my neuro did not want much to do with me for fear of hurting the baby. my ob didn't have much advice, she doesn't treat migraines. they both agreed that i could take fiorocet but it didn't do much. they both said no to imitrex although i know some women who do take that during pg. i didn't want to take any chances. you will find that with most drugs there is no info on if it harms the baby. again, no one wants to be the guinea pig.

i had to go to the ER SEVEN times during my pg from migraines. as soon as i would barf there was a concern that id get dehydrated and this can cause pre-term labor. so i would be hooked up to an iv. usually id get demerol and phenegren or zofran.
m
y neuro also had me do weekly magnesium IV treatments. it sorta helped but i still got migraines. at 24 weeks my neuro decided that it was time to take a more aggressive preventative approach and i was put on lamictal. it is the least harmful to babies out of all the antiseizure medications. i was migraine free for six weeks. yay! however at 30 weeks i did have a migraine and trip to the Er. the next day i went into pre-term labor and i had my son the day after that. there were other circumstances that could contribute to my son's 10 week early arrival but i can't help but wonder if the migraines played a part in it.

i had no migraines the first trimester which is the most important trimester to stay off medications. (however i did have horrible morning sickness). nice trade?

i also ate very well, did yoga and exercised 3x a week. i practised my biofeedback and quit working. i knew it would be no easy task.
as soon as my son was born the migraines were right there knocking on my door. and have been for the last 18 months. i had to stop breastfeeding because i really needed the medication to help my migraines in order to take care of my son.

my advice: find a good neuro and ob that will work together. be prepared to take good care of yourself. find an ER or urgent care that you can go to for emergencies. get support and help whenever you can.
ps. i have no regrets. my son is the best gift i could have asked for.
good luck,
JJ

Hi Kelly! After two years of fertility treatments I am finally pregnant. After much discussion with my fertility doctor and Dr. Krusz, I remained on my preventatives but at lower doses. I got off my preventatives when I got pregnant. It was a definite risk (Lamictal can cause cleft lips and palates, thankfully we're okay according to the ultrasound this week) but I got really sick off of my preventatives.

My migraines are not better. One of the OBs I work with gave me the rule of thirds: One third of women will get better, one third will stay the same, and one third will get worse. I tough it out, and then I take Tylox. If that doesn't work, I'm supposed to go to the ER for IV magnesium sulfate, but I've only done that once because the ER is so excruciating in and of itself. I'm having a very rough time, but I know that soon I'll be able to get back on my preventatives. I'm probably not going to breastfeed for long because I'm having such a tough time off of meds.

It's sometimes hard to get the doctors to deal with it. After much pleading, my fertility doc finally called Dr. K and they worked out a plan for me together. Now I'm seeing a regular OB, and he's happy to continue that plan. Keep talking to them, and try to get them to give you some ideas.

quote:

Originally posted by KelliMac:
Hi all - I'm new to this site, but am looking for help from people like you. I've had migraines for 10 years, but am entering into an unknown here with my migraines and meds. I'm currently trying to get pregnant - therefore went off all my preventatives. I took gabapentin and received botox. For abortives I took relpax, phenegran, and tylenol 3. Supplements I take - Magnesium, multi vitamin, Co-E Q10, Fish oil and calcium.

Ever since I went off of my meds - I've been having a terrible time with my migraines. I had to go on a course of steriods to break a cycle, and now wondering what the heck I'm going to do until I am for sure pregnant and during the pregnancy. I know - I keep hearing it will probably get better during pregnancy, but what do I do in the meantime?

Are there some of you out there that can tell me what you did during this process and what you took for meds? I'm getting a lot of conflicting messages from my neuro and gyn and it seems they both just want to pass me back and forth to each other and not really deal with me at all! I can't see an OB til I'm actually pregnant.

Thank you so much for any wisdom you can pass my way!
Kelli

My head really behaved while I was pregnant. One headache that Tylenol got rid of. I nursed for 2 months. My head didn't really get out of control until he was about 2. That's when I started on preventives.

I've read that many doctors think that it's the safest to go ahead and use narcotics during pregnancy. I don't know about that, and I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with that.

You might ask your OB/Gyn about going to a high-risk program when you get pregnant. They might have experience with migraine during pregnancy.

Good Luck!

Gretchen

This is a concern for me as well. I'm 33, and would like to try to have a baby in the next couple of years. My husband I swear is worse-- he really wants one. I didn't think men had that "biological clock"!

I'm on a bunch of meds between migraines, asthma and osteoporosis. It's a heck of a load and I worry about it. I need to discuss it w/ my gyn, but I'm only allowed one appt. per year, even consulting, so until I'm pregnant, I can't even see an ob, just my gyn (and only once per year). (I love insurance )

I worry about the Lyrica (which I think I'm going to stop anyway), Symbicort, Prednisone, Flonase, Actonel.... and a heap of others. That, and with no meds, managing work is going to be hard if the migraines hit hard and I can't take any abortives.

I hate being a walking medicine chest!

I am 34 and we are trying... Last year when I found out I was pregnant my OB took me off everything and gave me no options, which was not a huge problem at the time as my migranes were about once a month then. When we lost the pregnancy at 12 weeks (ectopic, open abdominal surgery, followed by infection) I think it was a trigger for my body. I started getting dizzy, had persistant aura, and my headaches started to escalate.

Now I doubt I would function without my preventatives (2-3 full blown migranes a week.) Beyond the headaches my vertigo was getting bad enough that I had days I could not drive or had to be picked up, and a couple days I was bed bound. My neuro put me on Lamictal, which he said is about the safest. He said that there is only a small increase in birth defects even in epilieptics who take full doses their whole pregancy, my current dose (and the highest he will do) is 200 mg/day. That is a fraction of the epilietic dose. I also have firm directions to take a pregnancy test if I am one day late in my period and to do so even if my period is light (possible implantation bleeding.) When I test positive we will start dropping my Lamictal, by the time the neural tube is ready to I will be off the medication.

Other then that I will hope that when it comes time I am in the good 1/3rd. If I'm not I really don't know what will happen... Hopefully even if my headaches get worse I will keep my dizzness under control... Only time will tell...