headaches

[♥ms.pacman♥]

any tips on dealing with headaches while pg (since many meds are out)?

i find that every few days (at least 1x a week) i've been waking up with a headache that sticks around for the rest of the day and magically disappears around 5 or 6pm. it feels like a sinus headache, as if i'm in a stuffy room (feels difficult to breathe through my nose). the weird thing is, i don't have congestion or runny nose, but my sinuses feel completely swollen. i tried ice packs but they don't seem to do anything. tylenol doesn't seem to do much either. what sucks is that i feel tired and want to lie down but lying down makes the headache 10x worse.

[larig]

You know, I used a humidifier for most of my pregnancy, and that helped with my headaches. I just felt so dried out all the time. I also upped my water intake.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

^thanx. i do think that a lot of these headaches are related to weather changes, as hokey as that sounds. like one day after 100 degree weather it will rain and the next day i will wake up with the biggest headache.

and about upping water, i did this in my 2nd and 3rd trimesters last time and it always helped whenever i felt a headache coming on. however in the 1st trimester it's so rough for me because drinking plain water makes me soo nauseous (few times it's MADE me throw up, which makes things worse of course).

[larig]

Oh, I had a first trimester like that. How awful!! If the drinking is too hard, definitely try the humidifier--put it right on your side of the bed when you sleep.

[MoJo]

I found taking a bath helps for the same reason. . . humidity, plus if I half lay down it helps relax tension.

And the weather-change thing is NOT hokey at all.

I've heard of doctors recommending Gatorade if you're having a hard time drinking water. I tried that, and for some reason, that didn't make me as nauseous as plain water.

[rkold]

I couldn't drink plain water my first trimester and switched to very watered down lemonade or water with lemon in it and it helped.

I agree with PPs about using a humidifier. The one I have helps me so much!

[marymoo86]

i found that a small amount of caffeine helped (like 1/2 cup coffee/coke/etc)

[Edensmum]

caffiene, a cup of coffee, I needed it with both kids or I suffered with bad headaches.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thanx, i wish i could drink coffee, but i can't tolerate it at all, even when not pregnant (it totally upsets my stomach and gives me nausea). iv'e tried soda or coke but soda often makes me sick too (in first trimester). argh.

anyway, this time my headache lasted all day and at night finally took tylenol PM, which helped and let me get a decent nights sleep. i felt better when i woke up, but now i still seem to have a "left-over" headache or whatever. argh!! :(

[♥ms.pacman♥]

ok now the headaches are occurring daily. :( the sad fact is, i think they're mostly due to allergies, so short of moving away, there's not much i can do. my sinuses feel so swollen i feel dizzy just standing up. of course the added nausea from m/s doesn't help. argh, i don't know for how much longer i can take this. for 3 out of the past 4 days, i've woken up with a headache that lasts the whole day. my throat also feels weird, almost like i'm sick with a cold. i've tried taking a shower, nasal saline rinse, tylenol....nothing. lying down makes the pain 1000x worse. i take Claritin at night but it doesn't seem to do anything (can't take zyrtec because i'm breastfeeding). i didn't try a humidifier yet but not sure that would even help, since i don't think dryness is the issue (the pollen level in my area right now is very high). plus i did try one of those Vicks personal steam things and that didn't do anything.

maybe this belongs in the bitching post. i just want to cry. :gloomy: this sucks. i just just want to wake up one morning where i don't have a freaking headache and walk around like a zombie for the entire day. i feel horrible that i can't take care of my son properly and give him the attention he deserves. plus i feel so bad that i can't enjoy this pregnancy at all because i just feel so insanely miserable. :(

[daisymommy]

:hug: HUGS! I'm so sorry you're miserable. It really sounds like Fall allergies to me. The sore throat, sinuses, head-ache--all sounds like allergies, and the weather change will certainly bring it on. Maybe if you concentrate your focus towards allergy remedies it will help? Here's hoping you get some relief soon so you can enjoy your son and this pregnancy.

[twowhat?]

That's just rotten and I'm so sorry. Since you just moved to the area, it can take a few years to "acclimate" to the change in allergens. One thing that might help - get a good air purifier to use only in your bedroom, and keep the door closed. There are some studies that show that if you can sleep in a room free of allergens, it tides you over for the rest of the day. Some people who have cats and are allergic are able to keep their cats by making sure the bedroom is totally cat-free.

I hope you feel better really soon!

eta: I don't mean totally "free of allergens" - that would be impossible! But, an air purifier may help you sleep better at night and cope a bit better during the day. What you really need is for your 1st trimester blahs to GO AWAY! :)

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thx for the replies. indeed, it does seem like fall allergies which are pretty bad here right now. my FIL (who is visiting now for a few days while my DH is gone) was coughing this morning so badly he had to take an allergy pill. when i moved here 2 years ago around this same time (October) i was waking up with headaches frequently which coincided with high pollen levels/high winds etc. i remember getting steroid shots (which really helped) and taking some meds but i think once i'm pg (and then nursing again) there are less available options. still, i think i'm going to see an ENT next week to see what my treatment options are.

and i will look into an air purifier..it does seem like the allergies tend to wreak havoc the most at night (often times by very late afternoon my headache starts to feel better). i have a mist humidifier and i did try it just now but it sensed the room was already at 70% humidity so it didn't even turn on. and interesting you mention cats, i didn't think i was allergic since i've never had issues, but one night a few months ago i was at a friend's house for a few hours watching a movie with her 2 cats in the same room. a couple hours after being there i started sneezing and coughing, and later that night i came down with a terrible sore throat, congestion, sinus headache, etc and i even ended up getting a sinus infection that i had to take antibiotics for! crazy. i do also think i'm fairly sensitive to dust etc in the room (i dont' vaccuum/clean nearly as much as i should :bag) and so hopefully using an air purifier at night would help with that.

[MacMacMoo]

If it is allergy related there are things you can take. My ob gave me a list.

[ThreeofUs]

I am so very sorry you're going through this!

I'd (1) get an air purifier - a good one - and move it room to room with me and (2) get a humidifier and use it - this not only puts moisture in the air, it can also take allergens out.

Got a costco near you? They have great air purifiers.

Hope things get better soon!

[nicoleandjackson]

Have you considered allergy covers for your pillow and/or mattress? Maybe that, combined with an air purifier close to you while you're sleeping might help.

Hope you get some relief soon, mama!

[Dream]

I woke up with a headache monday morning and Tylenol sort of softens it but doesn't really go away. Its only on one side close to the eye but not allergy related. Probably due to lack of sleep and DD's been acting up and wakes up middle of the night and stays up for 1-2 hrs before sleeping again. I get these headaches alot but usually the Tylenol takes care of it.

I know Tylenol is safe during pregnancy but wondering how much is considered safe? I usually take 2 tabs at a time 500mg each. So far I've managed to take it only once a day but wondering whether its safe to take twice a day since the headach is not going away and I'm at work and its just getting in the way.

Thank you.

[luckytwenty]

ok now the headaches are occurring daily. :( the sad fact is, i think they're mostly due to allergies, so short of moving away, there's not much i can do. my sinuses feel so swollen i feel dizzy just standing up. of course the added nausea from m/s doesn't help. argh, i don't know for how much longer i can take this. for 3 out of the past 4 days, i've woken up with a headache that lasts the whole day. my throat also feels weird, almost like i'm sick with a cold. i've tried taking a shower, nasal saline rinse, tylenol....nothing. lying down makes the pain 1000x worse. i take Claritin at night but it doesn't seem to do anything (can't take zyrtec because i'm breastfeeding). i didn't try a humidifier yet but not sure that would even help, since i don't think dryness is the issue (the pollen level in my area right now is very high). plus i did try one of those Vicks personal steam things and that didn't do anything.

maybe this belongs in the bitching post. i just want to cry. :gloomy: this sucks. i just just want to wake up one morning where i don't have a freaking headache and walk around like a zombie for the entire day. i feel horrible that i can't take care of my son properly and give him the attention he deserves. plus i feel so bad that i can't enjoy this pregnancy at all because i just feel so insanely miserable. :(


2 things:

Xyzal is safe for pregnancy and it's much better than Claritin. My husband is an allergist--he brings me home samples every week and have no idea what it costs compared to Claritin, but ask about it if you can. It's like night and day.

Also, I have been fairly miserable for much of this pregnancy as well and I have decided not to feel guilty about it. It would be nice if we all loved being pregnant and could get past the discomforts, but not everyone feels that way. Take care of yourself and hang in there!

[kali]

Have you tried nasal irrigation? It sounds gross, but it's really easy and gives a lot of relief from sinus congestion, dryness and allergies. You basically just rinse your nose and sinuses with saline. Very natural and safe. I think you can do it a couple of times a day.

You can either try a neti pot or a squeeze bottle. I use a squeeze bottle in the shower every day. It really helps me!

www.neilmed.com (http://www.neilmed.com)
www.sinucleanse.com (http://www.sinucleanse.com)

[indigo99]

I'm guessing that you are chronically dehydrated. Your body needs more fluids when pregnant. One reason that people often wake up with headaches after taking naps or sleeping in is that they are dehydrated. If you are feeling sick then you're likely drinking less than usual (which is already less than you need while pregnant), and you really need to up your fluid intake drastically.

ETA: Just realized that this is an old thread so I guess you solved the problem by now. Hopefully this might help someone else though. Gotta pay more attention to the dates in these forums that don't get as much traffic!

[♥ms.pacman♥]

ok so since this thread got bumped, i figured i should post an update..thankfully headaches have gotten better by now. i still do get them but they're usually once a week or so, which is managable. i've been doing the neilmed nasal rinse every morning. also, what helps is that by 20 weeks the m/s subsided (woo!!!!), so i don't gag/puke after everytime i drink water. i keep a 16oz bottle of water by my nightstand every night and usually it's all gone by the morning. of course i have to get up to pee like 2-3x a night but i figure that's to be expected when pg.

however, now that the headaches and first trimester horridness are gone, heartburn is starting to really kick in. :S last preg i was able to get away with just taking tums occasionally, but now i'm having to take Zantac everyday and even that won't keep the heartburn at bay! argh.