Severe Nausea with Migraines

I know a lot of women that got migranes including me, I usually just suffered. But I also took tylenol/aleve, Aleve worked really well for me, also massages and rest.

That's a tough one. Are the migraines causing the severe nausea or is the nausea causing the migraines is probably the question. I assume that you're following the migraine prevention diet? No chocolate, foods like hot dogs, bologna, etc.. Stay away from bright lights and loud noises. I really sympathize with you. I was unable to finish my last pregnancy because of migraines, I was also 39 at the time.

Try cod liver oil. They sell capsules at whole foods so you won't get the fishy taste. It is the only thing that helped mt migranes whenb I was pregnant. I still use that first for migranes and it works half of the time. Good luck

L.

Can't say I got migranes when I was pregnant, lucky me...otherwise I come from a family of migrane sufferers.

Regularly I use Migristick from Wholefoods, Hyland's makes Migrane Heahache relief tablets with not caffeine and other stuff, that I adore and so does my sister.

http://www.hylands.com/products/migraine.php

http://www.seacoastvitamins.com/ailments.php?remedy=migra...

The above links I think might help...I would suggest writing down some ingredients and seeing if your OB says they are okay. Otherwise, I know Ginger Root helps me with nausea when it gets really bad.

Good luck!

Aloha K.!
If you are really in the Waikoloa, give me a call:###-###-#### and make sure you have your number unblocked. it would be best for you to write to me (____@____.com) prior to if you can to let me know you'll be calling. I am only available today (Sunday) and then I'm "on the road" during the week (i'm a traveling Speech-language pathologist.
My daughter was very ill for 6 months and I could give you some great ideas that helped her, but would love to talk to you in person--hope this doesn't take years to get to you--I see you wrote this 6 days ago! Aloha! G.

I totally understand what you are going through. I am currently 21 weeks pregnant (1st pregnancy), and experienced the very similar discomfort. I was put on Zofran by my OB and that has helped me keep a lot more down. I still am nausea, but only throw up about 3-4 times a week now (much better than 7-9 timses a day). I also did acupuncture for the migraines and nausea, that is helping too. I lost 15 lbs in the first trimester, but I have gained 6 of that back now. I would definitely ask your OB about zofran or for sure try acupuncture- it definitely works! Good luck, and congratulations on #3!

Perhaps seeing your regular doctor, not the OB? We know someone who was on their 3rd pregnancy after girls and was so much worse, she ended up having something else wrong with her and what happened was, the pregnancy was taking away from her body's system to combat it. Of course, the OB wouldn't have found the problem.

Good luck!

S.

I have migraines, too, and when I was pregnant acupuncture and chiropracty helped immensely. They help if you're not pregnant, too. Good luck!

Hello,

I had sudden onset of migraines and nothing helped until I changed my diet.

You have to stop eating foods that are aged, smoked, or in a state of decay when we consider them ripe, like banannas, avocados, tomatoes, fava beans.

Also, no more fermented foods like soy sauce, tofu, tamari sauce, tempeh, saurkraut, wine, beer and even kefir might set you off.

this one sounds odd, but no more canned tuna. ever. trust me.

no dried fruit and avoid nuts that have been treated with sulphur.

sip a lot of water and practice deep breathing exercises.

you should see immediate results. this list was given to me by my board certified acupuncturist and herbalist. it saved my eyesight. my migraine was so severe that the eye muscles were contracted!

try to rest as much as possible, get off the cell phone, turn the television off, turn off alarms (including the ringer for the phone that's what voicemail is for), cancel the zip and run day and take it slow.

be brilliant!
-A.

I feel for you!!! I was in the same boat a few weeks ago with my 5th pregnancy. The other 4 were smooth sailing but this one, terrible....same as you. My OB prescribed me Zofran which seemed to help a lot. Try to eat the frequent small meals though and drink a lot. I ended up having to get IV fluids twice because I didn't feel like eating/drinking due to the nausea. Ask your doctor about Zofran...it's worth a try. Good luck!

Drink No to morning sickness tea to ease your nausea without any side effect.

Hi K.,
I had terrible migraines in my pregnancy. Turns out I had a magnesium deficiency. My prenatals had very little magnesium. I took a supplement and they disappeared. Best of luck to you!

My chiroprator fixed my migraines in one month. I suffered for 10 years!!!!

K.,
Did you mention the migraines to your OB? If not, please do so. Every pregnancy is different. You having two little ones to take care of and a husband is a tall order. Your body is going through major changes as you well know. Try if possible to get some rest during the day, even if for just a few minutes. Put up your feet, give the little ones something to play with, turn on a DVD(I know people say not to, but you need some rest), make it a Veggie Tale or Charlie and Lola. Put an ice pack on your forehead for a little while. If your husband is around, have him watch the girls for a little while so that you can relax a bit. Maybe he could make dinner once in a while, or pick up dinner. Make more crock pot meals, keep the meals simple! Eventually your body will adjust to the hormonal uproar. Eat crackers, they really do help. If yogurt, nuts or something taste good to you, eat what doesn't nauseate you. Write in a journal what is happening this pregnancy and it will help you get through this time. You will look back and see the journey you have been on and appreciate the outcome.

Hope this helps a bit.

E.:)

E.:)

Ask your Dr. for a pamplet on foods that trigger migrains. Check that list for some food items to stay away from.

Pregnancies are all different....my second one I had severe nausea ..first I had none...thought I would go nuts and my 3 year old..I could hardly make a peanut butter sandwich! Hopefully it will get better quickly...the nausea is usually during the first trimester. If you have parents near, perhaps they can help with the children. If a church member they may send meals if you are not up to making anything...or order in..I found cooking the worst things:(
Sipping lemon lime soda or cola may help too.
I thought that there was medication that would not harm the baby that you can take today (didn't have it when I had mine). Talk to your doctor again so he understands how bad the headaches and nausea are and how much they affect your caring for your family.
H.

Hi K.,

First of all, I am sorry you feel bad. I think I know what you are going through at least on the migraine/pregnant side. I was pregnant with twins and had several severe migraines during my first trimester. When I was NOT pregnant I could take Immatrex but when I got pregnant both my OB and my Fertility doctor stated I could take Vicadin and Darvocet as both have proven to be safe for the fetus. Any other drugs DO affect the fetus and should not be taken. I tried Coffee, naps and meditation before I tried the Vicadin. My twins are not 6 months old and healthy happy boys. I know these are hard core drugs so please ask your doctor and do research yourself. Best wishes,
J.

I also get severe migraines and they are only worse in pregnancy since I dont take any meds. one remedy that almost always work is take 2 parts grain alcohol and 1 part peppermint oil and rub some of that on your temples and forehead. I hope it works for you. let me know how it goes. 8)

I suffered like this too. In the end, the pregnancy was not the cause but gallstones!

Hi K.!
Being pregnant is challenging enough without having to deal with something like that. Don't suffer! Doctors don't like to perscribe medications while you are pregnant but there ARE medications out there that can help you that WON'T hurt your baby. If your doctor is poo pooing your condition, you might consider getting a second opinion or even switching doctors. Especially if your other children were delivered perfectly healthy with no complications.

Hi K.,

I saw a lot of people recommend acupuncture, so I wanted to give you the info of my cousin's beloved Chinese doctor. She does acupuncture, but she's also well-studied in herbal remedies. She helped my cousin keep her last two pregnancies strong after having 5 miscarriages before.

Dr. Shu Rhong Zhu is in W. LA
Zhu's Acupuncture & Herb Clinic
2001 S Barrington Ave #212
Los Angeles
###-###-####

Also, I want to second that a chiropractor could definitely help you out as well. My chiropractor helped me eliminate my migraines when I was able to go regularly.

You may also want to try irrigating your sinuses either with Simply Saline or with the Netty Pot.

I agree with another poster. Maybe you're having a boy this time!

My best to you!
M.

For the nausea: try ginger. You can try it in various forms such as good-quality ginger ale, ginger snaps, carrot ginger soup, or tea. But the kind of ginger I carried around with me in the early months was crystallized, or candied. I believe Trader Joe's has it. If not, try Whole Foods or some other specialty food store. Sometimes it will be in the baking aisle, sometimes with the dried fruit.

For the headaches, try this yoga pose: kneel or sit cross-legged or with your legs out to either side in a v-shape. Prop your arms up on your elbows, and lean forward, putting your forehead into your hands. Use the heel of one hand to apply gentle pressure to the area just between your eyes. Sit that way for as long as you want. I had pretty bad headaches in my last trimester and this pose was extremely helpful.

Otherwise, get as much help as you can, ask your husband to do as much as he can and try to be understanding (your daughters are old enough to help a little too, and you can explain to them that when you're not feeling well you need them to be on their best behavior). And just know that this will probably only last through the first trimester. I feel for you and hope you feel better soon. Good luck!

I had horrible morning sickness with my pregnancy and the only thing that helped was Zofran. Ask your doctor about it. It's used to treat nausea in cancer patients. The unfortunate part is that insurance (at least mine) didn't cover it and it's expensive. But if it means you get your life back instead of throwing up 8 times a day, I say it's worth it. Besides, we saved a whole lot of money because I couldn't eat much besides popsicles and jello!

I had the SAME problem when I was pregnant with my twins (minus the migrains) the only thing I found that helped was to always snack. If I got close to being hungry then I would feel so SICK. It was horrible. I mostly snacked on granola bars, fruits, muffins, etc. Things that were easy to take. I couldnt drive without snacking first or I would dry heave. Its just apart of pregnancy. There are medications the doctor can give you to try and help you. I had some, but I never filled the prescriptions because I was determined to go without any drugs during my pregnancy. Luckily it DID get better around 16 weeks. I know its a long time, but hang in there, drink plenty of water, keep snacking and get lots of rest.

Hi K.,

I am so sorry that you are going through this -- that sounds so rough!!

If you have already ruled out anything serious with your OB, I'd recommend going to see an acupuncturist; they have a lot of great remedies for not feeling well during pregnancy. You can find one in your area by going to www.acupuncture.com, and acupuncture is covered by a lot of insurance groups. Best of luck to you!

I too suffer migraine. Accupucture is wonderful in keeping it under control. Ask to see a Pain Management specialist and they usually have or know of an accupuncturists. There is a really good one in Redlands.
This could be of help and won't hurt the baby or you ;-)
It is actually a very relaxing 30 minutes.

Good Luck

I get migraines all tht time. It's related to your blood pressure. One thing you can do is get 2 old tennis balls and put them in a sock, tie it tight so they're right next to each other, and lie down on top of them so they press on the base of your skull. You can roll your head around until you find the right spot. Take a deep breath and lie there for a few minutes. One time my doctor told me to drink an espresso with a shot of brandy in it, because it was better for me than any drug. Migraine stuff is usually some kind of stimulant with a painkiller and you don't want to be popping pills while you're pregnant. Another thing is to get your husband to massage your face while you lie on your back. A gentle rub with some nice lotion around your eyes, cheekbones, jaw muscles, temples, forehead, back of your neck, and then he should brush your hair. For the nausea try to nibble on plain crackers and warm herbal tea. Eat bland starchy things like bread, potatoes, bananas, pasta, cake. It's the hormones, you can't really do anything but wait. It usually goes away after a couple weeks. Try to think of things that give yuo an appetite. Go to a restaurant you like. Before you know it it'll all be over and you'll be stuffing your face like a hippo. Good luck!

i had the same thing with my daughter. mine lasted for 4 months and i dropped 20lbs (and only gained 15 back by the day i gave birth). i was put off of work for weeks at a time with no luck. he put me on promethazone which didnt help then zofran which didnt help and that was the tp of the line stuff too. i ended up being put off work for a month (because my boss was being unsupportive and i told my ob that and he said fine your off for a month see how he likes that!) i love my ob :). maybe see if he will prescribe you something? i resorted to eating things that didnt taste bad comming back up (peanut butter was a favorite). good luck!

Congrats! Its a boy! i only say that because your first 2 pregnancies were similar and you had 2 girls... I had killer nausea with my son. couldnt leave the sofa! luckily i didnt have much else to do! What i found helped was eating smoothies. I could drink and keep it down but eating was not okay. at least with the smoothies i was getting nutrition. I used to toss my prenatals in the blender too so i didnt gag on those horse pills. Eventually at around 12 weeks it all went away. Good luck and Congrats again!

Hi K.,

I agree with Melissa C on her post. I was seeing my chiropractor during both of my pregnancies and still do as of today. Both of my children DD 3.5 yo and DS 21 mo have been also seeing our chiro since they were a week old. I suffered from migraines every month due to my menstral, but since I started seeing my chiro regularly I no longer suffer from them.

Dr. Wil Untalan, Jr.
Quest To Health Chiropractic
5182 Katella Ave.
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
Phone: ###-###-####

You also, might want to try the accupuncturist to relieve both of your systems with herbals instead of Rx medication.

K.,
A friend of mine started experiencing the same type of migraine and the solution she found was accupunture. She didn't want to take any meds that would harm the baby and she found that accupunture releases the pain and also any other stress in her body. Before she started the accupunture she had one migraine that lasted nearly a week and she was vomitting from the pain. By the time she left the accupuncturist's office, the pain was gone.
Good Luck!

Hi K.,
I'm a rep for something that has been very successful for nausea during pregnancy and with cancer patients during chemo. Not sure about the migraines, but I'd say is worth a try.
If you'd like me to tell you about it, email me and I'd be happy to... I normally don't like when people respond with this sort of answer, and here I am doing it... I love this product and think it could possibly help.
S.

Linum B6 helped me and so many of my friends who our pregnancies....nearly overnight. It's a flax-based B vitamin, so it stays in the blood longer.

Dear K.

I am so sorry to hear about your migraines. As a mother of two and former sufferer I really understand and comiserate! The thing that helped me the most is having cranio sacral work done. Basically it is soft tissue manipulation that sorts out the imbalances and pressure in the cranium. Some osteopaths and chiropractors do it but the tricky thing is finding a really good one because you don't want anyone cracking you. It is totally safe whem pregnant (I had loads done) and there are no side effects apart from a really good nights sleep. If you don't have anyone who can recommend someone near you try the upledger site: www.upledger.com and if you find someone near you (with more advanced experiemce rather than less) check them out.

I hope this helps and I wish you the very best of luck.

Check with your OB about Fiorinal. I had hormone induced migrains with my 2nd.

Peppermint! Peppermint helps with my nausea & migraines. You can suck on a candy, they sell peppermint oil at Mother's market, which you can put on a cotton ball & smell or dab it directly on your skin. I put it on my wrists & sniff my wrists, when my sister was pregnant, she applied it directly under her nose. I have also applied the peppermint oil to the collar of my blouse. You can also try peppermint tea, they have de-caf tea.
I was advised to use Ginger. I personally don't care for it, but it's natural & worth a try. It does help with motion sickness too.
If you get really bad, you can ask your doctor to administer oxygen to you. I have seen this work wonders with pregnant women & migraines.
Make sure you stay hydrated. Lots of water. If you are dehydrated, it will triger a migraine.
Good luck & feel better. :)

Hi K.,
Acupuncture is great for this! (And it will help with all your other aches and pains too).

Good luck!

Accupuncture has made my current pregnancy much more bearable than the last. It hasn't completely taken away the nausea, but has reduced it quite a bit.

Good luck, I know how miserable it can feel and how hard it is when you have other little ones running around!

I had sever nausea and vomiting through month 7 of my pregnancy. Nothing really helped me. Ginger would help for a little bit and so would the drugs....I've had them all.

Basically through trial and error you will need to find foods that don't upset your stomach as much. For me it was noodles. Spaghetti from Olive Garden with the meat sauce on the side. Ramen noodles without the soup base. Brown Rice pasta with salt on it. And for the some weird reason I could eat spam and vienna sausage with no problems. But everything else, even the smell of them would send me running to the bathroom.

The best thing you can do right now is to make sure you take your prenatal vitamins and folic acid, drink LOTS of fluids, and GET HELP!

Ask friends and family to help by taking turns coming over to babysit your kids, do your laundry, clean the house, run errands, grocery shopping, cook meals, etc. Most days I could barely crawl out of bed because I spent the whole night up vomiting. My parents live 1.5 hours a way. They would come down every weekend to help clean, stock us up on meals, grocery shop, etc. DH's Aunt and Uncle live 30 minutes a way. His Aunt would come down 3 days a week to help care for my then 2 yo son.

We even hired a cleaning lady to come once a month to clean the house because the smell of the cleaning products would make me vomit on the spot.

Of course we were stubborn and didn't want to ask for help, so we struggled through month 5 by ourselves. Thankfully DH had a lot of PTO and his boss was VERY understanding when DH got called home after only being at work a couple of hours :(.

But at 5 months I got put on modified bedrest, so we had to call in the calvary to help us out. The last month of my pregnancy, my sister took off two weeks to come down and stay with us. Then my Mom took off two weeks. Then my MIL flew in from Maryland for two weeks. Then after my DD was born my sister took another week off, my Mom another week, and then hubby spread out his 2 weeks off in between everyone else.

Thank God we had family to carry us through!

So take advantage of any extra help you can either afford or ask for.

Acupuncture acupuncture acupunture...

Hello K.. I can't say I have a remedy for you, but I can sympathize. I am 18 1/2 weeks pregnant with my third. With my first two pregnancies I had some nausea in the beginning that didn't last long at all, and was nothing serious. With this one, I had nausea the entire time, up until about two weeks ago. i haven't had the migraines to accompany it, but I can tell you it was to the point where I just literally stayed in bed all day, with the exception of taking my kids to and from school, and doctor's appointments. I had a bad bout with it today, but am grateful it seems to have subsided in the last few weeks. I tried everything (it seemed) and nothing helped, not the crackers, not the ginger, not cantaloupe (which my aunt swears cured her nausea). I don't know what to tell you, except to hang in there. When I was pregnant with my first, I remember telling the doctor about my nausea (what I'd give to have THAT mild of a case now!) and was prescribed some suppositories, that cost almost $100.00. I took them once, didn't notice a difference, and threw the rest out. I think everyone is different, and therefore, different things work for different moms. I just wanted to say that I REALLY sympathize with you, and hope you start feeling better soon. I did notice an improvement, now that I think about it, once my doctor switched my prenatal vitamins and iron pills. The other prenatal vitamins made me want to die, even when I took them before bed. Take care hun, and I hope things get better for you really fast !!!

I had severe nausea for 4 months. I tried everything, the ginger, the motion sickness wristbands, sparkling water, crackers.... My doctor put me on Zofran. The insurance company only wanted to pay for a couple pills so my doctor had to call them and tell them it was pay for the Zofran or she would put me back in the hospital (after I lost 11 pounds and the pounds were coming off fast, I was put in the hospital twice). The insurance decided Zofran was cheaper than the hospital, so they paid for more. Even with it, I still was throwing up, but doing a little better I guess. For eating, my doctor had me stick with things that your stomach dioesn't really have to digest, such as Nilla wafers, Lorna Doone cookies, grapes, and soup broth. Good luck!

I saw someone mention some sort of herbal remedy on another thread a few months back and I remember thinking, wow I wish I had known about that when I was pregnant, I had severe nausea until 36 weeks, ugh. So you might want to do a mamasource site search to see if you can find it as so far no one has mentioned it in this thread. Unfortunately I tried everything (but this one thing cuz I didn't know about it) and nothing helped me and I was finally put on Zofran, without it I literally could not function, couldn't even get out of bed to go to the bathroom and I had to work full time, the Zofran was a wonder drug, but I used it as a last resort. Good luck and hopefully it goes away after the first trimester.

I had the SAME thing, with BOTH my pregnancies. It was miserable and painful. I had intense nausea AND migraines, everyday. Throwing up as well too, sometimes.
The ONLY thing that helped me, and per the recommendation of my OB/GYN was, acupuncture.

Just one session, for 1/2 hour, and it was ALL gone, completely. Right away.

It is completely safe, just make sure you see an accupuncturist that handles pregnant women.

I would HIGHLY recommend this. It's non-invasive, safe, and you are not taking anything orally.

take care,
Susan

Ask your doctor if Excedrin Tension Headache is ok to take. I get mgiraines with nausea and can't do prescription because it knocks me on my butt! The tension headache works better for me than anything else OTC.

If you are interested in something alternative, please let me know. It will not only help with headaches, it will help the baby to be strong and healthy.

God Bless!

J.
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