I have had severe chronic migraines for several years and have yet to find a preventitive and abortive medication that works for me. I have taken the standard Tylonol #3, Vicodin, Percocet, and Stadol NS but they do not last more than 3 hours. They also cause rebound headaches which defeats the purpose. I also have fibromyalsia which seems to be much worse durring a migraine. I am looking for a severe pain medication that can be taken everyday if needed and is safe for pregnant and breast feeding mothers.
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Q: Are there any severe pain medications safe for everyday use in third trimester pregnancy?
Answers (3)
6/17/08 1:37pm
Hi Hopeful,
Having Migraine disease is at times difficult, frustrating and exhausting. It can be espcially tricky during pregnancy. I wish I had better news for you, but the only drug considered safe during pregnancy is acetaminophen. But if taken daily it can create additional problems like liver damage and Medication Overuse Headache, formerly called rebound headache. MOH can occur if we take certain prescription medication and OTC's 2-3 days a weeks. And no Migraine prevention medication on earth will work if we have MOH. During pregnancy it would be great if your OB and neurologist could work together in your treatment plan.
During pregnancy it would be great if your OB and neurologist could work together on your treatment plan. This Ask the Clinician question may be helpful regarding pregnancy and Migraine disease. Something to look forward to if you are breastfeeding is there are more options to abort a Migraine attack. You can take certain medications, timed correctly, then breastfeed. These are questions you and your health care team can discuss.
Good luck
Nancy
if you breastfeeding is easier, it is a matter of timing when aborting a Migraine attack.
Catey c no human studies weigh fetal risk vs matenal benefit.
6/18/08 6:16pm
I had debilitating and I mean debilitating( 8 hours on the floor in the dark next to the toilet) migraines during pregnancy. My doctor allowed me to use meprozine. Which is a combination of phenergan and demerol throughout my pregnancy. The phenergan keep you from vomiting the pill back up and helps you to rest comfortably. Our baby was an IVF baby and my pregnancy was high risk and well monitored by some of the top experts in maternal fetal medicine in the country. They all were in agreement that this was a safe medication to use ( appropriately) during this type of headache as being in the throws of this kind of pain was no good for either Mom or baby.
It was prescribed by my high risk OB GYN. You may want to ask about this medicine. It is most often used by dentists but really works for pain management of severe migraines. I still use it sparingly for 10 out of 10's and it helps.
Hope this helps.
6/18/08 10:49pm
Oh one more thing I did not mention. This was ok during breast feeding ( see below)but was definatley NOT a daily medication. It was for emergency use only. I was not a preventative or to be used at the first sign of a headache. It is a narcotic and therefore does cross the placenta and breastmilk.
It is recommmened when you take it while breastfeeding that you nurse your baby BEFORE you take it and then "pump and dump" after taking it.
In other words don't give the baby breast milk with the meds in it.
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