Anyone have experience with occular migraines during pregnancy?

[ACsMom]

A good friend of mine is pregnant and due a month later than me. She had occular migraines during her first pregnancy and is now starting to experience them again. They're pretty debilitating - fortunately she doesn't work outside the home right now but she is taking care of her 2 y/o all day, so this presents a challenge, to say the least.

Anyone have these? What do you do/not do that helps? Is there anything you can do to prevent them? Obviously she wants to avoid taking meds if possible, but they're getting pretty bad. TIA.

[rhiOrion]

Originally Posted by ACsMom

A good friend of mine is pregnant and due a month later than me. She had occular migraines during her first pregnancy and is now starting to experience them again. They're pretty debilitating - fortunately she doesn't work outside the home right now but she is taking care of her 2 y/o all day, so this presents a challenge, to say the least.

Anyone have these? What do you do/not do that helps? Is there anything you can do to prevent them? Obviously she wants to avoid taking meds if possible, but they're getting pretty bad. TIA.

I get them when not pregnant, though I've actually only had one since I've been pregnant. I was on meds before, but couldn't be on that particular one while pregnant, so we decided to see what happened if I got off of them.

Anyhow. My main trigger seemed to be being hungry. Most of mine actually happened while I was asleep, which I think I can also attribute to hunger/blood sugar, as they usually happened in the early morning hours, which is the longest I'd go without food.

Do hers hurt? Mine were never that terribly painful (every once in a while I'd have a painful one, but still not what I'd call "migraine" painful). But they could still be pretty debilitating.

[mamatolevi]

I've only ever had relatively painless migraines in pregnancy or w/in about 6mos pp. I get the visual disturbance, light & noise sensitivity, and sometimes nausea. what's odd about mine is that we couldn't find a trigger. they just happened at random times, so I'm thinking it's hormones for me.

The other odd thing, and I asked my mother who gets really bad migraines on a regular basis if this happens to her, is that when they happen I CRAVE really good chocolate (hershey's doesn't cut it) and if I have some it'll go away. She gets the exact same thing. I know that for the vast majority of folks who get migraines, chocolate is a trigger so it's kind of weird that that happens.

I'm sorry your friend is suffering with them.

[sprouthead]

Sometimes migraines can be caused by a magnesium deficiency, which would explain the pp..I've been getting these when pregnant and would recommend your friend keep a diet log to see if there's any dietary triggers, and maybe try some dark chocolate the next time she gets one to see if the magnesium helps.

[slsurface]

Originally Posted by sprouthead

Sometimes migraines can be caused by a magnesium deficiency, which would explain the pp..I've been getting these when pregnant and would recommend your friend keep a diet log to see if there's any dietary triggers, and maybe try some dark chocolate the next time she gets one to see if the magnesium helps.

These are all good recommendations. I don't get migraines while preggo, but suffer from they the rest of the time. There are a LOT of potential triggers, from food, lack of certain vitamins/minerals, hormones, dehydration, etc. I would also suggest that she make a solid effort to drink a lot of water. She might even want to see a neurologist if it is really affecting her quality of life. There really isn't anything you can take for migraine pain during pregnancy. Iif you or someone could watch her LO for her when she gets one, she should immediately take a nap and rest to help it dissipate. If they start as ocular (visual) auras, then she may have a warning that one is coming on before the actual headache occurs. Immediate rest is the key to reducing it or preventing the pain. Best wishes...

[jennybear]

I get them 1-2 times/month and the episodes only last for 30 minutes or so. They're annoying but pretty harmless.

How often is she getting them?

[girlzmommy00]

I get them really bad in the 2nd trimester when I'm pg. Both in this pregnancy & the last one I ended up on Fiorocet (I think spelled that wrong). It's a strong pain medication but really works for migranes. I tried everything at home & then some but it just got that bad.

I just reached the point where the pain was so severe I ended up in the hospital. I also get the vomiting & can't stand light and sound. There was no obvious trigger, aside from being in my 2nd trimester. They came on at the exact same time in both pregnancies. No matter how much rest I got or how much I did or didn't drink or eat, it didn't make a difference.

I hope she can find some relief. They can be really nasty.

[SChaloux]

I have been getting them for the past couple weeks and I am just entering my second trimester. I figured it was due to hormones but often I could tell that if I just ate something it would relieve it just slightly. I started drinking more water throughout the day to prevent them at night. I get them like clockwork. 6pm or around dinner time I will get them as well as loss my appetite so I think it has been a bad combination.

They have been debilitating for me as well. Thankfully I am a student so I don't have to attend a 9-5 job, but it has meant that I am missing out on classes and affecting my school work.

The only thing that honestly works in the moment for me is to turn off all the lights and sleep. This morning I was awake for likely an hour and had to go back to bed. It isn't fun and I sympathise with your friend greatly. Tylenol hasn't worked. All I can suggest is drink plenty of water, stay on top of nutrients and don't go for long periods without eating something.

Sorry I couldn't be more help. I am going to a neurologist next week to address a possible underlying issue of intracranial hypertension.

[Peace+Hope]

i have gotten the auras a couple of times, but not in conjunction with any pain, for which i'm thankful. one time though i felt very dizzy and off balance at the same time.

my sister had terrible headaches in her first and second tri, and our mom has a history of migrane.

all three of us find pain and auras in conjunction with dehydration.

[rhiOrion]

Oh, another thing that the PP reminded me of, re: chocolate. Maybe it's also the caffeine in the chocolate that helps? Sometimes if I start to get that wonky sense of vision that I know is going to turn into a migraine, I can drink a bit of caffeine (maybe half a soda, or so) and it'll make it go away, or at least make it short. It has to do with constricted blood vessels in the brain... that's why excedrin migraine has caffeine in it.

I didn't know about the magnesium thing... that's interesting. Maybe I'll give that a try next time.

[AliciaP8]

I don't know if these are officially migraines but I've had two since I started my 2nd trimester. It starts with a headache and gets worse and then light and sound become intolerable and leave me feeing nauseus. The only thing that helps is being in the dark with no noise. Yesterday it happened at work. Both times I think it was related to missing/being late for a meal so I'm trying to watch that and prevent more from happening.

[ACsMom]

My friend does have pain with hers. It starts out as a visual disturbance, and actually gets to the point where she can't speak very well because she can't form the words in her head. (She lives right down the street from me, so we have an agreement that if she calls me up and can't get the words out, I know what's happening and I'll run right down.) The pain comes a few hours later. What she's been doing is setting up her 2 y/o with an activity, then lying down in bed until her little girl needs her, and just trying the best she can to get as much rest during the day - which as you know is not easy. She's up and down a lot. She does have family in town so her mom does come to help her on really bad days, or she calls me or one of her other friends. It's probably about once every ten days now, but getting more frequent as the pregnancy progresses.

I will relate to her what you guys have said about nutrition and water, etc. She hasn't really been able to identify any triggers, other than the fact that she can tell when she wakes up in the morning that she's going to get one, because she feels "off," and it takes a full 24 hours before she's back to normal.

[Buzzer Beater]

I've had migraines since puberty- they're no fun. Luckily I don't get them often anymore. Like your friend, I've never been able to identify a trigger. I have tried just about every scrip for them, and I could get rid of the pain, but not the nausea and light/noise sensitivities, which were crippling. I discovered on vacation this year that if I take meclizine (Bonine, which I was taking for motion sickness) it clears up everything within a half hour. Just a thought in case your friend wants to try something. My doc says it is fine to take during pg, and apparently a lot of women take it for ms, so it has been studied.

[rhiOrion]

Oh man, I forgot about the "not able to speak" thing. I HATE that. Sometimes I have trouble typing, too (if I can even see the screen). I know what I want to say, but it won't get to my mouth/fingers. Soooo frustrating. I also have random arm and leg weakness that goes with mine. Numb/tingling lips and face, too. Sometimes all the problems go together, sometimes I just get one or two symptoms isolated.

I read something one time that made so much sense. "A migraine is not a headache. A headache is one symptom of a migraine."

[Ofwait]

I get ocular migranes while pg... though mine seem to be fatigue induced, never had them till my 3rd. Now I get them if really tired even if not pg.
My Dr recommended advil and sleep if you can get it, kiddos tend to watch tv when I get them so that I can get some rest with out being too worried about them.

Often times I have found that I can head it off if I take a nap when I start getting the halos in my vision... if I don't I get the whole 9 yards, headache, light and noise sensitivity, vomiting.... really yucky.

[at_the_hip]

YES to all of the symptoms (aura, confusion/speech problems, numbness, pain, nausea, etcec), although not only during pregnancy. When pg, tylenol with a good bit of caffeine does make a difference. A few good brain freezes can actually head them off sometimes so getting a slurpee immediately can help if it is possible...splashing the face with cold and hot water alternately can help too. If I can try not to panic and lie quietly with mindless TV on this seems to help the most if I am not able to sleep because of kiddos to watch.

They can be really difficult - so sorry for anyone else going through it,

A sure trigger for me is aspartame, but also the weather. A sudden rise or fall of barometer, or a nasty wind storm will often bring them on.

[CorasMama]

I don't know if it's legal where you live, but marijuana can really help migraines, and (many believe) it is safer (for only very occasional use, of course) than triptans (the class of medication that is the standard treatment for migraines) or midrin (the older standard treatment), especially if you steep it in a tea instead of smoke it. Unfortunately, while it usually makes them better, it can occasionally make migraines worse, or so I've heard. Not that I'm recommending anyone illegally use pot, of course.

[kristin1924]

Yes! I had these with my daughter in my 8th and 9th month of pregnancy with her. It was so scary and caused a lot of migraines once the fuzzy things in my eyes went away. I learned to rub out my neck on whatever side the ocular migraine was on. I would drink tons of water. I would try to pull one side (gently) to stretch out my neck/shoulder connection. I think with me, it was something putting pressure on a muscle or tendon. I would also do eye exercises - up down, down up, over to the side, then the other side.

Flax seed bags that heat up in the microwave help too.

[tatsu15]

I wish I had found this thread while pregnant. Yes I got those with my second pregnancy. They went away right after I gave birth. Never knew what caused them, but now I realize it was from the pregnancy. So weird!

[MyFillingQuiver]

Originally Posted by girlzmommy00

I get them really bad in the 2nd trimester when I'm pg. Both in this pregnancy & the last one I ended up on Fiorocet (I think spelled that wrong). It's a strong pain medication but really works for migranes. I tried everything at home & then some but it just got that bad.

I just reached the point where the pain was so severe I ended up in the hospital. I also get the vomiting & can't stand light and sound. There was no obvious trigger, aside from being in my 2nd trimester. They came on at the exact same time in both pregnancies. No matter how much rest I got or how much I did or didn't drink or eat, it didn't make a difference.

I hope she can find some relief. They can be really nasty.

Mine sound just like this poor mama's. I get them occasionally when not pregnant, usually associated with hormonal fluctuation-such as ovulation, impending AF. That's why nursing helps me so much...stay more evenly keeled! For most women they get "better" during pregnancy, but for some lucky women, they get worse or more frequent. Mine don't seem much "worse", but way more frequent, and the 2nd and 3rd trimesters are the worst.

I really think mine in pg are from a combo of hormones (REALLY high progesterone, thus getting more as the P-4 increases with time) and increased blood volume. Migraine are a vascular dilation issue...so, makes sense in my feeble lil' mind.

I'm on fioricet, as well. It's much better for me to take the minimal amt of fioricet upon a migraine coming on, then to deal with the full-blown nausea/vomiting and pain that can require demerol and phenegran injections to get under control..not pretty.

I notice mine are FAR more neurological when pg..I guess it's from the heightened senses. I said on another post recently, that I had one so strongly at the end of my last pregnancy, that it mimicked stroke s/s. It was very scary. I couldn't communicate with my husband, was extremely nauseus, and felt completely out of it..it came on very quickly.

I'm very healthy otherwise, and have no issues. I was given the whole headache "workup" years ago. The visual disturbances, and feeling "off" and sometimes a little tingly with a few other vague symptoms is usually my clue that one is coming...I try not to "wait" in an effort to avoid meds like I used to..it just isn't worth it.

I hope she finds some good relief. Thankfully, many women can find a trigger they can control, and often can use homeopathics or home tx to avoid an Rx.