What's the deal with ibuprofen?

[scheelimama]

I know it's okay until the 3rd trimester. It's the only thing that gets rid of migraines for me, and my mw's told me it was fine to take for them, but that was way back in the beginning. I hadn't talked to them about it since. I had a migraine coming yesterday evening. Held off on medicine for a long time, trying other things. Took some tylenol before bed, but it didn't really help. At 3:30 in the morning, I couldn't take it anymore and took some ibuprofen, a little under 400 mg (since the only ibuprofen I could find was my husbands prescription from a year ago at 800 mg., broke it in half and took the smaller half). I finally got to sleep about an hour after that. So, what kind of damage did I do? Is it just a blood thinner? Is that the reason you aren't suppose to take it, so you don't hemmorage if you go into labor shortly afterwards, or is there some other reason?

[yogachick79]

wish I had some knowledge for you. Maybe give your mw's a call?

[Mom2ManyBlessings]

I am in the same boat as you - Tylenol does nothing for my migraines, and I don't have prescription meds (changed ins and haven't filled out the paperwork etc to refill...). With my 4th DC, I tried Tylenol for a migraine for 3 DAYS before giving in and taking the ibuprofin (about 3 weeks before he was born). It got so I couldn't function... He was perfectly fine, and I had no L&D complications...

Did some research on my own, and from what I remember, a drug related to ibuprofin (another NSAID but not ibuprofin itself) has been linked to episodes where the baby's blood didn't clot after birth (acting like a blood thinner). I think there may have been other issues, like where the hole in the baby's heart didn't close. But once again, these are incidents that stemmed from a drug in the same family as ibuprofin, not ibuprofin itself. NSAIDS also block progestiglandins (sp?), which are the hormones responsible for starting and continuing labor, so if you take it too close to your delivery, the strength and effectiveness of your ctx will be decreased. This is why NSAIDS work so well for period cramps, BTW...

I, personally, *do* feel comfortable with taking the smallest effective dose of ibuprofin that will work, even this late in my pg. But I always try other things, first. But with 5 kids, I can't always go lie in a dark room and try to relax and sleep it off. Tiger Balm works well, too, if you apply it to your temples. My mom swears by this, but you have to get to it before you pass that point of no return. I know that you KWIM...

Like with everything else, you just have to weigh your options. And for me, functioning with a migraine just isn't one of them.

[pixiesmommy]

MW told me I could take it as a last resort for severe pelvic pain I was having. She said the issue with it was that it thins your blood and can contribute to hemmoraging during/after birth and that's why it wasn't recommended.

Hope that helps!

[Grace24]

Oh, I'm so sorry you have headaches like that. Me, too. I miss, miss, miss my ibuprofen, Tylenol is like a joke to me. My headaches have stopped since the weather got cooler (I think they were triggered by a.c.) What I read is that they can inhibit labor, and not to take it in the third tri, but in think the PP did a better job at explaining it.

My OB prescribed tylenol with codeine, and when I switched to a midwife she seconded that it was safer than ibuprofen, so maybe you can try that? I'd have to wait til I went to bed, and I used it very sparingly, but it really did get rid of it. It sounds scary but two medical pros telling me it's better than ibuprofen convinced me that if my headache was that bad, tylenol 3 was ok.

Sure could use some ibuprofen today, my shoulder's killing me!

I hope your headaches ease up.

[pixiesmommy]

I'll jump back in and say that I take Arnica for aches and pains, but I don't know if it would cut the pain of a headache or not. MW recommended that for achiness too.

Also, she did tell me that Tylenol PM was completely safe, so if it would help your headache to get sleep, that might be worth a try.

[scheelimama]

Thanks for all the advice and empathy. I've only had to take ibuprofen 4-5 times this whole pregnancy for migraines. In my last two pregnancies, I was prescribed tylenol 3 for other things early on and had also heard that it was safer than ibuprofen, so I took that for migraines. But I don't have any this go around and don't feel like going to the trouble to get any. I haven't had migraines too often (a nice side-effect of the hormones this time around). So, I don't know if it will even be an issue again before delivery. Right now, I'm consumed with trying to get my nausea under control (not related to migraines), so I don't know if I'll even remember to ask my mw at my next appt., but I just wanted to make sure it was okay to take it on a rare occasion. Thanks!

[momto l&a]

Never heard not to take ibuprofen during the last trimester. It was recommended to me by my mw for some pain I had.

[crunchywannabe]

the reason you are not supposed to take ibuprofen during the 3rd trimester is that it can cause heart problems for the baby (premature closure of the ductus arteriosus) and affect your amniotic fluid

[scheelimama]

Thanks Jessica. I will ask my mw about it on Tuesday. I'm feeling terrible for taking it now.

[crunchywannabe]

Originally Posted by scheelimama

Thanks Jessica. I will ask my mw about it on Tuesday. I'm feeling terrible for taking it now.

don't feel bad Alisha. it is only a slight risk..it is not a guaranteed thing. and sometimes you have to way the benefit/risk ratio. because if you are in severe pain that is going unmedicated for a period of time, you are causing distress to the baby too, so what is the better choice? KWIM?

if you continue to have migraines like that and ibuprofen is the only thing that works, your MW can monitor the baby and check the heart and fluid levels while you are having to take it.

deep breath sweetie. I have done it too this semester because of my severe mouth pain, and i know what you are feeling right now.

just have faith that it will work out ok, and talk to your MW at the next appointment.

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