with regards to painkillers what is allowed when pregnant? is it only paracetamol?

The pregnancy headaches have kicked in this last week, i remember them well from being pregnant with evie, i suffered with them badly from around the same time (24weeks) to the very end.

ive been taking paracetamol with little effect so starting to wonder if its worth bothering. they're so painful and distracting though.

Does anybody know any good rememdies? I work in a call centre and the idea of going in today with this thumping head and wearing a headset to listen to irate customers is horrible!

linzi x

yep sadly just paracetamol

drink lots of water, being dehydrated doesnt help headaches, and if your hydrated it may help

i had them quite bad for the first 12 weeks, and used to suck on fruit gums, sounds silly but it helped a little.

xxx

Are you sure your blood pressure is ok? Bad headaches can indicate high bp. Otherwise you can take aspirin but only if it's prescribed by your doctor as it can cause problems. YOu must go and see your gp if you're suffering. As GG says make sure you are drinking enough - that's always my mistake.

Whatever you do don't touch ibuprofen/nurofen - it causes the baby's umbillical artery to close down!

H xx

You can have cocodamol too but only 2 every six hours xx

Yes, I was prescribed cocodamol/codeine during pregnancy, for acute shoulder pain - so it is safe and far better than paracetamol.

i can recommend the 4Head cool gel strips - they are the only thing that has helped me
try and get the ones with the eucalyptus to give added relief

thanks loads girls, will see how my headaches are this week and if they don't improve will make an appointment to check my BP.

will get some of those forhead strips and see about codine and cocodamol too. xx

Don't use codeine or cocodamol without checking with your doctor. It is advised you don't use it in your 3rd trimester:

"The safety of codeine for use during pregnancy has not been fully established. If codeine is used near term in the third trimester it may cause breathing difficulties or withdrawal symptoms in the baby after birth. This medicine should be avoided during pregnancy, unless considered essential by your doctor, and then only used if the expected benefit to the mother outweighs any potential risk to the baby. Seek medical advice from your doctor."

H xx