I have been having severe headaches for about the last 3 weeks or so. I am 21.5 weeks pregnant. Today i had my monthly appt with my OB and she prescribed me fioricet to take for pain. I was wondering if anyone else has taken this before during pregnancy? I am very sensitive to pain medicine, so i am concerned about taking it. What were your side effects to the medicine?
My blood pressure is normal, but they have been monitoring me more closely. Also does anyone have any kind of remedies for headaches that i may not have heard of? Thank You!
Fioricet During Pregnancy?
July 15th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Pain Relief
Tags: During·Fioricet·Pregnancy
I was prescribed Fioricet about20 hours into a 37 hour migraine… It took off the edge so I could sleep, but in the end I needed another and additional tylenol to kick the migraine to the curb. If your headaches are severe enough for the Dr to prescribe that medication you are likely to sleep right after taking it and wouldn’t really notice any side effects anyway.
It should not affect blood pressure… As far as getting rid of headaches another way… Depends on the severity…
Prior to being medicated with the Fioricet I had tried Extra Strength Tylenol, cold compresses on my head, warm baths followed by laying down to sleep in a dark quiet room… Etc…
Be careful with how much of the Fioricet you take… I took only 2 pills total… Its is usually only prescribed to pregnant women as a last resort when the benefits to the mother outweigh any possible side effects to the baby…
Actually, I took this for migraines as well. I didn’t have any trouble with it other than sleepiness. It’s not really a pain medication. It’s actually a barbituate sedative mixed with caffeine and acetaminophen. This combo can usually get rid of the headache or at least relax you enough that you can fall asleep.
I will warn you though, even that did not work sometimes for the headaches I got in the second trimester, they were really terrible. At that point, nothing really got rid of them. I just tried to make sure I stayed really hydrated, went to lay in a dark room, used cold compresses on my head and face, and tried to make sure I ate something.
I ended up seeing a neurologist about the headaches eventually, since I had them before pregnancy as well. She actually prescribed compazine for me, which is an anti-nausea medication that has been shown to break the cycle of the hormonal migraine headaches. I took it every day for a week at bedtime, and stopped getting the headaches so frequently. I got maybe one a month after that instead of 3 or 4 a week. She also informed me that if you are getting really frequent headaches and having to take the Fioricet frequently, that it can cause rebound headaches, so it wasn’t good to take if you were getting them several times a week.
So, if the Fioricet does not work for you, maybe you can discuss that with your OB, as that really was the only thing that truly prevented me from getting more headaches.
Good luck to you, I know headaches can just make you absolutely miserable.
Also, I would just like to tell you that I did not have any negative effects from taking either one of those medications. I’m 32 weeks pregnant now, everything seems fine with my baby as well. I also have a friend that took Fioricet throughout her last pregnancy and her baby turned out healthy as well.