Have to go off headache medication as we are trying to start a family.

[Shortstuff315]

Hi,

My fiance and I are soon to be married May 16/09 and we always thought we would wait until after the wedding to start trying for a family. Well we decided on a wim to try but that ment me going off my headache medication. I have a cronic headache that is controlled by Amitriptyline, 10 mg I take before bed. I have been taking this medication for over 15 years.  My doctor said when we decide to start a family that I must go off it, that it was just a matter of stop talking it. Well I knew I had to stop taking it and we decided to not use any protection anymore and I would go off the amitriptyline. Well I have felt so horrible, my headache is back in full force 24/7, I get diarreha in the morning, loss of appitite and sick feeling to my stomache plus I go through crying spells and hating myself. Why we would do this before my wedding I don't know. If we can hold off we are not going to do anything more until we know if I am pregnant or not.  That means waiting until the end of the month or early next month. If I am not then I might consider going back on the medication and hopefully it will start working again after that. If I am pregnant then I got a long journey ahead of me but it will be all worth it itn the end. I can't imagine what I will be like when I do get pregnant. I do hear that migraines and headaches can go during pregnancy that would be a blessing for me!  I also hear that they can be worse. It's hard to be positive about this! I am 33 and my fiance is 36. I have wanted children for years and years but had to find the love of my life which I have now in.  I was told that tylonel is safe to take if I was pregnant is this so? Not that it ever helped my headache before I was put on amitriptyline but it would be something to try  again if it's safe.  Any other suggestions for headache relief? I have to be as safe as I possibly can cause the guilt I would feel if I took something  and I was pregnant would be horrible.  

[Shortstuff315]

Sorry to hear that you deal with bad headaches too. There are so many people out there that deal with them it's so sad!  Have you ever tried Amitriptyline? It's not for everyone but I never got any side effects from being on 10mg and it worked wonders but does take time to start working. I wish I could remember how long but been on it so long I don't even remember. I was not noticing my background headaches much at all when I was on amitriptyline but now I am not on it and went as you would say 'Cold turkey' I dont' have the background headache I have a full blown headache 24/7 and it's making me misrable!!! I wish my doctor had not have said it's just a matter of going off it. I never imagined I would be feeling so bad. Now there is a possibility I might be pregnant I can't even go on it again until I know.  I keep wondering if I should just go back on it but the guilt I would feel if I was pregnant would be horrible cause it's not that safe to take when pregnant.  Now I just have to deal with this horrible pain unti l know some answers. If I am not pregnant I will probably decide to take it again and when I do go off it again I will go off gradually.

Thanks for your kind words martikadragoon. I wish for you happy days and Happy Easter!

[martikadragoon]

Shortstuff~ I've had them since I was 9yrs old. It started from a mild concussion I gave myself!
I myself have tried so many meds I can't remember them all! I'd say probably around 15 different medications over the years... it S**KS hu?!

I know what you mean about "background" headache. My neurologist told me I get migraine cluster headaches, and then tension headaches in between. He said I never go a day without one. I don't notice it myself a lot of times unless i do something to make it flare like go without sleep, or no caffeine (I have to have at least a soda during the day)

I'm sorry your dealing with this. When I got off Topamax with TJ I had to slowly lower the doseage because like Amytript.... It is unsafe to just stop. I did it over 1 week when I first started to suspect I was pregnant. I was pregnant! lol

[Shortstuff315]

I have been doing some research and it looks like I should not have gone off amitriptyline cold turkey even though that is what my doctor said I would have to do . The only problem is I decided to go off it when we decided to do it with out protection. When we decided to do it with out then there was no choice I had to go off the amitriptyline. What I should have done is try going of it and see how I feel instead of in the moment doing it without protection and then having no choice. Cause now I just have to deal with the terrible headache pain.

The research I have done on the internet about this drug is heaache, sick to the stomache are symptoms people get when they go off it cold turkey. It is not recommended to go off it cold turkey. I should have done one day on medicaton, one day off, then two days off one day on, you get the picture. Moment decision we have made has made me misrable but I have to live with the consequences.  

We didn't even have sex at my peak time so there is less of a chance  I am pregnant but it doesn't mean I am not and so there for can not take my medication. It would be great if I was because then this pain I am having would be all worth it! If am not I will be disappointed but then I can decide whether to go back on the amitriptlyine or not.  

When I do get pregnant boy am I going to have FUN! It's not going to be easy for me to top it off I am taking Folic Acid already and it makes me sick to my stomache and right now I can't take any multivitamin cause that is even worse to my stomache than the folic acid.
I have crying fits, laughing fits, mad fits, sad times. All this due to going off the drug and it doesn't help I have my wedding coming up May 16,2009. I already know this was a bad decision on my part to go ahead with going off the medication so close to my wedding but I did and now I have to live with it

JoyRenee, I have been living with cronic headache for over 15 years and went through every test and treatment they could think of and no  test came back telling why I get the cronic headache. Cronic head never goes away but with the amitriptlyine it was a life saver. I always had a background headache still while on it but it was so minimal that I fogot about it most times unless it flaired up which it did on occation.

Thank you to everyone.

[martikadragoon]

Joy, I'm like her. I have migraines. What probably happens to her is what happens to me. The pregnancy hormones cause migraines to get worse. Same with BCP's. it makes my migraines worse.
I had to be on topamax (topiramate) for them. Its an antiseizure drug but the only one that would work on me. Triptans make my headaches SO MUCH WORSE (imitrex)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shortstuff~ You need to try drinking a coke/dr pepper/pepsi.. etc. something with a bit of caffeine. up to 300 mg. is safe a day. Also, try a beta blocker or a calcium channel blocker if it's safe. It should work...
Don't take too much tylenol or you'll have what's called a "rebound" headache.

If absolute need be, Vicoden is considered safe during pregnancy. I was on it for the last 5 months with TJ for migraines, and leg pain. Basically I had 3 HIGH RISK Obgyns (2 from Loma Linda Hospital) tell me it was safe, and as long as I was on a fairly low doseage that there wasn't much risk to him. He was NOT born dependant and did NOT have depressed breathing due to it.
his apgars were 8 and 9!

[JoyRenee]

Tylenol Extra Strength is safe to take in pregnancy.

Is there a reason you have chronic headache? Or do they not know the cause? It just sounds like a painful way to live and during pregnancy you'd probably have unbearable headaches without relief because they're more common in pregnancy. Unless you had Codeine.

I wish you the best of luck!

[Shortstuff315]

Hello,

Thank you for your post and for your kind words. I got through this week so far and hoping in time I will feel better. It's just a waiting game until the end of this month to see if I am pregnant then I decide whether to go back on my headache medication or not.

Thanks again

[worriedbabe]

i live in the uk, and i checked out and got the strongest pain relief permitted in pregnancy here which is codeine. I was told only to take it when absolutely necessary as it tends to make baby sleepy ( i'm sure it does, he moved less when i took it ). the codeine did not get rid of the pain completely but it certainly took the edge off it. if tylonel is paracetemol, it is entirely safe to take in pregnancy ( but it doesn't do much ). i hope you're soon feeing better and more positive about things.