Quite often during lactation, mothers are faced with the problem of severe headaches associated with anxiety, stress, lack of sleep, and overwork, which are caused by caring for a child. What can a woman take for headaches while breastfeeding, so as not to harm the newborn? There are a sufficient number of drugs to eliminate migraines, but not all of them are allowed during lactation. Therefore, the choice of medication should be treated with extreme caution and before taking the medication, consult a specialist.
Factors in the development of the disease
When a headache appears, there is a feeling of heaviness in the temple and forehead area. The pain syndrome can compress the entire head, and sometimes it manifests itself as pulsation. Often, breastfeeding women experience symptoms of tension headaches. Few people feel discomfort in one side of the head, and sometimes unbearable pain spreads to the eyes, teeth and neck.
Based on statistics, breastfeeding mothers are more likely to complain about the problem of pain than ordinary women.
There are many factors that cause illness in a nursing mother. Initially, this is a constant lack of sleep, fatigue, overwork, eating disorders and anxiety for your child. If mommy doesn't have an assistant, the situation gets worse. The body simply cannot withstand the load, and then the head begins to hurt.
This condition can be explained by many reasons.
- Tension pain, which is associated with lack of sleep and stress.
- A severe form of migraine, manifested by photophobia, weakness, and nausea.
- Vegetative-vascular dystonia, high or low blood pressure, characterized by disruptions in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels that appear after childbirth.
- Reaction to weather change.
- Staying in a poorly ventilated room.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine.
- Depression after childbirth.
- A long pause between meals, which leads to a decrease in glucose levels in the circulatory system.
- Hormonal disorders.
- Colds and viral infections, accompanied by pain in the head, muscles, throat, weakness, and fever.
- Poisoning of the body with alcohol, chemicals, manifested by symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
Headache syndrome can occur in the presence of lactostasis and mastitis. These ailments are unsafe for women and should be treated under the supervision of a doctor.
There is no need to rush to use pills for headaches during hepatitis B without determining the true cause of the pathology.
Types of headaches and when to take pills
The origin of headaches is divided into:
| Primary | Secondary |
| Arise on their own | Due to illness (colds, hypotension) |
Primary headaches:
| Type of pain | Common causes | Character | Intensity | Duration |
| Tension pain | Physical or mental overload of the body | It feels like a dull, squeezing, ring-shaped pain, like a hoop on the head. | Weak, average. It radiates to the temples, forehead, and back of the head. | May not last from ½ hour to 8 days |
| Migraine | Manifestations of neuralgia | Single or repeated attacks of throbbing pain that intensify with expression of emotions or any movement | Medium, strong. The temporal, ocular or occipital region of the head often hurts. Often the pain is accompanied by nausea and fear of light. | From 4 to 72 hours |
| Cluster pain | Occurs due to vascular pathologies | Sharp, cutting, often one-sided pain | Average. Pain in the eye area, radiating to the temporal or frontal part of the head. Accompanied by increased sweating, redness and swelling of the eye. | From ¼ to 5-6 hours |
Headaches that recur more than 15 days a month for 3 months are classified as chronic.
Secondary headaches begin due to:
- Infectious diseases (colds, meningitis, encephalitis).
- Head and neck injuries.
- Cardiovascular diseases. They are often accompanied by blurred vision, discomfort in the eyes, and swelling. Appetite is also disrupted and health worsens.
- Food, chemical, drug poisoning.
- Brain tumors.
Tablets for headaches during breastfeeding, when pain is a secondary sign of any disease, are taken after a doctor’s prescription. Some analgesics cannot be used for viral infections, and only a doctor can determine the cause of the disease.
If the prescribed drugs are not compatible with breastfeeding, the child is fed formula or pre-expressed milk; in the case of a long course of treatment, the milk can be frozen.
Shelf life of expressed milk:
| From + 16 to + 29 | 4-5 hours, in a sterile container (8 hours) |
| From +4 to -4 (refrigerator) | 5-7 days |
| -17C (freezer) | 3-6 months |
Doctors advise freezing breast milk only if it will not be used within 7 days.
When treating episodic headaches without medication, the following are effective:
- Relaxing shower.
- Walk in the fresh air.
- An ice compress applied to the affected areas of the head for 10-15 minutes.
- Head massage.
- Dream.
When breastfeeding, you need to compare the usefulness of painkillers used in the treatment of headaches with the risk of harming the baby and do not forget that the baby needs a healthy mother more than her milk, which can be replaced with infant formula.
Main principles of therapy
There are a number of recommendations that a nursing mother must follow during a headache attack.
- We must try to eliminate the problem without using drugs. If this method does not work, you can take an approved medicine.
- All medications that can be used during breastfeeding should be prescribed by a specialist.
- Before using any tablets, you should read the instructions. Consider the acceptability of use while breastfeeding.
In some cases, it is better to endure the pain than to take any drug, because the positive effect may be weaker than the negative consequences of its use.
To reduce the concentration of the drug in milk, it is recommended to drink it immediately after feeding the baby. It happens that after taking medications, a nursing woman needs to skip a couple of feedings and express milk. Therefore, you should always have baby formula with you.
Approved medications
A headache during breastfeeding can easily throw a woman off track and complicate her life. To remove the syndrome that appears, you can take pills. But not every product is safe for a newborn and breastfeeding.
Paracetamol
The medication Paracetamol is often recommended by specialists for painful headaches during the lactation period, since this drug is safe for newborns, has a small number of side effects and has long been used to relieve pain.
It is recommended to take Paracetamol analogues containing this substance.
- Panadol.
- Calpol.
- Efferalgan.
- Rapidol.
- Tylenol.
Panadol has a minimum of contraindications and side effects. The tablets are compatible with breastfeeding; the drug is also prescribed to infants.
Up to 20% of the active substance enters mother's milk, but there is no data on a negative effect on the newborn. If a woman takes the medicine after breastfeeding, the baby will not receive this substance through the milk.
The maximum concentration in blood plasma and milk is observed for 2 hours and then decreases.
It is advised to take pills for headaches while breastfeeding, when the attack is one-time. It is possible to use it regularly for 2-3 days, 1-2 pills every 6 hours.
Ibuprofen
If rare headaches occur, doctors recommend numbing them with Ibuprofen or Ibufen. A small amount of medication passes into milk, so the tablets do not pose a serious threat. The medicine can be used by 4-month-old babies.
You can also relieve a terrible headache with analogues:
- Nurofen;
- Mig-400;
- Has;
- Ibuprom;
- Ibumax.
The drug taken for the head during the lactation period begins to have its effect within half an hour after use. After 3 hours, the drug will be eliminated from the body, which allows you to safely feed the newborn and not worry about adverse consequences.
Naproxen
A non-steroidal drug that has an anti-inflammatory effect. The medication is officially recognized as compatible with breastfeeding. Its one-time use is recommended by experts in case of a sudden pain attack.
The advantage of Naproxen is its long-lasting effect on the body, about 12 hours. To reduce negative reactions, it is better to use the drug after feeding.
Nosh-pa
This drug has an antispasmodic effect. Nosh-pa is prescribed to get rid of headaches that arise as a result of vasospasm.
It is permissible to take pills when the mother knows the cause of the pain or if treatment with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug has not brought the desired result.
Ketorolac
The instructions for the medication state that you should not drink Ketorolac from the head while breastfeeding and during pregnancy. But some domestic and foreign experts allow taking the drug for short-term use.
Of the Ketorolac analogues, the following are noted:
- Ketanov;
- Ketalgin.
A specialist will advise a nursing mother on an individual basis what to drink for a headache. Self-medication for repeated attacks is unacceptable.
Secrets of home therapy
Aromatherapy allows you to quickly get rid of headaches during lactation. All you need to do is inhale the scent of essential oils or apply a little onto your body. It is better for nursing mothers to use essential oils of lavender, mint and ginger.
Alternative medicine recommends using herbs to relieve pain. But before using them, you should consult your pediatrician and make sure they are completely safe.
Prevention is the best remedy against headaches. This is especially true for breastfeeding women. Therefore, young mothers should adhere to proper nutrition, monitor their daily routine, walk in the fresh air as often as possible, and get proper rest. Following these simple rules will allow you to stop the development of migraines in time.
Prohibited drugs
Most medications that are often used to relieve headaches are contraindicated during lactation.
Analgin
Many people are saved from severe pain with the help of Analgin. But this medicine is not combined with breastfeeding, as it has a detrimental effect on the nervous system and can cause the development of agranulocytosis, kidney damage, and anaphylactic shock.
A toxic agent can change the composition of milk, blood, and disrupt hematopoiesis.
Analgin is present in the following combination medications:
- Tempalgin;
- Pentalgin;
- Baralgin;
- Baralgatex;
- Sedalgin;
- Spasmalgon.
Citramon
The medication is a popular remedy, but it contains harmful elements for mother and child. Citramon contains paracetamol, caffeine and aspirin, which have a stimulating effect on the nervous system. Long-term use of the drug negatively affects the functioning of the baby’s liver and brain.
If you take only 1 pill, of course, nothing bad will happen, but this is only permissible if there is no suitable alternative. You will have to skip feedings a couple of times.
It is unacceptable to be treated with analgesics during breastfeeding. It is better to change them to more harmless and no less effective drugs.
Painkillers containing barbituric acid, codeine, and caffeine cannot cure headaches. Acid leads to inhibition of the function of nerve cells, caffeine leads to agitation and sleep disturbance in the baby. Codeine, being a narcotic substance, contributes to the deterioration of breathing.
It is also prohibited to take medications containing ergotamine, which can cause vomiting, nausea, and convulsions in an infant.
Tension syndrome
It is this condition, expressed in soreness in the head, that often worries mothers when breastfeeding. Traditional methods will help you get rid of it.
- Do a head massage.
- Rub the temples using the “Star” balm.
- Apply a compress with a cabbage leaf.
For headaches, you can drink black tea so that it is very hot and sweet. A single dose will not harm the child. To reduce the risk of developing allergies, you need to drink the drink immediately after feeding.
To eliminate the problem, brew chamomile tea. For 200 ml of boiling water you will need 3 grams of herb. Pour and infuse the medicinal drink for 40 minutes. Strain and drink no more than 2 times a day.
Traditional medicine also includes many home recipes that use different herbs. Before using them, you need to make sure that the selected medicine is harmless for a child who is breastfed.
Experts say that such a headache indicates a weakening of the body. A woman faced with such a problem must change her daily routine, diet, and adhere to the drinking regime. Hunger negatively affects feeding and can lead to headaches. Satisfying your hunger with warm milk soup will help eliminate the problem instantly, no worse than taking a pill.
To obtain a sufficient amount of oxygen, you need to walk daily and ventilate the room.
Causes of headaches
Pain can be expressed in varying degrees: it can be insignificant, dull, throbbing, squeezing, unbearable. Its duration is unpredictable. In any case, when it cannot be tolerated, there is a desire/need to overcome it with medications. I took a pill and everything was fine. It’s not so easy for moms in this common situation. Which pill should I take? After all, not all medications can be taken.
So what can cause a headache? It seemed that everything was fine. It’s a beautiful sunny day, you and your baby returned from a walk in a great mood. And then, out of the blue, this attack.
The following can cause a headache in a young mother:
- nervous exhaustion of the body caused by lack of sleep and frequent awakenings at night;
- high or low blood pressure;
- weather dependence;
- osteocondritis of the spine;
- postpartum depression;
- prolonged stay in a confined space without access to the required amount of oxygen;
- hormonal imbalance of the body;
- poisoning caused by bad habits or household chemicals;
- inflammatory processes in respiratory diseases;
- malnutrition;
- eating unusual foods or suddenly giving them up.
And these are not all the factors influencing the occurrence of pain. To eliminate it quickly and effectively, you need to have a complete clinical picture at your disposal. Let us repeat once again - therapy is prescribed by a specialist. But what to do if the pain needs to be eliminated urgently, but a visit to the doctor is impossible for objective reasons?
Not every mother is ready to fight headaches with pills. Many, afraid of harming the baby, try to endure it. The desire not to harm the child is, of course, commendable, but it is not always correct - any physician will confirm this.
If you are against taking medications, at the first unpleasant sensation, try to reduce the pain with some folk methods. Let's look at some of them.
Medicines for vascular diseases
Factors in the development of headaches can be vascular diseases, which result in constant migraines and increased blood pressure. The prescription of the drug in this situation remains with the doctor, who will assess the risks for the baby and mother, while maintaining natural feeding.
The appearance of migraine
Therapy of pathology is carried out with drugs based on ergot alkaloids. They are able to narrow blood vessels and reduce the excitability of nerve cells.
Mothers may be prescribed medications:
- Zomig;
- Dihydroergotamine;
- Rizatriptan.
Not everything is known about the effects of such drugs on the body of a woman and child; full-fledged studies have not been conducted. Isolated situations have been observed when the baby developed nausea, vomiting, and convulsions. Therefore, it is possible to take such remedies only in extreme cases.
Most painkillers can be used for migraines during breastfeeding. Doctors often prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications:
- Ibuprofen.
- Diclofenac.
- Paracetamol along with domperidone.
There are drugs with a selective effect on vascular receptors, and their effect on migraine is pathogenetically determined.
Sumatriptan is present in Sumamigraine, it is the only triptan that is acceptable during breastfeeding. It does not remain in large quantities in mother's milk, so it is allowed to be taken to stop pain. For persistent migraines, the doctor will consider the need for a course of treatment. Then you should stop feeding.
For headaches during feeding associated with migraines, doctors recommend using the Extraplast patch. The product is used once, no more than 6 hours. The patch instantly soothes, cools and relieves. It does not contain medicinal components.
Medicines for headaches during lactation
Headaches during breastfeeding easily unsettle and complicate the life of a nursing mother. To quickly fix the problem, you can take a pill. However, not every medicine is safe for babies and lactation. Let's look at what medications are allowed during breastfeeding.
When breastfeeding, take Ibuprofen-based medications in rare cases and only after consulting a doctor. A small amount of the drug passes into the milk, so the tablets will not cause serious damage. But if you take the medicine daily, you should stop breastfeeding while you take it. To maintain a normal level of lactation, you can express milk.
However, it is Ibuprofen (Nurofen and Mig) that can cure migraines and prolonged headaches. A stronger and more selective remedy, Sumamigren, will help relieve migraines. This is the only potent drug from the group of triptans that is approved for lactation.
It passes into breast milk in small quantities and is completely eliminated after 12 hours. After a single dose, you can feed the baby no earlier than one day later. If you take it multiple times, it is better to interrupt breastfeeding.
Paracetamol is considered a safe drug for lactation. Of course, such tablets are designed to relieve cold symptoms and reduce fever. However, they can also eliminate headaches. Read more about the dosage and rules for taking Paracetamol during lactation at the link.
In addition, Paracetamol-based drugs are safe for a nursing mother. These are Panadol and Efferalgan, which are easily tolerated and safe if the dosage is observed. In addition, the tablets cope with headaches, dental and muscle pain, pain from injuries and burns.
Panadol is distinguished by its low cost, minimal number of contraindications and side effects. The tablets are compatible with lactation, and the medicine is prescribed to newborns. Therefore, experts recommend taking Panadol while breastfeeding.
Some mothers choose the drug No-shpa. But such tablets are more designed to relieve pain and cramps in the stomach. Therefore, No-shpa can hardly be called an effective remedy for relieving headaches.
