Pregnant women who take NSAIDs such as naproxen (Aleve), ibuprofen (Advil), diclofenac (Volaren, Cambia), celecoxib (Celebrex), and other are two and a half times more likely to have a miscarriage. This is a finding of Canadian researchers who examined the records of 4,705 women who had a miscarriage. Surprisingly, they did not find that the risk was higher with a higher dose of NSAIDs. NSAIDs are particularly dangerous in the third trimester, when they can also cause heart problems in the fetus. Instead of NSAIDs pregnant women can try taking acetaminophen (Tylenol), which unfortunately is not a very effective pain killer. Narcotic or opioid drugs, such as codeine, Vicodin and similar drugs are not safe in pregnancy either, but can be used occasionally, although they are not very effective for migraine headaches. Triptans, such as sumatriptan (Imitrex), rizatriptan (Maxalt), eletriptan (Relpax) and other while not approved for pregnant women, may be safer and much more effective than either NSAIDs or narcotics. If a pregnant woman has frequent headaches, prevention with intravenous magnesium, biofeedback, and Botox injections should be tried before resorting to daily preventive drugs.
