Migraines are the most important and frequent type of headache in children, affecting more than one in twelve kids -- yet only 20 percent of children with migraines are ever properly diagnosed and treated (Headache, May 1997).
While there is still some controversy among doctors about what causes migraines, many doctors think migraines are caused by an inherited extra-sensitivity of certain blood vessels to the nerve and chemical signals that normally cause these vessels to dilate or constrict (especially to serotonin, norepinephrine, and substance P). When these over-exuberant blood vessels expand and contract, the resulting changes in pressure produce pain (Pediatric Annals, September 1995).
Your child may have migraines if he or she has at least five headaches (in which the child is well between episodes) accompanied by at least 3 of the following symptoms:
Associated "aura" - a funny sensation just before a headache, which may be a change in any of the five senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell or touch).
Relief with sleep (headaches that awaken children, or early morning headaches, are probably not migraines - -they might be signs of a brain tumor)
Family history of migraines
There are several types of migraines, including migraines with auras, migraines without auras, abdominal migraines, and cyclical vomiting.
Before puberty, migraines are more common in boys than in girls (the reverse is true afterwards).
Most kids do not have an aura (changes in vision or tingling hands or feet), but most do have a throbbing or pounding headache, often at both temples, accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
The headaches typically last for one to three hours -- but they can last for 24 hours.
Kids are often sensitive to light, sounds, or smells during a migraine episode
A number of foods have been shown to be the triggers for some individuals. The most common of these are nuts, chocolate, cola drinks, hot dogs and luncheon meats (probably the nitrates and nitrites), pepperoni and sausage (thought, perhaps, to be the spices), kippers, and MSG. Both alcohol and birth control pills are associated with migraines, but there are better reasons than headaches to avoid these in young children. Caffeine has also been associated with migraines, giving children yet another reason to avoid coffee, tea, and some sodas.
Bright flashing lights can also trigger migraines.
Children who get migraines are more likely to get them when they are over-tired or have gone too long without eating. In addition to fatigue and hunger, other known triggers are sun exposure, excessive physical exertion, motion sickness, loud noises, head bumps, stress, and anxiety.
Exciting new drugs have been developed for adults with migraines. These have not yet been approved for use in children, but thankfully kids are much more responsive than adults to available, gentle medicines.
Ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) is more than twice as effective as acetaminophen (Tylenol) at stopping a migraine -- but acetaminophen starts working twice as fast. I recommend giving a child a dose of both ibuprofen and acetaminophen when the headache starts, and then having him rest in a quiet, darkened room.
Pediatric neurologists are starting to study drugs commonly used by adults with migraines, to find out if they are same and useful for children with migraines. These include both oral medications and nasal sprays. (Pediatric Neurology 2003 and Pediatrics 2005) Therefore, for children with migraines that are very frequent, or are interfering with school, then a continuous, daily medication might be prescribed to prevent the migraines. Options for this include propranolol, phenytoin, phenobarbital, amitriptyline, cryoheptadine, and methysergide.
I prefer teaching children either self-hypnosis or biofeedback to control their headaches. These techniques can be mastered by most kids in second grade or above. They have been shown to be even more effective than propranolol at preventing migraines (Nelson Testbook of Pediatrics, Saunders, 2000) -- and without side effects!
My son was diagnosed w/paroxysmal Torticollis when he was approx 2 months old, (but I have pics of him at 9 days old w/a stiff neck) he started seeing a physical therapist for one yr, no success, I demanded an outside ref from kaiser and then my son started seeing the neurologist at kaiser, whom said the torticollis is generally a sign that infants will suffer from migraines at they get older. My son will be 4 yrs old on sept 6, and right now his migraines happen every two weeks. I have not been able to determine his triggers, but something doesn't seem right, what could possibly make his brain work like a clock and he get an episode literally every two weeks? I was administered Motrin after delivering my son and he was breast feed, it didn't dawn on me at the time cause I was in so much pain, but the hopsital shouldn't have given a breastfeeding mom motrin...could this be the cause to my son's migraines?
My 10 year old son gets frequent migraines. From May to July, they are more frequent (4 per month), and he usually gets them on the same day of the week. Right now it is Sundays (4 of the past 6). I was wondering if this is common? He has currently been prescribed Amatriptyline daily as a preventative, but we haven't noticed much change except it makes him very sleepy, and he has a hard time waking up in the mornings. Any suggestions?
my daughter too suffers from migraines. She started when she was 7 and is now 10. I have taken her to every type of specialist and they all say childhood migraine. She started wearing glasses at 7 and started with headaches 2 weeks later. I finally made her take the glasses off and she has gotten better with not so many headaches. I too would love to figure out what is going on. I can not just settle with childhood migraines. The glasses were introduced and from there it was hell. I am now taking her for another vision test and I will start from scratch not letting the doctor on to any of her other visits to specialists until he makes his diagnosis. The less you tell the doctor at first the better it will be. Maybe one of them will come up with the answer.
It is very difficult to handle and seeing them sick makes you feel helpless. You will also hear people say "maybe something else is going on, they must be faking it" Don't listen to anyone! What they feel is real. And must be awful for them to go through at such a young age. I wish you and your son luck. I hope that he is feeling better soon.
Thank you for saying what you said at the end so many people will say can she have that many headaches as she dose or is she facking it.Some times i feel so helpless and get so mad when she is sent back to class or is not sent to the nurse at school! thank you
Most children are ready to tackle the challenge of potty use somewhere between age 2 and shortly after their third birthday, with boys generally at the latter end of this range. Click here for potty training tips.
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Torticollis to Migraines
childhood migraines
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childhood migraines
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childhood migraines