Child Migraines

[sharlan]

My 6 , almost 7 yo, has been getting migraines for a couple of years now. My dd and I have both questioned his ped about them. He usually gets them every other month or so, but has had 4 in the last month, 2 in the last 5 days. Dd has an appt with a new ped tomorrow.

Today he came home from school and threw himself down on the carpet and didn't move. I finally asked him if he was ok, and he shook his head no. I asked him what was wrong and he pointed to his head. I asked if he had a migraine and he shook his head yes.

I kept trying to get ahold of his mom (dd#1), but she wasn't at her desk. I called dad who said to start with Motrin. I called my other daughter (dd#2) and asked her to track down her sister. Dd#1 had just left her sister's office so she called one of her co-workers and asked them to have her call me as soon as she got back to her desk. I wanted her to be prepared to come home if needed.

In the mean time, grandson is gagging, trying to vomit, rolling back and forth across the carpet holding his head, and shaking really bad. Dh took off to Starbucks and got him a java chip frapp w/ an added shot of expresso. DD calls and tells me to get him into a super warm/hot shower until the pain level goes down. He sat in the shower for 30 mins, got out and drank his "migraine medicine". Within about 30 mins, he's running around like nothing ever happened.

I've never dealt with his migraines before. Dd has always been home when they happened and she would take him upstairs and deal with it. My dh freaks whenever there is anything wrong with the kids so it's often best to keep him out of the loop.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was having a seizure the way he was shaking.

Anyone else deal with migraines in a young child?

[Leigh]

My 2 year old gets them. I can't get him to drink caffeine, so I give him chocolate. It helps enough that I can then get him to take some ibuprofen.

It is heartbreaking when kids get them, but the good thing is that in kids, they tend to be short with a quick recovery. With mine, they can last days with a hangover that also lasts days.

[Cradle2crayons]

My 6 , almost 7 yo, has been getting migraines for a couple of years now. My dd and I have both questioned his ped about them. He usually gets them every other month or so, but has had 4 in the last month, 2 in the last 5 days. Dd has an appt with a new ped tomorrow.

Today he came home from school and threw himself down on the carpet and didn't move. I finally asked him if he was ok, and he shook his head no. I asked him what was wrong and he pointed to his head. I asked if he had a migraine and he shook his head yes.

I kept trying to get ahold of his mom (dd#1), but she wasn't at her desk. I called dad who said to start with Motrin. I called my other daughter (dd#2) and asked her to track down her sister. Dd#1 had just left her sister's office so she called one of her co-workers and asked them to have her call me as soon as she got back to her desk. I wanted her to be prepared to come home if needed.

In the mean time, grandson is gagging, trying to vomit, rolling back and forth across the carpet holding his head, and shaking really bad. Dh took off to Starbucks and got him a java chip frapp w/ an added shot of expresso. DD calls and tells me to get him into a super warm/hot shower until the pain level goes down. He sat in the shower for 30 mins, got out and drank his "migraine medicine". Within about 30 mins, he's running around like nothing ever happened.

I've never dealt with his migraines before. Dd has always been home when they happened and she would take him upstairs and deal with it. My dh freaks whenever there is anything wrong with the kids so it's often best to keep him out of the loop.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was having a seizure the way he was shaking.

Anyone else deal with migraines in a young child?

Yes and what seems to work the best is different for every child...

But his one thing is for SURE... The QUICKER you start treatment the better and quicker they go away.

At his age, he should be able to sense as soon as one is starting. As SOON as one starts... He needs to be administered treatment. My daughters best friend has them. Ibuprofen works GREAT but it has to be given as SOON as she feels one coming. If she takes it ASAP its gone within a short period and it doesn't get worse. If she's here, she let's me know, I give her an Ibuprofen ASAP and an ice pack and tell her to lay down. Within 15 minutes she's good as gold.

Edit::: she has a treatment plan from her doctor and if she's at school she can go to the school nurse who documents he migraine and administers her the ibuprofen.

[TwinKristi]

They make dissolvable tablets for Peds in a med called Maxalt which is a migraine med. He would need to take it as soon as it hits though. The longer you wait the worse it gets. It tastes awful but works well. If he doesn't vomit with them (I do really bad) then try a strong dose of Advil and a soda with caffeine. The frapaccino is a good idea but not easily accessible at home ya know? They do make bottled versions as well you can keep on hand just in case.
I have suffered from migraines since I was 7 and it's awful. They've gotten better and as a boy at least he doesn't have to deal with monthly hormonal shifts.

[sharlan]

There's a Starbucks on every corner around here. Dh usually runs the minute he hears migraine. Soda doesn't work for him, neither does plain chocolate. Cold makes his worse.

Motrin, hot shower, and Starbucks usually kicks it within an hour from start to finish.

Our first warning is usually when he vomits.

He took two really nasty falls as a toddler, hitting his head. Both falls ended up with ER visits w/ CT scans.

[sahm1225]

I suffer with migraines and caffeine is one of my triggers, so the thought of caffeine during a migraine made my eyes get big and want to say NoOOOoooo!! But everyone is different


I didn't get migraines until adulthood, so I would urge your daughter to ask for testing to be done. Could he have seaaonal allergies that triggered his migraine? Could not eating for long periods of time (maybe he didn't eat much for lunch?). Figuring out what his triggers are could help Control them.

I would tell your dd that she needs to demand that the doctors help find out what is going on. Migraines **** and I can't imagine a kid dealing with one that often.,

[SilverSabre25]

I get migraines around the time of my period and occasionally around ovulation. Only thing that touches them is a 20 oz Coke, a chocolate bar, and a double dose of Motrin. Usually then a nap to finish it off. I have found that inadequate sleep is one thing to turn those headaches into migraines.

Was he a colicky baby? I have read that children who are colicky are like, 10times more likely to be diagnosed with migraines when they get older, leading to a hypothesis that some colic is actually babies with migraines.

Food allergies can be a trigger too. My sister gets migraines from a combination of gluten and chocolate (she is usually gluten free but has a hard time sticing to it)

Poor guy, that's just awful. I would start a food journal and add in other things if you can, like amounts of sleep, or anything else you think could have an effect.

[Leigh]

They make dissolvable tablets for Peds in a med called Maxalt which is a migraine med. He would need to take it as soon as it hits though. The longer you wait the worse it gets. It tastes awful but works well. If he doesn't vomit with them (I do really bad) then try a strong dose of Advil and a soda with caffeine. The frapaccino is a good idea but not easily accessible at home ya know? They do make bottled versions as well you can keep on hand just in case.
I have suffered from migraines since I was 7 and it's awful. They've gotten better and as a boy at least he doesn't have to deal with monthly hormonal shifts.

Sorry for the hijack, but:

TwinKristi, do you know how young Maxalt can be used? My pediatrician told me that there was NO prescription that was safe for use for my 2 year old. I am going to investigate more-it breaks my heart when he gets one and I can't help him.

Maxalt doesn't work for me at all, neither do many other drugs (Imitrex made me vomit, and made the migraine intensify so much that I decided that the migraine was better than the cure!). I finally switched to Relpax, and rarely have a migraine that can't be knocked out in 2-4 hours now (I had one attack last for TWO MONTHS several years ago!). I have a friend who has to have over 30 Botox injections at a time as a preventative (every 3 months, I think), and she has over 15 attacks a month, so I can't really complain about mine anymore!

Mine are triggered most often by weather changes...high humidity, high heat, and approaching weather fronts send me into my climate controlled house to try to prevent them. My son gets his at the same time I do, so I believe that is his only trigger, too.

[TwinKristi]

Sorry for the hijack, but:

TwinKristi, do you know how young Maxalt can be used? My pediatrician told me that there was NO prescription that was safe for use for my 2 year old. I am going to investigate more-it breaks my heart when he gets one and I can't help him.

Maxalt doesn't work for me at all, neither do many other drugs (Imitrex made me vomit, and made the migraine intensify so much that I decided that the migraine was better than the cure!). I finally switched to Relpax, and rarely have a migraine that can't be knocked out in 2-4 hours now (I had one attack last for TWO MONTHS several years ago!). I have a friend who has to have over 30 Botox injections at a time as a preventative (every 3 months, I think), and she has over 15 attacks a month, so I can't really complain about mine anymore!

Mine are triggered most often by weather changes...high humidity, high heat, and approaching weather fronts send me into my climate controlled house to try to prevent them. My son gets his at the same time I do, so I believe that is his only trigger, too.

My friend's daughter was around 7-8 when she started taking it but was big for her age. They're like 5mg I think and I suppose they could try and cut one in 1/4 and see if it works. If someone would be willing to give you a sample but you'd probably need a pretty willing dr to try on a 2yr old. I just looked it up and it says not tested under 6 so highly unlikely. I would ask for neuro referral. I have the same climate triggered migraines as well. I've tried OTC & Rx meds and now I've cycled back around to Compazine & Excedrine Migraine again after 10+ yrs.

[MissAnn]

I get migraines around the time of my period and occasionally around ovulation. Only thing that touches them is a 20 oz Coke, a chocolate bar, and a double dose of Motrin. Usually then a nap to finish it off. I have found that inadequate sleep is one thing to turn those headaches into migraines.

Was he a colicky baby? I have read that children who are colicky are like, 10times more likely to be diagnosed with migraines when they get older, leading to a hypothesis that some colic is actually babies with migraines.

Food allergies can be a trigger too. My sister gets migraines from a combination of gluten and chocolate (she is usually gluten free but has a hard time sticing to it)

Poor guy, that's just awful. I would start a food journal and add in other things if you can, like amounts of sleep, or anything else you think could have an effect.

I used to migraines. I started going to the chiropractor and they went away.

[LoraJenkins]

My youngest DD has had migraines from the age of 4. He needs to see a Pediatic Neurologist ASAP to find the cause. They put mt DD on a preventative medication that worked miracles. That poor little boy

[Laurel]

My daughter had migraines as a teen and adult.

They have completely disappeared when she stopped eating gluten. Cutting out gluten also got rid of her stomach problems that she had for years. She said she used to wake up just not feeling all that well and in a kind of haze and just thought that was normal. Also had some weird mood swings if she ate a large amount of food with gluten in it. All that is gone now.

It doesn't cost anything and no medicines. Caffeine helped when she did have migraines though.

Laurel

[SilverSabre25]

My daughter had migraines as a teen and adult.

They have completely disappeared when she stopped eating gluten. Cutting out gluten also got rid of her stomach problems that she had for years. She said she used to wake up just not feeling all that well and in a kind of haze and just thought that was normal. Also had some weird mood swings if she ate a large amount of food with gluten in it. All that is gone now.

It doesn't cost anything and no medicines. Caffeine helped when she did have migraines though.

Laurel

I had a similar experience with headaches and gluten removal. I had almost daily headaches that no pain med would touch. Finally linked it to gluten.

[MotherNature]

I started getting migraines occasionally in my twenties. Haven't had one in over a year.. b/c I got tested and went gf. Mine were food allergy/immune system related. Also gluten and chocolate. I can eat chocolate, but definitely not gluten or casein. Maybe thy should test him for a food allergy or intolerance.

[Second Home]

I have struggled with migraines since high school .

Most meds do not work for me and I have tried just about all of them .

What I did do was read this book ( http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heal...=9780761125662 ) , it was suggested by my Dr .

It was a bit tough to follow the routine the book details but , it has really helped .I thouigh the food elimination was too hard to try but it has helped . I have found what some of my triggers are ( they are not the common food ones )I especially liked the info about taking all the otc meds to try to help .
I have done much better since reading this book and take less meds to control the pain .

My mother also suffers and is sometimes hospitalized because of the severity of her migraines . She has had 2 botox treatments and it has greatly reduced the number of migraines .