Children - Migraines - painkillers - help!

[shortbun]

My son, 14, has been getting migraines since he was 6. They are getting worse. We been to an allergist(he has bad allergies) an ENT who says the headaches are caused by the irritation from the allergies and a sleep clinic because he also has trouble sleeping. We have an appointment with a neurologist(pediatric). He is currently on day 4 of a migraine that is keeping him in bed and in the dark. We're going in to see his pediatrician today because I'm going to demand a painkiller just to give him some relief. He has tried several migraine meds(5) including two of the nasal sprays. 3 of the meds he's tried haven't been used enough on children to be recommended for under 18 but his doc is desperate. So am I. Anyone solved this problem or found anything that relieves the pain? He's tried Advil and Excedrin Migraine with little relief.

 

[amid chaos]

We have spent the last year trying migraines meds for my teen.

Zomig..a take as needed, seemed to do ok.

Elavil...take every day. but it put her to sleep for three days.

Topamax...even thought this broke the every day cycle she had for months, we weened her off of it after a few months because of the side effects.

I hope the pediatrician finds something that will ease the pain for your son.

 

[ols386]

My dd had migraines every once in awhile when she was just 4 years old, but her's would be gone as quickly as they came. Our dr. said to give her Tylenol which we did, but it really didn't give her much relief when she had them. Her's would come on really fast, with screaming and crying from the pain, then she would throw-up, then sleep for a couple of hours, and when she woke up, you wouldn't have know that anything had even been wrong.

She eventually grew out of them, thankfully. I'm sorry to hear about your son, I hope he can get something for pain relief very soon. That has to be horrible , and very frustrating for you as a parent.

 

[itsheresomewhere]

I am on B-2 and magnesium by my dr to help ease/prevent miagraines. It has helped a lot. Ask if you teen can try it. It also helped my allergies.

 

[DisneyMim]

I am so sorry for your son. No I can't help you with kids' migraines, but I get them myself so I can relate. I find sometimes a heating pad works or exact opposite an ice pack. I hope the doctor gives him something soon for the pain. My heart goes out to him. Best of luck, I hope he finds relief soon and also long term help for his migraines.

 

[shortbun]

We have spent the last year trying migraines meds for my teen.

Zomig..a take as needed, seemed to do ok.

Elavil...take every day. but it put her to sleep for three days.

Topamax...even thought this broke the every day cycle she had for months, we weened her off of it after a few months because of the side effects.

I hope the pediatrician finds something that will ease the pain for your son.

He tried Zomig for the first time last night. It wasn't at the onset of the headache so we'll try it again the 'next time.'(please let there be no next time!) It did nothing for him but he was on day 3. I'll ask about Elavil. He's in bed anyway. I don't think we've tried Topamax unless that was the horrible nasal spray he said he'd never use again, lol. I bet he'd have used it if it had gotten rid of the headache. thanks.

 

[LMC]

I use Topamax daily to prevent my migraines. I do not have any side effects that others mention. I also use Maxalt when I have a full blown migraine and nothing else is working. I take it, lay down for about 30 minutes and I'm much better. I guess the maxalt would work better if I took it at the on-set of a migraine but you can only take about 4 per 7 days so I make sure I take it when needed. I actually have mine under control now with about 2 or 3 per month.

 

[Rose&Mike]

My ds started getting migraines in elementary school. His stomach would get so full of acid he would projective vomit. Not pretty. Anyhow we used liquid ibuprofen and pepcid. If we caught it early enough he would take the liquid gels. He would usually start feeling a little sick to his stomach before the headache. Does your DS drink soda with caffeine? My DS only had soda on Friday and Saturday, and Monday afternoon like clockwork he would get a migraine. We cut out the caffeine and it really helped. We also watched his consumption of nitrates (hotdogs, bologna, lunch meats etc.). Good luck!

 

[NotUrsula]

Actually, for most migraine pain, caffeine is helpful, not hurtful; it dilates the blood vessels a bit. (That's what causes migraine pain; constriction of the blood vessels in the covering of the brain.) Washing down two Excedrin with a Coke at the first sign of an aura helps a LOT of people ward off migraines. (Excedrin have caffeine added, so they are the most popular OTC pain remedy with migrainieurs. You have to take it before the pain strikes, though -- afterward is useless.)

DEFINITELY go and see the neurologist. I was 33 before someone finally referred me, and my neurologist was able to get rid of my migraines in just a year. I'm not suggesting that this will work for your son, because every case is different, but in my case what worked was being put on heart disease medication as a preventative (Calan.) I took it for a year, and in the 15 years since I tapered off of it, I've had exactly six migraines, where before I had an average of three per week. The only trigger I still have trouble with is strobe lights. (And I have to be really careful about eating at regular intervals. Skipping meals, especially when it is hot out or when there is a storm moving in, is just asking for trouble.)

Good luck to him. Migraines are awful, and I wouldn't want to go back to that life for anything.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Have you done a trigger diary to see what his triggers could be?

My 2 DDs and myself all have migraines. DD11's started at age 5 and we went thru the whole route with MRIs and tests and never found anything other than regular triggers.

Some of our triggers are - hormonal changes, stress, loud noises, bright sunlight, nitrates (hot dogs, lunch meat), MSG (soups, Chinese food), aged cheeses (melted cheddar is the worst!), artificial sweetners of any kind (sweet N low, splenda, equal) in any food, lack of sleep, too much sleep, lack of caffeine, nuts, eye strain (too much computer time).

I had been grinding my teeth at night and the Periodontist ground down just a tad on my teeth where they were sticking up and that eliminated the headaches that I would wake up with.

As far as pain relief - the Pediatric Neurolgist told us to alternate motrin and tylenol every 2 to 3 hours (a dose of Motrin then 2-3 hours later a dose of Tylenol then 2-3 hours later back to Motrin, etc...) and take the meds with a non-diet soda with caffeine like Coke or Pepsi. He did not recommend Excedrin Migraine because of the aspirin content and the risk of Reye's syndrome.

I have tried all the OTC and most of the prescription meds. Topamax was horrible - do tons of research on the side effects before agreeing to that one. Right now my 1st line of defense is to take 2 Excedrin Migraine at onset and if that doesn't work then take a Treximet which is an Imitrex and Naproxyn combo and a Phenergan if I am already nauseated. That seems to work so far but it knocks me out.

Good luck to your DS. I hope they find something that works for him soon and can find out what is causing these so he can try to prevent them. I have heard that men's migraines are much worse than women's migraines.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Actually, for most migraine pain, caffeine is helpful, not hurtful; it dilates the blood vessels a bit. (That's what causes migraine pain; constriction of the blood vessels in the covering of the brain.) Washing down two Excedrin with a Coke at the first sign of an aura helps a LOT of people ward off migraines. (Excedrin have caffeine added, so they are the most popular OTC pain remedy with migrainieurs. You have to take it before the pain strikes, though -- afterward is useless.)

DEFINITELY go and see the neurologist. I was 33 before someone finally referred me, and my neurologist was able to get rid of my migraines in just a year. I'm not suggesting that this will work for your son, because every case is different, but in my case what worked was being put on heart disease medication as a preventative (Calan.) I took it for a year, and in the 15 years since I tapered off of it, I've had exactly six migraines, where before I had an average of three per week. The only trigger I still have trouble with is strobe lights.

Good luck to him. Migraines are awful, and I wouldn't want to go back to that life for anything.

While this is true that caffeine is helpful for most migraines, (hence excedrin migraine which has caffeine) for some reason my ds had a withdrawal that was so nasty everytime he consumed caffeine. It was definitely one of his triggers. I suppose we could have had him consume more soda, and avoided the headache and vomitting, but we found just drinking caffeine free sodas helped immensely. And I don't mean to sound snarky, we really did debate having him consume caffeine more regularly, but decided we didn't want to go down that road.

I'm glad that your migraines have improved.

 

[barkley]

ds uses maltax and it seems to help.

just as a heads up-if you have any significant family history of stroke let the pediatric neurologist know up front. some of the migrane meds used for pediatric patients are never prescribed for adults because they increase the risk. with ds, when he was diagnosed, b/c of our family history the ped. neuro would'nt prescribe until he had an mri to check for any early indicators.

 

[LuvOrlando]

So sorry to read this. I was just like your DS, mine started when I went through puberty at 10 and suffered until I was old enough for someone to give me a pain killer at 19. Here I am at 40 and Fioricet is still the best thing that I ever came across. I don't know if they will give it to your DS since he is so young. There is a very real chance of addiction. I have never been addicted but that is just me, I am very careful with the medication and will suffer through a headache once I hit day 3 just to prevent rebound pain. I have been through many headache clinics especially when I was your DS's age range and everything they gave me was a failure. Be warned, even the best Neurologist is just guessing and you'll see that if you stick around long enough to realize they just throw stuff at you like a shotgun blast and hope something sticks. The medications they are offering can be very dangerous so if they do not work do not let the Dr's convince you to keep at them. Don't be afraid to say NO, they will come on pretty strong like they have all the answers, it's just the nature of Neurologists... they forget they are just trained men with an opinion, no more and no less. As a chronic sufferer MHO painkillers are the safest most effective way to deal with migraines... that is as long as you keep things on a short leash, recognize the possibility for addiction and take steps to avoid it. I have 2 kids and my DD shows many signs migraine, but so far hers aren't nearly as frequent as mine. If they do escalate we will cross that bridge, but at least she'll have me, I had no-one helping. I remember shutting myself up in my room with construction paper taped around my windows to keep the light out... oh, how I suffered back then.

FYI, I have been getting migraines virtually every day for the past 33 days. It's been this way every Spring for as long as I can remember. The Neurologists say they aren't related to allergies but I have my doubts... if they can't say what they definitely ARE how on earth can they say what they definitely ARE NOT

PS- if they do give your DS a painkiller please consider breaking the pill, whatever it is, into 1/4 bits. The one thing I have noticed is that when you do get an ok the Dr's tend to give waaaayyyy too much. Even for myself after all these years I start off with 1/2 wait 20 minutes to see if there has been an effect, then if necessary I take the other 1/2 and on and on. Some days the 1/2 is enough, other days I need 2 tablets and 1/4 Vicodin... it all depends so I treat each headache as an individual event. However, once I find a therapeutic dose I stick with it until the headache is gone. I have never found the pain level of a headache to diminish over time. It is what it is and is either there or it's gone, no in between.

Another thought, he should probably get an MRI if he's never had one before. Both of my kids DD11 & DS12 had them around the age of 9 when their headaches began to pop up. Many migraine sufferers, like myself, have spots on our brains. The first one was considered an anomaly I may have been born with or a sign of a stroke I may have had as a teen. Another spot just popped up 2 years ago. It would have been best if they had a clean one to start out with though. I do have a high family history of stroke and some studies show links between migraine and stroke but not all Dr's embrace these studies.

I hope you find something that helps, whatever it may be.

 

[laurafergie]

My DD19 was diagnosed when she was 5 - DH has migraines also, so the doctor was a little more willing to listen when I said the kid was having migraines. She does not have any allergies associated with the migraines.

She has been through many meds - but is currently taking Almotriptan, B12 and Magnesium. This combo is managing well, as long as she can take the Almotriptan as soon as she has an "aura". This med seems to have reduced the number of migraines she was having.

When she was a child, cutting down severely on processed foods, and caffeine did wonders. She still on her own eats mostly vegetarian, with some seafood, but almost no red meat. She does drink quite a bit of coffee, though.

 

[princessmom29]

So sorry to read this. I was just like your DS, mine started when I went through puberty at 10 and suffered until I was old enough for someone to give me a pain killer at 19. Here I am at 40 and Fioricet is still the best thing that I ever came across. I don't know if they will give it to your DS since he is so young. There is a very real chance of addiction. I have never been addicted but that is just me, I am very careful with the medication and will suffer through a headache once I hit day 3 just to prevent rebound pain. I have been through many headache clinics especially when I was your DS's age range and everything they gave me was a failure. Be warned, even the best Neurologist is just guessing and you'll see that if you stick around long enough to realize they just throw stuff at you like a shotgun blast and hope something sticks. The medications they are offering can be very dangerous so if they do not work do not let the Dr's convince you to keep at them. Don't be afraid to say NO, they will come on pretty strong like they have all the answers, it's just the nature of Neurologists... they forget they are just trained men with an opinion, no more and no less. As a chronic sufferer MHO painkillers are the safest most effective way to deal with migraines... that is as long as you keep things on a short leash, recognize the possibility for addiction and take steps to avoid it. I have 2 kids and my DD shows many signs migraine, but so far hers aren't nearly as frequent as mine. If they do escalate we will cross that bridge, but at least she'll have me, I had no-one helping. I remember shutting myself up in my room with construction paper taped around my windows to keep the light out... oh, how I suffered back then.

FYI, I have been getting migraines virtually every day for the past 33 days. It's been this way every Spring for as long as I can remember. The Neurologists say they aren't related to allergies but I have my doubts... if they can't say what they definitely ARE how on earth can they say what they definitely ARE NOT

PS- if they do give your DS a painkiller please consider breaking the pill, whatever it is, into 1/4 bits. The one thing I have noticed is that when you do get an ok the Dr's tend to give waaaayyyy too much. Even for myself after all these years I start off with 1/2 wait 20 minutes to see if there has been an effect, then if necessary I take the other 1/2 and on and on. Some days the 1/2 is enough, other days I need 2 tablets and 1/4 Vicodin... it all depends so I treat each headache as an individual event. However, once I find a therapeutic dose I stick with it until the headache is gone. I have never found the pain level of a headache to diminish over time. It is what it is and is either there or it's gone, no in between.

Another thought, he should probably get an MRI if he's never had one before. Both of my kids DD11 & DS12 had them around the age of 9 when their headaches began to pop up. Many migraine sufferers, like myself, have spots on our brains. The first one was considered an anomaly I may have been born with or a sign of a stroke I may have had as a teen. Another spot just popped up 2 years ago. It would have been best if they had a clean one to start out with though. I do have a high family history of stroke and some studies show links between migraine and stroke but not all Dr's embrace these studies.

I hope you find something that helps, whatever it may be.

So sorry you are going through this. I had migranes for about 6 months right after I had DD and they are misreable. I got sick every time I moved.

I just wanted to add a note of caution to the part about breaking pills. Many painkillers are NOT meant to be broken or cut, especially in children. They are sealed on the outside because the medication inside is acidic. Over time, swallowing broken tablets can lead to ulcers and erosions in the esophogus like you get from acid reflux. Always ask a doctor before breaking any tablet or capsule open to see if it is safe.

 

[2goofycampers]

Sorry to hear of all the pain, I hope everyone finds what works for them.

Migraine remedy by Dr. on Saturday afternoon local radio show.

5 capsules magnesium citrate malate opened and put in 6 ounces of water add to that 1000 mg pyruvate, drink within 30 minutes of onset of pain

Also some headaches/migraines are caused by neck/back problems, a chiropractor would help if this is the case.

 

[couponclary]

Not sure if they use these for children suffering with migraines, but like others have mentioned, use Topamax (and Depakote) with caution. I've had migraines since age 14 and was hospitalized for almost a week last year after 3 ER visits and was willing to take anything that might possibly make the pain go away, but had I known the side effects of these two meds, I would have suffered with the headache. I wasn't able to ask the hard questions and just took the neurologists word that this was the best treatment option (among a pharmacy full of other meds too!), but it clearly wasn't for me, and after much research after the fact, I learned that many, many others had the same scary side effects.

 

[okeydokey]

Could a chiropractor help? I am seeing one for a pinched nerve in my back and he said they have good results with migraine sufferers. They use the atlas method.

 

[LuvOrlando]

So sorry you are going through this. I had migranes for about 6 months right after I had DD and they are misreable. I got sick every time I moved.

I just wanted to add a note of caution to the part about breaking pills. Many painkillers are NOT meant to be broken or cut, especially in children. They are sealed on the outside because the medication inside is acidic. Over time, swallowing broken tablets can lead to ulcers and erosions in the esophogus like you get from acid reflux. Always ask a doctor before breaking any tablet or capsule open to see if it is safe.

Good point, my medications are not time released or buffered in any way so cutting them does not change them at all.

 

[2goofycampers]

Could a chiropractor help? I am seeing one for a pinched nerve in my back and he said they have good results with migraine sufferers. They use the atlas method.

Absolutely, myself and several people I know have gotten relief from chiropractic care for headaches/migraines. I definitely wasn't a believer when I first went and it didn't happen overnight, but it can help.