Kids with headaches

[wishesuponastar]

I was just about to say. I keep kids' acetaminophen around but my first line of defense is always water. Being in the car can really dry you out.

We usually take water on long car rides.

 

[Magpie]

I meant to say I didn't want to start loading her up with Advil for a headache and would prefer to see the pedi about it. Also, we have given her Advil for a headache but she says it doesn't help.

Have you tried other painkillers? Advil is ibuprofen. She might respond better to acetaminophen (Tylenol). OTC painkillers can have different effects on different people.

Also, when it comes to headaches, you want to get ahead of the pain. Don't take Advil after she's already in pain, take it before you get into the car. With luck, you may be able to head off the headache entirely. (Assuming, that is, that her headaches are predictable and regular.)

 

[wishesuponastar]

Someone mentioned texting in the car, yes daughter does text or play games in the car. I will try having her not do that to see if it helps.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice. Ruling out things seems to be the best idea right now. Also, if it is hormonal I wonder what the pedi will say about that.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Have you tried other painkillers? Advil is ibuprofen. She might respond better to acetaminophen (Tylenol). OTC painkillers can have different effects on different people.

Also, when it comes to headaches, you want to get ahead of the pain. Don't take Advil after she's already in pain, take it before you get into the car. With luck, you may be able to head off the headache entirely. (Assuming, that is, that her headaches are predictable and regular.)

No I haven't tried Tylenol and good idea to give it before the car ride.

 

[Magpie]

Someone mentioned texting in the car, yes daughter does text or play games in the car. I will try having her not do that to see if it helps.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice. Ruling out things seems to be the best idea right now. Also, if it is hormonal I wonder what the pedi will say about that.

He'll probably say what my doctor said to me... take OTC painkillers as soon as you feel the headache coming on. And learn to live with it.

 

[potterfanatic]

My DD(12) gets horrible sinus headaches. We just try to use a humidifier every day and sinus meds really seem to help the headaches go away.

 

[jetskigrl]

My DS (13) gets migraines. Luckily if he catches them early, taking Tylenol or Advil will usually knock it out. But on some occasions they get really bad to where he ends up throwing up. If it gets to that point he needs a dark room and cold washcloth on his forehead. He has a bottle of Advil at school in the nurses office (with a note from his doctor to allow them to give him the medication). His biggest trigger seems to be stress. I agree with the others that water and advil before it gets bad works the best (for my DS also).

 

[DLgal]

Someone mentioned texting in the car, yes daughter does text or play games in the car. I will try having her not do that to see if it helps.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice. Ruling out things seems to be the best idea right now. Also, if it is hormonal I wonder what the pedi will say about that.

The pedi will likely suggest keeping a headache diary for a couple months and go from there. The only relief from hormonal headaches is possibly birth control pills. Although, they can also make the headaches worse or cause other side effects.

 

[Skippy918]

I get hormonal headaches too. A can of coke or cup of coffee plus Advil helps get rid of them.

 

[ols386]

My daughter had what I would call migraines when she was young, started around age 4 up through age 8 or 9. She would scream and cry because the pain was so bad. Then she would throw-up, and after that, she would sleep for a couple hours, wake up, and be perfectly fine. If we could give her Children's Tylenol when she first started with the headache, and get it under control quickly, the headache would go away, but if we didn't catch it early, then it would develop into a migraine. Once she reached about age 10, the headaches stopped. Apparently she outgrew them.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I used to get migraines really bad when I was young. At least that's what the doctor said, and back then they said there was nothing there was nothing they could do about it. At one point they got worse. For a while they were a lot more intense before and longer lasting. It was happening almost daily. Nothing would touch it, aspirin, Tylenol, whatever... a waste of time. It would hurt too bad to sleep, so that would not fix it. In fact I would sometimes wake up from one starting while I was asleep. The only thing that offered any kind of comfort (and it wasn't much comfort) was getting in the shower and just the hot water or something maybe distracted me a little bit.

Eventually it stopped happening and I do not know why, but I am very thankful. It has been over 20 years since I have had a migraine.

 

[MSLRAC]

DD12 gets headaches in the car due to motion sickness and 2 weeks before her period and during her period. She takes one Motrin and one Tylenol in the car at the first signs of one coming on. During her cycle she uses an essential oil called clary calm on the back of her neck for the headaches.

 

[Jennasis]

I got migraines as a kid and the only thing the doc's offered back then was "relaxation techniques". So I was made to go lay in a dark room with a cold rag on my forehead while I listened to a tape the doc had given us that had new age music on it with some lady telling me to reeeeeeelaaaaaxx over and over.

Later on they attributed the migraines to a very active growth spurt.

Who the heck knows. I still get migraines as an adult, but 3 Ibuprofen knocks it out. My migraines come with nausea and fatigue.

 

[wishesuponastar]

DD12 gets headaches in the car due to motion sickness and 2 weeks before her period and during her period. She takes one Motrin and one Tylenol in the car at the first signs of one coming on. During her cycle she uses an essential oil called clary calm on the back of her neck for the headaches.

Wondering if a doctor told you to take the Motrin Tylenol combo? Is the essential oil called clary calm and where do you buy it?

 

[mom2rtk]

Wondering if a doctor told you to take the Motrin Tylenol combo? Is the essential oil called clary calm and where do you buy it?

The ibuprofen/Tylenol combo is a great answer when one or the other does not cut it alone. Ibuprofen works at the site of the pain, while Tylenol works in the brain on your body's perception of pain. They can be used together, or alternated, being careful not to exceed the maximum daily dose of either.

Some surgeons use it as the go to method of post surgical pain relief, with narcotics held in reserve if the OTC combo fails.

 

[Wendy31]

Some people are just more headache prone.

I started getting really bad migraine headaches when I was in 2nd grade, &, for whatever reason, I was always too scared to tell my parents that my head was hurting. So I would wait until it was just unbearable, &, inevitably, throw up.

I still get migraines - mine now tend to be hormonal, but different foods can also trigger a migraine.

I also get headaches from being in the sun too long (especially at the first of the spring/summer after it gets hot for the first time), from being around cigarette smoke, from being around strong perfume-y scents, from eating anything w/ MSG, from eating too much carbs & not enough protein, from not eating (especially breakfast/lunch), from stress, from sleeping too long, from not sleeping enough, weather changes, etc.

Being in the car too long can also sometimes trigger a headache - depending on other factors like what I've had to eat, if the sun is glaring into the car, how long I've been in the car, etc.

There is a hereditary component. My dad & my aunt (my dad's sister) both have really bad migraines. My dad's are more controlled now, but he used to get really bad cluster migraines.

Both of our teenagers get headaches periodically - they'll take Tylenol or Advil or Aleve. We've never specifically consulted a doctor about their headaches, because, otherwise, they're healthy & their headaches typically respond to the OTC meds. DD tends to get headaches if she's not drinking enough water.

Drinking a Coke w/ whatever med can be beneficial. I don't typically drink any soft drinks, but, if I have a bad headache, I'll take the medication & drink a Coke along w/ it. My DH read an article about Gatorade & headaches, so I'll also drink a Gatorade when I have a headache.

Hot showers also help. When I have a bad headache, I'll sometimes be in & out of the shower until it's finally gone.

Like others have said, the doctor might have your DD keep a headache diary. It might also be a good idea to keep track of what she's eating, since many times headaches can be triggered by certain foods. My 10 year old niece gets migraines from red dye.

 

[MSLRAC]

Wondering if a doctor told you to take the Motrin Tylenol combo? Is the essential oil called clary calm and where do you buy it?

Yes, her doctor told us to use them together because separately neither one was effective. The oil is called Clary Calm and I order it from doTERRA. It comes in a roller bottle and she rolls it directly on the back of her neck.

The ibuprofen/Tylenol combo is a great answer when one of the other does not cut it alone. Ibuprofen works at the site of the pain, while Tylenol works in the brain on your body's perception of pain. They can be used together, or alternated, being careful not to exceed the maximum daily dose of either.

Some surgeons use it as the go to method of post surgical pain relief, with narcotics held in reserve if the OTC combo fails.

That's exactly how it was explained to us and it works for her.

 

[morgan98]

No I haven't tried Tylenol and good idea to give it before the car ride.

I am a 46 year old, lifetime long sufferer of motion sickness (primarily in cars, busses smaller boats, and occasionally airplanes). I always carry Bonine or non-drowsey Dramamine with me. I have it in every purse, wallet, etc. just in case I have to go on an unexpected longer car ride as a passenger. I would say the car headaches are probably motion sickness and I would try motion sickness medication, not Tylenol for those. Tylenol or Advil do nothing for my motion sickness as a preventative. However, I have taken Advil after a bad case when I cannot shake the headache.

She should not text or be looking at a screen in the car either, as that is definitely a trigger, at least for me.