Migraines in children

[Horseshoes]

My DS11 had been complaining of frequent headaches for quite some time. I mentioned it to his pediatrician at his well check, and he referred us to a pedi neurologist.

So we went last week, and told us its consistant with migraines. He gave him a prescription for Maxalt and Fioricet. THis is what I take for my migraines too. He also is scheduled for an EEG this week.

We have to keep a diary to see what the triggers are and if he gets them too frequently then he will put him on preventative meds.

Any thoughts and experiences with your kids and migraines would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[aprilgail2]

Not to freak you out or anything but if it was me I would insist on a CAT scan on top of everything else. My godson had headaches and they said oh they were migraines but after they finally did a CAT scan it showed it was a brain tumor and not migraines! My daughter at 3 complained of headaches and would grab her head when she went outside, I had her down for a CAT scan before we even went to a neuroligist.

 

[dbogen]

I can't believe you posted this. My DS11 gets a double vision Aura(sp) with no pain that they think are optical migrains. Tonight he came out of the shower with a sudden headache and "flashing ovals" I called the Dr. and they think it was a migraine. Tylenol worked but I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Deanna

 

[DisneyfeverTN]

When my oldest DS was in the 4th grade, he would get headaches (though not migraines) and stomach aches every day. It turned out to be an ulcer. He was on medicine for awhile and that cleared it up.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

DS(15) began getting migraines about 3 years ago. After going to the neurologist, having tests, taking preventative medicines, the neurologist and chiropractor (yes this helped) both felt it was TMJ that triggered them. He was having them about 6 days a week.

We took him to a dentist who specialized in pain, he fitted him with a nightguard, and the migraines have diminished 95% in the 2 years since he got the nightguard. He has an occasional aura and maybe one bad headache every 6 months now and Imitrex stops them. So finding the trigger is a good idea.

Topamax can prevent them, but they make many people act "stupid", DS could not take this. He felt "fuzzy". He had been on something else before trying to Topamax, it worked but made him gain weight. I am thankful we got to the root of his problem, at least for now.

DD(almost 12) gets an occasional aura and headache, Motrin seems to work for her now.

 

[ilovejack02]

I can't believe you posted this. My DS11 gets a double vision Aura(sp) with no pain that they think are optical migrains. Tonight he came out of the shower with a sudden headache and "flashing ovals" I called the Dr. and they think it was a migraine. Tylenol worked but I hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Deanna

I worked for an eye dr. for years and the vision thing and the flashes are optical migraines and dont always cause real headaches. The only thing I might suggest is getting his eyes checked, because sometimes the flashes can be a sign of a retinal detachment which can be a real problem. of course this doesnt occur with a headache, but you might want to have a eye exam with dilation to cover all bases.

 

[kellyg403]

My oldest ds (now 23) suffered from migraines from about age 12-16. Our pediatrician told us it was not uncommon in boys going through puberty to suffer migraines, especially those that come from families who were inclined to migraines. I suffer from them, my mother, her twin sisters, my brother and ds have them. DS only gets them occasionally now. He often would not be able to stand light and become sick for at least 2 days. In 9th grade he missed approximately 20 days just from the migraines. Once he was placed on preventative meds he got much better and they decreased to 2-4 times a year and still are the same now.

Hope your ds is better soon!

Kelly

 

[gradtchr]

When I was in 5-7th grades I had chronic migraines (as in one migraine that never ended) I had every test under the sun run and had two sinus surgeries (one of which caused another different type of surgery due to a doctor mistake) and when we went back to the eye doctor for the second time and explained every single symptom again he looked at my mom and I and said that's a vascular migraine. I was put on a beta blocker and the migraines went away. It was really hard for awhile after my head quit hurting because it had hurt for so long that I had to readjust to living without a headache. I was weaned off the medication several months later and every headache since then has sent shockwaves of fear through me because of the memories of the three year headache.

I wish your daughter the best of luck getting rid of it, they are NOT fun.

 

[DisneyfeverTN]

I worked for an eye dr. for years and the vision thing and the flashes are optical migraines and dont always cause real headaches. The only thing I might suggest is getting his eyes checked, because sometimes the flashes can be a sign of a retinal detachment which can be a real problem. of course this doesnt occur with a headache, but you might want to have a eye exam with dilation to cover all bases.

Regarding the eye dilation, they have a fairly new machine at our eye doctor's office that is used instead of dilating the eyes. It takes a picture that can detect things like retinal detachment and health issues in the body.

 

[dbogen]

I worked for an eye dr. for years and the vision thing and the flashes are optical migraines and dont always cause real headaches. The only thing I might suggest is getting his eyes checked, because sometimes the flashes can be a sign of a retinal detachment which can be a real problem. of course this doesnt occur with a headache, but you might want to have a eye exam with dilation to cover all bases.

Thanks for that info, he is in vision therapy now and is due for a reevaluation this month with the Dr, I will mention it to her.

Deanna

 

[ilovejack02]

Regarding the eye dilation, they have a fairly new machine at our eye doctor's office that is used instead of dilating the eyes. It takes a picture that can detect things like retinal detachment and health issues in the body.

LOL its funny how fast things change it has been about 5 yrs since i worked in the eye care field. Good to know!

 

[DisneyfeverTN]

LOL its funny how fast things change it has been about 5 yrs since i worked in the eye care field. Good to know!

Our eye doctor said that it can even detect things like diabetes and high cholesterol!

 

[Horseshoes]

Not to freak you out or anything but if it was me I would insist on a CAT scan on top of everything else. My godson had headaches and they said oh they were migraines but after they finally did a CAT scan it showed it was a brain tumor and not migraines! My daughter at 3 complained of headaches and would grab her head when she went outside, I had her down for a CAT scan before we even went to a neuroligist.

Of course my first thought was a brain tumor too, but his neuro exam was perfectly normal. And he really has no other symptoms that I would be concerned about.

I will definitaley mention a CT scan when we go back for his recheck.

Thank you

 

[amybippy]

My daughter has had migraines since she was 6 or 7. We talked to her pediatrician, and since I have had migraines since I was young, he agreed with me that they were probably migraines. She is taking Periactin daily to supress them, and she uses Imitrex nasal inhalers when she does get them. These medications have been a miracle to her. Before we put her on medication, she was out of commission for at least a 24 hour period, vomiting and being miserable. Now, she is up and running in a matter of an hour or so.

Amy

 

[almburr]

DD12 and I both get them. Other kids havent complained about them but i beleive they will. Migrains run in our family. Mine are the ones that make half my face go numb, hand gets weak, hard time remembering things and throbbing in back of head. DDs are the ones that make her want to throw up. There are many kinds i believe. My mom likes it to be dark and quiet. I on the other hand i need to listen to something with a steady beat, keeps my mind off the pain. I had one so bad that the EMTs had to come and take me to the hospital.
Its terrible when kids get them. I know in my family they are worse for the girls, mainly around that time of the month.
I was told by the doctor that if you feel one coming on and have no meds drink a cup of stong coffee, the caffine helps.

 

[Florida_Mom]

OP, could it be allergies? You don't have to be sneezing and sniffling to have them. Living in Florida where everything is in bloom all the time, they are quite common here. Sinus headaches can sometimes hurt as bad as migraines (I've had both). Sometimes just some advil or a decongestant (or a combo of the two) will do the trick for me. Just a thought. I hope your DS feels better soon!

 

[DisnyMama]

DS (15) is on Topamax and has been for about 2 years. His neuro at UCLA when we lived in CA. put him on it and wow, it made a big difference. He has no side effects that affect his thought process whatsoever. He has been very fortunate. The medication that causes the weight gain that insurance companies usually make you try first is Depakote which I had to take for a month before they would approve Topamax for me. Topamax helps me so, so much keep the weekly headaches away. I still get breakthrough's but not the debilitating headaches that would put me down. I do experience a problem with remembering specific words at times. You know how something is on the tip of your tongue but can't get it to come to mind.

 

[Chris2597]

My ds has gotten migraines since his was about 11. He had such severe aura and headaches that the neurologist termed them complex migraines. He takes a daily preventative that has help immensely. He also has the Imitrex shot if he gets one. I think it has been well over 6 months since he has had a headache.

 

[brasswillow]

I've had migraines since I was five years old and within the past year I've been having ocular migraines (the floating circles, auras and black spots without the pain of a headache). When I was in elementary I was put on a prescribed antihistamine that worked until I grew out of it. Now I'm on a blood pressure medicine (although my blood pressure is on the low side of normal) to help prevent the ocular migraines.

I don't know if it's safe for kids, but when I start to feel a full fledged migraine coming on I take Excedrin Migraine. It works better than anything I've ever been prescribed to stop a migraine.

Hope everything works out!

 

[themarquis]

talk to your son about paying close attention to any signs or symptoms that preceed his headaches. If he can get to the point of identifying these signs *before* the migraine hits, then his meds might be able to ward them off before they become full-blown. I just take OTC pain relievers, but I've found if I take them long before the migraine starts, I can prevent them (they are caused, supposedly, by an inflammatory response in the brain, so OTC anti-inflammatories like tylenol or motrin can actually damp down the inflammation if caught early enough). Some signs or symptoms are really obvious, but for some people, they are subtle -- flashing lights or streaks in the periphery of the visual field, a feeling of "pressure", etc. Talk to him and see if he can identify any.