Migraine Phases Article

Even Children Can Have Migraine Headaches

It is hard to believe that children would suffer from migraine headaches, but many of them do. Even though we, as parents, provide them with all of their needs, they still have can suffer from stress at school, from their peers, etc., or their migraine headaches may not even be stress related at all. Whatever the cause, if your child does have migraine headaches, don’t be surprised if your pediatrician doesn’t immediately prescribe medications. Medicines have many side effects, and they are often more pronounced in children, which is one reason why pediatricians don’t want to give out medications unless they just feel they are absolutely necessary. In some cases, the medication may actually make the migraine headaches worse.

Most will suggest that you treat first with Tylenol or Motrin, and then contact them if it doesn’t seem to work, or if the migraine headaches increase in frequency or intensity. Parents may also be able to help their children by working with them in learning relaxation techniques, and effective ways to deal with stress and emotions.

In fact, some children do better with biofeedback and relaxation for pain relief than they do with traditional medicines. Biofeedback involves learning how to control the body, such as heart rate, or breathing patterns, to put them back into a more normal rhythm. This can also promote relaxation, which when combined, can effectively ease migraine headache pain.

Another thing that pediatricians will try to do is discover the cause of your child’s migraine headaches, or the triggers. If you can find out what is triggering the migraine headaches, then you may be able to help your child stay away from those triggers. What triggers a migraine headache in one person may not trigger one in another, so this may not be an easy task.

Your doctor may suggest that you think about common migraine headache triggers, and try to eliminate those first, such as inadequate sleep, exposure to secondhand smoke, food allergies, or stress.

One your child does have a migraine headache; sleep may be the best medicine to relieve the pain as quick as possible. Don’t be surprised however if your child is unable to go to sleep once the migraine headache strikes, as sometimes the pain is so severe that it interrupts or makes sleep impossible. In that case, have your child lie down in a dark quiet room, practice relaxation exercises, and use cool compresses to try and relieve the pain. You can also use the OTC pain relievers mentioned previously, although these may not make much difference if the headache is severe.

If you can’t identify the triggers, or if nothing seems to help, you may want to talk to your pediatrician again, and find out what other options are available. Migraine headaches can impact your quality of life, especially if they occur frequently, and you definitely don’t want that for your child, no matter how old he or she is.