Migraine

Hi there! I am new to the site and was looking for any advice. My son is 8 and he has had migraines since the age of 4. The doctors used say that until they are frequent enough, they cant put him on any medicine. Well now they are atleast 3 times a month and he had one last 13 hours last Sunday. Sometimes he can tell when they are coming, but like today it just hit him. I read that a certain food can trigger the migraine from 48 hrs ago. Alot of the food triggers on the site, my son eats. I cant believe how many there are!!! So I guess the best place to start is to make sure he doesnt eat any of those on the list and then add them back one by one. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice. He is so little and is in such pain when he has them. As I type now he is sound asleep with a cold washcloth on his head and a bowl next to him, "just in case" he says. Thank you

My son is 11 and has had migraines for about 4 years now - at first I thought he caught a lot of little stomache viruses.

We put him on Inderal in November - he was averaging at least three a month, he was missing school and they were really intense. Since then he rarely has one. He also takes ibuprofen or Midrin when he gets a migraine.

A few of his triggers are chocolate, bananas and if he catches a virus which is what happened last month.

Keeping a diary is the best way to figure out what is triggering him. You can see a patterne after a while, and that will help.

Good luck.

Hi Auburn,

Welcome to MyMigraineConnection. When you get a moment please read our START HERE folder for information that will help you have a pleasant forum experience.

Migraine disease can be complicated to understand at times. A good place to begin is with this information, even when it impacts children:Learning About Migraines and Headaches - Where To Start

Three Migraine attacks a month may mean it is time to talk with your son's about Migraine prevention. At this point, if the doctor is not willing to work with you and your son to find the right diagnosis and treatment plan, it is time to find a new one. In fact, Dr. Paul Winner a pediatric Migraine specialist Teri and I met at the American Headache Society Headache conference headache last Novemeber said Migraines in adolescents can transition quickly from episodic to chronic Migraines.

We have a list of patient recommended Migraine specialists you can see HERE, which includes a list of pediatric specialists. You may have to travel a bit, but it will be worth it to have your son feeling better.


Please let us know what else we can do for you ok?

Hi, Auburn, and welcome!

Personal opinion here...I really think that saying that the migraines can't be treated until they become more frequent is a huge red flag. It's true that that there are fewer treatment options for kids, often in part to lack of research due to ethics with research involving children. But I think even though there may be a lot of hesitancy in using an abortive regimen with a young child, particularly if it's a newer med like a triptan, there are still some older medications used as preventatives with children that might be viable in the way of treatment. If your doctor doesn't want to explore any and all options, but wants to wait and do nothing at this point, then I think I'd be looking elsewhere.

Hi there is nothing worse than seeing your child suffer a migraine.

My son is six and has also been diagnosed with migraine from the age of 4. We did the whole allergy elimination diet thing over a six month period in conjunction with my sons pediatrician and a naturopath.

We took his diet back to a very basic level where he only could eat about 6 foods. We then reintroduced one food a week using a food challenge. This is where you eat heaps of that food over a few days and see if there is any reaction. It was lots of hard work and I had to cook everything we ate from scratch.

The main triggers we indentified were food additives such as sulfides like preservative 220 which seems to be in everything and intolerances to dairy and egg.

While the diet was not the whole answer we found it a really positive experience for the whole family. It was good to be able to tick a few possible triggers off the list.

My son was later diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension which was causing his frequent migraine and since this condition has been controlled he has improved out of sight.

Nancy was right in recommending a pediatric migraine specialist. It made a world of difference for us in getting treatment for our son.

I would also recommend asking to see someone about pediatric pain managment. 13 hours is way way too long for an 8 year old to suffer a migraine.

There are many treatment options for your son that will prevent the migraine and help abort or treat the symptoms of migraine.

Good Luck for you and your son.

Daisy