I would greatly appreciate any and all migraine help or suggestions for dd12!

[HappyGrace]

Her pediatrician said they are most likely hormone induced (they started mildly about a yr ago and have gotten progressively more-seem to have started around the time of the breast buds). The ENT also said it is probably migraine (not sinus related or anything like that). Both suggested Excedrin, which she can't have caffeine so she can't have that.

 

It is starting to affect her life-if she gets one, it may last for a few days. Often it is mild enough that she can still function, but uncomfortably. She needs to go to bed with it maybe 1-2x per month. She is always afraid she is going to get one. I hate that it is affecting her like this!

 

A Tylenol seems to help but I hate to be giving her so much Tylenol!

 

I'm going to start tracking them to see if they are related to any kind of cycle (she does not have her period yet.)

 

We eat an organic whole foods diet already, with only rare processed foods. (We do notice if she is at someone else's house and has anything with nitrates/nitrites-hot dogs, bacon- it flares up so we avoid that totally now.) I am watching to see if anything in our diet is affecting it (like cheddar cheese, etc)

 

I really really need to figure out some things to help her relieve/prevent the pain. It is not at the point of medicating, and in fact, neither doctor mentioned migraine medication! THANK YOU so much for any help!!!

[abbeyej]

I don't *know* that it's related, but I have had *significantly* fewer migraines since getting my vitamin D levels up (from severely deficient to just below borderline). There's no reason that I ought to be D-deficient -- I'm fair skinned, live in the southern US, I'm not a sun-avoider, I drank milk supplemented with D -- but I was, and it appears that it was causing or exacerbating several health problems. Among other things, getting my D up closer to an acceptable level has helped really limit the number of migraines.

 

While I don't *know* that it would make a difference for your dd, it's such a very easy thing to check and treat.

 

Good sunglasses also helped me.

[black_midori]

Try an avoidance diet? Leave out gluten, for instance, and see if that helps...

[Catherine]

What helped me: exercise. Hugely. My son also gets rare migraines when there are sudden changes in the barometric pressure-when a storm starts.

[chepyl]

Chocolate and cheese can make migrants worse and sometimes bring them on.

[Spryte]

I don't *know* that it's related, but I have had *significantly* fewer migraines since getting my vitamin D levels up (from severely deficient to just below borderline). There's no reason that I ought to be D-deficient -- I'm fair skinned, live in the southern US, I'm not a sun-avoider, I drank milk supplemented with D -- but I was, and it appears that it was causing or exacerbating several health problems. Among other things, getting my D up closer to an acceptable level has helped really limit the number of migraines.

 

While I don't *know* that it would make a difference for your dd, it's such a very easy thing to check and treat.

 

 

This helped me as well.

 

Also identifying triggers, so that I can avoid them in the future. Eating meals on time, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep - all of those help.

 

Chemical smells can trigger a migraine for me, too. In fact, DH and DS were rushing through the store to pick up trash bags, and came home with bags scented with Febreze. We tried to use them anyway, and wouldn't you know, it was the one day I had to dig through the trash to retrieve something accidentally thrown away. Triggered a migraine that lasted 4 days. Ugh. We freecycled those trash bags!

 

Often when I have a migraine, I have to stop and think about what's changed in our environment. Like last week, with the bags - sometimes it's identifiable.

 

As long as my D levels stay up, though, the overall number of migraines stays down. :)

 

(Oh, and for the days that the migraine hits... the two things that help me... massage with Icy Hot and Axert... keeps me functioning through it, thank goodness.)

[MamaT]

My 13yo so gets 2 to 3 migraines a month. He takes Amerge at the onset of a migraine. On my phone, will respond to this again when I can type.

[JudoMom]

Her pediatrician said they are most likely hormone induced (they started mildly about a yr ago and have gotten progressively more-seem to have started around the time of the breast buds). The ENT also said it is probably migraine (not sinus related or anything like that). Both suggested Excedrin, which she can't have caffeine so she can't have that.

 

It is starting to affect her life-if she gets one, it may last for a few days. Often it is mild enough that she can still function, but uncomfortably. She needs to go to bed with it maybe 1-2x per month. She is always afraid she is going to get one. I hate that it is affecting her like this!

 

A Tylenol seems to help but I hate to be giving her so much Tylenol!

 

I'm going to start tracking them to see if they are related to any kind of cycle (she does not have her period yet.)

 

We eat an organic whole foods diet already, with only rare processed foods. (We do notice if she is at someone else's house and has anything with nitrates/nitrites-hot dogs, bacon- it flares up so we avoid that totally now.) I am watching to see if anything in our diet is affecting it (like cheddar cheese, etc)

 

I really really need to figure out some things to help her relieve/prevent the pain. It is not at the point of medicating, and in fact, neither doctor mentioned migraine medication! THANK YOU so much for any help!!!

 

My ds9 gets migraines. He gets them every 4-6 weeks. We ended up taking him to a pediatric neurologist, and he now takes maxalt 5mg at the onset. Relief comes within 10 minutes (he used to scream himself to sleep, which could take hours, when he got them). It's well worth it to us.

 

We've not figured out any triggers for him, but I am taking the whole family on a gluten free trial February 1, in part to see if it helps his migraines.

[joannqn]

That really stinks. I sorry your daughter is suffering from them. I hope you and she are able to find her triggers and get relief.

 

I got classic migraines daily in high school. They were stress induced. When those became less and less frequent, I started getting ocular migraines. Low blood sugar is the primary trigger for me. If I haven't eaten lunch by 2pm, I'm almost guaranteed to get one.

 

Definitely keep a food dairy to see if there is a food trigger. What stress levels. If she's developing depression from them, get it treated. Depression is common among those who suffer chronic health problems. Antidepressants are also sometimes used to treat the migraine itself.

[Lara in Colo]

I am hypoglycemic--low blood sugar will induce a migrane.

Try to avoid highs and lows. Avoid sugar, flour, fruit juices.

 

Lara

[specialmama]

My sincere sympathies to your dd. :grouphug: I've had (several different kinds of) migraines weekly since the age of 7 and have been hospitalized frequently for them. It sounds like you're on the right path with tracking them. Keep a log and note as much detail as you can about her diet, cycle, sleep patterns, etc. To complicate things, there are many, many triggers out there. Here is a list of mine so that you can consider these when she gets them:

monthly cycle

bright sunlight

flashing lights, including florescent lighting

too much reading

too much screen time

not enough sleep

knots in hair, brushing/washing hair

crying

holding bladder too long

hats or hair accessories (most anyhow)

glasses that are too tight

scents

sounds (any high pitch or loud noise)

any sharp head movements (thrashing, jumping, etc.)

any head thumps (pillow fights, etc.)

not eating enough (I have to eat every 4 hours)

too much caffeine

not enough caffeine (true!)

food dyes

aspertame and artificial sweeteners

well water

stress

reading without my glasses

sleeping with any light around me

waking up to any light around me

 

Now, that is after 30 years of monitoring and I'm still finding new triggers. The crying and bladder triggers were just discovered the last few years. Once you nail a trigger, you can sometimes help avoid or anticipate it and make accommodations if available. For example, I bought a loose fitting black sleep mask from a lingerie store that helps keep the room dark, especially when I'm sleeping away from home. I don't roughhouse with the kids, I avoid sunlight by use of loose fitting, large sunglasses, and I eat regularly. For those migraines that cannot be avoided, here are some remedies that I've used. Keep in mind, there are many different kinds of migraines, and some remedies work for some migraines, not all. It's trial and error for each migraine.

 

Sleep in a dark room with a damp facecloth over eyes

medication (I found an OTC med that is wonderful: Mersyndol, although it has codeine which knocks me out for 6-9 hours so I only take it in the evening; a prescribed drug that works great during the day is called Apo-Ketorolac or Ketorolac Tromethamine)

HEAD ON Migraine stick

Peppermint essential oil (your natural food store will have oil mixtures for this purpose)

 

I'd also recommend she get her eyes checked and see a neurologist. Inderol (A blood thinner) used to help with my cyclical migraines and I was on that throughout high school. I only stopped taking it because the cons of a daily med and so many different triggers didn't outweigh that one cyclical migraine; I was still getting migraines all the time from the other triggers that I just wanted to take action to attack them and deal with them once they came.

 

I hope some of this helps. Let her know that if she ever gets an aura (mine appear in my visual field and the ground seems to move) to rest immediately, get home and lie down ASAP. It has helped me to draw my aura on paper and write descriptive words to what I'm feeling, and to bring that to the doctor. Typically 20 minutes after an aura an insanely brutal migraine will occur.

Edited January 9, 2012 by specialmama

[JFSinIL]

My kid's pediatric neuro said kids have as many migraines as adults do - many parents or doctors just do not realize the kids are having migraines, or decide not to treat them since "they will grow out of them".

 

He had one of my sons on Depakote as a migraine preventative, with a prescription for Zomig to take if a migraine showed up anyway. This was about age 9 - 16 or so. Son is now 20, migraine-free, and off meds (unless he has bacon - he knows what his triggers are and avoids them!) Some kids do out-grow migraines. But for a time he had the full-blown auras, nausea, light-sensitivity, head pounding - for 24 hours at a time, several times a month (before we got him on meds - even when I had the sense from my own experience to keep him off bacon, etc.)

 

If your child's doctor will not offer more than an over-the-counter med, find a pediatric neuro in your area and get her the help she needs. She should not have to suffer needlessly.

Edited January 9, 2012 by JFSinIL

[alpidarkomama]

What helped me: exercise. Hugely. My son also gets rare migraines when there are sudden changes in the barometric pressure-when a storm starts.

 

:iagree:

 

Exercise got rid of 90% of DH's migraines!! If he does a hard, sweaty 40 minutes daily without fail he won't get a headache. Miss a day, and he starts to get pre-migraine symptoms. He's actually thankful this is the best way to avoid them - he's in fantastic shape!

 

The other thing he has to do is eat every 2 hours. A little carb, a little protein, a little fat (higher serving amt of carb than protein). Then small main meals since he snacks so often.

[Tarreymere]

I have had migraines since adolescence and mine are also hormonal. I have a prescription for Imitrex tablets the last few years and they are very effective. If I don't have any Imitrex or can't afford it here is my routine: I take 650mg of tylenol and another 500 mg of Aspirin (which pretty much is Excedrin Migraine without the caffeine). Too bad she can't take caffeine, it really helps. I also take dramamine less-drowsy which has 25 mg of meclizine in it for nausea.

Next I go into the bathroom and fill a tub with hot water and get in. I keep the lights out and light a non-scented candle. I put an ice pack on the back of my neck or on the side of the head with the headache, and a hot wash cloth over my eyes. I light an aromatherapy diffuser with peppermint oil. I either sip a cola for the caffeine or some hot ginger tea.

If no relief at all within two hours I take 600 mg of ibuprofen and refresh the hot water and ice packs.

If still no relief and hour later I go to the ER. They have IV medicine there that will take away the pain and I see no reason why I should have to suffer with such horrid pain just because it isn't life threatening.

[Twilight Woods]

I use a heating pad to help. I use Advil Migraine....I am not sure if that has caffeine in it?

[athomemom]

A dear friend's daughter suffered greatly from migraines until she started going to the chiropractor and then had acupuncture. She hasn't had a migraine in a LONG time.

[MariannNOVA]

My ds9 gets migraines. He gets them every 4-6 weeks. We ended up taking him to a pediatric neurologist, and he now takes maxalt 5mg at the onset. Relief comes within 10 minutes (he used to scream himself to sleep, which could take hours, when he got them). It's well worth it to us.

 

We've not figured out any triggers for him, but I am taking the whole family on a gluten free trial February 1, in part to see if it helps his migraines.

 

DD12 has a 12 year old friend who gets migraines and takes maxalt. Her mom told me it has been a G-dsend for them. Not that you shouldn't try the other suggestions -- I just didn't know there was anything that could be given to a 12 yr old till the mom told me.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

oh man poor thing-had them as a kid like that too--would be in bed for days sometimes....magnesium can help sometimes.....percogesic would sometimes help me...thankfully I don't get them as much now but sometimes still do at least once a month....changes in the weather get me too...perfumes-strong cleaner/potpourri scents--nitrates/nitrites....hope she finds some relief....

[JennyD]

My mother had horrendous migraines, tied to her cycle, from the time she was a preteen until she went through menopause. She is the happiest post-menopausal woman you could ever meet. Avoiding triggers helped her some, but not enough. I don't even want to think about her liver after all that Tylenol and ibuprofen she took over the years.

 

My husband has also had severe migraine since he was about 7 or so, but it was not taken seriously as a problem until I dragged him to a neurologist who specializes in migraine some years ago. He also tracks and avoids triggers -- although his big one is barometric pressure, which you can't do much about -- and exercise helps too. At the first sign of a migraine he takes a dose of prescription-strength naproxen, which apparently is rather safer than taking sustained doses of ibuprofen. Usually that is enough, but if it blows up into a full-on headache he takes Imitrex, which makes him feel a bit zombie-like but gets rid of the pain completely.

 

His neurologist said that acupuncture has been shown to help about a third of migraine sufferers, so DH tried that as well. He had about 10 or 12 sessions with a Chinese doctor and it helped tremendously for about 2 years. Unfortunately, when the headaches worsened again he went to see the Chinese doctor agai, but this time the acupuncture did not help, so he's had to use more medication. It's definitely worth a try, though, IMO.

[gardenmom5]

I had migraines, and the only OTC that helped was excedrin - and it is the caffine. do avoid excess acetiminophen if you can - I have liver damage from it.

 

things that help me prevent them -

drink lots of water, and salt. My mother was very anti-salt. It amazed me how much better I felt after marrying a man who loves his salt. (I don't eat nearly as much as him).

 

reduce sugar intake.

 

get enough sleep.

 

learn her triggers (besides hormones - appropriate excersize should help with moderating those) and avoid them.

 

for pain: (I had a migraine just after surgery and the nurses weren't allowed to give me anything that hadn't been approved, so I asked for ice packs.)

crushed ice packs on the back of the neck, paired with one of the forehead if desire. feels wonderful.

a dark/quite room and just let it work. Not as fast as excedrin, but it usually helps.

[HappyGrace]

THANK YOU! I am writing all this down; going to start a log as suggested to see:

1. triggers

2. what helps

 

We do all take a very good D supplement after I was found to be deficient a couple yrs ago. She is in a preprofessional ballet school, so she gets plenty of exercise.

 

After the log I am going to see if there is anything we can eliminate as far as diet.

 

GREAT suggestions-thanks! My heart goes out to all of you who have suffered with this horrible problem. :grouphug:

[Mommyof4ks]

My son gets migraines if he eats bananas. Odd, but it is his only trigger.

[Spryte]

I already posted, but saw that someone else mentioned Head On Migraine sticks - those are OTC, and really help.

 

Another thing that helps me is a cool cloth with some lavender oil in a dark room. Ok, well, that used to help - since we've had kids, etc, it doesn't happen anymore. :)

 

My doc also pushes physical therapy for migraines - there have been some good results that way. Might be something to consider.

[katilac]

Can she absolutely not have caffeine, is it a medical thing? Because it is truly helpful to many, many people - especially when taken with the early signs. If it's religious, I would think medicine gets an exemption. If it just makes her jittery or unable to sleep, that's not fun, but it's better than a migraine.

 

Reduce processed foods and all chemical exposure as much as possible, including going fragrance-free on as many hygiene and cleaning items as possible. Keep a food-and-event diary, so she can chase down her triggers. Chocolate and processed meats (bacon, sliced ham, etc) are common triggers. Soft drinks in general and diet drinks in particular as well. Essentially, processing and extra chemicals are bad.

[katilac]

After the log I am going to see if there is anything we can eliminate as far as diet.

 

I wanted to point out that, ime, it was not so much that I can't eat one particular food, but that I can't eat too many problem foods at once, or in a row. Now that I have things worked out pretty well, I can eat some bacon with breakfast, but then I'd better skip the Doritos or soft drink with lunch. If I don't sleep much the night before, I'd better skip the laundry-and-chemical aisle at the store, and so on.

[Tarreymere]

If anyone in Europe is reading this, the best thing to drink with a migraine is Coke Blak. It is a coca-cola and coffee combination. Not sold in the USA anymore since it was not very popular.....except with migraine sufferers. I guess it has a heck of a caffeine whallop, although so does Mountain Dew and that never helped me as much.

 

Anyway, if you can get it still in Europe and you have migraines you might want to give it a try.

[HappyGrace]

If it just makes her jittery or unable to sleep, that's not fun, but it's better than a migraine.

 

 

Yes, this. When she has the migraine, after she just wants to sleep, and if she has a pill w/ caffeine in it, she can't.

 

Going to buy the Head On tomorrow!

[sbgrace]

I don't have a good treatment suggestion because I do use caffeine. My sister does a drug approach (can't remember the name of it) and has since she was much younger. If there isn't relief via non-drug stuff I'd push for a referral to someone who might treat via prescription.

 

 

Someone mentioned vitamin D levels being key to their relief and it was true for me too. Science is starting to suggest a possible link as well. Here is information suggesting a possible link to low vitamin D and migraines and here is a study showing supplemental D (and calcium) having positive effect on menstrual migraines. I thought mine were hormonal fwiw.

 

I see she's taking D but how much D does she take and do you know her 25(OH) D level? She might still be low depending on how much she is taking. Generally 1000 IU per 25 pounds will maintain (not increase) current vitamin D levels.

 

My husband has had great response to N-acytl cysteine. I haven't researched it specifically though. He was taking it for some other reason but noticed it's effect on headaches.

 

I wonder if biofeedback might help her. If she's tense/worried about having one that alone could predispose and certainly affects her quality of life. I believe some people have found it a great help in migraine control. I think there are some studies on that. Also I believe acupuncture helps some people but not all. If there is someone near who practices that it might be something to try.

 

I hope she can get relief/control over this very soon. Poor thing.

[Amy in TX]

I don't think anyone's mentioned magnesium (sorry if I've missed it). My dds and I take it (500 mg a day, divided, 250 mg in the morning and the same in the evening). Dd's neuro suggested it; apparently many people find that it lessens frequency and severity. You can take more if you can tolerate it--it causes diarrhea in larger doses. Whatever amount you take, divide it into morning and evening doses, presumably to maintain an even blood level.

 

Google magnesium & headaches, there's a lot of info. I believe in massive doses it can (rarely) cause respiratory depression, but most people's bowels will not tolerate very high doses anyway (?).

[CLBMom]

My ds10 has had them for about a year. We have been unable to find a trigger, but it also seems to run in the family.He was getting them 4-5 days a week. It was ridiculous. The doctor put him on amitriptyline and recommended ibuprofen at onset. I will give him one excedrin if it is early in the day. After being on that regimen for one month they have been reduced to 3-4 a month and the duration and severity has lessened. I wasn't crazy about putting my kid on meds but he couldn't function like that. He has his life back now.

[MamaT]

The pediatric neurologist told us that caffiene can trigger rebound headaches. He said the two most important things to eliminate are caffiene and artificial sweeteners. Other foods that can be triggers are chocolate, cheese, bananas, and smoked meat. If my son doesn't get enough rest he is likely to have a migraine, or if he has too much sugar. I will have to ask about maxalt, as the Amerge is a hit or miss as far as working. I'm sorry you are dealing with this. It is so hard to watch your child be in that much pain.

[Lolly]

My dd started getting migraines around 12. She got to where she would recognize them coming on and get to sleep as fast as she could. She would drink a Coke, take ibuprofen, and hit the sack. She got very good at recognizing them very early. It was a monthly thing for over a year. She did outgrow them, thank goodness! Hopefully your dd will too.