My 5 yr old son has migraines. Has anyone else experienced this?

DeAnne - posted on 01/27/2009

Wow! I don't feel so alone now, seeing that all of you have kids who get migraines. I believe my daughters started when she was about 4, maybe a tad earlier. She  was diagnosed with asthma at age 2. She always tells me her forehead hurts. She only gets them every couple of months. Her doctor said not to worry unless her vision or balance becomes affected. Migraines run in my family. I started getting them when I was about 6 or 7. I do the tylenol/motrin, have her lie down and put a cool washcloth on her forehead. Sometimes she likes it to cover her eyes as well. Massaging her neck, temples or forehead seems to relax her and take away some of the panic she feels. I also turn off lights or close the blinds to reduce the light irritation. I've always wondered if her asthma meds didn't have something to do with triggering them. I'll have to keep an eye out to make sure she stays hydrated. Sometimes she doesn't get enough water.

Lee - posted on 01/27/2009

i suffered from migraines from the age of 4 til around 9, after all the head scans and other tests came back with normal results the dr's told my mum not to give me chocolate,cheese, rasberry or lime( also meds which i only took twice and they made no difference). i'm now 41 and have only had around half a dozen migrains since i was little, if i start to feel a bit of a headache coming on i just have a small bit of icecream or something with suger in it and within 30 mins feel fine.. good luck

Jennifer - posted on 01/27/2009

Quoting Vicki:

My 5year old now 16 had migraines 2/3 times per week. I took him to a chiropractor.  Migraines gone.  It works!!

I had them as well in elementry school the caffine in sodas works a little, finding the triggers will be a big key to preventing them but I will have to agree that the best relief for me comes with Chiropractic care. And you can start them very young, you might feel more comfortable looking for a DR of Chiropractic that has kids, I know I would if I didn't already have one.

Heather - posted on 01/27/2009

I am a migraine sufferer and so is my son. Zack's migraines started when he was about 6. I couldn't believe it. He had them to the same extent as I did. He gets sick almost every time he gets his migraines.He has also been hospitalized for his migraines. Take your child to a specialist. Don't wait. Sometimes they can help them to cope with the pain. A dark quiet room, and let them sleep. If they can. Go to a pharmacist and get them to weigh your child to know the proper dosage to give your child. You need something to shrink the veins in his head and something for the pain. The blue gel cap I.B. Profens, worked the best for zack to shrink the veins and tylenol worked for the pain. The prescriptions the doctors gave him did NOT work. Every case is different. We finally saw a specialist who also suffered from migraines. He discovered that Zack needed special inserts in his shoes. Zack got the inserts and uses them they help allieviate some of his migraines but not all. Zack is now twenty and still suffers from these migraines but not like they were growing up.He deals with them. The biggest thing to help them through this is understanding. These are not reg. headaches take that and amplify it by 100 times. They hurt and trust me medication is needed. Homiopathic remedies did'nt work for me, or my son. Also figure out what triggers them, ex . caffine(chocolate), sun light or florescent lighting, stress(even kids have stress).

Good luck and all the best to you and your child.

Karie - posted on 01/27/2009

Hi Lacey, I get migraines and they started around his age. Ice on his head will help a lot. I also get a lot of relief when someone rubs my temples. Sometimes it is due to muscle tension. Ask you doctor about a magnesium supplement and massage. Good luck

Eva - posted on 01/27/2009

It is terrible to watch your baby suffer with one of those. My mother saw a Dr. talking to tv about this. He said that orange juice and chinese food were bad about causing migranes. I took my son off of the orange juice (that he drank every morning) and he hardly gets the migranes anymore. Worth a try. Hope you find the key.

Eva

Cathy - posted on 01/27/2009

Quoting Lacey:

My 5 yr old son has migraines. Has anyone else experienced this?

I have been told there is nothing I can give him with out putting him on a daily med. I don't want to do this. Children meds for migraines start at age 8. He only gets migraines about once a month maybe two a month. Do you have any home remedies or any other advice? Thank you.

Yes if you cut the chocolate and sometimes Red Food die thats in Balogna or some foods can cause migrains.  My daughter had migrains too and that was what the Doctor told me to do.  Red Food die in foods can also cause your child to misbehalve.  Msg also causes problems in behaviour.  Hope this helps you

Lacey - posted on 01/27/2009

We recently did an overseas move back to the states.  We have eliminated alot of different things that could be causing the migraines, from food, plane & car rides, sinus allergies, to hearing & eye site problems.  My son went to a Pedeatric Optomologist this month and had some tests run.  His did recieve glasses to reduce the stress on his eyes.  Doctor says he should out grow needing to wear the glasses.  The test showed that his eye site is not causing the migraines. 

I have tryed giving my son Tylenol or Motroin, he just ends up throwing up.  After throwing up he goes to sleep untill the next morning.  The last one he had lasted two days.  He was miserable. 

Thank you everyone for your responses.  I have had a few responses about the Chiropractor, I will have to try and find a good one for kids around here.

Lacey - posted on 01/27/2009

We recently did an overseas move back to the states.  We have eliminated alot of different things that could be causing the migraines, from food, plane & car rides, sinus allergies, to hearing & eye site problems.  My son went to a Pedeatric Optomologist this month and had some tests run.  His did recieve glasses to reduce the stress on his eyes.  Doctor says he should out grow needing to wear the glasses.  The test showed that his eye site is not causing the migraines. 

I have tryed giving my son Tylenol or Motroin, he just ends up throwing up.  After throwing up he goes to sleep untill the next morning.  The last one he had lasted two days.  He was miserable. 

Thank you everyone for your responses.  I have had a few responses about the Chiropractor, I will have to try and find a good one for kids around here.

Michelle - posted on 01/27/2009

Quoting Lacey:

My 5 yr old son has migraines. Has anyone else experienced this?

I have been told there is nothing I can give him with out putting him on a daily med. I don't want to do this. Children meds for migraines start at age 8. He only gets migraines about once a month maybe two a month. Do you have any home remedies or any other advice? Thank you.

so many times children with migraines are allergic to phenol(in most air fresheners, cleaners, and candles, and formaldehyde, a carcinogenic cheap preservative in most shampoos, soaps, lotions etc Have you converted your home to safer alternatives yet?  I am a home toxin awareness eductor and work from home with a company that provides safer products.  My migraines are completely gone for 4 years now since using safer products for personal care and home.  You can visit www.LiveTotalWellness.com/Texas to learn more and request info or call me at 940 808 0037 for more info.

Lisa - posted on 01/27/2009

Lacey,

You may want to look into environmental factors- indoor environment. I used to have Asthma and get headaches and when I got rid of the clorox and lysol, my symptoms decreased. I would love to talk to you more about it, and how I did it. email me at lisapflugh@gmail.com

Kim - posted on 01/27/2009

Lacey,

Sometimes nutritional supplementing can really help. I do nutritional counseling and have a few people battling migranes that way. I have a paper on how to do it, and if you contact me I can send it in a message or email to you. It is fairly long. Please let me know, there is hope!

Kim Kane

Cara - posted on 01/27/2009

Everyone in my family has migraines.  my parents and brother as well as myself.  2 of my 3 children have migraines.  my youngest had them the worst.  his were triggered by stress most of the time.  diet coke,excedrine migraine helped him the most as he has grown up he knows what the signs are prior to a headache so treating him when the signs/symptoms prior to the headache showed up.  he started getting migraines at about 7 yrs and he is now 22 and rarely has a headache.  hydration is always good all the time as well as getting plenty of sleep if that is possible.  try to avoid stressors if possible (this was not possible for my son as his stressor as a child was school).  they do get better with age usually.  one stressor for a lot of women is hormones-prior to your period when the hormones are all out of whack this can cause some killer migraines.  (i know i had alot of them) i guess this was pms for me as i never had pms (thank god).  as i am older now and have reached menopause the migraines have pretty much gone away. so just stick by your kids.  see what triggers these migraines and help them avoid their stressors if possible. a dark room,ice pack or heat to your head and a looooggg nap can help too.  for my son throwing up and a 12 hr nap helped him the most.  horrible way (throwing up) to get rid of a headache but thats what always worked when we could not head the headache off at the pass.  anyway good luck.  headaches suck.

Linda - posted on 01/27/2009

I have never experienced that with my own children, but I have friends with young children who have found that chiropractic care helps.

Vicki - posted on 01/27/2009

My 5year old now 16 had migraines 2/3 times per week. I took him to a chiropractor.  Migraines gone.  It works!!

Adrianna - posted on 01/27/2009

Have you looked into if he has allergies? Have you brought him to the doctor?

Melissa - posted on 01/27/2009

I forgot to mention that my 4 & 7 year old get weekly adjustmnets along with my husband and I and it has made a HUGE difference in our health...eliminated my husband's migraines.

Melissa - posted on 01/27/2009

I totally agree with Nanci..Chiropractor care and adjustments is THE key to all health, but will especially help with migraines, headaches, etc. It is incredible safe (especially for kids) and is natural. Hope you try it and it helps.

Dawn - posted on 01/27/2009

Has your son had his eyes checked at all? My son experienced really bad headaches when he was 5-6 years of age and we found out he needed glasses. We had him at the Eye Dr. in Nov. and his vision was good, then in March of that following year, he told his teacher that his head was hurting and this went of for about 3-4 weeks and the nurse checked is vision and he failed the test. We took him back into the Eye Dr. and sure enough he needed glasses. I asked it that is what could have been causing his severe headaches and the Dr. said yes it can be the factor but if he still complains after getting his glasses then you should visit his pediatrician. Glad to say that all was good once he got his specks on :) Hope this helps if you haven't had his eyes checked yet. Let me know, Dawn

Nanci - posted on 01/27/2009

Hi Lacey. Have you tried a chiropractor? My 2 youngest children go to a chiropractor once a month for "maintainence" but I take them to the chiro if they start to get sick. We have been doing this for about 8 years.....my kids don't go to an MD except for shots. Spinal allignment is KEY for optimum health. I know my chiropractor has info about migraines and that adjustments are the answer. Hope this helps

Michelle - posted on 01/27/2009

my son has had headaches all is life i had his eyes tested an mri scan the lot other than giving him medication i found if u cut down on chocolate cheese and fizzy pops and let them lie down in a dark room that usually helps

Crystal - posted on 01/27/2009

My son has had migraines from the time he was 4 years old to present (he's now 12). We've taken him to the doctor many times over the years. They seem to be less as the years go by but we were told the coke thing, the problem with that was he would get sick to his stomach and usually end up throwing it back up. The best thing I've found is simply to rehydrate with water and try to let him sleep it off.

Nancy - posted on 01/27/2009

My mother gets them. My brother and I started getting them in childhood as well. Now, my own daughter gets them. She's 10 now, but started getting them when she was about 4. At that young an age, she really couldn't tell me what was wrong, but KNOWING that look that I get in my eyes when I have one, it didn't take me long to figure out why she was asking for a nap.



Finding triggers is important, but the doc also told me that hydration is key at this age. Kids who don't drink enough tend to get them if they already have a tendency for migraines.

Shannon - posted on 01/27/2009

My son gets them very often My doctor has suggested getting a wrist band like the copper ones they have them for migraines It seems to work if you can get them to wear it

Helen - posted on 01/27/2009

Migraines also run in my family and my 11 year old started showing signs of them about 5 years ago.  He only gets them about once a month as well so daily meds are definitely not an option at this point.  We have found that the most important thing is to catch it as early as possible and have him lay down right away.  The moment he complains of a headache, we give him an Advil.  I had the doctor fill out a medical form so that the school can give him one as well.  The 20 minutes that it takes me to get there can be the difference between catching it and having it get really bad.  If we wait too long, he will usually throw up within ten minutes of taking the Advil.  I have also found that putting a cold pack on his neck helps.

As for the caffeine, I have not tried it with my son but I do know that Excedrin contains caffeine and that is what is supposed to make it a better headache remedy (although I never found that this made much difference for me).  Drinking a bit of coke might not be a bad idea - I may have to try that.

I have also found that, if the Advil does not work quickly (within half an hour),  I will give him a Tylenol.  This also works well for me.  Since one is ibuprofen and one is acetominophen, they work on the body in different ways, so you can use them together.  They also recommend this when your small children have a fever that won't come down.

Jean Marie - posted on 01/27/2009

make sure he is always well hydrated this is a big cause in our house!! My husband and myself!! Also when we were little our pedi told my mom to give my brother a can of coke or pepsi! I still use this trick a can of soda and some tylonal!! Make sure it has caffeine that is the magic ingredient! Good luck!

Kellina - posted on 01/27/2009

My son was getting pretty bad migraines during fourth grade. I always made sure he drank lots of water, and was eating healthy. I think that the stress of the grade (it was a bad one) was triggering a lot of his health issues because we haven't had any problems even close to that year since. The sun was also hard for him when he got them. He would also just lay down in a darker room when he got home and do little to nothing until it subsided.  Good lock!

Tammy - posted on 01/27/2009

We have migraines in my family.  My son has been getting them since he was 5.  When he was young he would almost be unconsious from the migraine.  I would give him an advil and a cloth in a dark room.  KFC, rides that spin and heat are his triggers.  Now that he is 14 he can anticipate the headache coming on and we immediately give him advil and catch it before it gets bad.

Jenn - posted on 01/27/2009

I won't put my son on medication for his headaches either. He gets maybe one a month and it knocks him out all night. He'll come home from school and get in bed and not get up until the following morning. I've tried different meds but nothing really helps. I get these headaches too so I know the pain (tension-migraines) We were told to get an MRI and we could discuss meds at the last doc visit but I'm not ready to do that. These headaches run in my family. There are herbal rubs you can try. They even sell some at bath & body works. Those sinus masks can be helpful if the pain is in the face. It all depends on where the pain is. My son has had them since he was maybe six that I can remember. He's turning thirteen soon. One thing too is he gets easily dehydrated which can bring on a headache. We always watch for that first.

Andrea - posted on 01/27/2009

well migrains run in my family...  i have them really bad and i am on daily meds. my 15 yr old daughter has them now and she is on daily meds... and now my 7 yr old son gets them every now and again, and the only thing you can do is really watch the symptoms, like where exactly does his head hurt, figure out what kind of migrain it is, and really give him motrin for it and most important keep a record of everytime he has one, and what worked as far as to get rid of it and what did not work.  then take him to a neurologist. monitor what he eats and what he does. and what are his triggers. for instance my triggers are chocolate, and being out in the sun for more than 30 minutes. ok my daughters triggers are milk and also being out in the sun. ell i hope this little bit of info has helped...