Seeking ANY Advice About Children's Migraines!

My son who is 8 has experienced migraines too and it is very hard to see him having that pain. He gets it so bad where he feels sick to his stomach. There are things that you can do that I am starting to do right now. I have a friend who had migraines at a young age and she has made a total change in her diet. As my friend explained to me...some triggers can be food related, MSG and High Fructose Corn Syrup, also white sugar. She ended up switching to organic sugar! She stated to me to limit sugar intake and reduce any foods with MSG and HFCS (eventually getting rid of these completely). She gave me this site to visit http://www.herbalhealer.com. There are also other things that can be taken to help through a wellness company that I am using. Good luck!

I have heard that seeing a chiropractor is helpful. I see a wonderful one in Tracy, that I could recommend to you if you are in Tracy. He does see children. I know women that have had migraines and since starting chiropractic care have done very well. I suffer from migraines, but maybe only 5 times a year. If you do go this route, go off of recommendations from friends or family, don't just pick one from a book. The one that I now go to was recommended to me by at least 10 friends of mine or my husbands. The last one that I went to before, I was not happy with and did not have good results with. So I definately learned my lesson. Hope she can find some relief with some of the advice that has been offered.

I have heard that gluten may cause migraines. i don't know how true this is, but a recommendation might be to keep a diary of the foods she eats and when she gets the migraines to see if food (and possibly gluten) could be the cause. good luck.

Hello J.,

I feel so bad for your daughter. I started getting migraines as a teen. We went through the CAT scan's and other tests but never figured out what triggered them (at that age anyways.) Your Dr. and other women from mamasource are right for you to keep a journal to see what may be triggering them. Keep the journal on everything, including the weather, not just food. There are so many things that can be triggering them. Allergies, food, alignment of her back, stress, vision,sinuses, teeth, hormones (some girls are getting their cycles early these days)---- just a lot of things so definitely journal. The absolutely best thing to do is to treat as soon as she feels one coming on-- the tiniest little twinge. Be careful on the amount of motrin she takes though, if she's getting them often. An adult friend of mine was taking Motrin on a daily basis for her knee and only found out later that the Motrin caused her other medical issues (serious ones).. I can't remember what they were just that they were serious. I am pregnant with my fourth child and have gotten migraines during each pregnancy. Since I cannot take any medication I use peppermint essential oil. It helps tremendously. I use it full strength and rub it on my temples plus anywhere else on my head that hurts, plus I drink peppermint tea to help soothe the tummy. You can buy that at any health food store (whole foods) or online. I noticed other women use cold compresses as well but as for me the cold made my head throb even more. I would have to use "as hot as I could tolerate" compresses. Try the peppermint oil on her as soon as she feels anything. Hope this helps.

Hi J..

You have some great advice here. I just wanted to tell you to be careful on the protien. Some protiens trigger migraines. My mom suffers from them daily and beef, cheese and chocolate are big triggers for her. I get them right after ovulating. My 11 year-old son has been getting them for the past three years and we don't know his triggers yet, but could also be hormones as he's going through puberty. Nothing has worked for my mom. Excederin Migraine works great for me. For my son, a coke will usually do the trick, but sometimes he needs a pain reliever. It seems to me that people with migrains don't have all that much in common and they trigger differently for each individual. I would keep the journal and ask lots of questions about food, time of the month, activity, etc to try to figure out the cause. I'm so sorry she is suffering and I pray that a solution can be found for her.

Have you had her eyes checked? My 8 year old nephew was getting migranes and it turned out he needed glasses. He just got his glasses so we are not positive that was the culprit but it could be.

You have already received lots of good advice. I'd say do the food journal (my nephew got the headaches when he was young too and discovered he had a corn alergy--corn is in practically everything--it also caused him to have ADD like symptoms). Temporarily treat the migranes then try to figure out the cause.

my daughter is 12 and has suffered from migraines since she was 7. migraines are stress related, and my daughter puts alot of pressure on herself to be perfect in everything she does. she takes tylenol or motrin, but mostly i have tried to reassure her that no one is perfect and that we can do only our best. try talking to her to see if its an underlying stress issue. if not, it may be a hereditary thing too. i have them and thats part of my daughters issue. good luck, and god bless.

I'd go to another doctor, that's not enough. They should check to be sure nothing is going wrong physically, then keep the journal to see if certain foods, or lack of food, etc., is causing these. My daughter went through this with headaches, not migraines, but if she doesn't eat regular meals she gets a headache. Also she has to be sure to drink enough water. Good luck, I'm sure you'll figure out the triggers and she will get back to her active self. C.

Try keeping a very detailed food diary to see if you can see what is causing them. I foung that by completely eliminating caffeine from my diet, I can prevent the majority of my migraines. Also, is she stressed out about anything. A lot of migraines are triggered by stress. Maybe each evening you can gently massage the muscles in her upper back and neck before bed. Tension builds in this area and if she is feeling stressed about something, this may help to relieve that tension. Another trigger can be not enough sleep, so make sure she is getting enough sleep each night. You may want to keep a record of how much sleep each night in comparison to when the migraines occur. Mine were diagnosed as a very young adult, but they did a bunch of tests to rule out any other cause. Have they done a CAT Scan on your daughter to rule out any other problems? A lot of migraines in women are related to hormonal fluctuations, so if she is just at that age where her hormones are starting to surge, that could be causing the headaches too. As far as treatment, the quicker you take medication when you feel it starting, the better the results you will have. Does she have any warnings that one is coming? Some people will see a flash of light or spots, or a pain in the side of the head out of nowhere. Also, does she have allergies? Sometimes sinus pressure from allergies can cause headaches that seem like migraines. I don't know if she is old enough to take sudafed, but trying a decongestant like that in addition to the advil may help. Also, I find if I take tylenol and advil together (sometimes along with the sudafed) I can nip a headache before it gets full fledged. Not sure if any of these suggestions will work for you, but thought I would share just in case. I think the most important thing to find out is what are her triggers, since then you can prevent most of them from occuring in the first place. Good luck.

I personally have migraines. I teach pre-school & many years ago I know of a 5 yr. old who got sick because she had migraines that bad. Anyway, the journal is VERY helpful to find out what may cause a migraine. I would be careful of the advil. I started having migraines at 27. I took so much advil when my migraines started that now 8 yrs. later, advil does practically nothing for me. The direct heat from sunlight can cause me a migraine. I need a cap & sunglasses when I'm out in this bright sunlight. I know a lot of cool water also helps. Sorry that this isn't more directed to children in particular, but I thought you might want to know a little about my experience.

Hi J.,

Have you considered taking her to an acupuncturist? they may only do acupressure on her since she is so young. i know a great one in the mt. view area who combines acupuncture and nutrition and i'm sure she could help your daughter get through her migraines and find the root cause. let me know if you want her name and contact info.

best of luck to you and your daughter,

G.

You might want to get her eyesight checked and also make sure she drinks enough water during the day and eats her meals on time, wears a cap when out in the sun, and is getting enough sleep at night.
Lack of water or nutrition, excessive exposure to the sun, weakened eyesight are all causes of headaches. Please also see if she is experiencing any emotional difficulties at school or in her social life. Often at this age, girls tend to become quite sensitive and any hurt feelings lead to depression which could lead to headaches, loss of sleep, etc. Basically, keep track of her routine and see if there is anything that may have changed or is causing physical or emotional stress on her.
I have suffered from severe and chronic migraines since junior high. I am now 38, have two kids, and a PhD. I understand now that any kind of physical or emotional stress triggers my migraines, plus there are genetic reasons why I react to stress that way. Breathing exercises (Pranayamas) taught in Yoga have helped me deal with my chronic migraines quite successfully. Increasing my water intake and keeping my eyes hydrated and covered when out in the sun have helped a great deal too.

Please don't let your daughter become dependent on painkillers so early in life. Help her identify triggers, and teach her stress relieving skills that will help her keep the headaches at bay in the long run.

About me:
I am a mom to two beautiful daughters, ages 8 and 1. I took a while to finish my doctorate in education partly due to my migraines, but I did finish! I am married to a great guy for last 15 years. And yes, I finally found this year that doing Pranayams (Yogic breathing) is the best way to keep headaches away!

Dear J.,
That sounds so terrible for your daughter! Adults I know who have migraines are often helped by eliminating certain foods. It could be that she is sensitive to certain foods and they trigger it. The hard thing is that she may be eating these foods as many as 3 days before she gets the headache, so they can be hard to identify. Keeping a food journal is a good idea for sure. There is a book called "Heal your Headaches" by David Buchholz that outlines some very common migraine triggers. The diet has been helpful for a client of mine, and I would certainly recommend it to others.

Please let me know if I can be of any additional assistance to you.

Best,
E. Bender, NC, CHN
www.nutritionforthewholefamily.com

Hi J.,

There is a lot of good advice about the things that cause it. If it is hormones, you can have her start take vitamin B-6 it helps with a variety of different things including cramps and bloating and yes migraines. There is also a lot of pressure points that you can do to help with headaches. You can find books at your local library to help with that. one pressure point I can try to explain helps with sinuses, eye strain and other types of headaches. If you feel the bone at the top of your eye towards the inner part of your eye you should feel a slight indent. You only need very slight pressure and she can even do it for herself, I use it often. Good luck and God bless.

D.

Ask your doctor about Maxalt. It works great and they have a disolving kind that is very pleasant tasting. My son is 8 and he takes it. I always start with Ibuprofen and if that doesn't work, we go to the Maxalt. Works very quickly but does make them a little sleepy.

Also, figuring out what triggers the migraines will help also. You might want to ask her some questions when she gets a migraine to figure this out. For me, it was hormonal. Could that be starting? Also, certain foods will trigger it. Chocolate is a big culprit for that. In my son, they are triggered by flashing or flickering lights.

Finally, if the migraines are new, as in she suddenly started having them, I'd ask the doctor for an MRI just to rule out the possibility of another problem.

Hi
I do not have any children with headaches but have heard the following ideas may help.
1) Get a second opinion--she is your daughter and very precious--you have the right to go to another docotor. Perhaps you should request to go to a specialist--again if they resist--demand that you want one--hey you pay insurance and the medical insurance is there to help you when you need it.

2) Has the doctor suggested that she may have food allergies?==msg gives me and my family headaches--milk products????--maybe you can keep a journal of what she eats--remove some items from her diet-then slowly add them back in.

I hope this helps--many times we have to do what the doctors won't do. I remember when we changed insurance plans. The new doctor made is sound like i was starving my daughter becuase she was a bit below the percentile for her weight according to her age. Her previous doctor who had taken care of her since birth was a bit concenerend--but once he asked me a few questions and found out she still had the energy level, the proper growth and did the typical kid stuff ( bugging her big brother, drive me nuts once in a while--played a lot) he stated. Hey' no worries--if she is a bit thin--better to have her on the lighter side than the heavier side. He told me just to make sure she was hydrated and that she ate healthy--what i was doing.

Her pediatricain now sees that she is a normal kid who eats like bird but is healthy and is o.k even though she is on the light side of the scale.

You and your husband are the most important asset to your daughter--my advice would be to keep going to doctors or specialists until you the get the inforamtion you need.
Plus there is always the internet to help you find places to call or ideas to try.

Blessings to your family and your daughter.

Again you and your husband are in charge of your children's health--if you do not

I'm sure the purpose of the journal is to figure out what is triggering the migraines. I've had migraines just about as long as I can remember. And while I never found one specific trigger for mine, hormones is definitely ONE of them.

Definitely keep the journal and write down as MUCH detail about the migraine as possible. What she's had to eat (and drink) that day, any possible stress factors, any possible hormonal changes, any possible warning symptoms.

I always know when a migraine is coming on because everything I see looks like I stared into a bright light then looked at something dark.

Hello J.,

I used to get migraines as a child (pre-teen & teenage years) and it was established early on that in was due to astigmatism in my left eye. I was told that it would correct itself in time- and it did by the time I graduated High School.
When I got them though, sometimes caffeine helped get rid of them- in the form of a coca-cola, or excedrin(w/caffeine).
Bottom line . . . . My strongest suggestion is to have her eyes checked out:)
I wish her the best. Tell her to hang in there:)

There are many ways the body shows a re-action to fears, emotional challenges or transitions. Working with the physical...feeding the brain with protein and essential fats helps, The B vitamins, and medications help for temporary relief, as does water --hydration and cell salts. Meridian based therapies such a a acupressure, acupunture and manipulation based techniques such as chiropractic and somatic therapies, flower essences... are all good ways to work at the middle of the challenge.

Working you way up to the Mental constructs, fears, beliefs and decisions that hold the body response in place tend to have lasting results/relief and I find best done with the new energy psychologies and spiritual technologies.

They are fast, easy, gentle and effective for adults and children. Feel free to contact me if you need more info.

Warmly,
L.
My Higher Good

Your poor poor daughter! I have migraines and, unfortunately, the only medication that works for me is Excedrin. It has caffeine though. This is because that horrible substance is one of the very few that can penetrate the protective barrier to your head and actually treat a headache. Because it has caffeine I use it as a delivery aide for other medicines like this: When I feel a migraine coming on, I take 1 excedrin with two Motrin. It helps the Motrin work. Best of luck. I've learned to like a cold dark room with cold compresses on my head.
Mine have been caused by nutrition issues (as well as many other things) and often when I feel one starting I can take a handful of B vitamins (I use Shaklee brand cuz it's all natural whole reduced food so your body is used to ingesting it) and eat something formidable with a lot of portein, like a big cheese sandwich.

Hi J.-

I was diagnosed with migraines around age 4 or 5. After determining I didn't have a brain tumor, my parents didn't do anything so I just suffered!

Help her avoid them!! There are common triggers, but everyone is different and every day can be different. The doctor is having you keep a journal to help you learn what causes them for her. Frustrating yes, but if you can't control them through lifestyle and diet changes, ask for medication.

I'm an adult, while I have an idea what causes them, I'm also "sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't" and I have them regularly, so I have medication. My 10 yo daughter is still sporatic enough that she doesn't.

I take (prescription) Topamax twice daily to help prevent them. If I do get one, I take ibuprophen with caffeine (and sugar). If that doesn't help within 30 minutes, I have Maxalt, another prescription for migraines that I take.

Here's our plan to aovid them:

Hydration is very important. We bought a 32 ounce Rubbermaid water bottle for my daughter to carry to school. She knows she needs to consume [at least] that much while she's gone and we fill it again when she gets home and it needs to be finished before bed. In addition to whatever she has at meals. More is better with sports, etc.

Have her wear a hat and sunglasses in the sun whether she feels hot or not. The sun can trigger a migraine for me. Both the heat and the glare. High humidity and changes in the weather -- although those are hard to avoid.

Get a good nights sleep and avoid stress. I have my daughter practice deep breathing to help her relax her body and learn what she can control and what she can't to help her not worry unnecessarily.

Florescent lights can cause it for me, especially if they flicker. Incandescent bulbs, if they're pointing right at me can cause it.

Hormone shifts can trigger them. I wasn't bothered during my teens and twenties, but during my thirties, I started to get them around that time of the month as well. While I was pregnant with my son I was fine, but with my daughter I had them several times a week for the first 20 weeks.

Foods can be tricky because sometime they do and sometime they don't. Common triggers are cheese, chocolate, nitrates (lunchmeats, processed or preserved meats like salami or pepperoni) and sulfites (red wine -- but that shouldn't be a problem for her!). Olives, pickles and artificial sweeteners are bad for my sister, but neither my daughter nor I have had ad problems with them.

As soon as she feels a headache coming on, give her ibuprophen (Advil, Motrin) and caffeine with sugar (we keep the little 8 oz coke cans on hand for that purpose). Tylenol will not work. Have her lie down in a cool quiet area with a cool compress. We have those reusable gel things that are moldable in our freezer at all times. My cousin swears by a banana peel on her neck but that didn't work for me.

Good luck to both of you!!
R.

Hello, J.;
My daughter had migraines from age 6 to age 10, severe pain. I know how you feel, and I want to tell you there is relief and hope. For us, the journaling was worth doing. This is the way you find out what triggers the migraines specifically for your daughter. Within one week to a month you will see what contributes to them, and be able to simply stop doing the activity, or eating the food, or whatever the trigger is. Continue the journaling for about 6 months to get the most info to help your daughter, and even encourage her to help you so she can be more aware and able to help herself. For us the triggers were: strobing lights (this effect was made by our ceiling fan light being on with the fan going!) staying up too late, stress (even happy stress) too much sugar in diet (all these 3 mean slumber Birthday Parties!!) cheddar cheese, hot dogs (birthday parties again) caffeine, AND getting sick, like getting a cold or other common childhood illness would bring on a migraine and then after 2 days the illness would take the migraine's place. So, whatever causes these illnesses, (much of the above, anyway!) would in turn cause the migraine that was guaranteed to come with it. She has mostly grown out of the migraines now at age 15. She learned what would cause them and to avoid the circumstances herself, after awhile. For us, prevention this way was the best cure, because the pain killers didn't help. I guess there are medications out there that a doctor can prescribe, but we didn't go that route. One thing I would say about the medicines is that I would not use the over the counter ones with caffeine in them(!) as they just encourage a dependence on it. Our best thing was to give up chocolate. (Sigh.) But now she can eat or do almost anything with no effect. I am pretty sure it is a developmental thing we had to go through. You will make it through, too. Not easy, but you can do it! J.

Try watching/tracking what she is eating/drinking. Most of my migraines are caused by either caffiene or chocolate.

Could she be hitting puberty? When I started get "monthly visits" I dealt with a lot of bad headaches.

Anyone with migraines should see a chiropractor right away - especially children. When one's spine is out of alignment, many things can happen, especially migraines. I highly recommend Dr. Michael Brass and Dr. Colleen Conger. They are in Campbell at ###-###-#### and if you tell them that B. recommended them, they will get you in quicker. They are my docs and I used to work for them.

God Bless and good luck,
B. L.

J.,
Have you switched cleaners, laundry detergent or any other household product recently? Your daughter could be allergic to one of those kinds of products. I know of several people who got rid of the toxic cleaners from their homes and their migraines have stopped.
Check out www.SwitchingStores.com and request more information about all natural products for home and personal care use. Requesting information will give you access to a catalog with over 350 products including cleaners, natural bath and body products, skin care and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, vitamins and supplements. All the products manufactured are made without harsh, toxic chemicals and most are less expensive than traditional store bought products.
Good luck.
J.

As a sufferer of migraines I can tell you what triggers mine- lack of sleep and glare from computers/windows, etc. Usually a combination of the two.
For me? Caffeine helps kick it-in the brain what migraines do is cause swelling (dilation) of the blood vessels, which puts pressure on ocular nerves. Caffeine helps to restrict the swelling. Most over the counter meds have a combo of advil, tylenol and caffeine in it.
The key is to figure out what triggers them, if you can, notice the symptoms early, and treat ASAP. That means if she sees "spots" before the pain hits, get her into the dark and get her a pain tablet right away. She's not too young to try a cup of green tea or something mildly caffeinated.
I use wintergreen oil or one of those sticky headache hot/cold packs that feels like sports cream on my forehead.

A Tension headache is NOT the same as a migraine. I would be careful about any kind of massage in the head, as it will only serve to bring MORE blood to the area. Lastly, you can alternate advil and tylenol safely for short periods (a day or two at a time) So Advil and then Tylenol 2 hours later if needed, then another advil 2 hours after that.
Migraines are horrible, I wish you luck!

i am so sorry to hear someone so young has to deal with this. hormones are a huge factor and keeping a log for now is a great idea. the one and ONLY thing that gets rid of my migraine or stops it from coming on when i can tell it is...is excedrine. i am sure the caffine pain reliever combo is what does the trick. i know you probably don't WANT to give her excedrine but i SWEAR by it. once she can tell one is coming she will be able to prevent them like the other mom said. good luck.

This sounds like it could be sinus related. I would have her tested for Sinus infection so you can rule that in or out. Sometimes it is more affected by going out in the morning with hair not completely dry.
If she is having serios migranes and it is not sinus related you should take her to see another doctor for a second opinion. It could be something more serious. It also could be stress.

Wow, lots of great advice!
My 2 cents: my daughter (also age 9) had awful headaches last year which we eventually figured out were related to stress at school....AND they were being triggered by her 3 favorite things to eat/drink: top ramen noodles (way high MSG) hot chocolate and orange juice.
Please google "headaches in children" for lots of info/tips. This is how we helped our daughter ease her suffering.
Our pediatrician also suggested keeping a journal, but once we dealt with the school issues (she was being teased a LOT by one particular boy) and changed her diet (cutting out most MSG and chocolate) she hardly ever gets headaches anymore.
Good luck, I hope she feels better soon :)

Hi J.,

I would definitley get a second opinion and also have her vision checked out too.

Sincerely,

D.

Hi,

Last year I went through the same thing with my then seven year old daughter. I kept a journal to see if there was a pattern. All we could come up with was the headaches were related to allergies. Now I give my daughter Motrin for the headaches and allergy medication and this year has been a little better. I keep extra meds at school for her. She will go through this until all the leaves drop, and then she'll get a reprieve for awhile. Have you checked with an allergist?

Hi J.,
My sympathies to your daughter. Migraines are terrible. And your ped's advice conflicts with what is usually the advice for adult sufferers. I don't know what migraine medications would be safe for a 9 yr old, but advil might make the headaches worse.

The one thing you can definitely try is prevention through diet. Many foods can be triggers for migraines, such as nuts, eggs, chocolate, caffeine, salt.... I would look into food allergies, just in case. As overblown as the fears can be, allergies can be part of migraines. Obviously, cutting a 9 yr old off some of these things might be difficult, but it might help. She may also grow out of migraines.

I'm sorry to hear your daughter is experiencing this. My son had his first migraine at age 6. I am also a migraine sufferer and the doctor says there is a familial connection. I learned that migraines in children behave quite differently than adults, which is why I didn't recognize his symptoms as being those of a migraine. All the advice you've received is good, particularly trying to identify what is triggering the headaches. We've never discovered the connection for my son (now age 19) but what does work to relieve his pain is to medicate THE INSTANT HE FEELS THE HEADACHE COMING ON. Advil has always been very effective for him. It may also be comforting for you to know that now he's older he gets fewer headaches. Good luck to you and your daughter in finding what works well for her to manage the pain.
N.

J.,
I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is having so many horrible headaches. Is your doc sure they are migraines and not cluster headaches (given how many she has had in such a short period of time)? I had migraines as a child and still get them occasionally as an adult. When I was a kid, I took my mom's migraine meds at a lower dose (no idea if a doc had said this was ok). Way back then, the migraine med of choice was Caffergot. I don't know if it is still available or if it is recommended in the slightest. It came in different doses and contained a lot of caffeine. Caffeine really does work. There also appears to be a connection between misalignment of the neck/back and migraines. After I started seeing an osteopath as a young adult, my migraines decreased substantially (same w/ my mom's when she saw the same D.O.). Osteopathy is substantially different from chiropractics and, from my perspective, far superior in several ways. Feel free to send me an email if you want more info. Dr. Harry Friedman is the absolute best, and he is in San Jose ###-###-####). Seeing a DO might decrease the frequency of migraines as opposed to treating them once they've occurred (though perhaps they can do that, too). Another idea is acupressure, which is similar to acupuncture in terms of using certain points on the body, but instead of using needles at these points, acupressurists use their hands to apply pressure. This worked really well for me, too. On the rare occasion when I still do get a migraine (usually hormone induced -- PMS), I use Imitrix. It works very well, but I have no idea if it's okay for kids. I hope you find something to help your daughter.

I have a 12-yr old son with the same issues. He tends to get more migraines when dehydrated, so make sure she stays hydrated when it's hot or she is playing hard. We haven't had much success with medicines. My son tends to throw up, take the medicine, then go to sleep for a few hours. He usually wakes up fine. He recently had an MRI that showed a pocket of fluid on his brain, but they said it's best to just monitor it. They do not know if that is what is causing his migraines. Though he also had strange activity in his brain on the EEG in the same area. I hope someone out there has more helpful information.

My nephew often had migraines as a child and he would drink a Coke (with caffeine) and take two Tylenol. For some reason this worked well with alleviating his migraine headaches.

Wow, I am so sorry! I have migraines as does my 11 year old daughter. She got her first one at school when she was 9. Her teacher thought she walked into a pole and it turns out she did, but that was becuase she didnt see it (tunel vision) which was the first sign of that first migraine. (I get tingley hands and wierd vision and I have learned to lay down in a dark room with Tylenol ASAP and most of the time can stop it... Advil doesn't seem to work as well for me) You daughters doctor seems to be very poor. We go to Kaiser and they were great. They started her on an IV (in case she was dehydrated), put her in a dark room, and gave us an RX for her to take when one comes on. The Rx works great the few times she has needed tham. They also gave us a list of foods for her to avoid...
I remember the most surprisig combination was anything with orange food coloring/fake cheese...combining Orange drinks with cheetos/Doritos/cheddar cheese, etc., She stopped that (not that she ate those THAT much) Also I know for myself anything wiht MSG, (Hotdogs, chinese food, etc., in excess), Lots of chocolate, and Sunlight. My daughter has sunglasses she wears when she remembers, and we also have her in hats when we can. There is a pattern when they "hit" so look at what she ate/how she was sleeping/stress she was under. After we write down the previous days activites/food, we almost always can see what the triggers were. I have taken my daughters RX on the onset of a migraine and it worked great. I know there are MANY different brands out there, but I would get a new doctor that is more familiar with Migraines and have those RX avaiable. No need to suffer, as I know how bad they are. I wish you the best...

Hello sorry to hear but my son has been going through this since he was three and now hes seven.i've found if you cut back on process foods and sunlight it helps to where it comes less often.then i give him motrin and jolt together and it knocks it out with 15-30 mins.when they come make sure shes in a dark room with no sound that helps too.keeping a journal is good too.also you can put a cold towel on the back of the neck along with the motrin and jolt.dont worry it want affect her active life. My son play all sports plus martial arts.once she know the sighs she can take the motrin and jolt before it becomes a migraine.hope this helps keep me posted on the progress.V.

In my experience, migraines are most often related to a food allergy or intolerance. Some doctors may disagree but the new research is finding it to be true. One of the most commons causes of them is celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and some other grains. Here are a few articles to get you atarted. Search the internet and give it a try.There are lots of articles out there on this subject. Look up "celiac gluten intolerance symptoms" to get started. There are MANY!!! You might recognize some of them in your family as this condition is genetic. All you need to do to treat it is maintain a gluten free diet. I know many people it has helped, including myself! There are lots of other food s that can be avoided too if gluten doesn't seem to be it.

http://organizedwisdom.com/Celiac_Disease_and_Migraines

http://members.cox.net/harold.kraus/gluten/anno_symptoms_...

http://deepfitness.com/4033/Migraines-Retreat-With-Diet-M...

Take care!

Wow - that is scary! For one, I would maybe seek a second opinion if the doctor isn't much help. Here some thoughts about what might be causing it:
1) Has she had her eyes examined by a doctor? I ended up with glasses at an early age because my eye muscles were weak. Because they were working so hard, they gave me headaches.
2) Sounds silly maybe for a 9-year-old, but tension sometimes causes migraines or misalignment of the spine. Maybe seeking chiropractic care might help...it has done wonders for me as an adult. You said she is active and athletic, so maybe something is out of whack with regards to her spine?
I am by no means an expert, but maybe you can ask a doctor if these could possibly be the cause of her migraine. Hopefully you find an answer & I hope the cause(s) is/are an easy fix. Good luck!

Everyone has mentioned medications, caffeine and trying to figure out what her triggers are which are all good things, BUT you can also try acupucnture which would eliminate the need to caffeine and medications. I never had them as a child but I have them now as an adult and get them very badly. I have figured out that mine are hormone induced so when I go untreated by my acupuncturist I get them when I ovulate and when I menstruate. The worst one I ever had lasted a whole week and my regular doctor gave me a shot of Imitrex which made it worse.

Acupuncture helps regulate the body's systems in a non-invasive, natural way. Try to find someone in your area that you trust. I live in Santa Rosa and my acupuncturist is in Sebastopol.

Good luck finding her triggers and treating this. Migraines are horrible and I can't imagine having them as a child.

Hi J. - I really feel for you and your daughter. My oldest daughter, Michelle, starting having migraines as a child as well. We did not know what they were for several years, but when the doctor diagnosed migraines, we started looking for triggers and tried to avoid them. (If she would go out in the afternoon sun on a hot day and eat too many different foods - for instance at a picnic, she would ALWAYS get a migraine.) She learned as she got a few years old that she could tell when the migraine was coming on and she would take two Advil and often be able to thwart it. I am not sure if that would be appropriate for a child your daughter's age, but I do want to point out that although she had migraines throughout her childhood and teen years, Michelle is now 25 and has not had them as frequently as an adult. God bless your daughter and I believe you will find ways to handle this situation. I did see on mamaherb.com recently that someone had suggested lavendar and almond oils for migraines.
V. :o)

Your daughter needs to see a specialist. I suffered from severe and frequent migraines beginning at age 7 and they are truly horrible. Advil is NOT adequate. How does your ped even know they are migraines if she hasn't seen a specialist? There are other headaches that are similar. There are also prescription medications for them as well as better pain medication. I had vicodin at an early age when I needed it, along with an anti-nausea med so I could keep down the pain medicine.

My parents fought really hard to get me the treatment I needed and I will be forever grateful for that.

I agree that you need to find out what triggers them. For me it was stress, milk, and chocolate, and also high amounts of MSG.

I had huge improvements with bio-feedback and relaxation/pain management techniques. After a few years I could dramatically lessen the severity of them by using those techniques.

I wish you and your daughter all the best.

I have suffered from migraines for years, first try and find what is causing them, typical cause: not enough sleep, direct sunlight (to the eye especially but it can be to general exposure), red wine (hopefully not applicable), cheese, chocolate (very rare- some people actually crave this before they get one and that can be confused as the cause), and stress.
I at one point was getting them once a week due to excessive lack of sleep so 3 in 6 weeks doesn't sound unreasonable- just that your daughter is exposed to something rather regularly that is causing the problem.
You can expect a low fever and vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and smells, sometimes even black outs- these are all common I use to actually "pass out" to the point my mother would lift me up and shake me with no response.

Ways to cope, dark, quiet, rest, and a cold compress on the base of the neck (a migraine is the widening of the blood vessels and to put a cold compress on the neck helps constrict all the blood vessels). She can have a second one on her forehead as well but the neck will ease the symptoms much quicker. Foods to tolerance (if she vomits whatever she can keep down, otherwise it's not an issue). Whatever medicine your doctor ordered- if you doctor is doing nothing get a new doctor- migraines are painful and prolonged suffering and at age 9 your daughter shouldn't have to put up with this.
*hugs*

Hi

It could a few things.. worried about something, to much cheese, chocolate or caffeine. Could also be her eyes get them checked out she may need glasses. I got a lot of headaches when in my 20's and i needed glasses.

Do keep a list of things she eats and things she does and when she gets them, then you may see a patten. Good luck

Everyone has hit all of my suggestions except two - protein! and make sure the pain reliever is a liquid-gel. Our son is an active, athlete and he gets them when he is over-tired and is lacking protein/proper hydration. I am a sufferer and like many have said, learning the triggers and the signs can help. If you can stop the pain before it fo to full tilt, you've won! For me hormones (or the fluxuation of them) is HUGE! For some, a food allergy is the problem - gluten (wheat stuff) seems to be the biggest suspect, dairy a close second. However, I also wouldn't rule out the eyesight 'thing' or the chiropractic 'thing'. When my son's migraines hit (he's 13): 2 Liquid Advil, a spoon of peanut butter (as long as your daughter isn't allergic to peanuts), a glass of water followed by a coke or mountain dew (again the caffeine is the trick) and removing all stimulus does the trick pretty fast (he actually kicks them faster than I do). For me - I'm a firm believer in Excedrin Migraine (and yes, if my son gets a severe one I have given him one of these to 'kick it in the butt' before proceeding with the above regimen - and of course I delay the Liquid Advil until the Excedrin is about to wear off). Note: with him I always give him a follow-up does of the pain reliever in the proper interval (even if he isn't experiencing any more pain) to be sure it has been 'nipped'. He is getting better at knowing when one is coming on. Finally - get a better pediatrician!

Hello J.,

I have suffered from migraines since I was a child. I have gone through the loop of medical professionals who have offered little insight or help to the condition. What I have learned is that migraines are hereditary. It might be helpful to ask other family members about migraines and those that have them the techniques they find helpful to reducing the severity and regularity of the headaches. I find that diet is an important part of controlling the occurrence of these headaches. Limiting sugar intake and fatty foods makes a big difference. I also find that getting enough sleep is really important (since these headaches can interrupt sleep patterns). I suggest you try alternatives such as acupuncture and cranial massage. An acupuncturist and herbalist is the most beneficial. They can recommend alternatives to over the counter pain medications (which don't work to relieve migraines). There is not cure for migraines...doctors generally prescribed high blood pressure medications or antidepressants(which you take daily) that have been successful in helping prevent the regularity of migraines. Medication is often not the best solution and in such cases when narcotics are prescribed (addiction is a huge concern). I'd have your child keep a journal of what she is eating in connection to the severity of the migraines. We have all heard the saying that we are what we eat. The foods that we take into our bodies can either prevent our body for healing it's self of help it. Id goggle migraines and see what research as been done in connection to diet.

I hope this information is helpful. Good luck!

Does she need glasses??

I see you've made headway in treating the migraines, but I wanted to suggest you give chiropractic treatment a try. I had migraines starting at 4 y/o, then popping up every few years. They became chronic shortly after college & were horribly crippling. I hardly went out, spent most nights in bed & spent 8 yrs. being passed from GP to headache specialist, to neurologist. I made my way thru more than 18 different medications from antidepressants (the male GP insisted I was just depressed)to blood thinners, anti-seizure medications which made my hair fall out and my hands tremble, to narcotics which I had to take daily just to make it thru the day. I would be injecting myself w/ migraine meds while driving just so I could see thru the spots enough to make it home.
In the end, the neurologist said she could find nothing on an MRI or CAT scan to blame for the migraines & that I'd run thru all the meds she could think of. She told me to either find an alternative form of medicine, or settle on chronic pain medication (read: narcotics for the rest of my life.)
I wound up with a chiropractor (Dr. Anthony Wilson of Silicon Valley Chiropractic) and am 100% headache-free.
All that I went thru and it turns out I have some spinal misalignment--something treatable w/ just an occasional adjustment.
I wish someone had told me years ago that the cure was so simple.
I urge you to look into this option so as to avoid future migraines that have an even stronger impact on your daughter's adult life. Some of the vertebrae in my neck have started to fuse because I've gone so long w/ this reverse curvature. Had my Mom looked into this long ago, none of this would have happened.
Just something to consider :)

This is NOT right!!!...get a second opinion and insist on further testing! NancyA.

My daughter is now 7, within the last year we have figured out that she is having migraines and has since she was about 2. It took so long because she has some of the rarer symptoms, like a fever, and it would last for 5-7 days (the doctors always thought it was a virus and sent us home). We recently saw Dr. Foster-Barber at UCSF who is a pediatric neurologist, specializing in childrens headaches. She recommended MOTRIN (not Tylonal) as early as possible and continuously for the 1st 24 hours(tho, I have found that the 1st 36 hours works better), and keeping a journal to find out what triggers it. DD migraines were coming every 3 weeks (for 5months) before we saw her. Since we saw the Dr, they are alot less frequent, last time it was 6 weeks between, and they are alot less long (usually 3 days). I still havent had much luck on the triggers, nothing I seems to be common with any of them. But I do think stress, and lack of sleep do affect her.
Hope this helps.
K.

I don't have personal experience with migraines with children, but judging from my experiences with myself, I would highly recommend that you take your child to a chiropractor or massage therapist and see what they can work out. Often times, these tension headaches can be avoided by the correct treatment or massage. It may also be related to posture change which they can also address. I had migranes through my teen years and they were related to growing pains and nothing could be done, but they passed again. So, my advice is to see a chiropractor and/or massage therapist and see if that helps. Headaches in younger kids is somewhat unusual.

Good Luck!
H.

Hi J.:

I hope your situation gets better. You can certainly try everything that this kind Mamasource community has offered. I have read that stress is what is behind headaches and pretty much all illness. Stress lowers your immune system. You can really start to notice what is going on in your daughter's life. Their life seems so stressless and uneventful but there are so many things going on right now that affect all of us. What is bothering your daughter? What is she scared of? Talk to her and really start to notice when something upsets her. When you find the cause of her stress and remove it, she should get better. It's a shame that young children should suffer from a seemingly adult illness. Good Luck!

J.,
I had migranes as a child and what helped is they cut my hair short, it was causing too much stress on my neck. I also went to a Chiropractor and had Rolfing (deep tissue massage)these really helped and to this day I go to a chiropracter when they start happening frequently and it helps cut them down to a managable pain.

Have you looked at the possibility that it's a sensitivity to a food additive,I found that my migraines were caused by a sensitivity to aspartame ,which is in almost all gums and I have even got a migraine from claritin disolveable tablets which use it as a sweetener . On the ingredient list it will say also Phenylketonurics:contains Phenylalanine. This is something you can have consumed for years and all the sudden migraines will start. This is my personal sensitivity not my kids but I sympathize with your daughter and I hope this might be a clue to what's causing them. R.

The thing that pops in to my head is hormones! Has she started her period? If not then this might be the cause... I get the migraines when the hormones fluctuate.

You can try feverfew, but I would suggest a sound multivitamin/mineral (Flinstones doesn't cut it!), calcium and exercise.

Does she have Dental amalgams in her mouth? Sometimes we don't realize how harmful these are; every time you chew or brush your teeth, you release mercury from the fillings which goes into the brain hurting neurones and giving migraines.
Did she have vaccines with mercury in them? (flu shots, DTP, hepatitis B shots); does she eat tuna fish often? Mercury accumulates in the brain hurting our neurones and giving all sort of symptoms.
If mercury is the problem, you would need to chelate her (detox the metals in her brain).
If not, she would benefit from Brain Nutrition; omega 3, lots of vitamin B12 and also B6; the right combination of aminoacids (they act like neurotransmitters in the brain), Drink lots of water, etc. etc.
Watch for chemicals in the home as well; use only natural cleaners around the house and ventilate her room every day. Advice her not to wear perfume b/c of the harmful chemicals in them.
Good luck

Hi J.,

I see many children with the same problems. I went to a Child's wellness expo last month and there were 13 different doctors from around the country that put this event together and they addressed the importance of a wellness home and how our environment in our homes is creating so many health challenges today for many of our children today.

If you are interested in learning more email me at ____@____.com

Stay safe and well.

N. Marie

My friend's son had migranies, and a friend recommended he start drinking MonaVie. It's an organic juice, and it worked wonders. He almost never has migranies anymore - maybe one every 6 months. Let me know if you want more info.

A food allergy could be to blame. I have learned that often a nutrionists are better at diagnosing medical problems like this than doctors are. You may want to keep a food journal and see if you can find any pattern asscoiated with a food and migranes. Take the journal to the nutrionist and see if she has any ideas. I know someone who suffered from migranes most of her life, or so her doctors told her. They were quite bad. Then she started having these strange allergic reactions (usually involved throat soarness, nausea, headache) to certain seafoods. This started very mild in her 30's and slowly got worse over many years time. She eventually learned that she could not be in the same room with the food, or even smell it cooking/smoking. She even carries an epi-pen for just in case. However, now that she is so good at avoiding the food, she has almost no migranes at all. So her feeling is that it was this unknown allergy that caused her most of her problems, but it was not until the allergy grew worse over time that she finally realized she had a problem.
Good luck!