Teenager and Medication

Start with the school. Sometimes they have programs for counseling and can get her to see a dr (psychiatrist). Thats how my daughter started. She had horrible headaches and it was depression and anxiety. She too was about 14/15 yrs old. She needs to get evaluated. Good luck

L.:

How sweet of you to have your younger sister live with you!!

I'm sorry your dad is going through tough times. I hope he makes it through the cancer and finds a job!

I would take my sister to a therapist and have her start talking out her problems. Stress can cause migraines. I would also take her to an ophthalmologist or optometrist to find out if she has vision or eye problems - that can cause headaches as well.

A therapist will give her the tools to help deal with stress as well as compartmentalizing her mother's comments. It might be tough, but she might have to cut contact with her mom to keep her stress levels down.

Good luck!

She needs to see a therapist, poor dear.
Remember the counselors at her school are academic counselors, so make sure she sees a real mental health person.

Also, there is usually free family counseling for families of Cancer. Maybe call the Livestrong group and see if they can help find a group in your area.. for teens.

I suffered for years with migraines, They began in my teens. They were horrible. With eerything else going on, it is not surprising she must be totally stressed.

Before I tried medication, I would try counseling. She's only 15 and has been through more than most people twice her age. Talking to a professional would help her gain some perspective. Summer vacation will give her some time away from school pressure and some distance from her friends. That will probably help too.

My unprofessional guess would be hormones or allergies added to her stress level is causing the migraines. At her age, either is possible.

Bless you for being there for her.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. The only bit of advice I can give is to check her diet. I suffer from terrible migraines but 99% of them are from food additives/colors/preservatives. A handful of Doritos can put me out for 24 hours. Of course, migraines can be caused by many other factors, but food is the easiest to control. I pray your sister overcomes all the turmoil she's been saddled with so far in her young life. You are a good person to look after her.

I would be very surprised if she weren't depressed. I, too, suggest that you arrange for her to see a counselor/therapist. She may also benefit from taking an anti-depressant. Talk with her doctor about both thoughts.

I think it's common for there not to be anything show up on tests for migraines. The tests are to rule out other causes for the headaches. I know that there are some good medications for migraines. It wouldn't hurt to try one. My adult daughter has migraines. She's found OTC migraine medication helpful. She has to take it immediately when she first feels a headache coming on for it to work.

When we're depressed our brain chemistry changes as well as our body changes in reaction to the stress. The migraines may be made more intense by the depression. I know that when I'm depressed every physical symptom feels more intense. Medication can help.

Your sister could very well be depressed, or the stress of being afraid her father is dying could just be SO stressful for her, that she is not coping well.

You need to take her to grief counseling. Getting this help, with people who are qualified to work with people whose family members are dying, would be very helpful to her. Do it quickly. She needs more help than you can give.

I am thinking a talk therapist would be the best place to start. Someone who she can talk to that offers a safe place to dump all her worries and baggage and that will lift her up emotionally. Ask her doctor for a good referral...a psychologist that works with adolescents...not a psychiatrist who will (or might want to prescribe meds).

I say yes to talk and no to meds. I have been on anti-depressants, and they are very hard on your body and brain. They take a long time to work and can be hell to stop taking (you can have withdrawal). All things I wish my family and doctor had known before they jumped straight to putting me on medication.

You are an awesome sister. I bet having a safe person outside of her normal life to chat will do wonders for her!! Sending you a huge hug!!

I agree with the others on having a psychiatrist make the determination. I have been on the anti-depressant Celexa and can tell you from personal experience, it worked wonders within a week. I felt so much better able to take on the world. I went off of it this year and it was no big deal. No side effects at all. Our son also takes Celexa for his OCD and depression and has had no side effects, either.

It may be depression, but only a mental health professional can make that diagnosis and prescribe treatment, whether medication, therapy or a combination. With everything that she is dealing with, she probably ought to be in counseling. Please ask her doctor for a recommentation.

It's a possibility, but that's really for a doctor to determine. What it sounds like is that she needs some kind of evaluation. Do you have a local network in which you can ask around? If so, ask for someone who will really sit down with your sister and talk through her issues, not just throw meds at her. Both types are out there, but you can't know who you're getting from an online profile or an insurance referral. You really have to network around for this.

a young girl.. I would guess hormones.. see if you can chart the dates of these headaches with her menstral cycle.. I kknow that when I was younger I had cyclic headaches..

My oldest son had migraines when he was starting puberty - the doctor said that their hormones are going crazy then and sometimes that is what happens. Maybe she could be doing this too? Along with all the other things the others have been saying too - maybe another alternative is to take her to the eye doctor and just cross that off the list too. Good luck.

You don't mention what type of doctor she has visited.

She could have a vision problem - opthamologist
She could have a hormone imbalance - gyn
She could be stressed - chriopractor

Did they check her vision????

Does she, or is she, on a computer or on a tablet all the time or a lot??? Because if so... staring at a computer screen a lot, for kids, can cause headaches. Also because, of the brightness of the lighting that comes from the screen etc. and all the action on screen that kids look at.
If she is always on a computer or iTouch or any tech gadget like that, it causes less blinking of the eyes and it causes eye, strain. And eye dryness. And headaches. Thus, a person should occasionally look away from the computer screen, and move their eyes around looking at different distances etc., so that the eyes are "exercised" and not strained.

Also, per her age.... it could be hormonal headaches. ie: PMS.
I get headaches before and after my period. And Advil does not even make it go away. But at my age, I KNOW it is because of my period and PMS.

Also, she has a LOT of stress, for a young child.
Stress alone, can cause headaches.
And on top of all that, she has school/friends problems, too.
And with you and the younger kids at home... she must have TONS AND TONS of pressures, upon her tiny little shoulders. Stress.
Poor girl.

Does she have, anyone that she can talk to, and chat with, as a girl? Just someone to confide in and talk about anything?
She NEEDS THAT.
She is 15.
And it seems, she cannot even rely on her own parents, to confide in.
Kids need to have, someone they can talk to. About anything.
It is a VERY hard, age. Developmentally.
She needs someone, to talk to about girl stuff. Or anything.
If she has no parent to talk to, nor trust.... then a kid will get "help" from outside influences. And these are typically, negative and potentially harmful.

She is struggling, in her life.
It is OBVIOUS, that she needs, help and even getting a Therapist for her if needed.
Her Dad is very ill.
My Dad was very ill too, before he died.
And I was an adult by then.
And you know... for me as an adult, it was VERY VERY difficult, to deal with. Lots of emotional stress.
So can you imagine, how HARD it must be for her???
She needs, help. Emotional help... and someone she can rely on for her problems. Not being talked at... but someone she can talk, WITH. About anything. Grumpy or happy or sad, stuff.
She needs someone she can "vent" to.
Being all pent up, with no one to confide in or vent to... is very hard on a child. And she is the "oldest" child there. She must feel so pressured in ALL aspects.