14 Year Old That Has a Lot of Headaches

Something that may help his headaches is to do this: put is feet in as hot of water as he can stand when he feels the headache starting. My boss' son has always suffered from migraines. An elderly lady told her this in the doctor's office one day when he was having one. He's 22 now and still does this and it helps him tremendously. I wish I could help on the cause of the headache, but I'm at a total loss there.

You might try taking him to a Chiropractor. If his axis isn't aligned, it can cause headaches. Go to one who uses an activator instead of bending & popping the body. It's not invasive & visits don't take long. If you need the name of one in Edmond, let me know.

Sometimes headaches can be caused by something at the school, the things in the buildings, being near a highway with lots of car exhaust, bad lighting, etc..

I'm a firm believer in dehydration being a cause of headaches. How much water is he drinking each day?

Whenever I feel a headache coming on I have a large glass of water now.

When I was 15-16 I was often being sent home from school due to a headache coming on. I now believe that had my teachers given me a glass of water I might've been fine and OK to continue with the day at school.

Start with the basics and work your way up to the big league when it comes to kids health.

Best of luck. Headaches in anyone aren't much fun!

hun i use to get headaches most of my life and no one could ever figure out why but after i had a triple bypass my headches have all but gone away i still get them but no where as bad as they use to be wish you luck hun
TOM

My 20 year old had headaches when she was younger, starting around the age of 9 years. After a while I expressed concern to the doctor and she orders diagnostic tests. The test were negative, but at least we felt more assured. As she grew she continued to have migraines, but they have become less frequent. I think it is hormones (or just migraines). I also had migraines when I was younger, especially brought on by extreme physical excitement like cheering at a sports game. I have had them less and less over the years. But by all means have the doctor exhaust as necessary diagnostic testing.

It may be the prescription strength of his glasses, they may be to strong. You may want to consider taking him to a different eye doctor.

Just a thought - he might be dehydrated. Does he drink enough fluids?
Good luck.
C.

I know my husband gets headaches from too much computer time (he's an IT Computer Analyst). If your son uses a computer at school, tell him to take his eyes off the screen about every 15 mins, and to focus on something else on the other side of the room. This gives his eyes a break, which will help with the headaches. My husband actually installed something on his computer that reminds him to take an "eye break". Not sure what it is called, though. If you want to know the name of it, I can ask him later.

Hi D.,
How often does he go for an eye check?? The eye dr. will take it from there and suggest what else to be done. Accurate history and physical examination will help in diagnosing the cause. In most cases, neurological and physical exams are normal. Anything he can recall during the course of each day would be a key to a correct diagnosis. Talk about his environment and whereabouts for any clues. My best wishes to you in finding the cause.

Hi,
Since 14 year-olds have a lot of schoolwork (with heavy books) and notoriously bad posture, I would suggest a physical therapist evaluation. Physical therapists are often experts at relieving headaches. It may be something as simple as weighing his backpack and altering the way he carries his books or his reading posture. Headaches can have so many causes. A physical therapist can help rule-out any physical ones, such as from muscle tension or weakness. I would see a PT before a chiropractor...the reason being, PTs tend to teach you how to prevent the problem in the future instead of having to return many times and relapsing a few months later.

Had the same problem but also with stomach aches added in. Brought my son to a Developmental Optometrist ( Dr. Susan Jong on Bluebonnet Blvd. Baton Rouge ) he had a Convergence problem. We did vision therapy for several months. You can have 20/20 vision and still have an eyesight problem. This helped some with the headaches but not totally. Had the most effect on his reading & writing skills. Then took him to see a Dr. Stephanie Cave also on Bluebonnet in Baton Rouge. Did a full Metabolic profile. He was lacking in some nutrients and also turned out he was allergic to Milk and Casein. Put him on the recommended supplements and eliminated Milk and Casein. No stomach problems whatsoever and only rarely do we have headaches now. Both of these Dr.'s are rather expensive and most insurances do not cover them. Hope this helps.

maybe you should get his eyes checked out again

Where does his head hurt. It sounds like it could be migrains. If it is, you should try to find his triggers. My biggest triggers ended up being MSG and nutrasweet. When I stopped eating foods with these things in them, my headaches almost went away completely. Your doctor can give you a better idea if it is migrains or not. If it is, it is time to start a food diary. Remember that food sensitivities can show up even 2 days later. Ask him also if he is feeling a lot of stress at school. Are things going poorly with friends or in classes? Any of these things could cause tension headaches.
S. R
Mother of 5 great kids

My niece had this problem for years. She is 19 now and had her wisdom teeth removed last year. She hasn't had a headache since!!!

I had this problem too when I was younger. Make sure his glasses prescription is up to date. Also, has he been checked out by a dentist or orthodontist? The way my teeth were lined up was helping to cause my headaches. Once I started my treatment, I could really start feeling a difference, in only a few months. Once it was all over, my daily headaches were gone. I still get them pretty often, but not nearly as much as I did. You also may want to look at a chiropractor. Find one that is trustworthy and they may be able to help. I went to one with my mom when I was little, had a headache at the time, doctor made one adjustment, and my headache was gone. I never went for regular treatment, but that one visit was good for short term results. Hope this helps!

You know, I am having the same problem with my 13 year old son. It mostly happens when he comes home from school. It has been going on for a few years as well. exactly the same thing as your son. I haven't taken him to the doctor, but I assume he just gets migraines and he got it form my sister or something.

Get a notebook and note the date,time the headache started,foods eaten that day, drinks, and weather. Also talk to the bus driver and see if anyone on the bus(if he rides the bus) and see if there are any strong odors on the bus. Also talk to the school and see if there are odors at school along with other things like science room stuff and so on. Note all this down in the notebook. Have your son give you as many details as possible on what the headache feels like,where it is,and anythign else he notices during the headache. Such as vision changes,smell changes,sound changes and so on.
I know sounds like a lot but once you take it in to his dr you can have a better idea of what is going on.
My son suffers from headaches but only during certain times of the year. Normally late spring early summer as he adjusts to more sunlight. It isnt fun but after a bit of watching adn noting stuff down we found the pattern. Which started shortly after moving from Utah to Louisiana. The springs here are more sunny and less smog so that effected him. Long car rides also trigger his headaches but only if he is sitting by the window.
So really it is well worth noting all the above down.

Dear D.,
About 3 years ago, my 12 year old started having lots of headaches, often pretty severe. The dr had no idea, and we even ran an MRI on him - but nothing showed up. We eventually figured out that MSG was the cause - monosodium glutamate. It is so much that we eat, especially the Ramen noodles that he loved. But now that we avoid it, he's headache-free. But believe me, it shows up in a lot of stuff, and we've had to work to eliminate it. If he accidentally consumes it, he will automatically get a headache. It is not always labeled, and can legally be hidden in ingredients like "spices." It is not a spice, or a preservative. What it is is actually a drug that tricks our tastebuds into thinking that food tastes better than it really is so cheaper, less quality ingredients can be used. It is also addicting, so we eat more of the food it's in.
Some of the sources we've found:
Almost all sausage
Chinese food - but ask at the restarants,b/c many will leave it out if you ask
All Campbells soups, even the Healthy Request soups
Hamburger Helper
Most ready processed convenience foods
Most chips, except a couple like the basic Lays
Beef jerky
Chick-fil-A and McDonald's foods
Many Alfredo sauce type dishes, with the notable exception of the jarred Bertolli brand, which he loves
All Ranch dressings, except organic
Most boullion cubes, except Herb-ox
Most chicken broths, except organic

I hope this helps. I include the list so that you can see how it creeps up in things you wouldn't think about. We have to be diligent label-readers, but even so something will occasionally creep in. Watch what he's eating and compare it to when the headaches happen. School may be difficult to monitor, and it may help to send homemade lunches for a few days. The problem may be another additive, and you'll have to be a detective. But from what I've found in my research, MSG seems to be the most common culprit in our foods for headaches and migraines.
Best wishes,
T. L
Formerly a stay-at-home mom of 4 - ages 16,14,12 and 7. Going back to work part-time and "adopting" our wonderful 17 year old nephew.

I have had this problem since I was a teenager. Mine is mostly allergy related. It is worse for me at different times of the year. Spring & fall are worse for me than the rest of the year. I do wear contacts and have since I was 21 and have a stigmatism in one eye. My stigmatism did cause headaches. You may want to have his eyes rechecked and make sure to tell the doctor what is going on. Also keep a journal of what he eats. There may be food trigger that is causing the headaches. I would also consider taking him to see a neurologist just to be safe. I have had a few CT scans over the years and they have come back clear. You may also consider having him put on an allergy medicine. I take Nasonex and it has helped cut down how many headaches I have. I hope this helps.

You are looking at an issue that can come from many things. Allergies? Is it seasonal? Or is he allergic to his pet? It could be a stress headache? Which is possible since he is coming home from school with them? Is it on one side of his head? It could be migraines? That is the age I started getting them and I battle migraines. If that is the case, we need to make sure he goes to bed consistently - reduce caffefine - lower sugar intake - eat regularly(don't skip meals) - and reduce stress. What does he do when he gets them? Not eat and go to sleep - wake up better? Start writing down in a book everytime he gets a headache - explain everything. Keep it for a month and take him to the doctor. This will help the doctor narrow down why he is having them. Hope this helps. Headaches are awful.

The first thing I would do is make sure he is not getting any caffeine. Thats means from coffee, tea, chocolate or pop. I hope he doesn't drink pop.

I would next look at his diet and see if anything jumps out at you. Keep a food diary and a headache diary for one month.
See if there are any patterns developing.

Third, have his neck evaluated by a chiropractor. The upper neck or cervical area is tied to heachaches and when misaligned can cause some pretty serious tension headaches that can deteriorate into migraines. He should have this X rayed. Children usually respond quickly to chiropactic care. I disagree with Tara about using a PT. I agree however about the posture and backpack. A heavy backpack can throw the posture forward creating a "forward head posture" which can cause impingement on the spinal cord resulting in any variety of symptoms from the neck down.

I have a 13 year old who gets headaches occasionally which , in my opinion, is totally abnormal. However, we have traced it to poor posture while playing video games and computer work. Again, it throws the head forward and he must get his neck adjusted for relief. He is learning to manage his own problem by being vigilant about his diet, his posture and getting it treated before it gets bad.
M

D. J,I would just like to tell a bit of information about an experience that I had when my daughter was about 7 and having terrible headache's.Most Dr's won't tell you this,but have you ever tried to take your son to a chiropractor? Yes they do have them for children and with as much as children move and twist when playing and the way they sit sometimes,can really put a lot of things out of whack as far as bone alignment is concerned.This advice comes from me spending a lot of unnecessary time going to different Dr's with my daughter and not one said anything about a chiropractor,we even had an MRI done and that is a scarey thing for a 7 year old.All turned out well when I found a Dr that was also a chiropractor,after an ajustment and going for further adjustments once a week for a month,then adjustments once a month,made all the difference in the world as far as the headache's she was having.With your son being a teenager he may be ok just seeing a regular chiropractor.Like I said before you probably won't get a regular Dr to tell you this.Thank you and I hope this will help you and your son,D. F.Bee Branch,Arkansas

I was a child that had headaches quite often and at 16 they finally did the sugar test to find out that I have low blood sugar? Have they tested him for this?

Headaches in a teenager could be, diet, exercise, sleep disorder, sinus problems, anxiety, etc. I would say have his doctor run an MRI or CTscan, just to be on the safe side. You say he wears glasses, is he actually wearing them at school though? My daughter, many years ago was wearing glasses and complained of headaches after school. I talked with her teachers and they all told me they didn't even know she wore glasses. Apparently, she put them in her backpack before school and didn't wear them cause other kids made fun of her. If this is the case, you might consider contacts for him, if that's an option. Stress causes massive headaches as well. When my exhusband and I were going thru a terrible time and eventual seperation and divorce, my (then) 10 year old son had horrible headaches, even migraines at times. After the divorce when the kids and I found normalcy and a routine, the headaches went away as did the migraines. If it's not about him not wearing glasses then, maybe he's stressed about something you may or may not know about, therefore, maybe getting him in some counselling will help.
Good luck, and God speed.

I started experiencing the migraines early on to around the same age and still have them to this day, I am now 27. Make sure his prescription is the correct prescription as that can cause this problem, diet (document everything). If you have changed his diet in any way look at that too (taken any foods out of his diet).
I hope that you can find the cause to these really bad headaches that he is having, I wish you the best of luck, as mine are still unexplained.

Hello. Have you asked the doctor about possible migraines? I know that i was diaganosed at 15 with severe migraines, and had to be refered to a Neurologlist. I know it took me and my mother 2 years to figure out that i was having migraines, instead of regular tension headache. I would on on webmd and take the test it has and ask your son where his head hurts, how long does it lasts, does light and sound bother it or help it. Or does it feel like a tight band around the forehead. pain level. stuff like that.
I hope this helps.

D.,
I am a Mom, science teacher and first responder. I deal with high school students every day. This includes dealing with lots of medical problems kids don't share with their parents. But headaches are a common problem this group of kids deals with. It’s as if our society tells are kids that dealing with pain is something they have to live with. What a load of horse manure. As a mother I found out that children of all ages can have migraines and different kinds of headaches when my daughter saw a pediatric neurologist for a seizure she had one night. She was only eight and we were so very worried about it seizure that we never gave a thought to her troubles with headaches. But when she was checked out it by the neurologist he was much more concerned with the numerous migraines that she was having. He placed her on medicine that took care of both and my Liz was a changed child. I had no idea she was putting up with so much pain. The bottom line here is a pediatric neurologist was worth every co pay dollar we spent. Family practice Doc’s are a good place to start but an Adult neurologist will probably not come up with the answers for your child (14 year old). Give your child and yourself real answers and get to a specialist. But first check out this website. God bless.
http://www.migraineresearchfoundation.org/Welcome.asp

You have got a good list of possible causes: allergies, dehydration, low blood sugar, adjusting his glasses - at his age, kids grow a lot and his prescription may have changed. Also remember allergies are not only to food, allergy to dust or pollen may cause the headaches. Even the fact the school has a very good heating system and not much ventilation may cause a headache. Other possible causes are that he is low on iron, or if he has changed habits from drinking soda with caffeine to other drinks.

Probably the best suggestion is to keep a diary to see if there are any food or environmental patterns.

As a teenager I had a lot of stress headaches and migraines. The migraines gradually tapered off once I entered my 20s; I now only get them after a period of intense stress. In addition to determining if he's having migraines or sinus problems, perhaps see if there is something causing a lot of stress for him.

When I went to O. U. I took a class called "Information Processing and Perception" and I have to say it taught me so much about how our bodies process the multitude of information our brains are being bombarded with. I have put an excerpt from a web site to explain one of the concepts.

"An individual's critical flicker frequency (CFF) is the highest frequency at which the flicker in a flickering light source can be detected. At frequencies above the critical frequency, the light source appears to be continuous even though it is actually flickering."

http://www.statsci.org/data/general/flicker.html
This site is about a study done with eye color/CFF but the definition is the easiest to read so that is why I picked it over other sites definitions.

What I found in this class is that I can see the flicker of fluorescent light bulbs even though every other person in the class room can't see the flicker but sees a constant glow of light. Even when I am sitting and not noticing the lighting my brain is still getting this constant flickering stimulation.

These things may sound silly but if I am in a classroom situation and I realize I am feeling crappy, stiff, sore, head achy, tense, muscles so stiff I could swear they were carved from hard rock, and just not able to think straight I find that if I stop and close my eyes and take a deep breath and relax and then start taking note of what is going on in the room I can nearly always figure out what is going on.

Think about what you are processing in just one minute. Lights, constant noise (trains/traffic, heat and air units, air planes, dishwashers, etc...), what stress you are feeling from any number of areas, kids have just as many, if not more coming at their brains.

The solution I found that works for me:

If I wear a brimmed hat when I am going to be sitting in a room that has overhead lighting, for any amount of time, I can minimize the headache from both the constant flicker and the bombardment of bright light.

(Another possibility is that he has a teacher, or classmate, that is wearing a cologne or perfumed product that is giving him headaches. I can't tell you how many times someone has hugged me and I get an instant headache. Also hair care and makeup products, there is 1 hair product that my daughter wears and when she gets in the car with me it is like instant extreme pain. That may be something you have to figure out, I can just see you asking your son "what does your teacher smell like?"LOL)

you may also check his diet. My son had headaches everyday and we traced it to preserveatives in food. If you eat a lot of food high in preserevatives such as hotdogs or bologna, it can cause headaches,. just something that was happening to my boy. We changed his diet and the headaches have since gone away.

Hi D.,
My son and I are both teeth/jaw clenchers when it comes to stressful situations and therefore wind up with headaches. Maybe it's his way of dealing with stress at school. You might want to talk with his teacher(s) and find out if they notice anything different in the classroom.
Good luck,
W. Q

My little sister did the same thing around 13....she would come home everyday with a really bad unexplained headache. After several unsuccesful Dr visits, she passed out one day and was rushed to the ER. Of course, by the time they got there everything checked out fine, which prompted the Dr to run sugar tests on her... it turns out she was hypoglycemic. This explained why the headaches always occured in the afternoon/evening hours, as this was when her blood sugar was bottoming out. Since was just hitting adolescence, she actually outgrew it, for the most part. If they haven't checked into something like this, it may be worth a shot! Good Luck!

My cousin is 15. He has mirgranes. See if you can talk to the doctor about it being migranes. My cousin has meds but he first goes to the nurses office and they let him lie down in the dark. That seems to be a big help. A lot of what is going on is that school is getting to a point where it is stressful for the kids at this age. Stress brings on headaches. I know about the migranes my husband has been diagnosed with them also. If they are quite and just don't do much it will go away if they catch it early enough. One weekend we went shopping and he did not tell me that he had one and it took about a day and a helf to really get over it. Meds are always last resort. Try to have him just calm down and do nothing like watch tv or paly a video game that way he gets his mind off the stress of school.

I had headaches all my life and never knew why until my son started experiencing problems in school around his 7th grade year. He wore glasses and we had him checked with every dr imaginable. Finally, during screening to rule out learning problems the lady doing his IQ test noticed he rubbed his eyes a lot and when he complained of a headache she came to talk to me. She asked to screen him for Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome. It turns out he and I both have this and it was the underlying cause of both our headaches. This syndrome is related to difficulties with light source, luminance, wave length, and black and white contrast. The white background of textbooks may be especially difficult for some people to look at. I'm not sure how to locate screeners in your area, but what it amounts to is finding the color that works for him. WalMart or any office supply store has colored plastic files that you can cut apart and use to lay over the print in the books that he is reading. He will know what color works for him if he has this problem. It may be a shot in the dark but is definitely worth trying. I know I'm not explaining this very well, so if you have further questions send me a private email ____@____.com

S.

Hi D.
My advice would be to see if he has chronic migraines or if they are just tension headaches.. It could be something serious or nothing at all. Maybe just alot of things going on at school and he is stressed out from it all.. But I would take him to the Doctor ASAP.. My son has the same thing, but he does not wear glasses. I think it is stress. But I have chronic migraines and it does run in the family. Even if it doesnt he could still get them.Good luck hun. Best of wishes to you and your family!
Jen

At his age it could be a number of things. I would make sure he's getting at least 8-10 hours of sleep per night because sleep deprivation could be causing it. Also, if he's stressed out about something it could be tension headaches. It could also be TMJ, which is a condition where the jaw is misaligned and the cartilidge wears down causing bone to rub bone. It this is the case, he will also have jaw and maybe neck pain. If the Dr. isn't giving you any answers, I would take him to the dentist to get x-rays...they will determine if he has TMJ or some teeth alignment problems.

Hi, I know you have gotten alot of responses and they are all good advice. I just want to throw out there about a disease not to many doctors know very much about and often takes a long time to be diagnosed with it is called Chiari Malformation. My son who is 12 years old was diagnosed with this last year. He has had headaches for years. He was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 3 years old and went through chemo for 2 1/2 years. We thought the headaches were just a side effect from the chemo. Well needless to say the headaches got worse and then he started complaining about his scalp hurting (this is not a symptom that I know of) this is what got the doctors to looking, no one could figure out why his scalp was hurting so they did a CAT scan and that is when they found the Chiari malformation and then they did a couple of MRI's he is seeing a neurologist now. They put him on migrane medicine and he is doing better. I am not trying to scare you or anything like that, it is just something you might have them look into. There is information on the internet one site you might look at is chiaripeople.org the lady that started the website was on ABC's Extreme Home Makeover. I hope you find out what is causing the headaches, trust me I know it is not fun to see your children suffer. If you need to email me you can at ____@____.com care D.

I don't want to scare you but want you to not give up! My sister complained of headaches from age 8. The dr. told my Mom it was just sinuses and to give her tylenol when needed. My sister suffered from headaches almost daily until they got really bad at age 24. Then she started having double vision and black outs. Over the years she saw a handful of drs. but no one did any testing. Finally she saw an optometrist who sent her to the er for a CAT scan and they found a brain tumor the size of a lemon pushing on her brain. If drs. had done a scan when the tumor was smaller they would have been able to treat it with radiation treatments. Because it had grown into her skull and was so large she had to have it surgucally removed and was on disability for almost a year.

Don't take the drs. advice unless you feel comfortable they have looked into it enough! Get a second, third or fourth opinion if needed. It's better to figure it out now then in 5 years from now. BTW my sister fully recovered and is still an over achiever!

With headaches this often and for this long there is certainly a problem or something causing a problem. How severe are they? Did your doctor not recommend having some type of testing done? It may or may not be caused by physical symptoms. The headaches may be caused by emotional or social problems. Your son may need to see some other type doctor. Perhaps your school counselor could help. Depending on where you live your medcal resources may be vast or limited. Do seek answers somewhere else, possibly with another doctor, maybe a pediatrician or a doctor who specializes in adolescent problems. The library or the internet may give you some answers. Just ask questions until you find some answers. Does he have yearly eye exams? That may be a simple solution, or not. Good luck.

WOW..mention headaches and we've all had experience huh.

Many have already mentioned my first couple of suspects....

Dehydration is the #1 cause of headaches. If he's properly hydrated you might see a chiropractor. Mine claims to fix 95% of headache/migraine issues w/ adjustments. They have worked for me.

Stress could also be a culprit. You'll just have to play detective until you figure it out if the doc aren't giving you any answers.

Have you considered that the headaches might be caused from stress or tension? Many teenagers these days are truly overwhelmed with school work, home work, extracurricular activities and family obligations. It's a wonder that kids can even function at all with so much going on in their lives!

If your teen has a lot of homework each night, participates in more than 1 sport or other after-school activity, and is also expected to do chores at home and rarely gets a moment to himself, it can be very stressful and lead to tension headaches.

Of course, it may be that these things don't apply to him, and so it could be that his glasses prescription is not right for him, or he is sitting incorrectly in his chair at school. Improper posture can definitely cause tension headaches when you sit in the same position all day long in class.

If all of these things are ruled out, this would be the time to get a fresh perspective and take him to a different doctor for a second opinion. Don't let them tell you that teenagers can't have something wrong just based on outwards appearances. Demand that they do some type of testing, if only to rule things out.

Good luck!

What kind of Dr. did you see? Does your son have any sinus problems? If so you may want to see an ENT he may have blockage. You may also want to see a neurologist. There are many causes of headaches. Certain foods causes headaches, such as cheese, the stuff in chinese food, caffiene can cause headaches and caffiene is in a lot of things that we eat. Have you googled headaches on the internet? I am 54 yrs old used to have real bad headaches, my problem was my sinuses I had surgery in 1999 and I am a 100% better. I also worked for a neurologist and a large part of her practice was treating headaches for young adults/children. Hope everything works out but I would follow up medically if I were you. Headaches are not fun. L.

D.,

That sounds serious to me. I would take him to his optomistrist and then to another doctor to ask for a second opinion. Someone must be able to identify the problem and prescribe him meds to help, if needed. If it concerns you and there is obviously a concern, don't stop until you get some answers! I can't imagine living like that. My prayers are with you and your child!

K.
Mother of twins and a 23 mth old

hi D., im 18 years old and have this problem. i got hit in the eye with a softball at the age of 13 and soon after and started having headaches. My mom took me to doctor after doctor they couldn't tell us anything except that i suffer from chronic migrain headaches that can come and go at anytime. when i was 17 they put me on a medication (which i do not recomend)the medication was to be taken at night because it made you sleep. I would wake up the next morning and not remember getting in my car to drive to school, and the first three class periods after that. I still have migrains every so often and the medicine i have found that helps the best is Excedrin Migrain.

I had this problem also when I was young, it turned out to be stress. I had particularly had classes in the after noon and I always got them. Make sure it is not migranes, which would usually involve light sensitivity and getting sick. See what his schedule is in the afternoon and if it relates. Also make sure it is not caffeine withdrawls.

Maybe just Maybe he needs another eye exam. My childs eyes have changed up to 3 times in a year and she had lots of had headaches. It is worth a try to take him for another eye exam. Seemed to be the answer to our prolems.
Thanks, Bbeck

Hello,

first I would look at his diet. Make sure hes getting more of the veggies/fruit and less sugar/salt.

secondly, water water water!!! Cut soda/juice and drink more water

third, take him back to the eye doctor and ask for a cycloplegic refraction. That means he will be checked for glasses with his eyes completely dilated to ensure that he has the correct prescription. Also, his focusing system needs to be checked to ensure that when he is doing close up work his eyes are fatiguing and giving out thus causing headaches. When kids complain of HA's I ask them when they get them, where it hurts, what helps them to go away and do they have sinus problems. Be concerned about eye if timing is after school, pain is on his temples, sleep improves the HA but if his eyes look to be ok he needs to go to PCP and have a CT of his sinuses.

sorry so long winded.

D., I haven't read the other responses but this headache problem caught my attention. You say your son wears glasses. I did also, actually started wearing glasses at 11. I had headaches daily until my eye doctor got my glasses adjusted just right for me. Now I'm going back to the days of no computers, etc. Sitting in a classroom and having to read the blackboard was a strain on my eyes even with glasses until they were adjusted properly.

I sure hope nothing else is going on with your son. If it is just eye strain, that can be fixed. Let us know how it turns out.

J.

His glasses prescription may be to strong.

Is it possible that he is hypoglycemic; I am and when my sugar gets off I get really tired and typically get really bad headaches. I also have migraines and have had them since puberty so you may check out both angles (hormone levels and sugar levels). I always took protein snacks with me to school for when I felt myself getting off and tried to stay away from things that were straight sugar (feel good for about an hour then will bottom out: headaches, fatigue, ect.) Good luck, maybe you can find the culprit easily.

I had headaches at this age. Every afternoon they would come on and I would be in bed all afternoon. I saw a a doctor and they ran many of test. Nothing would show up. I went for my routine dental appointment and during the exam my dentist touched under my bottom jaw and I relaized how much a little pressure hurt. I then found out that I was grinding my teeth at night. The muscles were not relaxing like they were supose to so it cause head aches. I was fitted for a mouth peice and within days the head aches were gone. I hope this helps.

For one, make sure and be absolutely positive that his prescription for his glasses aren't too strong. Then has he had an mri or a cat scan done on him? I'm just asking because there is too many things that can slip through the cracks and that may need to be addressed. I myself get migraines every so often and they drive me crazy. I get them sometimes like when i first roll out of bed i get up and fall straight to the floor. I can't get up from a sitting or laying position because it makes my artery that goes to my brain pound when the blood forcefully races through there. I feel so sorry for him because i know how headaches can do a person child or adult.

Have you talked to his eye doctor at all? I've been wearing glasses since the third grade, but when I was a teenager I started to get really bad headaches and it ended up being that one of my eyes was weaker than the other and didn't focus correctly. There's a fairly simple excersice you can do to strengthen the muscles in the week eye and eventually the headaches go away.

My first thought is, is he getting enough water? Also, is he consuming the sorts of things that increase his water requirement, like a lot of sugary or caffeinated things? Physical activity also increases his water needs, of course. Americans are chronically dehydrated, and dehydration can cause headaches, so ask him to check the color of his urine. If it's clear, he's getting enough. If it's yellow, he's not.

You might also want to take him to a chiropractor. Maybe he has a bit of scoliosis, or a posture issue or some other problem that is causing his headaches.

There is also the possibility that there is something more psychological going on that is causing the headaches. Maybe it is stress, or maybe there was some trauma four years ago that is the cause.

In any case, you should probably take him to a doctor to make sure there is nothing more serious going on.

Good luck.
L.

I started having bad headaches nearly daily early teens also and they turned in to migranes too when I was a little older. The prescription meds usually make folks sleepy but Excedrin Migrane works GREAT for me. Mine were also triggered by certain foods (grape drinks and pre-made cheese dips) would cause me to have terrible headaches immediately. Supposedly from the preservatives, I heard. I started monitoring what I was eating and when they occured and always having Excedrin Migrane handy. I hardly have them now so it must have been something strange for about 10 years.

D.,

Just because he wears glasses doesn't mean the headache isn't from vision problems. It could be that the strength of his eye glasses prescription is not the right one for him. The wrong strength can cause headaches. I would take him back to the Doctor that prescribed the glasses and have that re-checked. Hope this helps.

C.

Has he had a glucose tolerance test? Sometimes things won't show up till after a longer test. If he had low blood sugar, it may not show up until a 3 hr. or 5 hr. test. (They used to do those not sure if they still do). If he had low blood sugar, he could get bad headaches and nausea sometimes. Diet can help this a lot. It is possible it is hormonal. I had a lot of migraines as a teenager and my problem was found at 17. I had bad headaches from the time I was about 8 yrs. old and not until after a 5 hr. glucose tolerance test was done. Just after hr. 3, they found a drastic drop in my blood sugar. I met with a dietician and when we changed my way of eating it helped tremendously. It really changed my life drastically. Not saying this is his problem, only a Dr. could tell. But sometimes you have to dig deep for headache causes, especially with teens as they don't always make the connection with the cause and aren't always forthcoming if something is bothering them. Read up on hypoglycemia and see if it may fit, then ask the dr. about it. Or you can try to change some of his food habits and way of eating for a few weeks and see if it helps. Certainly won't hurt. I would think if he was suffering from headaches, he would be willing to cooperate if it will help him feel better. 6 mini meals per day, to try and even out his blood sugar. Have easy snacks on hand for him like beef jerky, nuts, mini lunchables-you can make these to save money, even low sugar peanut butter and crackers, cheese sticks. The key is to get him involved in choices and let him pick some things he likes. Get off of the sodas if he drinks them. Sugar will raise his blood sugar and make it drop rapidly. Then he will get the headaches and nausea if blood sugar is his issue. Tell him you want to try a possible solution for a few weeks and get him on board with the planning. Anyway, just a thought. A little bit of sugar is okay, but really watch it and make sure it is in small amounts. Minimize juice and only small pieces of fruit and eat it with some protein. I get a rotisserie chicken and skin it/bone it out and cut it up and put it in ziplock bags and snack on it when I need a nibble. Have some carrot and celery sticks cut up with some of the homemade ranch dressing-so much better. And some hardboiled or deviled eggs are good too. I figure it is worth a shot. Also , believe it or not, exercise really helped me too. Something about releasing endorphins my Dr. said. Just a bike ride or walk a 4-5 times a week if he doesn't do sports. Maybe a good time for martial arts if he is not involved in sports. If this doesn't help and a dr. can't help, you may look and see if stress is a trigger for him. They have a lot of good options for controlling headaches now. For really bad migraines, Imitrex is great. Non-narcotic. I wish you well. Headaches are tough to get at the root.

Does he drink any caffeinated beverages? Dr Pepper and MT. Dew use to be the worst, but all theses "energy" drinks have surpassed them by far. Caffeine withdrawal results from drinking too much and then going for a period of time without, and it could last as much as 3 days. Tell him to lay off for a week and see if it helps. If these aren't the culprit, how much time does he spend on the computer, video games, dark theater room, etc? Does he eat a lot of sugary foods, he could have a probiotic imbalance and that'll give em too... hope this helps.

I know just how your son feels. I am 25 years old with a 5 year old son and 10 week old daughter. I get migraines some times that started at about 12 years old. When my son was about 14 months my husband moved our family to Alabama to live with his parents. After staying there for a month I started to have headaches every day, all day long. They would sometimes turn into migraines, but most of the time they would just be a very painful headache. I saw the doctor, the eye doctor, and had an MRI done and still have no clue what caused them. I still get them. The only thing I can think of that is causing them is stress. I hope this helps you and your son in any way.

Hey D.. His problem could be his teeth being out of alignment. My son had the same problem with headaches and when all the usual suspects were ruled out someone suggested taking him to the dentist and sure enough it was his need for braces due to crooked teeth that was causing the headaches since he has had the braces on no more headaches. Hope this helps.
M. D

Hi D.,
I would check for allergies. It sounds like sinus headaches maybe! I used to have them all the time and the doctors weren't very helpful. I finally found nutritional products that have helped me!

I'm not sure if I can be any real help but when I was your son's age, I had headaches nearly every day. I could only remember a few days each year that I didn't have one. It felt like a wonderful, spring day on those rare occasions. However, when I turned 18, I had my first migraine. Since then, I have continued to be plagued with migraines a few times a month but the daily headaches disappeared. Now, I hope this won't be the case for him and I don't have any proof that that has any connection, but it is what happened with me. I wish him the best of luck and I can easily empathize with him.

From family experience- my husband's brother had terrible headaches as a teenager because he was not eating enough. Also, not drinking enough water (dehydration) can cause headaches. My own problem stems from food products that have sulfites - sulfur dioxide. People can have varying reactions. My symptoms are very simular to migranes. Best Wishes, S.

My son had bad headaches at that age. I took him to a neurologist, and was told he was having migraines. The doctor gave him some medicine to take at bedtime, and after about 6 months he stopped having them.
So it could be pubirty. Which is what the doctor told me.

Lots of good suggestions here, especially about food and chiropractic work, and the computer. But nobody mentions this, which is a well-known and researched problem in every civilized country but our own: cellphone towers! Many schools "host" these, and they, like high-tension electrical wires, "leak" electromagnetic negative energy... In Great Britain, children under 12 are not allowed to use cellphones!

I would take him to a specialist such as neurologist as this may be a sign of a brain tumor. Please don't be alarmed but I would do this and immediately. God Bless you and I will be praying for you. J. Gleason

do the class rooms have flurecent lighting? my husband gets headaches very easily and when he went back to school they had that lighting and he came home every night with a headache sometimes turning into a migraine. a few weeks ago i watched something on the news about computers and flurecent lights causing bad headaches they recommend a rose color tinted glasses and frequently focusing on other things in the room however i know your 14 yr old son would rather have the headache than wear the glasses but if this is the case maybe you could talk to your doc to get different suggestions as what to do. just something to think about hope this helps and good luck!

D.,
my daughter had headaches from the time she was three years old that caused many hospital stays due to dehydration from throwing up because the pain was so bad, she is 29 now and still has the headaches, been to all types of doctors with no real answers other than some allergies. Her son started the headaches when he was four so I am guessing that it may be hereditary, as I had them also as well as my father. I am hoping that for your sake that it gets better....was there headaches in your family?