My 11-year-old has migraines that bring on violent vomitting. We've tried Imitrex (Rx) and journaling to monitor triggers. With this heatwave, we've found yet another new trigger. Any suggestions? He has little exercise in this heat, which is not helping matters, either. Once he's vomitted and rested, he feels better; but I want to help him minimize these episodes in the future. Any suggestions would be helpful.
My 14 yr. old had migraines since he was 6. We started acupuncture a couple of yrs. ago and then added Chinese herbs. He has been migraine free for over a yr. now. Feel free to contact me if you want a referral to a practitioner.
L.
My 11 year old started getting migraine at around 7...his little brother is starting to get them too. Our neurologist put my son on high does riboflavin and magnesium and we have had great results. Check with your doctor about doses. The required doses are very high but my son has had no side effects. Of course we still work on avoiding triggers and getting enough rest and staying hydrated. We also make sure his allergies are under control. Good luck. I get migraines as well and know how horrible it is to watch your child suffer.
I suffered with migraines for 8 weeks straight. Had an MRI, went to the neurologist (who told me I'd be fine in 6 or 7 years - I was 47 - and gave me two narcotics to take). At the same time, I was desperate and went to see an old acquaintance who founded a fabulous complementary care facilitaty (Crossings, in Silver Spring http://www.crossingshealing.com/) and had acupuncture. No more migraines - ever! She has a daugther who is a teen now but who has gotten acupuncture her whole life. I also sent two of my daugther's friends to Jane for knee and back issues - no problem. I went back to the Harvard-educated neurologist and told him what I was doing thinking he would laugh. INstead, he told me that there was tons and tons of data supporting accupuncture's relief of pain, especially wiht respect to migraines and back pain (as well as nausea). He was fully supportive. I now go every 8 weeks (seasonally, more or less) and it has been a life changer. Find someone who works with kids. I never see the needles and the pain is like a pinch. Give it a try. If it doesn't work, move on but it's worth a try! Good luck.
Could part of his behavior have anything to do with his food intake? If you haven't talked to your doctor about this already please do so. I educate others on the importance of eating more fruits and veggies which helps us by providing more energy and reducing stress.
I've been introduced to a wonderful whole food based supplement, made from 17 different fruits and veggies. They have been juiced, dehydrated and then the powders put into capsules and gummies. There are over 20 independent studies (not done by our company) that show that it actually gets into the bloodstream, it balances and strengthens the immune system (don't get as many or as severe colds or flu AND minimizes allergies, asthma and disorders such as ADHD,rheumatoid arthritis, MS, celiacs, etc), improves blood flow and other markers of cardiovascular health, and reduces inflammation and oxidative stress.
If you would like to know more about what I do, please get back to me. This might be something you might want to check out for your family. If you do, then we should talk. It doesn't hurt to chat and check out your options. Good luck with whatever you do.
Ditto the Riboflavin & Mag... just what's in breakfast cereal is enough for my kiddo. We started noticing that on days where he had eggs or pancakes he'd have migraines, but never on cereal breakfast days.
Also... my kiddo is hypoglycemic. So he has to consumer *something* at least once an hour, and eat every 3 hours. No big deal, most of the time... because the *something* can be milk, fruit, crackers, whatever... as long as each of his meals is pretty heavy on the proteins & fats to carry him through the next 3 hours.
At the first sign of the migraine, try giving him Sudafed (the real stuff, not Sudafed PE) and the maximum dose of ibuprofen the doctor recommends. The Sudafed seems to help with the vasoconstriction and the ibuprofen targets the pain. I use the liquid ibuprofen because it seems to work faster. This is the only combo that has ever worked for me and the only side effect might be a little nervousness from the Sudafed. Be sure he rests propped up so the blood doesn't rush to his head and make it all worse.
I hope he feels better!!
Have you tried chiropractic care??? That has worked well for me in the past. And definitely make sure he is drinking WATER and avoiding caffeinated beverages!
Both my 14 year-old niece and I experience migraines. We found a Nutraceutical product called OPC-3. It is a powerful antioxidant the works for us. We both get visual disturbances before our migraines. If we take it when we notice this we never even get the migraine. We take 2 capfuls or sometimes three instead of the recommended dose. Her allergies are also being helped with this product. I get it at my doctors office but you can purchase it here: www.visionary-wellness.com. Hope it helps.
My son was put on a preventative (back about 10 years ago) and we used imatrix for breakthrus - if it makes you feel better the neurologist that treated him said if boys get it pre-puberty they normally outgrow them after puberty...my son did....
Imitrex did not work for my son either, but maxalt did. Maxalt is put under the tongue and disolves. It worked fairly quickly if he jumped on it.
My son did outgrow the migraines.......to give you hope. Later I became a Shaklee Independent distributor I learned that adding magnesium to the diet can also do the trick. Ask your doctor how much magnesium you can add in. Too much can upset the stomach. Some doctors check magnesium levels.....you could see if he is low all the time. Or you can try a multivitamin with some magnesium and see if it is enough without adding extra. This is Shaklee's multi for kids: http://healinghappens.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sk...
Good luck! I know how debilitating it can be and how much you want to "fix" it for your child. Let me know if I can offer any more info.
Minimize stress triggers. Increase the b vitamins, magnesium and water. Make sure he's taking regular poops (one for every meal is supposed to be the rule). When the bowels lock up (usually from lack of water), it can cause nausea, vomiting and terrible headaches. 11 is still a baby to me, I wouldn't recommend the drugs.
Our doc gave me the recommendation to up my dose of Riboflavin (vitamin b2) i have a four year old who also gets migraines.
Pls talk to your doc about the dosage for his age and weight. it helped tremendously.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Riboflavin-Intended-For-Migrain...
