Youth with Frequent Headaches

My 11 year old son had the same issue. His headaches seemed to be mostly in the evening and when he was tired. After talking to the pediatrician we took him to have an MRI to rule out anything serious. Everything was normal. He still gets his headaches and Motrin always seems to do the trick.

My son, now 12, started having headaches very similarly around age 10. We first thought it was his eyes, but now I think he is just sensitive to things. Too much TV or video games, too much reading, loud bus ride home, skipping meals, forgetting ADHD meds, and many other things can bring on the headaches. When they come, the only thing that helps is rest and Motrin. We try to keep his schedule consistant on school days, and have him in bed by 9. When he was 10 bedtime was 8:30. We also limit screen time, and are taking a break from sports. He still has them, but not as often.

My husband had headaches as a child and he was told to get more sleep. He stared to sleep for longer (10 hrs?/night) and they went away.

There might be other medical reasons..hypoglycemia?

or is there something happening at the games that makes him not want to go? (beyond the stress of competition?)

Could they be caused by stress or anxiety or excitement? Maybe before an event try some deep breathing and just a general conversation about the event to ease the emotion about it, whether it be nervousness, excitement....
I hate to think a child needs anti anxiety meds, but that might be a thought. They definately sound like migraines. I too would keep a journal to find the common factor of these headaches. I suppose a cat scan and some blood work wouldnt be too much to ask for just to be on the safe side. Dont let any doctors minimize the possible seriousness of such headaches in a young child. Hope this help, Good luck.

My son is now 17 and has had headaches since he was about 9. They don't get to the nausea state, but he has them every day. Occasionally, they are really bad and sleep is the only thing that helps.
Normal pain relievers don't do anything for him. We have removed dairy, wheat, etc from his diet, trying to rule out food allergies......no change. Basically we have tried just about everything. His neurologist prescribed anti seizure drugs and something else that lowered his blood pressure, which helped moderately, but then it was like he was doped up. He decided to stop taking everything, because it really didn't make any difference. So, he still gets them every day and he lives with it. I keep hoping he will outgrow it. Not sure if I made it clear, but over the years we made countless trips to doctors, specialists, allergists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and even tried massage therapy (which did help short term). Good luck B

I'm not sure what the visual screening means, but those were the same symptoms my cousin had about 3 years ago and they found a small tumor near his brain stem. They caught it early enough that they were able to get it completely, and he's perfectly active and fit now and after one more visit that will be 6 mo after his previous one, he will go down to yearly visits. Well, he was properly diagnosed 3 years ago and had his surgery. The headaches started much earlier and they tried lots of things, but of course none of them helped.

My child is 11 years old. She has had migraines for 3 years now. We did the journal thing. She did a ct scane. She ended up at richmond. she has seveer childhood migraine syndrome. The gave her some meds and a list of foods that trigger migraines. She does not have them as often and when she does, they don't make her sick.

Hi, I read your story and I just want to let you know that he's probably not drinking enough water during the day. I get headaches when I don't drink enough water and knowing how long he's in school and that he's probably only drinking once during lunch, isn't enough. See if your school will allow him to bring a bottle or two of water with him and make sure he drinks. He's going through a growth spurt and needs to eat well and drink a lot.

Hi M.,

My 11 y.o. son has the same problem. Our pediatrician also suggested keeping a journal. My son is getting a headache every 10-14 days. We have found that dehydration (and the resulting constipation) is a big culprit. Also, we have cut back on foods with food dyes and MSG. He tends to get a headache when he goes too long without eating or drinking, so we are trying to make sure he snacks and drinks regularly. When he does get a headache, often children's motrin will make it go away. If it's at night, going to sleep usually cures it. If it's so bad that he vomits, that makes him feel better. Watching what he eats and making sure he drinks a lot of water has definitely helped. The doc said that the next step would be an MRI to rule out other causes (we haven't had a follow-up appt. yet, but I don't think we'll need an MRI). I'm convinced it's diet and personality related (my son has an intense personality and is a bit of a perfectionist).

It has been great reading all the responses to your question!. I may try a chiropractor too. I would be wary of all the meds. I think the headaches can usually be handled with food modifications and avoiding dehydration. Good luck with your son!

H.

My daughter is now 13 and she started with them at the age of 10 also. Now even though she is a girl the majority of it is hormones, and the other half even though for some of us adults it is hard to believe they are stressed but do not know how to handle it and when pressure comes on to much for them that is the first sign a headache.

For my daughter she does alot of writing now, when she feels overwhelmed or pressured, give him a journal that is just his even though it maybe hard you cannot read it and after you give it do not ask him about it unless it is how is it going is it helping do you need another one.
When she can she finds a quiet place and she normally just wants to be alone and quiet.

Hope this helps.

My neighbors daughter experienced this same thing. Everything checked out normal. They finally took her to a chiropractor because they didn't know where else to turn. It ends up she was out of alignment due to the heavy back packs our kids are required to carry. After a few adjustments she's been headache free.

I used to get migrane type headaches when I was his age and no one could figure out what it was, after checking my blood, urine, sight and all of that. Come to find out after seeing a nutritionist, that I had not been eating on a proper schedule and had not given my body what it needed to function all day long, so it was causing terrible head aches! With all of the school functions and extra activities outside of school, kids really don't eat like they should, or when they should. Also, make sure you limit caffine intake, as this could be a cause also. And one more thing, at the same point in time, my parents found out that I was allergic to red dye in foods, also attributed to the head aches! Just a thought, hope it helps!

It seems if alot of people have or do suffer from migraines. I myself have suffered from them since I was young. I do not remember when they started though. I usually have to put pressure on where it hurts and go to sleep to get rid of it if it is really bad sometimes I get sick because the pressure is too intense. These are tension headaches. One thing that helps is when the slightest bit of a headache comes on is to take something for it. One thing that can cause headaches is dehydration. If you are not drinking enough water your body will get dehydrated and that can cause a headache also not having enough nutrients in your body will also cause a headache. A friend of mine has a daughter that just turned 12 whose migraines just kept getting worse and the doctor perscribed her a medication that helps to prevent headaches. My mom takes three different types of medication for migraines that are perscribed from her doctor. Low blood sugar also causes migraines. I hope you find out what is going on and he gets treated soon. It is not fun to have migraines it completly wipes you out until it is gone.

My 9-year-old gets migraines and vomits. Has had problems since he was 6 years old. We have found that any combination of lack of water, too much physical stimulation, constipation, too much TV/video stimulation, and fast food triggered migraines. Sometimes, he'd have a virus and get a migraine. Sometimes, he'd get sick after just riding in the car, usually if he hadn't had enough snacks and water earlier in the day. And, sometimes, there was a sinus issue--no infection, just stuffiness. Now, we monitor his water input, cut back on video game time (giving breaks in between sessions), and very little fast food. He also stops all visual stimulation one hour before bedtime. He's had vision test--normal. He's had a physical--normal. The doctors told me they still do not fully understand migraine triggers and asked us to keep a journal. When we saw the patterns, we made the adjustments and the frequency dropped. It also helped to make sure he had regular exercise, but we had to make sure it was not in excess. So, for us, no team sports that met beyond twice a week at this time. We're also cautious about sleepovers, because he gets so excited and forgets to drink or eat anything, and within hours he'd vomit everywhere and we'd have to take him home. Recently, he's had a growth spurt, and his appetite has picked up so he's eating more fruits, vegetables and protein. He has some migraines, usually if we're not reminding him to drink water, but the bouts are fewer than they were in the past.

is it possible your son doesn't enjoy being on the basketball and baseball teams if anxiety from games gives him severe headaches? i, too, suffered from migraines beginning in childhood-mostly from stress and anxiety and perhaps dehydration too since that's a key trigger for me now. i played softball then, not because i enjoyed it but b/c all the cool girls did. i hated games and practice. it just wasn't my thing. looking back, and it seems silly as an adult, but little league really stressed me out.

I've suffered from migraines for the last 17 years - dehydration is a major contributor as has been mentioned multiple times - your son appears to have all the classic symptoms. My mother spent lots of afternoons in her bedroom with cold washcloth on her head - before we had all the good drugs. I've tried so many different meds for them - now I take Vicodin or Percoset to dull the pain and Ambien to knock me out - the only way to get rid of one once it's set in. Excedrin Migraine does seem to work a lot of times - if I take it early enough. My 8 year old has also started having headaches in school, and we've just had her EEG done to start tracking. Her neurologist is Dr. Watkins in Reston - www.nscplc.com. She's started taking children's Motrin, and she's increased her water intake but I still believe it's not enough. She gets very little caffeine but she does eat a lot of processed foods, so we've started a food diary too. We'll see how it progresses. You should talk to your son's teachers, the nurse in the clinic, and the PE teachers to have them all on the lookout to help since you're not there with him at school.

M., first, good for you for dealing with this quickly and using the journal to keep a close record. It will pay off. Just to add one thing to the great comments below about food triggers -- A friend and her daughter and granddaughter all found that food dyes triggered their migraines, especially yellow dyes, which are in more foods than you'd imagine (mac and cheese, Goldfish crackers, other crackers that don't appear yellow and many other foods that would never look yellow to you or me). While the doctor is considering other food-related allergies or triggers, ask him or her whether dyes could be triggers too. Possibly it's a combination of more than one trigger. I hope you and your son find the help you need. Best of luck!

Awww poor kid I know how he feels. I started getting migraine's when I was 13. I went to a neurologist and everythng but no one could find the reason for the headaches. I have found found that drinking a ton of water and a good diet (also try vitamins) have helped alot. BUT when I become very stressed out they come back for sometimes up to 3 days. It sounds like you already may know what is triggering his headaches now you just need to find out how to avoid them. Maybe have your child listen to a favorite CD before the game to take his mind off of it and get him pumped up or maybe doing a word search in the car while you are taking him where ever it may be again to keep his mid off getting a headache. I would also suggest having him drink at least 1 full glass of water when he wakes up, before going to school, if possible 1 bottled water while in school, when he gets home and again maybe 1 hour before bed. If you can get him on a schedule of drinking water you will know he is very hydrated (which is a big factor of migraines).

Good luck to your son!
-S.

I had frequent headaches that were migraines, and my doctor told me to keep a diary for a month or so, and record foods, etc. that I ate, anything I drank, so on. What I found was that I was highly sensitive to sulfites (additives found in aged cheeses, a lot of lunch meats, some processed foods and wines.) After ingesting these, I was far more likely to get a migraine within the next 12 to 24 hours.

Once I identified that, I read labels a lot more, and simply steer clear of foods that have that preservative in them, and I have been pretty much fine ever since. I still get them occasionally, but it's rare. If they're happening when he's on his way to a sports event or something he's excited about, it may well be triggered by stress, as well. I'd find a good neurologist and have them do a thorough work up. Or try the journal keeping for a few weeks and see if you notice a pattern of triggers. Good luck to you, I know mine started right around the same age -- it's probably pre-puberty hormone hell, too. They're not fun, that's for sure!

M.,
I have to say that all the other advice is good but might I suggest looking at family history and having a CT scan?

When my son was almost 5, he started having headaches just about every day. They would hit him hard and fast...most times he would vomit and then feel better, if he did not vomit he really had to sleep them off (in a DARK room) after giving him Motrin (Tylenol would not phase it). I knew my mom had migraines when I was young and family members on my dad's side did too. I later found out that one of my Mom's brothers had them too and also ALWAYS felt better after getting sick. The doctor said they do tend to run in families.

To rule out a more serious condition, a CT was ordered. No issue with the sinuses and nothing more severe. My doctor gave us Naproxen and I had to give him that every day for 2 weeks. The headaches were kept in check. He gave us more to use when the migrane hit. If I caught a headache early enough, Motrin still worked but once it was a migrane nothing but Naproxen and sleep would help (except for vomitting).

In fact, during half-time of one of his soccer games, he said he had a headache but wanted to still play. We gave him Tylenol (it was all we had with us), as he ran back on the field (still chewing the medicine) he vomited. He said, I feel better now! and went back in the game.

Good luck!

I think he should have a brain MRI. It is harmless, takes about 15-20 minutes
I wish him well !
B.

I would request that they do a CT scan of his head if he continues to get the headaches. I knew a girl that was having the same symptoms and it turned out that she had a brain tumor. I'm not trying to scare you but don't let them prolong it to long. When she was first seen by doctors they were saying she had Anorexia Nervosa and had her seeing a therapist for a couple of months. she was losing weight really bad because she could not keep anything down unless you kept her distracted long enough for her food to digest. It wasn't until they admitted her to the hospital and she kept complaining about the noise that they did the scan. That was when they found the tumor. Please keep me posted and I hope that it is nothing more than migraines.

Hi M.,

My husband, nephew, and now my son all get migraines. We now know that it is food induced. They must stay awy from citrus, caffeine, nut products, dairy, etc. You may want to get him tested for allergies.

As long as stay from the list of things not to eat. We have few any migraines in my home.

Hope that helps,

A.

Hi M.,
It sounds like tension headaches. I had them as a kid. I learned how to control them with biofeedback therapy. I had the gambit of tests done to make sure it wasn't something else, then I learned how to relax. I hope that you find what is wrong. It is miserable to live with headaches.
Megan

Hi M.
I suffer from migraines and really understand how at times it came be debilitating. I've discovered through trial and error that certain foods triggered my migraines and that stress was a major factor also.

If I took Excedrin at the first onsite of symptoms, it helped to control the severity a lot. I also took hot baths and soothing music to help me relax.

I then discovered that acupuncture worked wonders for me. I practically don't have migraines anymore and when I do, it was usually because of some really stressful event. I also do meditation which I found was a great in between the acupuncture tool.

I currently see this acupuncturist http://www.chinesemedicinedoctor.us/home.html and you can visit this site for additional information.
http://www.chinesemedicinedoctor.us/Acupuncture1.html

Good luck and I hope this was helpful

C.

My stepson had headaches around the same age and it was a benign tumor. He saw the ped. neurologist at VCU and had it removed. I think it showed up on an MRI or CT scan.
I do not know what symptoms he was having other than headaches or when they came about.

Hi M.

I have never experienced migranes but have known several people who have. The reasons varied from person to person but pretty much were diet related, stress related, lack of rest and dehydration. One young lady found she was allergic to sugar substitues, ie aspartame, splenda, etc. While you are journalizing, pay close attention to these areas. Check his gum, snacks, candy and drinks for sugar subtitutes you may be very surprised. Also be careful of his acid intake, ie sodas, very acidic juices, especially if he does not drink lots of water.

You and your son can come in agreement each day with God's word. There was a very powerful confession offered by another mom that would be great for you all to speak over him each morning and night. God hastens to perform His word and it will never return unto Him void, but will always accomplish what it was sent forth to accomplsh.

Hope this is helpful.

L.

Hi. My godfather's daughter was having the same exact issues. Unbearable migraines - after many testing and MRI's etc. she went to a chiropractor and they cracked her neck and she hasnt had any problems since. I would check and see if maybe there is a pinched nerve etc. She is an avid sports player as well too. I would possibly look into this with your doctor.

M.:
I started having the same thing as a kid in about the 5th grade. If I got one then I'd have to wander around the house like a zombie until I was so exhausted I could sleep it off. After they hit - medicine would not work to kick them (except a shot of Torydol @ the ER) and lying down made it worse too. I was never diagnosed with migraines or cluster headaches - I just figured it out on my own. Mine had to do with Blood Sugar Levels. I'm not allergic to foods. In addition to journalling - don't go more than 3 hours between meals and snacks. When you are low on blood sugar AND under stress, the headaches get stronger. If I start to feel one coming on I can manage them with Excedrine Migraine Complex and an IcePack. The IcePack method has been instrumental as it helps sooth - and I beleive helps inflamation of the vessels in your head which constrict and cause the aching. And regarding the snack at school - just a quick grab - string cheese with a fruit, or hardboiled egg and dried apricots. (basically a healthy protein w/fat and low glycemic carb -like a fruit)Sugar and high fructose corn sweetner and white flour spike the blood sugar and made mine worse. Good luck - I hope you get this managed soon. I didn't get mine fully figured out until my 30's. But you are seeking solutions for your son much sooner!! Blessings !

Could it be something in his diet? My nephew is about the same age and has suffered from migraines. His doctor recommended removing MSG from his diet and this has lessened the headaches tremendously. MSG is found in a lot of processed foods, chips, etc.-- basically a lot of the snack foods that kids eat. We had no idea that it is a known migraine trigger.

I hope that helps!

Hi M.,
You've had great response and I didn't read all of them so this may have already been mentioned. As a teenager I was playing basketball, working, etc., etc. Under stress for that age and constantly on the go. I had incredible headaches - shooting through the base of my head to my forehead. It turned out I had mono. I don't know why this manifested this way but it did. Rest is what I needed and a break from sports due to the enlarged spleen. My mom was in fear of a tumor which of course it was not. Make sure he is hydrated as well. I hope you find the cause.

The best thing that I have ever seen for Migraines is a good chiropractor.... this site has a lot of good information...http://www.idealspine.com/pages/index.html and they also have a list of Chiropractors who have studied this type of Chiropractics... the whole idea is to help get the spine back to its natural position, that way the brain can talk to the body as efficiently as possible through the spinal cord.... here is the link to the local area list... http://www.idealspine.com/pages/referral.htm. I highly recommend this route and wish you the best of luck, I can't imagine a child that young having to deal with migraines.

Hi M.,

I would keep a journal of the headache occurences along with a food diary. If it were me, I would contact a pediatric allergy Doctor.

Good luck. D.

Hi, M., I've treated children with headaches with detoxification , but I always send parents to www.theblockcenter.com first. There you'll find the best childrens doctor on the planet. Dr. Mary Ann Block if she doesn't know it nobody does. Please check this site out, because most children by his age are dealing with food sensitivities, and just need detoxing. Hope this will help you

As you have probably found, headaches can be caused by many different problems. I also get migraines. I have found that sometimes they come from lack of sleep, sometimes noise exhaustion, others come from low blood sugar and finally some come from too little water. I am also very active. The best remedies I have found are simple rules of health. 1. At least 8 solid hours of sleep. 2. Make sure he is drinking plenty of water. He may dehydrate easily. The color of his urine can tell you a lot. The darker the urine the more dehydrated he is. I have to carry a water bottle around with me constantly and sip. 3. He may be having problems with keeping his sugar level normal. I have found headaches come if blood sugar level is too low. I give myself as well as my children snacks in between meals to maintain sugar level. Proteins such as cheeses, and nuts sustain normal sugar levels longest. 4. Finally, I believe children can also get stress headaches. Talk with him to find out if he enjoys his activities or if they are causing worry. I believe everyone needs a release from their worries whether it be through painting, writing, sports, etc. Good luck and best wishes.

J.

Hi M.,

You may also want to try and keep a food journal while you're keeping that headache journal.

Some people are sensitive to certain chemicals in processed foods--artificial sweeteners, certain dyes in food such as Red no. 40. Think about what he always does before the sporting event, for example....is he always drinking a colored sports drink before his game? Does it have a dye in it? Does it have aspartame/splenda in it?

Also some regular foods can cause headaches--cheese, caffeine, citrus fruits, beans, chocolate, even bananas.

Keeping a food journal could help identify foods that trigger his headaches and help him avoid them.

Good luck!

M.

Hey M.!! Thank you for sharing your story of your son. I have not experienced anything like that before, but I still wanted to respond to give you and your son this to keep in your hearts always okay!!

Jesus, who His own self bare our sins in his own body on the cross, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24

Have your son confess this every day and when he feels his head starting to hurt okay!

" I make a demand on my body and speak to my body and command it to function normally. Jesus has already paid the price of every cell of my body to function free of pain, sickness, disease or other kind of malfunction in Jesus' name! Amen!! Take care and you and your son be blessed girl!!
P. :)

Hello M.,

I feel your pain, I'm a migraine sufferer and have been since I hit puberty. Unfortunately my daughter of 15 and son of 9 are also migraine sufferers. The best thing to do is to have the doctor write a referral to a neurologist. I know that most family doctors like to treat if they can, but they can't give you the necessary information that a neurologist can and the different types of treatment that can be used. I will say this, my neurologist has told me to never use excedrin migraine because it causes residual headaches. If you read the back of the bottle of excedrin it will say may cause headaches. So I would not give him that medicine. I do agree that you have to keep track of the headaches and what foods that he eats to make sure that its not food related. I hope this helps.

Hi! Though I haven't personally experienced this, I know a parent or two who have. Though your son is only 10, it is VERY possible that he is having migraines; he has all the classic symptoms. He will need a workup by his primary care doctor and maybe a referral to a neurologist or other specialist in migraines; your doctor will advise you. There are much better medications than Motrin (though you've been lucky that has worked for him so far). Naturally, the dosage would have to be dialed back based on his body weight. I believe there are medications out there to prevent migraines or to take very early at the first sign of a symptom.

Good luck!

Pam

Hi, M., Your son may be sensitive to chemicals in household cleaners. I have seen many people experience relief from headaches when they get all of the caustic chemicals out of the home. Migraines have also been linked to low levels of flora. I shop with Melaleuca, and have noticed a tremedous difference in many health related issues, including fewer, milder headaches! I could share countless stories of others who have been helped as well. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like to hear more. Good luck! N. B.
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Dear M.,

Migraines can be a rather daunting problem, but can be managed by doing a thorough evaluation of your child's exposure to certain foods, and other environmental exposures. Many times there are things triggering this problem that you are not aware of, such as snack foods that have certain preservatives or spices. I am a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and I treat children using natural medicine. Before your child goes down the path of being medicated over and over, I am suggesting you find someone who practices natural medicine to help you. Many times conditions such as this that start early in life end up being a life long problem that worsens in time, if the problem isn't nipped in the bud so-to-speak. I've seen teens being started on one medication after another, and they then become adults who are victims of poly-pharmacy. I'm not sure where you are located, but check out our website. www.mcim.org I have an article on this site entitled "Oriental Medicine for You Little One's"

S. M.

It sounds like your son is having migraines. The journal is a great idea, if when he has them, you list the things you ate within the last few hours before hand and any other circumstances, whether he was outside for a long time, stressed, whatever, that way your doctor can help you find things that are triggering your son's migraines. By all means, if motrin helps, go ahead and use it, it can ease the symptoms of the migraine, but a true one is cause by different brain functions than a normal headache, so your doctor will probably give you a medicine called relpax (sp?), which is not a pain reliever, so make sure he only takes it when he's having a migraine. Hopefully with your doctors help, you'll be able to reduce the occurrence and use the medicine they give you to help deal with the non-preventable ones (sometimes stress triggers can't be avoided). Hope he gets some help soon and know sleeping them off sometimes is the best relief, that's what I did in high school when I had the worst ones. Good luck to you both!!

You need to decide the cause. If it is stress then some form of relaxation techniques will help. If it happens at certain times of the year it could be allergies and medication may help. I would take him for a full physical (including blood sugar) and make sure there are no medical problems. They can even test his blood for allergies which is much easier then the skin tests but call your insurance to make sure they will pay for a RAST test first. Hope he feels better soon!

I had a student last year with the same symptoms. His mother did everything possible to figure out how to help her son. They ran test after test. They tried medication after medication and nothing worked. We eventually found out he was so concerned about his Mother's safety while he was at school that it caused these severe headaches. When he was seeing a chiropractor is where he received the most help by having the stress relieved. He is now seeing a counslor and is doing 100% better. If he gets pregame jitters maybe it s stress related for your son too. I get motion sickness in vehicles and have these similar symptoms. I now have to take a medication to knock me out when I travel unless I drive. I am not a doctor so I don't know what the problem could be for your son. I just thought I would share these stories with you. Best of Luck too you!!!

My 7 year old son has had headaches for a year. The doctors initially thought it may have been brought on by food allergies, and he's stayed away from the possibilities. I soon found that because he was so active he wasn't talking in as much fluid that would keep him hydrated resulting in severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, that would last for two hours or more. We're always pushing the fluids now and seems to help. If worst comes to worst we give him a suppository for nausea and vomiting.

I have a ten year old son who often complained of headaches and also nausea when riding home from school, or any car ride for that matter. I think it was a combination of low blood sugar/protein after school and motion sickness. Since I didn't want to be giving him medication every day, I looked into natural cures for motion sickness. Ginger is supposed to help with nausea (hence, ginger ale for upset stomach) so I bought him a pack of ginger chews and alerted the bus driver that he should be allowed to have one on the bus. In fact, she had also told me of his discomfort and complaints. My son said that it seemed to help. I haven't heard him say anything more about it and it's been months. Give it a try and see if it helps.
I also have a very active 3 year old, so it seems we may have similar situations.
A.

Hi M.,

My daughter of 14 has the same issue and has been found to be migranes. Her symptoms were headaches mostly on the right side, and no nausea or sensitivity to light. The doctor put her on some meds. Imitrix and another medication and said that excedrin migrane would help. He has set her up for a CT scan tomarrow due to her headaches being almost everyday. If we try the meds for 1 wk and they don't work she will have to see a neurologist. Apparently migranes are known to travel thru family genes.My mom has a severe case of them where they last for 2 months. He did say however since she has gotten them before the age of 18 they should fade within time, and that they shouldn't carry over into her adulthood. Hope that this helps. I do suggest taking him to the doctor to get the care that he needs.

Hi~ I agree with everyone about getting a CT and all that. It is always best to rule the serious stuff out. We went through that with my 11yr old daughter. She has had headaches for 3 or 4 years. They would get so bad and happen so often that they were interfering with school. We were referred to a pediatric neurologist and she got a CT scan and even an EEG. Nothing diagnosed her problem. I decided to take her to my chiropractor. He did x-rays because of her headache issue and they showed she was out of alignment and the c1 where the brain stem sits was tilted. You could see how clearly that her spine wasn't straight were it was supposed to be. She has been going to my chiropractor, Dr. Connolly, for 2 1/2 months and has had such amazing results! She has only had a few headaches since she started going. She says they weren't as bad as they used to be. 1 happened at school but didn't interfere with school. She didn't have to come home. She is so happy they have pretty much gone away. And we are relieved as well. Hopefully this helps. Good luck :)

I am a recovered migrane sufferer and I tell you having a migrane is no joke. It had been determinded that it was stress related and that caffine such as soda and chocolate did not help the situation any, I was put on several medications not at one time but at different times and even had to have shots when they got to be to much, your child may be having anxiety about upcoming events which may trigger the headache and what he eats may also be a factor and if it's a migrane motrin will not help. Please continue to keep the journal and by all means do the followup and keep us moms posted.

I had a similar problem as a pre-teen/teen. My mom figured out that I got them from becoming overheated...I would definitley recommend keeping a log. I know that the aura is hard to understand as a kid but is helpful with diagnosing migranes and now there is medication to help. Good Luck!

Hi M., I have suffered from migraines for years, but within the last two years have been virtually freed from them, thanks to my neuroligist. There are preventative medications that they can prescribe, but what's great about my medication (topamax) is that it is only used for 6 months to break the cycle and then isn't needed any longer except for maybe an occasional tune up. I learned a lot about my eating habits too and I'll tell you, one of the biggest migraine triggers people don't seem to know about is nitrates in food. This is usually found in pre-packaged lunch meats and especially in hot dogs. The only hot dogs I've found without them are the Hebrew National hot dogs I guess because they are prepared in the kosher style (not that I know what that means exactly, except that they don't have nitrates and don't give me headaches :) Along with keeping track of his headaches, you should also be recording what he is eating since so many migraine triggers are food related. Other big ones are as mentioned below, lack of sleep, dehydration, and here's one no one mentioned: lack of protein. Sometimes I can swear that a string cheese will get rid of a headache that's in the works because it's full of protein. Peanut butter and eggs are good for this too.

But definitely take your son to a neurologist and give him/her all the information you have been recording. They are the experts and any neurologist worth his salt can diagnose migraines and help you get rid of them.

Hope this helps.

Hi! He could very well be experiencing these migraines due to stress. I went through the same thing for years with my daughter (now 17) and had all sorts of testing done. All test came back completely normal (even the eye doctor). Making sure she is not overloaded on extra-curricular/sports, gets enough sleep, stays hydrated and eats somewhat normally makes a huge difference. Good luck!

M.-these sound like migraines, just like you said, and I am sure that you have heard from others to journal his foods that he is eating, and of course what the doctor said. Journaling the foods will help to see if a specific food group or source is triggering his headaches. It could be a reaction to a food allergy as well. Other than that, does he seem overwhelmed at school or with his sports? Maybe they are doing standardized tests at school, and he is feeling the pressure? Hope you can figure out what is wrong, good luck! K.

You are getting some good info and some kind of scary info.

Really, take him to a neurologist. Preferably a pediatric neurologist. Pre-teen years can be fraught with hormonal changes and those can cause migraines, as can food sensitivities and genetics.

If you're concerned, take him in and have a doc take a look at him. There are some very good meds that you can take just when they come on that will help manage them. Better still, if you can identify the source you can manage that.

The nausea and sensory sensitivity do point to migraines, by the way. Good luck!

H.