Migraine Headaches in Children

VomitingNeck pain or stiffnessDouble vision or changes in visionConfusionLoss of balanceFever of 100.4 пїЅ пїЅF (38 пїЅ пїЅC) or higher You should also take your child to see a doctor or nurse if he or she has a headache and: пїЅ пїЅ

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You should also take your child to see a doctor or nurse if he or she has a headache and: пїЅ пїЅ

Gets headaches more than once a month
Is younger than 3 years old

Are there tests my child should have? " пїЅ Probably not. Your child's doctor or nurse will probably be able to tell what is causing your child's headaches by doing an exam and by learning about his or her symptoms. But if your child's doctor or nurse thinks your child has a serious problem, he or she might order an imaging test such as an MRI or a CT scan. Imaging tests create pictures of the inside of the body. пїЅ пїЅ

What can I do to help when my child has a migraine? " пїЅ When your child's migraine starts: пїЅ пїЅ

Have your child rest in a quiet dark room with a cool cloth on his or her forehead.
Encourage him or her to sleep.
Give your child only the medicine or medicines that you have talked to your doctor about.

How are migraines treated in children? " пїЅ There are lots of prescription and non-prescription medicines that can ease the pain of migraines. There are also prescription medicines that can help prevent migraines from happening in the first place. The right medicine for your child will depend on how often he or she gets migraines and how severe they are. If your child gets migraines often, work with his or her doctor to find a treatment that helps. пїЅ пїЅ

If your child has headaches often, do not try to manage them on your own with non-prescription pain medicines. Giving non-prescription pain medicines too often can cause more headaches later. пїЅ пїЅ

Is there anything I can do to keep my child from getting a migraine? " пїЅ Maybe. In some cases, migraines can be "triggered " пїЅ or set off by certain foods or things that children do. Some possible headache triggers are: пїЅ пїЅ

Skipping meals
Not drinking enough fluids
Having too little or too much caffeine
Sleeping too much or too little
Stress
Certain foods containing nitrates, such as bologna or hot dogs

If you can figure out what is triggering your child's headaches, you might be able to help your child avoid those triggers. To find possible triggers, keep a headache diary for your child. In the diary, write down every time your child has a headache along with the following information: пїЅ пїЅ

The times it started and ended
Where in the head the headache was, for example left side, right side, both sides or behind the eyes
How the headache felt, for example, "pounding " пїЅ or "sharp " пїЅ
What your child ate and did before the headache started
How bad the headache was " пїЅ Using the FACES pain scale can help
What you did to try to help, for example having your child rest in a dark room
What, if any, medicine you gave, including the name of the medicine and how much you gave
Any other symptoms your child had with the headache, for example numbness in his or her lips

After you have been keeping a diary for a while, check to see if there are any foods or events that seem to bring on a headache. Then, try avoiding those triggers to see if headaches happen less. Share the diary with your child's doctor or nurse. It can help him or her understand your child's headaches and choose the best treatment for your child. пїЅ пїЅ

All topics are updated as new evidence becomes available and our peer review process is complete. пїЅ пїЅ

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Nov 04, 2014. пїЅ пїЅ

Topic 83061 Version 2.0 пїЅ пїЅ

Release: 22.8 - C22.208 пїЅ пїЅ

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Migraine Headaches in Children

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