Child Migraine: My 7 year old is dizzy
by Sarah
(Oxnard Ca)
I have a 7 year old daughter and last night she was standing up and she told me that she is very dizzy and she said her vision is fuzzy and she has never felt like this before.. She said her head hurts as well. She is not sick nor vomiting so I do not know what it is... Any suggestions?
Sarah
Answer:
Hi Sarah,
You do not mention whether or not migraines are in your family or not. If they are it could be just that.
I see so many cases of teens with migraine and many times they start in childhood, but were misdiagnosed. Plenty of adults come to me tell me that they remember having headaches in grade school.
"Dizzy" is probably the mild vertigo that starts with a migraine as is blurry vision. Not all migraines come with severe nausea and vomiting, but if a patient cannot eat during a headache, that infers low level nausea.
Many children have "stomach migraines" also known as abdominal migraine.
Usually children respond well to the vitamins used in alternative headache treatments. But in any case, a new onset of headache, no matter what the age should be discussed with your pediatrician. Headaches in kids are really not normal and she needs an exam by the doctor. Good luck! Mary Kay Betz MS RPA-C
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Child Migraine Everyday
by Angela L
(Newark Ohio U.S.A.)
My 9 year old daughter has a headache almost everyday. I took her to the doctor today he thinks she has migraines. I am very worried; the headache is mostly across the forehead and between the eyes. She hardly ever gets them in the summer the doctor says she looks too healthy for him to think it is something more then migraines.
He gave her 50mg imitrex he said if the headache goes away from that then has migraines.
Thanks Angela L.
Answer:
Hi Angela,
I am glad you took your daughter to the doctor for this. Many times parents are unaware that headaches in children can rarely point to something more serious than migraine.
You do not mention if there is migraine or headaches in the family. Even if your mother or grandmother had mild headaches, say for instance, with menses, then they had migraines. There is a genetic component to migraine.
Migraine in children is sometimes called stomach migraines due to the fact that many children will have abdominal pain as the most prominent symptom.
It is a bit of a clue that your daughter does not have headaches in the summer. I have seen this many times in children and what I usually uncover is some sort of school stressor..it might be too overwhelming to do so much homework, there is a teacher the child doesn't like or another student. I have also seen children who had schedules busier than mine! That much stress is bound to provoke headaches.
The doctor is right...Imitrex will only work if the headache is a migraine. If you have not tried the Imitrex yet give it a try. It is a very safe drug and can ease her pain. If it brings the headache down, repeat the dose in 2 hours, maximum is 2 doses in 24 hours. Obviously if it has no effect, then get back to the doctor.
One thing we have seen in our clinic is that children and adolescents respond much better to migraine headache treatment of vitamin supplements than adults do. There are several brands such as Migralief that are combinations of these supplements. Please discuss with the doctor before giving them to your daughter.
Good luck!
Mary Kay Betz MS RPA-C
COMMENTS:
my 7 year old keeps getting a pain above her left eyebrow then she is sick, she was getting it every month but now she is getting it every week
Answer
Hi,
First of all, headaches in children are abnormal and need to be taken seriously. Especially if the headaches are worsening.
She needs to see the pediatrician right away. Although it is easy to say she is having migraine, causes of emergency headaches needs to be ruled out.
Best of luck
Mary Kay
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Child migraine
by monique
(new haven)
My 10 yr old has complained on and off of head pains, on and off for 2 years, been to Dr. also pediatric neurologist, they think it is stress/anxiety.
I'm worried it's something worrisome, she gets belly aches also and worries about everything. would love to have an opinion..
Monique
Answer:
Hi Monique,
I am glad to hear that she has seen both the pediatrician and the pediatric neurologist. You do not mention whether or not migraine runs in your family but I suspect somewhere there is someone with "headaches".
Children's migraines are a bit different. They do not get long headaches like adults whose migraines are 4-72 hours on average. With kids the headaches are 1-2 hours and sometimes shorter.
Many people call them stomach migraines, abdominal migraine and child migraine when abdominal pain is present. Most often the abdominal pain may be the only symptom but then the child sort of grows into migraines.
Anxiety in children is common when they have migraine. They tend to worry about school, peer groups and homework. More worrying then actually causes the migraine.
At this age, lifestyle is very important. She should go to bed and get up the same time every day to settle the brain a bit, no caffeine and regular exercise. Talk to the neurologist about vitamin therapy. We tend to put the kids on Migralief vitamins and do the lifestyle changes before anything else. Good luck! Mary Kay Betz MS RPA-C
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Child Status Migrainosus
by Andrea
(Columbia, SC)
Hello!
I am just checking for further ideas. I have a 15 year old son who has been diagnosed with dysautonomia and mitochondrial cellular disorder (how's that for "vague?"). I am a registered nurse and constantly research new treatment modalities.
My son has had a headache now for one year. It began with the onset of a virus in Sept 2008 and has never resolved, despite Imitrex injections and daily Nortriptyline. This summer he was weaned off Nortriptyline and just started on Verapamil SR 120mg. He has accompanying nausea and dizziness.
He had status migrainosis in 2003 that lasted 6 months, and was refractory to DHE and other treatments, but finally resolved after Nortriptyline was initiated and he went through myofascial release in physical therapy. He was 9 years old when that headache started. CT and MRI scans are normal. The only other treatment that seemed to give him any relief was IVIg, which he has not received since February 2009. The improvement with that was gradual, but I can certainly see deterioration since it was stopped.
Just curious to know if you have further suggestions. We have tried chiropractic, accupuncture, hypnosis, as well. Believe it or not, he is a straight A honors level student although he has been on home bound for the better part of three years (has gastroparesis, etc assoc with dysautonomia). Thanks for thinking this through!
Answer:
Hi Andrea,
You do not mention whether or not your son has seen a headache specialist. This is a physician who has passed the recently implemented headache boards as a sub-specialty. I suspect if you can get to Duke, they have a good headache center there and you will find a headache specialist.
You do not mention amitryptiline but if he was on nortryptiline I will assume that one was tried. I actually prefer amitrip because it seems to work a bit better, especially if the patient has N/V and migraine associated vertigo. As an anti-cholinergic it works quite well to calm the brainstem. Usually the dose may be between 50-75 mg and has to be worked up slowly.
I also see no mention of anti-seizures. Topamax or Depakote (low dose) would be first line and should be taken WITH the other medications, even if he stays on verapamil.
Get him on the migraine vitamins of B2 Feverfew and magnesium if he can tolerate it. Give everything 90 days.
To break the cycle of pain, especially after one year (!) I recommend steroid infusions. We use methyprednolisolone, 1.0gm in 250ccNS for 3 days in a row, combined with magnesium 2.0gms then taper with prednisone for 2-3 weeks. I say this because he has had status migrainosus for so long.
Latest research has also indicated that serial occipital nerve blocks will also dampen migraine pain through a feedback system into the brain.
Best of luck to you and your son..
Mary Kay Betz MS RPA-C
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kid headaches
by Steve
(Toledo, Ohio)
Hi
My 11 yr old daughter has headaches everyday! she not on any other meds. I give her ibuprophen for it but they come back.
Answer
Hi Steve,
You do not mention how long she has had these headaches. Unfortunately, headaches everyday do not respond well to ibuprophen, as in the long run this actually fuels the headache and causes more pain. The condition is called analgesic rebound headache syndrome.
Headaches in children are not normal..kids that young need to be examined to rule out the remote possibility of a tumor causing the headache. If you have not taken her to a pediatrician I would recommend you see one.
As you know, there is a great children's hospital in Toledo, and I am sure that they have a pediatric neurologist who could help.
Children with headache also respond to lifestyle changes. They need 8 hours of sleep a night, and should go to bed and get up the same time everyday (within an hour) even the weekends. This helps cut down the headache pain. No skipping meals either.
You can read more about different types of headaches to see which one she might have.
Good luck!
Mary Kay Betz MS RPA-C
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Does the scenerio above sound like you? If not, or if you think you need more information please read about different types of headaches
to find out which type of headache you are experiencing.
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