5 year old with frequent headaches-UPDATE! in post #1 - Page 2

[erthe_mama]

Originally Posted by Shenjall

Some common triggers are:
<snip>
chemical smells (cleaners, perfumes)
<snip>

: Cleaners are a MAJOR one for me. I can only use vinegar, borax, and baking soda.

[thriftyqueen]

Originally Posted by bigeyes

your doc should have been able to give you a list of things to start eliminating one by one as a test. If not, google, or start buying or checking out migraine books. Some of the triggers are surprising. My biggies are scented products, tea, and bleu cheese. MSG is one that affects a lot of people and it's in a lot of foods, though it shouldn't be as much of a problem for anyone who frequents a NFL site. Nuts and cheeses bother some people, some are bothered by vinegars and yeast or yeast products like breads. Throwing sleep schedules off is another one of my triggers, I absolutely have to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every single day. Being a boy he probably doesn't have hormonal triggers.

Go to Amazon and just type in Migraines and see all the book titles you get.

I was not very impressed with the answers I got from the doctor. He is my DS's regular physician as we don't really have too many options for homeopathic physicians. I asked him if there were some foods or chemicals that could be causing the headaches and he said, "That could very well be, but it would be too hard to figure out what is triggering it so it would just be easier to treat."

I have been doing some research online and think I have found some good things to try first. Hopefully it will be an easy enough thing to figure out. Is it possible for heat to trigger a migraine? Sometimes I think he is really sensitive to heat. He gets really hot with bright red checks when he spends anytime outside on a warm or hot day.

[fek&fuzz]

I would try acupuncture or acupressure. That can work wonders for migraines.

[thriftyqueen]

Originally Posted by fek&fuzz

I would try acupuncture or acupressure. That can work wonders for migraines.

That is a really good idea. I think we have 1 acupuncturist in our town. I will find out.

[pumpkin]

everyones triggers are different so I would definitely keep a journal for awhile.

I've had migraines since childhood but didn't realize what exactly was going on at first. My triggers are oatmeal, grapejuice, and applejuice, all pretty common childhood foods. I also need to sleep in a VERY dark room. That means heavy blackout curtains on the windows. Sleeping in sunlight definitely triggers a killer migraine for me.

I take a very small dose of an old-school antidepressant every day to prevent migraines. That plus avoiding triggers has kept that at a minimum.

If you can't easily figure out the triggers, then I would look into a neurologist who specializes in migraines. Seriously, finding a neurologist who also suffered from migraines and therefore really "got it" was such a blessing. I don't see him anymore, I just have my GP write the scripts for the drugs he started me on.

I had really bad luck with GPs for migraines. One even started me on a calcium channel blocker that was specifically contra-indicated for women my age - it was known to cause heart failure!! Thankfully another doc caught the error about 6 weeks later.

[yentroc]

I'm a chiropractor and treat lots of kids (including kids with migraines).

You may want to check out www.icpa4kids.com you can find a pediatric chiropractor.

Poor little guy!

[Shenjall]

Originally Posted by thriftyqueen

.... Hopefully it will be an easy enough thing to figure out. Is it possible for heat to trigger a migraine? Sometimes I think he is really sensitive to heat. He gets really hot with bright red checks when he spends anytime outside on a warm or hot day.

It has for me. If we're sitting outside I have to eat alot of white(no red) freezies to keep my body temp down. Or I bring ice packs out and put them on the back of my neck. The good news is, by doing this, I have avoided (knock on wood) a heat-induced migraine for a while now.

[dancingmamaof2]

Is he under any stress, mabey just started school?

[sbgrace]

I hope you find his triggers and you've got some good advice and leads here.

I would add that riboflavin has potential in migraines based on studies I've seen. I ran across that in reaching it for my son who takes relatively high doses due to metabolic issues. It's safe...you do want to split the doses up if you decide to try it as they body can only absorb so much at a time.

[greeneyedjess]

just wanted to add...some things that trigger my bad headaches (which sometimes progress to migraines) are dairy products, eating later than usual-especially lunch, being at my computer and then going home to a 52" television, chinese food (msg i guess?) and sleeping later than my normal wake up time. thinking back on some of the headaches i got when i was younger, i believe that i've always had migraines. i used to have to lay down and fall asleep in the dark for them to finally go away. they've gotten worse as i've gotten older.

[Rani]

Make sure he isin't getting anything with apartame (Nutrasweet) - anything marked sugar free: I only have to eat a small portion of something with it in it and I have a migraine for sure! Many are sensitive to artificial sweetners

That is the only thing I could think of that others haven't mentioned previously.

[splunky]

I haven't been able to read the whole thread, nak, and it's 11:30 pm here.
But, that said, I wanted to quick tell you about my DS.
He is 6, has had headaches, exactly as you describe, only on his forehead, not anywhere else, although sometimes it engulfs the head, but rarely.
Took him to check his eyes, they are fine.
Took him to Ped., says it's sinus, allergies, must put him on allergy meds. I wasn't satisfied with that, as there was no proof, and just seemed like a catch-all kind of response.
Was talking to a friend of mine, also a Chiro., and she said bring him in, what else do you have to lose? I was a bit skeptical truthfully. He saw her for a few weeks, about 2x/wk. His headaches are GONE!
Viola, that's it! I was so amazed and delighted, and he is so happy they are gone. What a relief.
Now I take him in maybe twice a month just to make sure everything is okay, or when he complains of a headache again.

So, fwiw, I say try it, what do you have to lose? Besides, that beats having him on meds any day!
Hope this helps

[mamatoablessing]

Originally Posted by splunky

I haven't been able to read the whole thread, nak, and it's 11:30 pm here.
But, that said, I wanted to quick tell you about my DS.
He is 6, has had headaches, exactly as you describe, only on his forehead, not anywhere else, although sometimes it engulfs the head, but rarely.
Took him to check his eyes, they are fine.
Took him to Ped., says it's sinus, allergies, must put him on allergy meds. I wasn't satisfied with that, as there was no proof, and just seemed like a catch-all kind of response.
Was talking to a friend of mine, also a Chiro., and she said bring him in, what else do you have to lose? I was a bit skeptical truthfully. He saw her for a few weeks, about 2x/wk. His headaches are GONE!
Viola, that's it! I was so amazed and delighted, and he is so happy they are gone. What a relief.
Now I take him in maybe twice a month just to make sure everything is okay, or when he complains of a headache again.

So, fwiw, I say try it, what do you have to lose? Besides, that beats having him on meds any day!
Hope this helps

I couldn't agree more. I have been plagued with debilitating migraines since I was three years old. The only non-drug treatment that work for me is regular adjustments. There is a definite increase in my migraines when I slack on seeing my chiro. FTR, it doesn't sound like your DS has a typical migraine (which is generally accompanied by nausea, light and noise sensitivty, blurred vision, slurred speech, etc.). I would never put my child on daily meds for what you describe. I think your doc actually jumped the gun and possibly misdiagnosed.