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A child’s developing body requires specialized pediatric migraine treatment that may be different from how migraine in an adult would be treated.
Often, medication is not the first approach to relieving migraine symptoms in children.
Migraine prevention strategies, such as avoiding migraine triggers, establishing a regular sleep routine and making dietary changes can reduce headache frequency. When a migraine attack happens, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be effective as an acute pediatric migraine treatment. Be sure to follow proper dosing.
Never give your child a smaller dose of an adult migraine medication. Triptans are a common migraine treatment in adults, but if used for childhood migraine treatment, they must be done so with caution and in specific formulations, such as nasal sprays.
Antiseizure, antihypertensive, antidepressant and antihistamine medications can be helpful for migraine prevention.
Children are susceptible to abdominal migraine, pain, nausea and loss of appetite that occurs just before or along with a headache. Check with your pediatrician or pediatric neurologist about proper dosing for children’s Benadryl (diphenhydramine), which can relieve abdominal symptoms and head pain. Promethazine (Phenergan) or ondansetron (Zofran) can be helpful for nausea with migraine.
Triptans generally are safe and effective in children, although rizatriptan is the only one approved for kids ages 6 and older. Several others can be effective in young children and adolescents. They are available in oral and nasal formulations, and can be tailored to the child.
Some extracts and supplements, such as magnesium and vitamin B2, may help with migraine. Others should be avoided because of side effects, especially long-term consequences in children. Talk with your pediatrician or pediatric neurologist before using any herbal or vitamin supplements.
Medication overuse headache is a concern with children and another reason why kids benefit from the care of a pediatric headache specialist.
At Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute, we offer some of the latest migraine treatments. Our specialists are trained and experienced in unique therapies, such as acupuncture. They are at the forefront of new pediatric migraine treatments and lead numerous clinical trials every year. This level of research means patients can get access to new treatments early. Once a treatment is approved for wider use, our specialists are deeply experienced with the therapy before other providers.
If your child is diagnosed with migraine, acupuncture is a complementary treatment that can help with pain relief. It is a traditional Chinese medicine technique practiced for more than 3,000 years. It involves inserting fine, single-use needles into different points on the body to help balance the patient’s qi, or energy force.
Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute neurologist and headache specialist Elizabeth S. Doll, M.D., has specialized training in acupuncture. If your child might benefit from acupuncture, she will meet with you and your child to determine whether acupuncture is the right course of treatment and then will work with you and your child to develop a plan.
In addition to pain relief, acupuncture can reduce frequency, severity and duration of migraine for children and teens. Studies have shown that acupuncture has a positive impact on children with migraine. It is safe and generally well tolerated by kids.
Botox is a treatment that can help patients ages 18 and older with chronic migraine that does not respond to traditional treatments.
Botox treatment involves a series of injections of botulinum toxin, a neurotoxin produced by the bacteria that causes botulism. After the toxin is purified, it is injected in small doses around pain fibers that are involved in headache to temporarily block the release of the chemicals involved in pain transmission. This is done as a preventive treatment.
Dr. Doll and Rachel L. Evans, M.D., also a board-certified pediatric headache neurologist with Norton Children’s Neuroscience Institute, have specialized training and experience in providing Botox injections for pediatric migraine treatment.
Evidence has shown that Botox is effective in younger patients, and research is ongoing.