Kids and Migraines

Joseph E. Safdieh, MD

It’s back to school time for many children, adolescents, and parents. Time for school supplies, backpacks, clothing, old friends, new friends, teachers, and homework. For children and teens with headaches, back to school is often a very stressful time. School can bring along common headache triggers like lack of sleep due to studying, reading small print, using the computer for extended periods, stressing over grades and tests and sitting for prolonged periods of time with lack of physical activity. Some of these headaches can actually be migraines. Migraines are often genetic, so if you or your spouse have migraines, don't be surprised if your children develop them as well.

Although migraines are two times more common in women then men, in children under the age of 12 this is not the case – boys and girls are affected equally. In young children, migraines are often misdiagnosed because they can present with atypical symptoms like cycles of abdominal pain, vomiting or confusion. If your 7 year old complains of frequent bouts of tummy aches with no apparent cause found, ask your pediatrician if migraines could be the culprit. Adolescents tend to experience the more typical migraine symptoms like incapacitating, throbbing head pain with nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

If your child has headaches, make sure to talk to the school nurse and teachers. Often children with "headaches" are not taken seriously, as headaches may be considered merely an excuse for getting out of schoolwork. Make sure your child gets regular sleep, daily physical activity and talk to your child about their headaches. Find out how often they are happening and talk about what may be triggering them. If headaches are interfering with school work, take your child to a pediatrician to discuss whether treatment is appropriate. Migraines in children may be different than in adults, but they are often just as incapacitating. But they are also quite treatable.