Desperate for help with teen daughter's migraines

[Gastropod]

Hi all,

Posting here for traffic, as I could do with some help. Teen daughter in final year at school, huge pressure with exams and schoolwork, etc.

She's suffered from migraines with aura for several years but until this year, a small dose of sumatriptan on migraine onset was enough to not only stop the migraine, but reduce overall frequency.

This year they are back with a vengeance. She has a sumatriptan nasal spray which works but still takes an hour to take effect.

This week she's had three migraines in a row, one every day. She's been late for school every day as a result. We have a doctor's note and the school are understanding but I'm very worried for her.

We are seeing a neurologist next month but I really don't know how to manage this. We have no idea what the triggers are, apart from stress.

She's a bright kid and has worked incredibly hard to get good results, and has dreams of uni etc. next year. I'm extremely concerned this blasted condition will scupper her chances. Of course, I'm not sharing my fears with her. I joined a couple of migraine support groups but it's all doom and gloom, I'm now feeling that this is a life sentence for her.

Is there any advice for me as concerned parent? What on earth can I do to help her?

Thank you

Any chance they are linked to her cycles? I get the monthly migraine myself.

Any food allergies? Eggs and chocolate are not good for me

Thanks - I had thought it was possible, but this month we've had at least one a week, sometimes more....

Thanks. It's not clear. She's supposed to be cutting out chocolate just to see, but it's quite hard to tell if that's made a difference or not. She is a typical teenager, gets cross that she has to cut nice things out, so possibly not entirely honest with me about whether she's managed to do it or not.

Migraines are awful, I suffered for years before I found a medication that helped, it was a triptan one, but one that you put on your tongue and it really started working within 10/15 minutes. I had monthly migraines, so knew it was down to the time of month, if you think they are caused by stress, which they can be, that needs addressing.

She has my sympathies, because I was her.

Started getting migraine with aura when I was 8. They were horrendous until my 30s.

When triptans came along I was an early user. I had the injection, the melty one, and a spray, Sadly they didn’t help me because they might stop the migraine pain but I found it came back later the same day or next. Mine were so bad that the doctor would come to home and give me a sedative and painkiller injection.

I went to uni, did well, and built a successful professional career, so it won’t necessarily get in her way - I understand your fears of course!

Things that have helped me:

I kept a diary to identify triggers. What I ate, what I did, what the weather was, how I felt emotionally. I do have three foods that will guarantee me a migraine and I can’t look at snow; bright flares of sunlight can also be an issue.

For a while I was prescribed a preventative (mine was a beta blocker, I think, but that was the 80s and there may be different options these days).

Water. All the water. Being dehydrated is a big risk for me.

Stress isn’t a trigger for me but if she knows it is for her, there are many tools and apps to help stress management.

I’ve lived with it for nearly 50 years and these days I get “only” the aura with no pain afterwards. Until my 30s I’d have the lot - aura, pain, vomiting, upset stomach. I wished for death on a regular basis, it was unbearable.

Good luck, it’s a horrible condition to live with but it can be done.

If you have 45 minutes watch this video on YouTube: Ketogenic Therapy for Migraine Management - with Dr. Elena Gross.

Thank you, I'll do that.

I have migraine with aura relating to my cycles - period, mid cycle ovulation etc. Stress can cause them too.

Rather than cutting things out, she should keep a diary. I think the Migraine Trust has one you can download. Would be ideal to do this before the neurology appointment.

Maybe she needs a preventative, but it's hard to say without knowing triggers (if there are any that can be identified).

I tried beta blockers (10 years ago but they are still a thing) and now am on amitriptyline which helps.
A friend's teen DD has been seen by Great Ormond St and is taking melatonin now, and doing CBT as stress is a trigger.

@SoScarletItWas thank you for posting. I'm glad you managed to achieve good things in your life in spite of this horrid condition.

I'm trying to get her to keep a diary but it's hard - she's a bit scatterbrained at the best of times, and she just forgets. We've tried apps, etc. She knows it's important, but she's a teenager and much as I'd like to, I just can't keep a diary for her. I think she might be a little bit in denial as well, feeling annoyed that she can't do whatever she wants.

I'm hoping to explore other medications when we see the neurologist. There has been talk of preventives, but I hear that few are without side effects.

In the meantime, I wondered about CBT. She went through it for anxiety a few years ago and it was successful. Perhaps it could help with the stress management.

Migraine suffer.

First questions to ask: is she eating, drinking & sleeping enough? How much screen time does she have? How is she relaxing after a long day at school?
These can all be triggers.

I'm sorry to hear your daughter is going through this. My daughter suffered chronic migraine all through her teen years and missed a lot of school as a result.
She took Topiramate (epilepsy drug even though she doesn't have epilepsy) for a few years which did work but eventually she was referred to GOSH. There she had a couple of injections into her occipital nerve at the back of her head over the course of a year and they both gave relief for 6 months or so.
She is 29 now and still has the occasional migraine but now it's only 2 or 3 a year.
I wish your daughter well and hope you find a treatment that works for her.

Any tips for getting a teen to actually complete a diary would be much appreciated! I tell her that it's the first thing the neurologist will ask. But she can't stick to keeping it.

Doctor told us beta blockers were next step but I agree stress is a big trigger

My chiropractor can fix my migraine with one neck adjustment. I know not everyone likes them but I don't know what I'd do without it.

She gets nausea from the migraines, so there is a vicious circle that sets in. She definitely does not eat enough, IMO. Dehydration is a big trigger and I am on at her all the time to drink water, but again, it's hard to tell how much/little is enough.
She's a night owl though I insist on her getting good sleep. 8 hours is the average I'd say.
Resting after school is rare - she gets in at 5pm and goes straight to studying. She does have a good social life which is important, I guess. She never gets migraines at weekends!

change in air pressure is a big trigger for dh. Any storms-migraine

You could make a form
on Microsoft forms and get her to fill in? More gimmicky than a paper diary. Or you could ask her questions and you fill it in at dinner. Reality is though teens with this type of medical issue won’t do all the things that you know will help and it’s frustrating. You don’t want to make their life harder though. Maybe stick to the big important questions like sleep/ hormonal cycle and if exercised. I sometimes think heavy exercise is a trigger

I've had migraines since I was 13 and they are linked to my menstrual cycle - the drop in estrogen before my period triggers vicious migraines every month. Hormonal contraception makes them much worse and more frequent, is your daughter on any? Alcohol is a trigger for me as well. Unfortunately no dietary changes or preventatives have helped and typically menstrual migraines are hard to treat. She could try frovatriptan, which is a longer acting triptan that can be taken daily for a few days before your period starts to prevent the migraine from starting.

Sleep disruption can also trigger migraines for me, as can using the wrong pillow/having my neck at the wrong angle while I sleep. Sleeping in a stuffy room also seems to increase the chance of waking up with a migraine.

Does your daughter usually wake up with the migraines or do they creep up during the day?

For nausea the GP can prescribe some tablets.

Feverfew taken daily really lessoned frequency of my attacks, can get them from holland and barrat.

Thank you. I'm taking notes so that I can ask the neurologist about all these options.

My DD, had Botox injection in her head, worked immediately and lasted 6 months, just make sure you go to a qualified doctor

I find taking ibuprofen and paracetamol at the same time can do the trick. I just lie down till they kick in. The triptans do help but wipe me out, which is no good some days.