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

I get cluster migraines where I get loads at once, then they completely stop for around a year, then I get a cluster again. Its amazing when I'm migraine free, but awful when I'm in a cluster like now as I can get them one after the other.

I take amitriptiline every night wether I'm in a cluster or not , have sumitriptan for onset (works about half the time ) and take co-codamol for the pain (I try to limit this). Light is a trigger for me so I go everywhere wifh sunglasses on my head. Also stress. I couldn't tolerate the pill, it made them so much worse. I have to limit my phone use also. I think mine are partially due to eyesight ussues. They've also got loads worse after I had covid. .

Came back to mention my HRT professional also suggested a can of coke at the first sign and apparently sour sweets have some science behind them as working to fend off in the first stages. Hope you find something to help her soon.

I seen a consultant for my migraines and he recommended taking 900mg aspirin when I felt one coming on. I would obviously check the dose as she is only a teen but it really helps me. I now have few full blown migraines rather than multiple a month.

Sorry I don’t have time to RTFT but I find white tiger balm on my temples help as does hanging my head upside down, which ties in with the neck issues others have mentioned, no idea if it’s the rush of blood or releasing tension, ideally in the shower with cold water running, that might take some convincing though.

Hi,
Thought I'd give an update as we've had a big improvement - maybe it can help somebody else out there.

@ittakes2 and @drspouse thank you for mentioning melatonin. We looked into it and it seems it may really help for the type of migraines she has. She has been taking a 3mg nightly dose for 3 weeks now and we have seen a marked improvement.

She also realised that getting up and ready for school without eating/drinking something first thing was contributing to the migraines. So now she gets up and has a coffee and breakfast BEFORE getting ready for school, rather than getting ready before breakfast. This has made a significant difference at well.

In fact, we have gone from a migraine every day for 3 weeks straight, to no migraines in the last 10 days.

We also saw the neurologist who confirmed that lack of quality sleep was by far the biggest lifestyle contributor. Melatonin will help. As will going to bed earlier - easier said than done when they have so much revising to do...

She has been prescribed high dose vitamin B2 i.e. riboflavin. More melatonin. And a backup prescription for a low dose beta blocker, which we won't start unless the daily migraine streak returns.

I mostly want to say thank you to all the lovely M-Netters who have replied on this thread, as you gave me a lot of hope. And some very useful answers.

I’m a sufferer. As you can see from all the replies, there are many possible triggers and many treatments, all of which work for some people and not others.

I see that she doesn’t eat enough. After years of not finding my triggers, I eventually realised that not eating was the main one. Eating regularly is a precaution against getting one - it’s no good having something to eat when an attack starts, I have to eat regularly all the time. The other one for me is sudden, intense stress, e.g. a horrendously difficult meeting. Not chronic stress.

I can’t have triptans because of other medication I’m on, but I find Migraleve aborts an attack if I take it as soon as the first signs appear. If that doesn’t work, I take ibuprofen as well. Migraleve contains paracetamol and codeine, as well as an anti-emetic, so ibuprofen is the only OTC painkiller that’s left.

My mother had extremely bad migraines with loss of vision, loss of balance and repeated vomiting as well as very severe headache. Despite this she stubbornly refused to take meds as soon as she felt an attack coming, and if she took them when it was already developed, it was no use - and she’d throw them straight up anyway. Does your DD have warning signs (prodrome)? If so, she should take the meds as soon as she suspects, and not worry if it’s a false alarm. I carry Migraleve everywhere, and take them the second I feel something isn’t right. It’s usually the start of an aura (which has the wonderful medical name of “scintillating scotoma”). Leaving it a few minutes too long is disastrous.

I hope she gets the right treatment, OP. And I hope her school understands- or is made to understand- that migraine isn’t a headache. It’s a neurological condition, a syndrome with many symptoms, one of which is severe headache.

Sorry, hadn’t seen the update! Great to hear that she has had such an improvement.

There are lots of different preventives. She needs to keep a headache diary or they wil just send her away to fill it on and come back in a month
Download from gosh website
Headache clinic | Great Ormond Street Hospital share.google/1V4RfGt8u0QYC7isi

@FictionalCharacter if you are on SSRIs, they don't recommend them with triptans but they will prescribe and keep an eye on you - I take both.
If you get the migraines due to stress, it's hardly non-stress-full to have anxiety/depression as well!

Great news!

Fantastic op, fingers crossed things are on the up!

It isn't SSRI and isn't for depression or anxiety.

Taking Atogepant has changed my life. I did a trial and as a result was able to get my GP to prescribe it. I highly recommend you talk to your doctor about it if you have tried other options like propranolol or amitriptyline. I also got of information from Migriane FB groups. Best of luck.

https://migrainetrust.org/live-with-migraine/healthcare/treatments/gepants/

Get an echo cardiogram as I had bad migraines most of my life and didn't know I had a pfo hole in my heart until I had a massive heart attack. My daughter also get migraines and was just just checked for pfo and does have one too. 25% of ppls don't close after after a few years of being born. Migraines are linked to them now too. Once mine was closed I don't get aura migraines anymore!! My daughter will see a surgeon too and hopefully get it fixed.

Try eliminating sweeteners, see if that helps. That is my main trigger. Especially diet coke and squash.

Also reccomending https://www.nationalmigrainecentre.org.uk/ who are a charity and are excellent.

Just seen the update but will leave this up incase helpful to others.