Trying to get MY head around migraines!

[macb1702]

My DS (5.5yrs) has started suffering from migraines, he falls asleep whereever he may be and then vomits a few times after he wakes up. I have a couple of questions for you.... a stupid one firstly, should I take him to the doctors to have it confirmed? My big problem is he won't take medication, he absolutely refuses to take Calpol/Nurofen suspension, and so the only meds I can get down him are the Calpol meltlets which are for 6+. (I have worked out the correct dose he is able to take in 24hrs, so I'm not overdosing him before anyone worries!) In doing a bit of research though I see Nurofen is more effective, but they don't produce the meltlets do they? This will also have a knock on problem if the doctor prescribes something.... help anyone please?

Hi macb

My dd2 started suffereing from migraines at 5. I did go to the GP to get them confirmed and when the frequency increased we got referred to the hospital to have her checked over and get the best meds for her. Also, we needed a hospital note for the school to administer the calpol / nurofen combination (we give max doses of both at the same time).

DD now takes Sumatryptan (?sp) which is a tablet. This works fine if you catch it in time - but once we get to the vomiting stage any meds are a waste of time!

We've also tried taking a daily preventer (pizotifen) but this didn't help. If your ds has auras then make sure you give the meds at this stage - don't wait for the headache to start. dd has twinkly lights and/or criss cross lines before hers usually.

It is also worth trying to find out if your ds has any triggers - it is chocolate and late nights for dd.

Are your ds's migraines frquent - dd has hers once every 3 weeks which is far to often and I feel so sorry for her - it is miserable watching them suffer isn't it.

Does your

Thanks Sundew
I feel like a bit of a crap mum actually cos I think he has been suffering from them since preschool, but I didn't click that they migraines until a few months ago. I would say he has them every couple of months now. The problem I have is that they always seem to start whilst he is at school so I don't know how they start or whether he has auras. I only get called when he has fallen asleep! Maybe I should have a word with his teacher to get her to observe him more carefully when they start. I can't think of any triggers, there was certainly nothing yesterday that he had out of the ordinary. I will take him to the drs to get it checked out though. I hope they don't get any more frequent!

macb

It does take a while to work out they are migraines - dd2 had 2 or 3 before I twigged (and that was thanks to MNet!).

I asked dd if she saw anything before her headaches (or poorly heads as she called them). It would be worth a try. With dd if she had her meds with her aura then we can usually avoid a full blown headache.