!2 year old girl with Migraines

[fluffycauliflower]

Hi, has anyone got any advice about migraines? My daughter has had about 3 or 4 bouts in the last 9 months where she had a headache for a few days, the doctor has diagnosed migraines. I wish there was something we could to prevent them, all I can think of is trying to help her to relax, though she doesn't seem in any way stressed and goes to a school which gives very little homework (I'd like to see more). Thanks.

Try a food diary, ds has a problem with tomatoes which according to his paed is commom particulary tomato sauce. Also get her eyes checked, ds is light sensitive and has now got glasses with a tint to use at school. If they become more frequent ( about twice a month) they can try preventative treatment.
For pain relief she is old enough to take Migraleve if you feel normal painkillers aren't helping.

The only way to prevent them is to be aware of triggers - for me going too long between meals, and fluorescent lights, are the main triggers but for some people it's types of food etc. If you want to stick to simple painkillers, I find that taking them right at the start of an attack with a sweet fizzy drink seems to be best (ibuprofen and coca cola for me - am breastfeeding so have to stay off the strong drugs for the time being). Experiment to find what works best for your daughter. She has my sympathy - migraine's a horrible thing and not just a 'hypochondriac's headache' as lots of people seem to assume.

Thanks for you responses. The Doctor did prescribe migraleve. I don't particularly want to use it as it has codeine in it. I want to look at preventing the migraines in the first place. She loves tomatoes and ketchup!

I will try the ibuprofen and a sweet drink. She wakes up in the morning with them, which seems bizarre to me. She is really skinny and is a fussy eater with a poor appetite, I try really hard to get more food into her. I sometimes do 'supper' before bed - maybe toast and yoghurt, maybe I need to do more of that.

Hi fluffy is there any chance your dd clenches her teeth in her sleep. My dentist was able to tell me I do this & I suffer from neck pain & wake up some days with headache which feels like a tightness up the back of my head & takes a while to clear.

My DD suffers quite badly from migraines. Sometimes Imigram has helped, if taken early on in the attack.
Could your DD's migraines by triggered by hormones? Some girls and women find that they are vulnerable to a migraine attack at particular points in their menstrual cycle. keep a diary and see if there's a pattern of occurences. Your GP may be able to help if there is.

Hi, thanks for your responses. I don't think he clenches her teeth. I do think it seems to be hormonally related, the GP said to keep a diary and go back to her.

check her blood pressure too;
many people would have headaches due to the weather changes (something to do with their blood pressure, possibly low).
you say she has a poor diet which could be the answer for the headaches.
You will probably need to make research on the web what causes headaches.
Here are two links but there are lots of them on the Internet:
isabellasnow.hubpages.com/hub/Common-Causes-of-Headaches

www.medicinenet.com/migraine_headache/page5.htm

I would not take ibuprofen regularly. It is not a good medicine.

I once had headaches in the mornings when I did not eat well-balanced food. I ate very little just to eat something. I had very low levels of iron.

If she's waking up with them, it could be that lack of food is a trigger for her - especially if you say she's a poor eater.

A milky drink before bedtime or some toast would definitely be worth a try.

Also, get her to take any medication the instant she thinks she is getting one. With a migraine your system shuts down, so if she leaves it, then the drug won't be absorbed into her system, so won't work.

But I have to ask, why are you so worried about her having codeine? It's an addictive drug, but you're not going to be feeding it to her every day. And if it helps get rid of a migraine I think you're actually being a bit cruel not giving it to her. (I know that sounds harsh, and I am sorry for that, but have you ever had a migraine? I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy!)

Definately keep a food diary.
I got migraines from about the age of 12 and the first doctor I saw just said "chocolate, cheese, red wine and coffee".

As it turns out my migraines are a lot more complex than that, but by cutting down on cheese and chocolate (the only things in that list I consumed) it did help.

Hormones can be a trigger (so be careful what pill she eventually uses (if and when)), as can stress, back/neck/jaw tension...

But you can also get a migraine for no reason whatsoever (the number that I've had on holiday when I was totally relaxed is just ridiculous).

Agree that migraine medicine needs to be taken ASAP otherwise it can be pointless. But also know that some migraines will not respond to any medication, even if you take something that usually works. So if for one migraine something doesn't work, its still worth trying it the next time.

Apparently when I have bad headaches I drink coffee which helps. I am not a coffee drinker but we do keep it at home for the occasions. Coffee is very good when you have bad tummy aches or even headaches. I know that it brings low blood pressure (which cause headaches too) to the normal levels. It does not work immediately but approximately after 20 or 30 min.

www.google.co.uk/search?gcx=w&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=coffee+helps+with+migranes#hl=en&sa=X&ei=9XZ8TpJr6bHRBbPa4f0P&ved=0CCAQvwUoAQ&q=coffee+helps+with+migraines&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=ce961daf7aabd0eb&biw=1280&bih=681

I'm so glad I posted here because all the things you have said have been really helpful. Becausei'mworthit, I think you are right, a little bit of codeine woudn't be so bad.

I try really hard to get her to eat more. Her problem is she has no appetite and often feels a bit sick after she has eaten a bit. I will try all the suggestions you've made, thanks.

I'm glad

I hope you manage to find a way to help deal with/control them.

"I try really hard to get her to eat more. Her problem is she has no appetite and often feels a bit sick after she has eaten a bit."

feeling sick after you have eaten something could be a sing of food disorder, anorexia or bulimia.