Think 4 year old may get Migraines

Hi everyone,

Am just after some general info on where I should proceed from here.

I think my DS 1 who is 4 1/2 may suffer from Migraines. Probably in the last year or so I have noticed on a few occasions he will complain of a headache, his eyes change, and he eventually ends up vomiting. He may vomit a few times over the space of a few hours, then has a sleep and wakes up fine ( a bit seedy but OK) no one in the family catches it which leads me to think it isn't gastro. On the 2 clear occasions I can think of one after travelling in a car for a couple of hours, and yesterday he spent a lot of time sitting in a tractor. (both quite stuffy conditions)

Does anyone else have a child that suffers from migraines, is there anything I can do, or should do.

Thanks

I used to get Migraines but never that young, mine was always a pain behind the eyes, found it hard to concentrate and they made me quite Nauseated, often ending in me being sick.
I would suggest maybe just having a chat with your GP, is there any chance maybe it's more travel sickness? Being in a car or tractor for long periods of time might not agree with him.

Hope you get some better answers for your poor little man.

Gotta say it sounds more like carsickness to me if being in a vehicle seems to be the trigger.

Thanks Zavara,

I don't get migraines so its hard for me to be able to know the pain. It seems quite delayed from when he has actually been in the vehicles, like 4 to 5 hours later. So it seems more like the headache builds to the point the he vomits.

I think I might have to see the GP to talk about it.

megs, i think Aussienic has a son who suffers from migraines. Hopefully she will pop in and be able to offer some advice :hug:

A Chiropractor may be able to help..

Good luck x

Hi, As Nic said my son suffers from Migraines.. He was just over 3 when he got his first one..

His triggers aren't known exactly but one we do know is yoghurt topped muesli bars and we think Dried Banana chips. (they set him off last month)

He gets one every 6-8 weeks. He starts off with changed behaviour at home. Whiny and very sooky and then naughty. then 1-2 weeks later he complains of being dizzy and this lasts for 5 days.. He has what we think is an aura Migraine. Day 1 and 2 are ok just dizzy and panadol does the trick. Day 3-4 are bad. He either is asleep or very "dizzy" then he vomits. Day 5 he goes back to just dizzy then Day 6 wakes up just fine. they don't always last 5 days. Back in January it only lasted for 2 days but then he got another 2 weeks later that lasted for 1 day..

Isaac has had an ECG ( i think thats the one) where they test for epilepsy and an MRI. Both ruled out anything nasty.. We have chosen to treat his migraines with just panadol as the other medication (imigran spray and periacton) made him feel terrible. Immigran spray worked awesomely but the side effects were sad to see.. Periactin makes him very very very sleepy and he can only have a quarter of a tablet once a day..

If you have any othe questions just let me know.

I am going away tomorrow for 4 days so will be back on Tuesday..

Gosh megs, my heart goes out to him and to you as a 'helpless' mum. I was diagnosed properly with migraines when i was 9, but had been suffering for maybe a year or so earlier. I'm sure it's much much easier to deal with in an older child. But that's exactly what would happen to me - headache, fuzzy eyes etc, vomit, sleep, wake up better. I had an MRI and a cat scan and a few other tests on my eyes etc to rule out possible other nasties that could be causing it.
Stuffy conditions, over-exciting occasions, very strong smells, stress, the list of triggers goes on.
We did keep a food diary for about 6 months too, to rule out foods and food combinations.
I would seek a doctors opinion.

Good luck with getting an answer which leads to an improvement in your DS's health.

I had migraines as a child (can't remember how young, but under 10)
I used to get a migraine if I was overtired. Too much chocolate was something else I think that contributed.
Mine would only last the one day though, and usually after vomitting and having a good night sleep I was fine.
I hope you get the answers you are after :hug:

Both my older kids started getting migraines at around 4yo.

DD had them worse than DS did. I've been taking her to an Osteopath for them which seems to be working really well. She was getting them weekly but now she's only getting them every month or so. I found diet also triggered them, mandarines, chocolate and coke being the worst culprits.

Thanks for the responses guys they have been a great help.

DS sees a chiropractor so I might book him in a mention this to him to see if he can pick anything up.

Lenny, I do think it is the stuffy conditions that sets him off, I think he might get a bit dehydrated and then it goes from there. I might keep an eye on his food also.

Might get him check by the Doc too, rather do it whilst he is at Kinder than when he is at school.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply

Sorry girls another question,

For those that had the migraines as children would you have considered yourself anxious or sensitive as a child (hope your not offended by my asking this).

Only reason I'm asking is that the first instance of this occuring DS was staying at my Mothers house, she lives about 2 hours away, he was excited about staying but I wonder whether he also quite anxious. Last night when this happened he was staying at my MIL & FIL's for the 2nd night (his request) his brother who he is close to wasn't staying. I tried talking to him tonight and he said that he was missing us. Now I'm wondering whether he gets himself worked up internally.

He is a very sensitive little boy, worries about things and other people way more than he should for a 4 year old.

I was, and am an extremely sensitive & emotional person.
Ive never thought about that being a contributing factor :think:

Wow, I'd never thought about it either. Yes, I think you would definitely call me sensitive/emotional.

Without sounding over dramatic, I remember missing my 10th birthday and my high school graduation and pretty much every big event in between. I guess I would get apprehensive, excited, overthink things and worry too.

Citrus, cheese and chocolate were all mentioned as triggers, but these were never triggers for me. Hormonal changes are a trigger for many women too - but you don't have to worry about that!!! Dehydration is a factor, as is fresh air.

But it's not always as simple as these things. I still get them - and I can't always pinpoint a reason why, even after more than 20 years!

It is worth getting him to a doctor though. There are other things that can cause headaches that should be ruled out.

Best of luck
Jo

Just a thought...take him to an Optometrist for an eye test and they will also check behind the eye. Explain to them the symptoms as eye strain can cause migraines as well.

Thanks again.

I don't think it is food triggers, but I will take him to Dr's and get it checked. Optometrist is a good point also.

Thanks Heather72, my son DS 1 (who gets the headaches) is Oscar also. Love the name.