Back to school can be tough for children suffering from migraines. It is estimated that up to 10 percent of children in the U.S. get migraines, according to the Migraine Research Foundation.
Today more than half of the children with migraines had their first attack of symptoms before the age of 12. Migraines are more common in boys at a younger age. By adolescence the rate of incidence is much higher for girls as migraines are commonly triggered by hormone changes associated with their menstrual cycles.
Girls are more likely to miss school because the severity of their migraines can be intolerable one or more days each month. It is not only the days missed, but the many hours of not being able to give full attention to classroom work which may result in struggling to keep up with school work.
Symptoms accompanying a migraine, including headache, sensitivity to light and sound as well as nausea and vomiting can inhibit concentration on studies and keep a child from participating in extra-curricular activities. In addition, about 15 to 20 percent of those with migraines also have what is called an aura prior to the onset of the headache. Typical aura symptoms include the appearance of flashing lights, zigzag lines or other visual disturbances that add to the problems encountered by children with migraines. See more about Migraine Diagnoses.
Many school officials and teachers are not aware of how bad migraines can be for a child. Unless one has actually experienced a migraine or personally knows someone who has, migraines are often dismissed as being nothing more than a headache or even an excuse not to do the work. The lack of understanding by classmates can also be a problem.
Migraines in children are often misdiagnosed because they don't always have the same type of symptoms as adults. Rather than the typical one-sided head pain of an adult, the child may experience pain on both sides and other areas of pain that are more difficult to describe. In addition, an adult may suffer severe headache pain, whereas children are more likely to experience a moderate to severe level of pain along with nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and dizziness association with a migraine. See more about What Causes Migraines.
When a child experiences migraine to the level where the migraines interrupt school and other activities, families should first try to find what may be contributing to the problem. For example, boys and girls who play sports may feel the need to consume sport or protein drinks that are loaded with an amino acid call L-tyrosine. Anyone with migraines should avoid adding anything with L-tyrosine in it. In addition, energy drinks and diet drinks can bring on a headache. For a more complete list see Migraine Trigger List.
Currently, there are no pharmaceutical migraine medications approved for children. Unfortunately many doctors will ignore the drug warnings of the manufacturer and treat children with adult-only medications. Using drugs off label is not only wrong it can be damaging to children. Parents and guardians should first understand the risks and carefully explore options, weighing risks of potential side effects against possible benefits before accepting or filling prescriptions.
The risks to a child taking an adult-only drug like Topamax are many. You should know and understand that a major side effect of Topamax -called cognitive impairment -is one that can lessen a person's ability to learn, retain and recall new information - the exact reason a child goes to school. To learn more see The Dangers of Topamax)
Parents and guardians of children who need migraine prevention turn to Tuliv and Migraine Defense as a natural solution. Migraine Defense is all natural and does not change or alter the natural hormonal rhythms of the body. Unlike migraine prevention drugs that work in the brain to change the brain chemistry and disrupt learning, Migraine Defense has no side effects. With positive results, Migraine Defense is the best possible solution to migraine prevention for children.
If your child is experiencing migraines, you should try to visit with us as soon as possible to first explore ways that may reduce the incidences of migraines and see if Migraine Defense is the right solution for long term migraine prevention. In any case, please learn all you can about migraines in children.
Call and visit directly with a migraine consultant at 1-866-367-5953 or contact us online. Ask about our special offer of Tuliv Migraine Defense for Children.
There are very few people with the knowledge, compassion and research background to help your child as t we have at Tuliv. We know what it is to be a child suffering from migraines and have the experience in migraine prevention to help your child live a better life.