“Mommy, My Head Hurts!”

from Shine Newsletter, Summer 2007

If you suffer from migraines, your child has a 50 percent chance of developing them as well. If both parents suffer migraines, the risk increases to 75 percent, according to the National Headache Foundation. Unfortunately, the medicine you take to relieve your headache may not be suitable for your child, because migraine medication is not yet approved for children under 12-years-old.

Without a prescription option, parents can help prevent their child’s headache — and treat headaches earlier to lessen their intensity — by learning the causes.

“Keep a headache diary to look for triggers in your child’s diet or activities that make a migraine more likely,” said Tonia M. Sabo, MD, pediatric neurologist at The Children’s Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics and neurology at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center. “If your child’s headaches have a sudden onset, change in pattern or frequency, or wake him from sleep, see your physician.”

The Children’s Hospital is conducting research trials to improve headache treatment for children older than 12. For more information on clinical trials, call 720-777-6895. To schedule an appointment with a Children’s pediatric specialist, call 720-777-1234.