Migraines: Help for a common problem in children and teenagers
December 17, 2008Chocolate, excitement and the stress of Christmas: these are not just a headache for parents. They are also responsible for triggering migraines in many young people. Learning how to manage stress and avoid triggers are just as important as getting the right medication. However the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) today stressed that parents and young people need to be warned about the risks of using migraine medications that have only been approved for adults. The Institute has analysed the latest research on migraines and published information for children and young people on informedhealthonline.org.
Migraines are common in children and teenagers: one in 10 young people battles these thumping headaches now and then. The good news: having migraines when you are a child does not necessarily mean a lifetime of these headaches. Many children will outgrow migraines.
Knowledge can help young people avoid and manage their migraines, according to the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency Health Care. It is important for children and young people to know the difference between the types of headaches, for example. Every headache is not a migraine. "Migraines in young people have the same throbbing pain on the side of the head as in adults, but there are differences as well," said Professor Peter Sawicki, the Director of the Institute. "Children's migraines can be shorter and they are more likely to also have abdominal pain or nausea. Most children will not have auras with flashing lights or wavy vision when they have migraines."
Although researchers have yet to identify the exact causes of migraines, specific factors or foods can trigger migraines in individuals - including chocolate. Stress and poor sleep are other frequent causes. Once a young person knows what is causing their migraines, they might be able to avoid some of the triggers or manage the problem better. "Keeping a migraine diary can show when there are genuine patterns around the headaches and what happens when you avoid - or have - a food you suspect, for example," Professor Sawicki said.
Medication for migraine: different therapy for children and adolescents
Lying down in a quiet dark room with a cold compress on the painful side of the head and trying to sleep it off will often be enough to get through a migraine attack. If more help is needed, the medicines proven to help young people the most without causing many adverse effects are ibuprofen and paracetamol. If they are not enough, a nasal spray of a migraine medication called sumatriptan is available for use from the age of 12.
There is a much wider variety of drugs available for adults, both as treatments and to take regularly to prevent very frequent migraines. However, these have not been approved for use in children and adolescents. "Medications often work differently in children and teenagers than they do in adults, and they can cause unexpected adverse effects in growing bodies," said Professor Sawicki. "This means you cannot just use smaller doses of all adult medications in children. Unfortunately, almost all migraine medications have not been tested in enough trials in children and adolescents to meet the requirements for drug approval."
Children and adolescents are often given adult medication. The Institute stresses that parents and young people need to be warned about the particular risks of what is called "off-label-use". Off-label drug use does not have the same level of scientific, legal and financial protection as approved medicine use.
Source: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care
-
Study finds headaches after traumatic brain injury highest in adolescents and girls
Dec 05, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Newly established neuroscience clinical trials center could bring treatments to patients faster
Dec 01, 2011 |
not rated yet |
1
-
Young patients with chronic illnesses find relief in acupuncture
Feb 09, 2010 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Slices of living brain tissue are helping scientists identify new stroke therapies
Jan 21, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Left-right wiring determined by neural communication in the embryonic worm
May 17, 2007 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
0
-
Fast photon control brings quantum photonic technologies closer
1 minute ago |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (33) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (5) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Tenofovir, leading HIV medication, linked with risk of kidney damage
(Medical Xpress) -- Tenofovir, one of the most effective and commonly prescribed antiretroviral medications for HIV/AIDS, is associated with a significant risk of kidney damage and chronic kidney disease that increases over ...
Medicine & Health / Medications
1 hour ago |
not rated yet |
0
|
New tumor suppressor gene identified
A recent study published in Clinical Cancer Research suggests that the protein hVps37A suppresses tumor growth in ovarian cancer. The work, which was funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, shows, for th ...
43 minutes ago |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Packard Children's has smallest child yet to get pacemaker
Jaya Maharaj was 15 minutes old when she was sent to surgery at Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital and given a pacemaker that saved her life. The tiny girl born nine weeks early, weighing 3.5 pounds, ...
Medicine & Health / Cardiology
26 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
Social psychologist: Lust makes you smarter and evidence that seven deadly sins are good for you
(Medical Xpress) -- Good news for lovers on Valentine’s Day - the seven deadly sins, including Lust, are good for you. University of Melbourne social psychologist Dr Simon Laham uses modern research to make a compelling ...
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
2 hours ago |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
Don't ignore kids' snores
(Medical Xpress) -- Your ears arent playing tricks on you that is the sound of snoring you hear from the bedroom of your preschooler. Snoring is common in children, but in some cases it can be a symptom of a ...
1 hour ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Transforming galaxies
(PhysOrg.com) -- Many of the Universe's galaxies are like our own, displaying beautiful spiral arms wrapping around a bright nucleus. Examples in this stunning image, taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 on ...
'Smart' microcapsules in a single step
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new, single-step method of fabricating microcapsules, which have potential commercial applications in industries including medicine, agriculture and diagnostics, has been developed by researchers ...
A continent ablaze in auroral and manmade light
The North American continent is literally set ablaze in a confluence of Auroral and Manmade light captured in spectacular new videos snapped by the astronauts serving aboard the International Space Station ...
Ethanol mandate not the best option
Many people are willing to pay a premium for ethanol, but not enough to justify the government mandate for the corn-based fuel, a Michigan State University economist argues.
Nanostructured electrodes for rechargeable sodium-Ion batteries
Highly efficient 3V cathodes for rechargeable sodium-ion batteries have been developed by users from Argonne National Laboratory's Materials Science, Chemical Sciences & Engineering, and X-ray Sciences Divisions, ...
Dec 17, 2008
Rank: 1 / 5 (1)