I had chronic migraines throughout my youth--vomiting sometimes so extreme I was hospitalized, plus aura, and light and smell sensitivity. The medications back then were either oral (so didn't stay down) or nasal opioids--which made me too high to stay at school anyway.

NutraSweet/aspartame was identified early as a trigger. (One doctor prescribed Maxalt as it would dissolve under my tongue and less likely I'd puke it back up--but it had NutraSweet in it.) Having chronic rhinitis treated made a big difference; my nasal passages are very narrow and any inflammation apparently is a trigger. Bright and/or flashing lights are still a problem, as is dehydration. The frequency overall is much less now, particularly since I was pregnant.

And yes it's genetic, and can skip generations. My grandma had terrible migraines and then I inherited them too.

Anonymous wrote:My son in Elementary school used to have headaches that turned into migraines. Nauseas, light sensitivity, etc.

Paying attention to what he triggers were...one day he said Spanish Class was giving him the headaches. Then, we finally saw the pattern and it was Spanish Class.

Actually it was the classroom itself. LOL. The lighting did a bit of minimal flickering that gave my son headaches. Of course the school thought we were crazy. He wore baseball hats for that class and that helped.

Yep, during virtual learning, the teacher in one of the classes was playing a video that had a lot of flashing light. This, coupled with staring at the screen all day, would trigger DD's migraines (13, had them starting around 5 or 6).

I posted on this forum about how staring at the computer too long can trigger migraines in some people, and someone said I was stupid for thinking that. For some people, that can trigger migraines under certain conditions.

There are other triggers too, like being overly stressed or tired, or dehydrated.

Here's what we do (myself included, longtime migraine sufferer, yes, it's genetic):

- hydrate
- get enough sleep
- B2 + magensium supplements (recommended by DD's neurologist who said her migraines weren't frequent enough to warrant powerful drugs at the time)


I also think that a healthy gut reduces the frequency of migraines. Constipation can cause migraines, too. IMO, gut health is related to migraines. People who get migraines can be predisposed to have gut issues.

People can get stomach migraines, and there is such a thing as ear migraines, too.

My 17 DS has had migraines since he was 5, but only 1-2 per month. Initially his triggers were bright artificial light, like laser tag, movie theaters, and video games in a dark room, maybe dehydration. In the last year the trigger changed to barometric pressure and oversleeping on weekends. Rainy days often come with a migraine. Sleeping in sometimes awakens with a migraine. We initially treated his childhood migraines with coffee and sleeping it off in a dark room. Then Excedrin. Then adding Ibuprofen. Then nothing worked. We finally saw a neurologist this year and she said he has "adult migraines" now, so less treatable with the caffeine/OTC options. He tried Imitrex plus Excedrin and it worked, but it caused a lot of flushing, so the doc prescribed Resitriptan, saying it's better tolerated. He goes to college in August, so we need a reliable solution by then!

Regarding gluten and dairy, dad and I are gluten intolerant, I'm dairy intolerant, and DS has the HLADQ2 celiac gene, so I often wonder if it's connected, but he's very healthy otherwise, so not willing to make a diet change yet. Had at least one celiac blood test growing up and due for another now. He eats very little bread and knows GF diet might be in his future.

In the meantime, the neurologist and friends with migraines insist he take magnesium, B2 ad feverfew supplements, but it's hard reminding him to take it!

My DD was diagnosed with celiac and going gluten free really helped. There is a blood test you can get before going gluten free to get the diagnosis.

Does he have any other symptom? Removing gluten and dairy cured my migraines and stomach pains in my late teens. I remained gluten / dairy free until now, but my migraines came back later in life with hormonal triggers unfortunately. Also Dasani water and all the "smart" waters give me an instant migraine (it's the added "minerals"). I know everyone is different though.

Anonymous wrote:My teen has been getting them for the past 2 years. She gets them so bad that we've pulled her from in-person school (she missed too many days) and had to stop playing sports. Her migraines can last up to 5 days, and they are intense. We haven't found a rescue med that works for her yet, and I'm about to put her on a daily preventative med. OP, is your kid seeing a specialist? There's a headache clinic at Children's that's very good. The nurses in that department are very thorough and easily reachable by phone.

She should be on an abortive and preventative. It may take multiple preventatives to find the right one. Why would you wait to put her on a preventative?

My teen has been getting them for the past 2 years. She gets them so bad that we've pulled her from in-person school (she missed too many days) and had to stop playing sports. Her migraines can last up to 5 days, and they are intense. We haven't found a rescue med that works for her yet, and I'm about to put her on a daily preventative med. OP, is your kid seeing a specialist? There's a headache clinic at Children's that's very good. The nurses in that department are very thorough and easily reachable by phone.

Anonymous wrote:Yep, but he is on daily meds and it's so much better now. And he knows the triggers so he can avoid when they flare up --- good sleep, daily vitamins, healthy eating, drinking water help but it's the meds that made the daily difference.

Is he on an abortive?

OP, make sure he is seeing someone who specializes in migraines and not a general neurologist. And, make sure they are up to date on the new medications. Some anti-depressants work as migraine preventatives so you could get lucky and have a double effect but he may have to try multiple medications to find one that works. Make sure he has a good abortive. A decent neurologist will insist on an MRI as a new patient and every few years. There are lots of new treatments that have been on the market the past few years and a few more are in trials. Its pretty exciting right now with migraine treatment as there are so many more options that are actually for migraines and not just off label use.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say "all tests" I assume you mean CT Scans and MRIs?

So if all the things that those would show have been ruled out (i.e. hydrocephalus, etc.) - I'd look at food triggers, stress, and also teeth grinding at night. Have him (and this is hard for a teen, especially a teen with exec functioning issues, which yours may or may not have) keep a diary of what he ate/how he was feeling the day the migraine was triggered and see if you can find a pattern. Different food allergies, hay fever, definitely teeth grinding or clenching (which can be exacerbated by stress) - can cause migraines.

There's an app called Migraine Buddy that would work for this purpose. I'd also add tracking weather (and keeping an eye on the weather forecast). For me, bright summer sunlight, and very hot/humid/sunny days, are definitely migraine-inducing and I must have good sunglasses if I set foot outside at all.

My triggers have also changed over time -- for example, in HS, I could wear perfume, but now can't wear or be around anyone wearing perfume or I'll get a migraine. Conversely, the smell of lavender scented anything used to be auto-migraine for me, but now it's fine.

Is he seeing a migraine specialist?

Lavender is a murder for me too! ANd all the addiction to lavender scent around! Gosh save me from this insanity. And I am on preventive meds for my migraines too, but lavender is the worst. Also poppy flowers.

He could have a PFO. Look into it.

Anonymous wrote:When you say "all tests" I assume you mean CT Scans and MRIs?

So if all the things that those would show have been ruled out (i.e. hydrocephalus, etc.) - I'd look at food triggers, stress, and also teeth grinding at night. Have him (and this is hard for a teen, especially a teen with exec functioning issues, which yours may or may not have) keep a diary of what he ate/how he was feeling the day the migraine was triggered and see if you can find a pattern. Different food allergies, hay fever, definitely teeth grinding or clenching (which can be exacerbated by stress) - can cause migraines.

There's an app called Migraine Buddy that would work for this purpose. I'd also add tracking weather (and keeping an eye on the weather forecast). For me, bright summer sunlight, and very hot/humid/sunny days, are definitely migraine-inducing and I must have good sunglasses if I set foot outside at all.

My triggers have also changed over time -- for example, in HS, I could wear perfume, but now can't wear or be around anyone wearing perfume or I'll get a migraine. Conversely, the smell of lavender scented anything used to be auto-migraine for me, but now it's fine.

Is he seeing a migraine specialist?

Yep, but he is on daily meds and it's so much better now. And he knows the triggers so he can avoid when they flare up --- good sleep, daily vitamins, healthy eating, drinking water help but it's the meds that made the daily difference.

Anonymous wrote:When you say "all tests" I assume you mean CT Scans and MRIs?

So if all the things that those would show have been ruled out (i.e. hydrocephalus, etc.) - I'd look at food triggers, stress, and also teeth grinding at night. Have him (and this is hard for a teen, especially a teen with exec functioning issues, which yours may or may not have) keep a diary of what he ate/how he was feeling the day the migraine was triggered and see if you can find a pattern. Different food allergies, hay fever, definitely teeth grinding or clenching (which can be exacerbated by stress) - can cause migraines.

Figuring out the pattern is key. I've recommended this book before, but Heal Your Headache is a good read. The doctor's theory is that often it's several triggers together that form the pattern. So while you may be able to handle a sudden change in weather on its own or drink Diet Coke on its own, you can't handle changes in weather and a giant Diet Coke (this is my personal example) at the same time. The timing of the trigger is important too. For me, I can't drink milk at night but have no issues with it earlier in the day. Also, some triggers aren't as obvious. I do not get migraines from stressful situations, but I get let down migraines after the stressful event has passed. When I was in college and figured this out, I had to keep my activity level high after finals. Most friends crashed afterwards and slept, but I had to go exercise. My point is that triggers are so individual that it takes a long time to figure out.

My son in Elementary school used to have headaches that turned into migraines. Nauseas, light sensitivity, etc.

Paying attention to what he triggers were...one day he said Spanish Class was giving him the headaches. Then, we finally saw the pattern and it was Spanish Class.

Actually it was the classroom itself. LOL. The lighting did a bit of minimal flickering that gave my son headaches. Of course the school thought we were crazy. He wore baseball hats for that class and that helped.