HI all. New to this. My daughter had her first migraine yesterday with all the bells and whistles! Aura (zig zags and distorted faces) followed by headache, sensitive to light & movement, pins and needles in leg and feet, cold feet, pain and numbness in one leg followed by 3 hours of vomiting bile. We are hoping she doesn't get another too soon (or at all) but want to be prepared. It was very scary for us both
Is there anything she can take that may help? Say for example she starts to feel one coming on this evening - could I get to a pharmacy and pick something up or woudl I have to see the GP?
Also are there anythings we can do to try and ease the attack or prevent/shorten the vomiting - that's the bit she was most distressed by.
Thanks
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SaraB_
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My daughter and I used to have migraines like that, we both have Hughes Syndrome/APS, often in families with it other members will have autoimmune diseases including Thyroid. I hope she feels better. MaryF
That's the age mine started. I took migraleve duo ( from the chemist ) 2 pink tablets as soon as i got a blob in my sight. They kept it under control as long as i took it before zig zags ended 👍
Could the attacks be related to menstrual cycle? Mine actually get triggered by both changes in hormones - so would be worth keeping track of when they happen on a calendar just to see if a pattern emerges.
The nausea and vomiting are the symptoms that bother me most. Have had GPs prescribe anti-emetics in the past but to be honest they might stop me vomiting but didn't really do much for the nausea and I ended up forcing myself to vomit just get get relief. Standing up and lying on my back are total no-nos when I get a bad migraine.
Reality is that its a gut spasm that is extremely violent and necessitates being on the loo because everything goes at the same time (sorry if that is TMI).
I find that I have been throwing up less during attacks since I started drinking water with lime juice in it but then I have specific health problems relating to B12 absorption and my stomach acidity is quite low so obviously that has contributed in some way to the nausea.
I find that some smells can help to alleviate the attacks - yllang yllang, citrus and pepermint.
Taking medication as early as possible is a good idea - particularly if taking something like a triptan - rizatriptan works well for me providing I take it in small doses (1/8 - 1/4 of a wafer rather than the full dose). If aura is the first symptom then you need to take the medication when that starts rather than waiting until the attack has fully got underway.
I really hope that your daughter doesn't get another attack but if she does then I'd recommend talking to GP as most of the more powerful migraine medications are prescription only.
Is there any family history of migraines - eg on her fathers side? Migraines run in my mothers side of the family - I knew about my mothers but only discovered a few years ago that my grandmother had been similar.
My last migraine was a week or so ago and the nausea and vomiting lasted for well over 24 hours so it can be a lot worse without being a life-threatening problem - hope that has reassured you rather than totally freaked you out. I'm going through the menopause and hadn't had a period for 3 months so it had probably been saving up for a while - was proceeded by several days of smaller migraines. Generally they aren't that bad though and most of the time I get away with just a headache if I don't catch the aura ... or nothing if I manage to catch it at the aura stage.
This is how mine started and small comfort though it is, by the time I had finished uni the vomiting part had stopped...still getting all the rest of it too.
My mum always used to feed me sweet tea and chocolate cake, it didn't help with being sick excep that I would never have the headache subside until the vomiting had stopped and that could take a few hours. Always better to have something inside you in that situation...😨
My headaches are hormonally linked, with breakthroughs in between some months. That comes and goes in waves. It is worth her keeping a diary though. Mine pre-empted my perods by a couple of years but were bang on timing wise.
After trying the pink and yellow tabs for many years (not much help really) I was put on Sumatriptan at uni - you can now get these over the counter at a pharmacy if previously prescribed by a GP. Great for preventing the one-offs, not recommended during a cluster though as they can have bounce-back issues.
Bless her, I hope she isn't too badly or regularly affected. I am hoping that as I've had boys our great-grandmother to grandmother to mother to daughter 4 generations long curse of it will have been broken...because I can't imagine having 2 migrainous boys to cope with!
So your daughter has had a classic migraine (aura) and it's good to know because common migraines are different and respond to treatment differently. I get both :). The best and simplest remedy to try first with a classic migraine, I think, is 2 nurofen (ibuprofen, if you're in the USA it's called Advil?) as soon as you see the aura. The quicker the better. There are fast acting varieties in Aus, we have Nurofen Zavance. If you take them right at the onset of the aura (zigzagging light) it calms or often stops the pain altogether. This nearly always works for me. I just can't stress enough how important it is to take the ibuprofen as soon as you see the patterns or get the blindspot. Good luck and let us know how she gets on.
Hello. I found that Migril (Available from the Pharmacy) taken as soon as vision disturbance started helped to ease the headache that followed. The sooner I took the migril the lesser the headache afterward. Note that you should not take more than 3x Migrils per 7 days as they are addictive and have side effects. After 3 x years of visual migraines I have been migraine free for 3 years now since taking daily 1000mg dose of Evening Primrose oil and 1000mg flax seed oil. You might be interested in my post here:
I would say - any medicine whether it is Paracetamol or Migril or triptan - if taken at onset will work lot better. Also, after taking the medicine, if possible, ask her to lie in bed for 1 or 2 hours. However she is only 13, so perhaps try with simple Paracetamol (2 x 500mg) to start with. All other weapons (Rizatriptan, Migril, Codeine etc) should be tried if common painkillers do not work. Also, there are lots of medicines to stop nausea. Since she is so young, I strongly suggest to see her GP and work towards finding a suitable course of medicine that will be used in SOS and also for prophylaxis. Some GPs are less rubbish than others and if she is lucky, the GP may find the actual cause of the migraine - I wish her all the best.
PS: I am not sure how easy it would be to persuade the GP to arrange a test for APS as MaryF suggested - but should be considered if possible.
I agree with the posts above, and would urge you to take your daughter to the GP and get some proper meds for it. It will help your daughter to feel she has some control if one starts again- I know that feeling of fear and dread you get at the thought of having a migraine! The best thing for prolonged vomiting, I have found, is a stemetil injection, which keep at home, having been taught how to do them by the gp practice nurse. But you can get stemetil tablets prescribed, to dissolve under the gum and they can help too and may be adequate. Triptans can be a godsend as a painkiller which stops the migraine, taken as soon as she feels it coming on, so hopefully the GP will prescribe these. Sympathies! And all the best!
thanks all so much. The GP did come to see her on Monday - think they were worried about Meningitis. We are off to see the GP on Monday however I think that he may say we need to wait and see if she has another one first before considering strong medication so we will be on standby with the ibuprofen as soon as the zig zags arrive next time - will need to make sure we have a bottle in both cars in case we are on a journey and at both grandparents! School has it in the medical unit and all her teachers now know how nasty an attack she gets so hopefully they will be quick. It's really good to know there are people out there to support each other - it was obviously terrifying for her but also for me, not being able to ease her pain. I really appreciate all the feedback. I hope not to be on here again, but I know I'll be welcomed again next time if she has another attack. Thank you.
did she have stomach ache and vomiting as a child ? my oldest had abdominal migraine which morphed into the real deal later. Stugeron ( travel pill) worked for nausea and vertigo for me.... migraine clinic recommends soluble asprin in coke , max amount for age, asap ...sometimes aborts it....hope that helps xxxx
Don't worry, you can esse her pain, although you can't make it disappear. Here are some of the coping strategies my mum taught me and that I still use now, 30 years on:
Hot, sweet tea and chocolate cake at onset and during.
Chilled water at bedside.
Bucket at bedside - moving with migraine hurts and is disorientating.
Cold flannel to forehead to mask the pain there; warm wheatbag to neck to calm the bloodflow and ease the rigid muscles there.
Visualisation of the pain as an angry red monster inside the head being dripped on with each cooling breath and slowly turning from red...to pink...to blue...then dissolving into a puddle....and sleep zzzz. She taught me how to meditate without me even realising.
And the last thing was always a reassurance....'this too will pass, you just have to get through it'.
She was always there, popping in, quietly refreshing everything, reassuring me, then leaving me to sleep it off.
When I went into labour with my two boys, she was one person I knew I wanted by my side to help me cope with what I was facing. We were a dream team - years of practice.
I hope your daughter isn't cursed with this, but if she is it may end up being one of the things that bonds you really strongly together as mother and daughter...I know it did for my mum and I.
I definitely think that a visit with a Dr first, is a good idea especially considering the age of your daughter, just to rule out anything else. If it is true migraine and her age, it's probably hormone triggered. My daughter started getting migraines around 11 years old. I've always had them too and recently been diagnosed with occipital neuralgia! This is a different kind of beast in itself. What i have found that helps both is peppermint essential oil! Straight with no carrier oil! With my daughter for migraines, we put a generous amount on the top of her forehead at the hairline on both sides, above the eyes and on the back of the head, just about where the skull meets the neck! It's been a lifesaver!! I always have peppermint essential oil even at work, people are always asking to use it when a headache starts up!
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