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Treatment
The specific treatment prescribed will depend upon the type and frequency of the headache, its cause, and the child's age.
Headache diary
A headache diary can be used to record the characteristics of headaches, including possible triggers, such as foods, weather changes, odors, mood, stressful situations, emotions, or menstrual phases. It also can help the doctor identify the appropriate treatment.
Lifestyle changes
Making certain dietary and lifestyle changes can significantly improve the child's headache symptoms. Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It aids in stress reduction and improves circulation, which may help reduce headache symptoms. Relaxation and stress management techniques may help the child cope with headache symptoms. Getting enough sleep is equally important; most children and adolescents need at least eight to 10 hours of sleep per night. Counseling can help the child identify stressful situations or events that cause the headaches. It also can teach the child various coping strategies.
Medications
Some children may find enough relief with over-the-counter pain relievers in the right dose. Other children need more aggressive treatment that includes preventive (prophylactic) medication.
Headache medications are classified as abortive, prophylactic, or symptom relief. Abortive medications treat a headache in progress, prophylactic medications prevent a headache, and symptom relief medications relieve associated headache symptoms.
Abortive medications are taken with the onset of the first sign of a migraine. Some prescribed abortive medications include the triptan drugs such as sumatriptan (Imitrex), zolmitriptan (Zomig), naratriptan (Amerge), and ergotamine tartrate and caffeine (Caffergot).
Prophylactic medications are prescribed to treat frequent tension headaches or migraines, or the combination of both headaches. These medications must be taken daily to reduce the frequency and severity of headaches, and they may take a few weeks to be fully effective. Some prophylactic treatments include antidepressants, antihistamines, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), prednisone, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers.
Symptom relief medications are used to relieve symptoms associated with headaches, including headache pain or nausea. These drugs may include over-thecounter pain-relieving medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, or anti-nausea medications (called antiemitics). Prescribed symptom relief medications may include sedatives (to induce sleep) and muscle relaxants. If symptom relief medications are needed more than twice a week, the child should see his or her doctor, who can make adjustments to the treatment plan. When taken more than three times per week, symptom relief medications can actually cause a type of headache called a rebound headache. To treat rebound headaches, all pain-relieving medications are usually discontinued for a few weeks (as advised by the physician), then used no more than two to three times per week to relieve symptoms.
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Author Info: Julia Barrett, Angela M. Costello, Thomson Gale, Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health, 2006 |
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