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How to help your child with migraines
A practical parent guide to recognizing childhood migraine, supporting a child during an attack, school planning, and when to call a clinician.
If your child has migraines, the most useful first step is to believe them and make the environment easier to tolerate. Children may not describe migraine the way adults do, but the pain and disruption can be real.
What migraine can look like in children
Children may have head pain, nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, dizziness, abdominal pain, irritability, trouble focusing, or a need to lie down. Their pain may be on both sides of the head or above the eyes rather than the classic one-sided adult pattern. Children’s attacks can also be shorter than adult attacks.
What to do during an attack
- Move them to a quiet, dark, comfortable place.
- Offer fluids if they can tolerate them.
- Follow the medication plan from their pediatric clinician.
- Avoid giving adult migraine medicine, aspirin, extra doses, or combination products unless a clinician specifically told you to.
- Keep questions short. A child in pain may not be able to explain much.
Mayo Clinic lists children’s acetaminophen or ibuprofen as safer alternatives to aspirin for pain or fever, and notes that prescribed triptans can be used safely in children older than 6 years when appropriate.
Build a school plan
Tell the school nurse, teacher, coach, and regular caregivers what your child’s migraine looks like. A plan can include access to water and snacks, medication instructions, permission to rest in a low-light space, reduced screen exposure during attacks, and a make-up work process.
If migraines are causing missed school, falling grades, mood changes, or withdrawal from normal activities, ask the child’s clinician about treatment options and whether referral to a headache specialist makes sense.
Know when to seek medical help
Seek prompt care for a child under 3 with headaches; a new severe headache type; headache after a head injury; headache with fever, rash, stiff neck, confusion, seizure, sleepiness, weakness, walking changes, swallowing changes, or vision changes; or symptoms that are different from the child’s usual pattern.
Sources
- American Migraine Foundation: Migraine in children
- American Migraine Foundation: Migraine care for children
- Mayo Clinic: Headaches in children symptoms and causes
- Mayo Clinic: Headaches in children diagnosis and treatment
Migraine Manager is a personal health journal, not a medical device. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. Always follow your clinician's advice for diagnosis, medication, and treatment decisions.
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