Newbie seeking help for my 13y/o daughter w/ almost Dailey migraine

Hello everyone,

I am writing regarding my 13y/o daughter who has become debilitated with nearly dailey migraine. She missed the last month of the school year and has not been able to participate in her social friendships due to the chronic pain. She has become more isolated & depressed.We have a strong family history of migraine but not to the frequency or severity that my daughter is experiencing.

Her migraines came on gradually this past year. However, in January she had a sudden onset of severe anxiety and was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder/OCD. She was prescribed fluoxetine (SSRI) for that. The thought was that if we could get her anxiety under control that may help her migraines. Her neruo prescribed amitriptyline (10 mg is all she can tolerate because of tierdness) for preventive & various triptans for abortive.

I noticed that as we titrated up to the full 20mg dose of SSRI she started having Dailey migraine and stomache ache. Sometimes she wakes up with it but more frequently she wakes up feeling well but developed migraine/nausea by noon lasting the rest of the day. 3 1/2 weeks ago I asked the neruo & child psych to switch SSRI which we did to celexa. The thought behind that was that celexa might not aggravate the migraines. Well, it hasn't helped.

Here are my questions:
1. Have people noticed SSRI's exacerbating migraine?
2. Have any teens had chronic migraine?
3. Neruo considering preventive med change to Topomax. What are thoughts about that?
4. Does anybody have any other thoughts or ideas.

I really appreciate any thoughts or advice.

Welcome. I can respond to one of your questions. Several years ago I began taking Paxil (SSRI) for gernalized anxiety disorder. It worked wonders for the anxiety. However, I then developed daily migraines. So I went off the Paxil. The headaches, unfortunatley, continued, And continue to this day. Hope this helps.

I, too, had frequent migraines in my teens. I remember having migraines when I was 10. I think I had them before that, but they weren't diagnosed. Amitryptline alone didn't do much to prevent my migraines. You may want to ask the doctor to try either something else or to add a second medication to work in tandem. I currently use Amitryptline and Propranolol. I've tried everything out there, but to be hoenst haven't had terrific success with any of them. Early on, the Propranolol alone helped. It seems everything I try works for 6 months to a year before stopping. It's not at all uncommon to have to try a lot of preventives to find something that works for you. I know how hard it is to have severe migraines at that age. I hope you're able to find something to help her soon. Tell her not to give up, she's not alone. Hang in there.

As far as the Topamax goes, it's a matter of balancing benefits against side effects. The first couple of weeks I was on it, I had fairly bad nausea. That eventually went away, but the metalic taste I always had in my mouth along with tingling hands and feet didn't. I had severe memory issues on it as well. I also ended up having a kidney stone and it can cause those so I had to stop taking it. It's worth a shot, but I may ask to try something else first. There are lots of side effects with Topamax.

Unfortunately, yes, SSRI's can exacerbate migraine. It's something that headache specialist do watch out for when titrating up on these meds. Clomipramine is in the same class of drugs as amytriptaline, and was the gold standard of treatment for OCD prior to SSRI's. That may be a treatment avenue to explore.

So sorry to hear about your daughter. It is very hard when they are so young. My daughter started having migraine problems around that same age. After trying various things we found out she had several impacted teeth that had never come in properly. And the dentist had totally missed them on her Xrays. After 3 teeth were removed so that these teeth could come in properly, she never had problems with migraines after that. I could not believe something so basic had been missed. Might be worth looking into.

My migraines didn't start until I was in my late teens, and even at that age it was hard to deal with.

I have tried alot of preventatives and I also suffer anxiety. I found Topamax was the best one for me at a low dose of 75mg or less. The higher you go, the more the side effects will get worse. I suffered from paranoia and hallucinations at 200mg+.
I had to stop taking it because I also suffer from kidney stones. If you drink more water, side effects like tingling in the hands will decrease.

I had alot of trouble withdrawing from SNRI ..Effexor XR / Cymbalta or similar. It did help with the Anxiety, but the side effects and the 6 months of withdrawals were not worth it.

It is worth trying medications, because eventually you might find one that works.

At the moment, I have 3 monthly injections of Botox in my scalp. Occasionally it works and I find it has no side effects.

A friend of minerecently who had suffered daily migraines had a CT scan on thier sinus cavity and they found heaps of small tumors. After the Tumors and Wisdom Teeth were removed, thier migraines went away. Don't rule out scans as well, to make sure nothing else might be the cause.

I am curious to know if you have explored the hormone route at all. I noticed your daughters age and was wondering if this could be something to look into, possibly before going down this road of migraine treatment. One thing my Dr and Neuro did was put me on a birth control pill that allows me just 4 periods a year. At that time I treated the migraines with triptans (to no avail) until the pill was in my system and working so that we could rule out menustral migraine.


Is she having any issues at school at all? Sometimes large amounts of stress can make this situation worse. I so hate to think of a young teen having this problem that I would like for it to be something else for you , maybe something simple. Would your daughter be willing to get on a forum like this, even with you, just so she can know that she is not alone? There are some folks on here that have had childhood and teen onset and they could be a resource to you and support to your daughter. Please keep us posted! I am so very sorry this has had to happen to you!

Thank you everyone who has posted their thoughts/suggestions. It is helpful knowing that their are caring understanding people out there. I am going to explore all of your ideas. Thank you very much.

Nicole had a particularlly bad night last night. I am crying as I sit here writting this post because the stress is overwhelming and sometimes I just feel so helpless. Of course, I would never let my daughter see me get discouraged. I tell her we are going to try everything and do whatever it takes to solve this problem and get these terrible attacks under control...and we will.

It's just so hard to see her in agony while the rest of the people around us expect life to carry on as usual. Our friends and family just don't get the impact. After educating people the best you can about migraine, how do you deal with the emotional/social fall out? My daughter has chronic disease. I don't know what our life is going to be like from day to day yet people keep piling on the stress! Even my husband...he asked me to host a dinner party for some work colleages and their wives. I barely know any of them and we have never been invited to their homes. Uh...not really a good time. He was angry with me because I said no. He is much more able to compartmentalize and go on with his life. I can't do that. If Nicole is not doing well I am greatly affected. I am basically begining to shut down. I am having a hard time coping with the stress and other people's expectations/reactions. My MIL told me that she basically thought Nicole was faking! REALLY???

We have started the taper down process of the SSRI I am hopeful that this will relieve the dailey migraines. I mentioned in my earlier post that she also get bad stomach aches. These actually started years before the migraines. She would have bouts for months and then they would go away. About a month after the dailey migraine's started the stomach issues returned as well. Sometimes the pain of the stomach ache is worse than the headache and sometimes she gets the SA without the HA. Could this be abdominal migraine???

Thank you for letting me vent.

My heart goes out to you and your daughter's situation. I just had to say that I am sure everyone here knows that your daughter is not " faking." Perhaps your MIL just is not educated in the area of pain. Many people are not. (I was not until this happened to me) When your child is suffering, you suffer. Perhaps mothers feel this more than fathers. I don't know. It's stress on everyone involved. Again, my heart goes out to you. Try to keep on trying. Perhaps there is a doctor out there who can help. Oh, and, if I were you I would certainly mention the possibility of the abdominal migraine to your dr. and see what he says. (sounds like a high possibility to me ) Take care. G.

I suppose there are many ways to deal with the emotional/social fallout. Firstly you will quickly find out who REALLY cares. A friend or relative that cares will likten and be compassionate and just be there for you. You need support right now, especially since this isn't actually happening to you. It must be very frustrating to see your child go through this and I am sure my own mother has felt the way you are now. My husband wasn't able to help "fix" it for me and began to withdrawl. It is possible that your own husband is doing the same thing.

When you get to the point of this forum, I highly doubt there is any 'faking' it. This is a place of comfort for many that cannot find it anywhere else. With this 'condition' you must be proactive in your own care and demanding. There is just no other way to get anything done. If you are not up to hosting a party so be it. Being that you care for your daughter, you will have some of her limitations as well, and this may be one of them. Please do not give up, keep trying. Maybe some relaxations exercises will help you?

It is hard to be strong for someone else. It takes an incredible amount of energy. My mother has had cancer twice and it is exhausting. We somehow manage to hide our fears and soldier on, doing the best we can, BUT you still need a release of your own. Please try to find this. I am wishing you luck and hope you keep posting!

Like i said before, I have suffered migraine since my late teens, so about 12 years.

I don't have any children (mostly because of how my migraines affect my day to day life and also because I'm scared
that I will pass the migraines on genetically). My husband has never wanted children, so we are both very happy.

Reading your post was really hard for me, because I've never really thought about how it affects or has affected my mother. She is also a very strong woman who suffers from chronic daily pain. She is always there for me - even if there is nothing she can do. Just having her in the room makes me feel better. I am now in my early thirties and I still see my Mum alot. My husband and my mother are both really supportive and that makes a huge difference to my pain management.

I hope that your daughter does not have to struggle as long as I have. I also suffer from a condition called Fibromyalgia. There are many people who suffer from migraine and fibromyalgia. I have a lot of trouble with sensitivity to pain and sleeping troubles. I suffer alot from inflammation. About 5 years ago I had a similar thing to "stomache ache". I have a very sensitive stomache. I do not take NSAIDS like ibuprofen and I try not to eat acidic foods. I take a medication every day because I have inflammation of the oesophagus. The doctors took my appendix out because they thought it was that. They couldn't find anything. So they just put it down to inflammation. My neuro thought it was abdominal migraines, so I believe that there is such a thing.

Just take things day-to-day and learn as much as you can from this forum or from the internet. Don't be afraid to educate yourself about medications before using them. There will always be people who don't understand and don't believe you. The most important thing for your child is for them to know that you believe them and that will count for heaps.

Hang in there.

Having a mom who cares and is sympathetic helps more than you know. Continue to be there for her even if all you can offer is an ice pack (very soothing) and a shoulder to lean on.

My daughter also suffered from the stomach issues with her migraines. We saw a pediatric neurologist who put her on a medication that was an antihistamine (can't remember the name). It worked quite well. Please make sure you doctor provides some sort of pain medication as well as trying preventatives. She should not have to suffer so much while you are looking for a preventative that works for her.

As for anyone who thinks this much pain and misery is being faked, well that's just NUTS! No one wants go live like this, missing out on so much. Sadly it's hard to cure stupid.

SSRI's can increase headache, it is not all that uncommon..chronic migraine and chronic daily headache are actually common among adolescents/late teens/early 20's...We do use the drugs(Topamax, etc) and herbs(Petadolex) and Botox, but try and achieve a balance between headaches and meds..I have quite a bit on kids headaches on http://www.headachedrugs.com There are articles in Archived Articles, and in the first page download Headache 2010-2011 (see Headache in Adolescents section)...Lawrence Robbins,M.D Northbrook, Ill

Definitely listen to Dr. Robbins. He's our resident medical expert. Thanks for posting, Dr. Robbins.

Yes Dr Robbins site is a great resource to check out. Lots of good articles there. And please do watch out for the side effects of these medications including SSRIs and Topomax. Many of us here have had awful side effects from these medications that have been as bad as the headaches themselves. You will need to be a strong advocate on your daughters behalf.