For many people, it’s the time when migraine symptoms start. But those of us who have dealt with migraine for years and years know that finding the right treatment can be a long and difficult path. So what can we do to help teenagers with migraine?
Recently in the USA a study of 18,714 people from 12-19 was completed. Over the course of a year, 5% of boys and 7.7% of girls reported frequent migraine attacks. Frequent! Most of these used over-the-counter drugs to deal with the attacks.
Now, here’s the scary part. 31% had attacks frequent and bad enough that they should really be looking into preventative treatment. That means that the attacks were seriously impacting their lives. And yet, less than 20% of those had tried preventative meds, and only a little more than half of those were still using them.
Ok, so what does this mean? Dr Paul Winner, director of the Palm Beach Headache Clinic and professor of Neurology at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale says it best: "That represents a lot of pain, suffering, and loss of school and family activities."
The other disturbing factor is that the symptoms may be rare at first, and then a year or two later it may be happening once a twice a week or more. There are a number of factors here, of course. Hormonal changes almost certainly contribute to an increase in symptoms. But it also seems likely that these people aren’t getting the treatment they need, and are ending up worse off.
If you’re a teenager with migraine symptoms and/or severe headache, there are two things you need to know – first, you’re not alone. Second, this is not "normal" – in other words, not something you should just put up with. Fight back, and make sure your doctor takes you seriously. There is help available.
Read more about the teenagers and migraine study.
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