Health Watch: Kids and Migraines

For migraine sufferers, the pain can stop them in their tracks. The intense, pounding headaches aren't just a problem for adults and kids can suffer from them too.

Dr. Larry Newman is the director of the Headache Institute at Roosevelt Hospital in New York. Dr. Newman says migraines in kids are often misdiagnosed or ignored.

"They're told that they're faking it, they don't want to go to school, or they're imitating their parents," said Dr. Newman.

A new study stressed the importance of treating migraines in children.

"What the study is showing kids who are not treated early in life correctly go on to have very frequent headaches as adults because of lack of treatment during childhood," said Dr. Newman.

Dr. Newman said the idea is to short circuit a migraine before the brain develops a headache pattern.

"There are changes in the brain that occur when you have a migraine. The more migraines you have, the more changes there are. So if you stop it early before all those changes take effect, you ruin the severity and frequency of future attacks," Dr. Newman advised.

Dr. Newman said there are several treatment options, including migraine medications that are approved for adults, but can also be used in kids.

Dr. Newman also said children don't usually have to be on migraine medications forever. Once children start having fewer attacks, Dr. Newman continues them on the medication for another six months to a year, which weans them off the drug.