How to Treat Headaches in Children

Headaches are common, regardless of age. In fact, more than 75 percent of children under the age of 15 have experienced or will experience a headache at least once. It is possible to treat headaches in children with many of the same treatments available to adults. Treating headaches in children should be done with the advice of a medical professional to insure proper care.

Instructions

• 1

  Report extreme or unusual symptoms to your pediatrician right away. While most headaches in children are benign, there are some that are symptomatic of other problems. Watch for vomiting, restlessness while sleeping, headaches following an injury or changes in personality. These are symptomatic of more serious problems.

• 2

  Speak to your doctor about the pain your children is suffering from to determine the severity as well as the cause. Certain types of headaches have certain types of pain patterns (migraines are localized while tension headaches are bilateral). From here the doctor can prescribe the right course of action.

• 3

  Get prescription medication for extreme headaches or migraines and cluster headaches. Prescription medication will alleviate even the worst headache symptoms. Imitrex and **** are common prescription drugs and may be available to children in lower doses.

• 4

  Change your children's diets. One of the more prominent causes of headaches is diet. Eating foods high in sodium and fat will increase blood pressure and make headaches, especially tension headaches, more common.

• 5

  Have your children get plenty of exercise. Exercise helps to increase blood flow and improve overall health. Exercise also makes your heart beat at a lower rate which can help reduce the appearance of stress headaches.

• 6

  Discuss the option of taking simple over-the-counter medication to treat headaches in children. Many medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen are perfectly safe for children, albeit in smaller doses. Read the labels carefully to determine what is the proper dosage, and consult a doctor just to be sure there are no indications of larger problems.