Teen Headaches

“It would fade, and then it would intensify, and the
only thing that really made me feel better was I just went
and sat in my room in the dark,” she says.

What caused her headache?

“Maybe stress, going from one thing to the next,”
Monica speculates.

Or was it caffeine? Monica admits she relies on a daily dose
of caffeine.

“I usually have a Coke a day, and if I don’t
have a Coke by six o’clock or so, I might start to get
a little bit of a headache,” she says.

Results of a five-year study of kids who drank more than
a liter of cola a day and also complained of headaches point
to caffeine as the trigger. After gradually cutting back on
soda, those caffeine-induced headaches were gone in two weeks.

“[Caffeine] definitely is a factor [in the onset of
headaches],” says Dr. Jeffrey Woodward, a medical doctor
who specializes in headache and pain management.

But Dr. Woodward says that other headache-producing factors
exist as well.

“There is a growing population among teenagers and
adults, too, that have what we call chronic daily headaches,
and these people just have headaches that just go on and on
and on,” Dr. Woodward says.

Lack of sleep, poor diet and taking painkillers too often
might be to blame. In some cases, the pain may be a sign of
something more serious. If headaches consistently interfere
with schoolwork and activities, and your child doesn’t
seem to easily recover, don’t dismiss the problem.

“I think a lot of teenagers get short-shifted with
headaches because there is a prevailing thought among the
general population that headaches are all stress related and
[kids] are all trying to get out of school and trying to get
out of their work,” Dr. Woodward says. “I think
you have to realize it is a real illness, and it has to be
treated as such.”

Still, experts say, most headaches in kids are benign, and
like Monica’s headaches, can be easily managed with
over-the-counter medications or some quiet time alone.

“It usually takes a while [for the medicine to work],
and then I’ll forget about it, and then I’ll kind
of realize, ‘Oh, it doesn’t hurt anymore,’”
Monica says.

A new study from the
Cincinnati Children’s Headache Center reveals that one
in 10 children suffers chronic headaches that take just as
heavy a toll on the emotional and academic aspects life as
illnesses like cancer do. Researchers studied 572 children
aged 2 to 18 who suffered debilitating headaches, with 40%
suffering a headache daily. When compared to a group of 730
healthy children, 339 with cancer and 271 with rheumatologic
diseases, researchers discovered that the headache-prone children
had more problems with school and emotional functioning.

“The fact that the impact of these headaches is at
least equal to that of childhood illnesses often considered
more severe and debilitating suggests that pediatricians and
other caregivers should place more emphasis on their recognition,
diagnosis and effective treatment,” lead researcher
Scott Powers wrote in the study, published in the journal
Pediatrics.

According to the American Council for Headache
Education (ACHE), people suffer from two basic types of headaches:

• Primary headaches: Include
  tension headaches, migraine headaches and cluster headaches
• Secondary headaches: Result
  from specific causes, such as infection, meningitis, tumors
  or localized head injury

Tension headaches are quite common, even in children and
teens. It is not easy to determine just what causes them in
any one person. Muscle tension plays a role, as do the day-to-day
pressures of life. The University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC)
says that your teen may be suffering from a tension headache
if he or she experiences the following symptoms:

• Tiredness or fatigue
• Hunger
• Work stress
• Eyestrain
• Noise
• Lack of exercise
• Major life changes
• Depression or anxiety

You can take several steps to help alleviate the pain from
your teen’s tension headache. The UIHC suggests trying
the following strategies:

• Teach your teen to meditate or sit quietly.
• Play soft music.
• Have your teen take a warm bath.
• Ensure that your teen gets regular exercise.
• Try massage on your teen.
• Encourage your teen to take time out for fun.

You can try over-the-counter medicines to relieve the pain.
However, carefully review the label directions and precautions
for other health considerations before giving your teen any
medication.

If headaches are frequent or severe, or include unusual symptoms,
you should consult your family doctor. Your physician may
ask your teen to describe features of his or her headaches,
such as location of pain, pain severity and other symptoms
that accompany a headache attack. The ACHE says that to rule
out the possibility of secondary headache, the physician may
decide to order special tests, including a CT scan or an MRI,
for your teen. Be sure to bring the following worrisome symptoms
to your doctor’s attention:

• Headaches that wake your teen from sleep
• Early morning vomiting without nausea (upset stomach)
• Worsening or more frequent headaches
• Personality changes
• Complaints that “this is the worst headache I’ve
  ever had!”
• A headache that is different than previous headaches
• Headaches with fever or a stiff neck
• Headaches that follow an injury

It is possible that your teen may be suffering a migraine,
which is episodic – generally occurring one to four
times a month. The Nemours Foundation reports that about 5%
of teens and young adults suffer migraines. Certain people
may be particularly susceptible to the following triggers
that cause migraines:

• Stress
• Menstruation
• Skipping meals
• Too much caffeine
• Certain foods (alcohol, cheese, pizza, chocolate, ice
  cream, fatty or fried food, lunch meats, hot dogs, yogurt,
  aspartame or anything with MSG, a seasoning used in Asian
  foods)
• Sudden changes in sleep patterns
• Changes in hormone levels
• Smoking
• Weather changes
• Travel

If your teen suffers migraines, your doctor may prescribe
medication. You can help your teen at home by teaching him
or her the following pain management strategies cited by the
American Academy of Family Physicians:

• Lie down in a dark, quiet room.
• Put a cold compress or rag over your forehead.
• Massage your scalp, using a lot of pressure.
• Put pressure on your temples.

American
Academy of Family Physicians
American Council for Headache
Education
Cincinnati
Children’s Headache Center
Nemours
Foundation
University of Iowa
Health Care