Insomnia & Migraines
My 14-year old daughter was recently diagnosed as a migraine sufferer, so we have just begun the possibly long road to discover what will help her. One issue she's had is terribly debilitating insomnia.
She has missed the last 9 days of school and can barely move because she is so exhausted. She is drinking plenty of fluids (mostly water), eating healthily, but can't exercise as she has no energy and isn't getting restorative sleep.
She has some depression and anxiety (mostly about school, which can bring on panic attacks, which certainly don't help things if she already has a headache).
She is taking trazodone that is supposed to help her sleep, but has had no real effect. No OTC sleep aids have helped and the vicodin prescribed by the ER doctor last week also had no effect. She is at her wits end and I have no idea what to do to help her. She sees her psychiatrist tomorrow and I will make insomnia a main issue to discuss. She saw a headache specialist last Friday and I will raise the issue again with her as well.
I realize many meds take some time to take effect, but my daughter is effectively a zombie at this point. Her other meds are 20mg prozac (taken in the mornings) and 10mg Amitriptyline at night. Thanks in advance for any suggestions anyone might have.
Hi ELD,
Thank you for your question and welcome to the discussion forum. I'm sorry we weren't able to get to you in time for your daughters doctors appointments, I hope they went well. Was the doctor able to give you any new ideas?
I am sorry to hear about your daughters migraine and terrible insomnia, that must be very frustrating and difficult for you to watch. As parents we want to make our children's lives as pleasant as possible. Here is information from our section on children and migraine that should help; https://migraine.com/migraines-in-children-and-teens/.
As far as exercise goes, some easy yoga may be helpful for your daughter. It can help with anxiety, depression and migraine too. Here is information on migraine and yoga that will help; https://migraine.com/blog/restorative-yoga-at-home/.
It is true that medications can take up to 90 days to become fully effective and we see a reduction in migraine frequency and severity. During this time potential side effects may lessen as well.
Before I give you a host of new information, let me know what the doctor said, then I can point you in the right direction.
Nancy
