Should a 6 year old boy be getting migraines?

I'm confused about this because my stepson has been getting these terrible terrible headaches at school. Last night, he had it so bad he was throwing up...even the headache medicine wouldn't stay down!

I used to think it was his diet; his mother feeds him a lot of McDonald's and I noticed that the school breakfast and lunch plan includes Cinammon rolls and fried food everyday. I thought maybe he was just getting too much sugar and not enough water.

But yesterday he was with us so had a nutritious breakfast and lunch and as much water as a kid can have before school.

It concerns me because I have been trying to improve his diet, but it seems like it could be something more than that. Any ideas on what could be causing these headaches or how to make them less severe? 

It could be nutrition, or an allergy, or stress or a tumor.

Taking him to a doctor to talk about your concerns would be a good first step...it does not sound normal to me.

Don't know, I would suggest seeing a doctor.  But, I do know that migraines and headaches can be caused by allergies, including food allergies.  I have many, so I know.  My daughter has also struggled with allergies since she was about 2 or 3.  Recently, I had her have the adult full test and she is allergic to about as many foods as me.  She had stomach aches and headaches EVERY day and now she is doing much better.  She started allergy shots and is trying to avoid foods she's allergic to.  I have my food allergies on my profile if you wanted to get an idea of what my daughter deals with.

Since it could be allergies, then there are so many foods in fast food and school food that could be triggers depending what someone is allergic too.  We go to an allegy specialist and it has been great and we are both improving.  I have struggled my whole life with food allergies and it really can affect our bodies in so many ways.  You can have headaches, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, fatigue, runny nose, itchiness, irritability...

That's my thought.  I'm allergic to soy and I have done some research and they are finding more children allergic to soy then prior to now...it's in tons and tons of stuff. And then kids that are allergic to wheat, heck, that's in about everything kids eat.

"Migraines affect about 2 percent of children by age 7 and about 7 to 10 percent of children and adolescents by age 15." link

"The most common triggers are alcohol, chocolate, cheese, nuts, shellfish, Chinese food, sugar, and caffeine. Migraines most likely have several trigger factors and multiple internal causes." link

"Most children who suffer with migraines have inherited them...The facts show that most headaches are tension-induced, either from stress or lack of sleep.." link

Danger signs link

Speaking as a mom, I would absolutely get him checked out by a doc. They can help you with cause/treatments, pharmaceutical or otherwise.

Migraines are also hereditary. He really should be seen by his doctor again if he can't keep the medication down. I have had mine since age 9. There is a long medical term for this type of migraine but I can't remember it.

My son was getting them for awhile when he was five/six.  Fortunately he has never been a picky eater and I was able to get him to start eating healthier as I did.  Taking him off packaged foods with additives and not allowing him to have any "dyed" candies like skittles and gummy crap helped him almost immediately.  Sometimes he gets a bad sinus headache now and then in the winter but the migraines stopped when the food additives and such stopped. 

He also never drinks soda or artificial juices or koolaid crap like that because it all has dyes and such in it.  He drinks 100% juice, organic milk or water. 

I also took him off of school lunches and such and started sending him with lunch and he does SO much better. 

Of course a doctor should have a look and do some tests but it can't hurt to cut the bad stuff out anyway :)

Thank you all so much for the advice and information!

Here's to banishing the "evil stepmom" stereotype!

I had migraines in 5th grade.  My science teacher had asked everyone to bring in mushrooms they found and he displayed them around the room (many many mushrooms!).  I got a migraine with double vision several times a week and would have to go home - turns out they were from inhaling the mushroom spores.  Go figure - I love to eat mushrooms!  I hope you find out what is causing your stepson's migraines.  I agree that it is likely an allergy at his young age.  The good news is that once I was no longer exposed to hundreds of mushrooms in a small room, the migraines disappeared.

I do still get migraines, but they are stress related (these didn't really begin until I was an adult) - I have a history of migraines from both sides of my family.

my daughter has had them since she was 4 years old,

See a doctor just to make sure it is nothing else, then they will probaly try different meds unstil they find one that works.  It took several trys to get hers right.

One nice thing is that there is a chance as they reach puberty to out grow it.

If your doctor doesn't seem to know a lot about migraines, ask to be refer to a specialist, our peditrician led us on a wild goose chase for the longest time, before she realized what was going on.

Migraines can affect small children, and often cannot be easily diagnosed (even in adults!). Kids often present with severe stomach pains/cramps, triggering fears of appendicitis or food allergies.

I know of two young boys from different families who suffer severe migraines - one is hereditary, and presented with stomach pain from the age of 2, moving to the headache at 6; the other has had headaches from the age of 5, and gone through the process to eliminate allergies and tumors.

If this child eats alot of fast food, I would be considering caffeine as a culprit initially - tho definately have the child checked by a qualified dr......

Hope he grows out of them!

My youngest, Casey, had migraines when she was 5-6.  We went to a specialist and after checking her out completely, he diagnosed them as migraines.  Scared the crap out of me....a kid with migraines?!!

It was pretty intense, for sure......she had to have medication at school and at the first sign of one, she had to run down to the office and take the pills.  (Of course then I dealt with secretaries that wouldn't give her the medication when she needed it!).  But....she outgrew it, thank goodness.

I'd be surprised if he didn't....I've known of a few cases of youngsters having them, and all have outgrown them.

Good luck!!

I started getting migraines at 8 years old.   Try doing these things when your stepson get's a headache:

• Have him lie down in a dark room and put some cool cloths on his forehead.
• Sometimes massaging the scalp starting with the base of the skull and moving upwards in circles with your thumbs and forefingers help to get rid of the pain temporarily.
• Let him throw up if he wants to, it will help it go away.
• See if he wants to take a warm or cool shower or bath, it will help relax him and decompress the arteries in his skull that cause the migraine.

To find out what triggers them, you have to pay attention to his daily schedule:

Certain foods can trigger a migraine like chocolate, nuts, pickled foods or sundried tomatoes.  You should keep track of what he eats and how it affects his headaches.

With some migraines (like mine), things like TV, movies or sunshine directly on the head can trigger them as well.  Make sure he wears sunglasses and a hat on sunny days.

Stress can also cause migraines, see if he's being treated well at school, is he being bullied?  Do his migraines usually start in the morning or after school?

Rapid weather changes or air-pressure fluctuations cause migraines (they do for me).  Does he get migraines on rainy days or very humid days?

Even SMELLS can cause migraines, so you'll have to pay attention to that too.  Are there foods that you cook that have a certain odour?  Toys like play dough, scented soaps or perfume can also be triggers.

My best advice would be to bring him to a neurologist to get a brain scan, you can only find out for sure if his headaches are migraines (and I'm pretty sure) by seeing a doctor and he may be able to prescribe medicine to help him.

I started having them around age three.  I inherited them from my mom and her mom. :)  They got much worse as I got older, and I had them daily in high school.  Now I only get them about once a month.  Definitely take him to a doctor to get properly diagnosed.  I don't know what kinds of medication a child his age can take, but abortives are a miracle for me.  I remember how much I suffered with them before I got medication, and I don't wish that on anybody.  Good luck!