5 tips to managing headaches in children
- Follow a regular schedule: avoid headache triggers like disrupted sleep, skipped meals.
- Obtain written instructions from your doctor: regarding what measures should be taken when your child gets a headache. Also pin these instructions on the fridge for other people to see incase of your absence.
- Limit your use of over-the-counter (nonprescription) medicines: Limit them to no more than two doses per week. Excessive use can actually increase headaches.
- Educate yourself and your family. Read about your type of headache and its treatment.
- Initiate non-drug measures at the earliest onset of your headache: Seek rest in a quiet, comfortable location. Use relaxation strategies and other methods to reduce stress.
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There are five patterns of headache.
- Acute headache: Single episode of head pain without history of previous headache. This may be caused by fever or systemic infection, sinus, ocular, dental or ear disease.
- Acute- recurrent headache: Pattern of head pain separated by symptom-free intervals. This may be caused by migraine or migraine variants.
- Chronic-progressive headache: Gradual increase in frequency and severity of headache. This may be caused by tumor, hydrocephalous, and brain abscess.
- Chronic- non progressive (or chronic-daily) headache: Frequent or constant headache. This may be caused by depression or anxiety.
- Mixed headache: Acute-recurrent headache (usually migraine) superimposed on a chronic-daily headache pattern.
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