Treatment depends on the age of the child and the frequency and severity of the attacks.

Expert help from doctors specializing in migraine may be indicated for kids for whom diagnosis is difficult or who don’t respond to typical first-line treatments.

• For some children, sleep alone is an effective treatment.
• Although many drugs are used to prevent or treat migraine symptoms, very few have been FDA approved for use in children. However, they’re often prescribed off label.
• Certain over-the-counter products may relieve some migraines. For mild to moderate migraine, general pain medications used early in the attack may be effective.
• Since lack of appetite, abdominal pain, and vomiting occur in 90% of child sufferers, antiemetics, drugs that treat nausea and vomiting specifically, might be useful.
• Because of the potential for medication-overuse headaches, all medications should be used with care, including over-the-counter drugs and pain medications. If a child is taking any medication for headache more than twice a week, a doctor should be consulted.