Abdominal Migraine Is Real

Migraineurs suffer a variety of migraines. Some seem typical, following the stages most people have come to understand about migraines. Others seem strangely out of place, as though the migraine has slipped from the head to another part of the body.

Defining Abdominal Migraine

Abdominal migraine is one of those that attack other than the head. It consists of pain, nausea, and vomiting. It is usually seen in children, although some adults suffer abdominal migraine. Girls are more likely than boys to suffer abdominal migraine.

Diagnosing Abdominal Migraine

Abdominal migraine is usually diagnosed when family history links the child’s attack to adult migraine sufferers. Your physician will also look for things such as these in diagnosing abdominal migraine:

1. At least 5 attacks that involve 2 through 4 below.
2. Abdominal pain is midline in location, is dull, and moderate to severe.
3. During abdominal pain, the child has at least 2 of these: loss of appetite, nausea, paleness, vomiting.
4. Whether left untreated or treated, attacks of abdominal pain last between an hour and 72 hours.

In addition, your physician will want to be sure the abdominal pain is not attributed to some other medical concern.

Abdominal Migraine Is Painful

Like other migraine, abdominal migraine causes severe enough pain to interfere seriously with normal activities. A child suffering abdominal migraine will not want to play or move about. She will not be able to go to school or engage in other common activities. She may not be able to tell you whether she is nauseous or has lost her appetite, but may vomit repeatedly. She will likely have a very pale face with dark shadows under the eyes. She will probably be fatigued or sleepy. Some children suffer migraine headache with abdominal migraine, while others have only the abdominal migraine. Most people who suffer abdominal migraine in childhood will develop migraine headache in adulthood.

Treating Abdominal Migraine

As with other migraine, no sure treatment is available for abdominal migraine. Your physician may prescribe a triptan drug such as Imitrex, Zomig, or Maxalt. You may also get a prescription for medication to curb the nausea and vomiting.

You should realize that abdominal migraine, like other migraine, can be triggered by foods or other substances. They may also be triggered by stress.

If you believe someone is experiencing abdominal migraine, contact your physician for advice. It is important to rule out other causes, and to treat the pain appropriately.

The author is not a trained professional, and the advice given here is for educational purposes only.