Studies over the years have revealed a lot of information about the prevention, onset and treatment of migraines in adults. But even though the peak onset for migraine headaches is around 15 years of age, there is less research on migraines in children and teens.
"The triptan therapies have proven very helpful for adults, but it has not been determined if they will be as effective for treating migraines in teens," said Ken Holroyd, a professor of health psychology at Ohio University who started the Headache Treatment and Research Project in 1975. "Triptans are promising treatments for teens. However, if teens can learn to control migraines without medication, this could save decades of medication consumption."
More than 60 kids called to participate in this pilot study, but only 30 who fit the criteria -- two to eight headaches a month that lasted at least four hours each -- were able to commit to the 16-week project.
During the first four-weeks of the study, all 30 participants kept a daily diary of their headache pain, recording the frequency and severity of their migraines. The teens also were seen by the headache project?s neurologist, Dr. Frank O?Donnell.
Participants were then randomly assigned to one of two eight-week treatment groups. Those in the drug therapy group were prescribed triptans, a class of drugs widely used for migraine in adults. The researchers called teens in this group once every two weeks to monitor the effects of the drug.
Those in the behavioral therapy group were given a manual written by Cottrell called "STOP" (Strategies to Take Out the Pain), which included information on ways to identify early signs of migraine and how to manage the triggers that bring on the pain. The book also offered training in relaxation, biofeedback and stress management. Teens read a chapter each week and discussed what they learned during a 20- to 30-minute phone c
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Contact: Kelli Whitlock
whitlock@ohio.edu
740-593-2868
Ohio University
18-Jun-2002