Migraine-Free Adolescents

Migraine headaches affect more than just adults -- children can experience them, too. Yet there are currently no approved prescription drugs to treat children under 18. Now a new study is finding one drug is safe and effective for kids with migraines.

Fifteen-year-old Kyle loves playing sports. But when a migraine headache kicks in, his life is sidelined.

Kyle explains, "You just get this tremendous pressure in your head and then it explodes and you can't see, you can't concentrate, you just want to lie in a dark cold place and lay there for hours."

Up to 10 percent of all school aged kids, and 19 percent of all teenagers suffer migraines.

A pediatric neurologist, says, "It's a huge number of people who begin to have their migraines in this age group."

Many drugs have been approved to treat migraines in adults, but none have been available for children. Kyle and his doctor are taking part in a nationwide study of the drug sumatriptan (Imitrex®) for migraines in adolescents. It is already approved for adults.

Dr. says, "Sumatriptan, is a synthetic piece of serotonin; we give the brain what it needs to control the pain."

Results from the new study confirm the drug is safe and effective for teens, too.

Kyle says, "Recently it takes a maximum of two to three hours for a headache to be gone, and that's great. It's really going to help with my school work, because I've missed a lot of school over migraines."

And it will help him enjoy his life outside of school.

The study found for many people, sumatriptan provides pain relief within one hour. Another study is currently ongoing to look at the safety of the drug in a pill form.