My DD was diagnosed with migraines at age 6. Hers are triggered mostly by anxiety but it seems more typical triggers affect her as well (lighting, lack of sleep, weather, etc). DH and I both have very significant migraine history - as does DH's father and the female line on my side. Every doctor just kind of nods and says it was basically inevitable - DD was pretty much destined to have them because of heredity.
She takes a daily low dose of Elavil and it has really helped. She will occasionally get into a bad migraine cycle but it's not constant like it was this time last year. (I discussed it on here so if you search you may be able to find the thread.) I can tell by looking at her when she has one even if she doesn't say anything. Her cheeks flush bright pink (think clown makeup) over pale white skin. Her eyes become glassy and she seems "out of it." If they get bad she develops dark circles under her eyes, appears discoordinated and and moves very slowly. We have found that getting her outside into fresh air can help as can ibuprofen. Most important is trying to keep her school anxiety under control. She takes swim lessons at a physical therapy center so the pool is very warm. When the migraines were at their worst she said swimming in that warm water was the only thing that made her feel "all the way better" - at least for a while.
Hope this helps. Feel free to post any specific questions I may be able to help with.
