Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion melatonin- anyone taken this?

DS7 has been having migrines every now and then at night.

We took him to a nuerologist today and he suggested that DS7 take melatonin.

Does anyone have any personal experience with this?

(We have googled it and it looks sort of good and we think it might do the trick.... also may help with the adhd! which would be great.... as everyone in our house is effected with adhd or add.....I'm the one with add..... :))

My ds gets a variant of migraines, and he takes Topomax.

My understanding is that migraines are a genetic neurological disease; thus, the cause is genetic. Am I wrong?

well he said cluster headaches... and they are a specific type of cluster headaches that effect a brain nevre... he said the name several times, but of course i can't remember it.

The headaches come at the same time every time he gets them, and because of some of the other symptoms he said this was probably a great treatment.....

They are also giving him an MRI, I think because the Neurologist just wants to see DS7's brain. He, the neurologist, seemed like his headaches where not that big a deal and we didn't need to worry too much.

of course i am.

I don't think your wrong, the doctor did say that, I get migraines so we thought that is why he was getting them. But the neurologist said maybe not, his headaches look more like cluster on some brain nevre. Which I guess is different.

Just checking... has your DS had an EEG?

A good migraine workup should include a brain MRI, EEG, a thorough cardiac evaluation, and perhaps an endocrinology evaluation.

In my case, an EEG showed I have a seizure disorder that mostly presents as insomnia and migraines. There are over 100 seizure disorders, including epilepsy, insomnia and narcolepsy.

Sorry your DS is having migraines - I hope you have a great neurologist.

The neurologist only ordered an MRI. Maybe we can suggest this. He did talk about seizure disorders, but only to say that they are now using MRI's to treat them. Which seemed sort of odd to me.... they are also using MRI's to treat migraines.

DS7's are not that often. I was scared they were a symptom of something more serious, the DR said that it is unlikely.

We should have the MRI this week, maybe I should suggest these tests to the DR when he goes over the eval.?

Soup, I'm not sure what you and the neurologist have already done together on behalf of your DS, but I can suggest asking, "under what circumstances would you order an EEG?"

When you say they are using MRIs to treat migraines, do you mean they are using MRIs to diagnose migraines?

If your DS had a brain tumor, he would likely show recent changes in speech, balance, vision, motor skills, or personality. If you haven't reported any sudden problems in those areas, then the neurologist would not be concerned about a brain tumor.

You probably already know a lot about melatonin:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/496615

Neurologists have a reputation for being odd or cranky and hard to talk with. Maybe you already know that... My migraine-oriented neurologist does not treat me for insomnia and has made it clear she does not treat children. If you don't feel you are getting your questions answered, I'd definitely encourage getting a second opinion from a pediatric neurologist.

I have migraines, and my neurologist recommended vitamin supplements which seem to have solved my problems virtually completely.

Magnesium (Mg) and Riboflavin (B2) have worked wonders for me. They're pretty cheap, they have no side-effects (unless you OD on them), and they have worked for me. It might be worth a try. I researched it before I took them, and the research bears out his recommendation. Google it if you have questions.

Too much Mg can give you <ahem> intestinal distress <ahem>, so I make sure not to overdo that. (It takes quite a bit to cause problems.) But the only side effect of too much B2 is expensive urine: it's water soluble, so you really can't overdo that.

It might be worth a try...with a caveat emptor and the note that I am NOT a doctor, nor do I play one even on the radio, so proceed with caution!

No actually he said they were using MRI as a treatment for seizure and migraine patients. Which I found very odd, but he said it had something to do with the magnets.

I am really embarrassed to say this but very often when it come to medical stuff, it goes in one ear and out the other. I usually ask for something in writing.

Luckily he is a ped. Neurologist. He encouraged us to do research before we give it to DS7. He was extremely layed back, a sandal sock guy.

so that lead me to post here figuring this is a place i would find people with what we call in our house, "brain fun". What I am looking for is personal accounts of people who have used melatonin. To hear from someone first hand, did it work?

I have had migraines since I was seventeen.

There are two types: Classical and common. One is associated with an aura and one is not. I was completely debilitated with them lasting several days. It is known that migraines are caused by the blood vessels either constricting or dilating( I can't remember which)and the digestive system shuts down, which is why painkillers which are ingested orally do not work. I actually had an injection which worked wonders but cant be given to children.

Interestingly migraine is also associated with stress and perfectionism and sufferers are usually people who display these traits and internalise problems. There are triggers which if they are all present are likely to lead to a migraine.

Some common triggers are:

Hunger, fatigue, stress, certain foods(red wine, cheese, chocolate and monosodium glutomate)

I found that stress was the biggie for me. Is your son a worrier or under stress?

Also I have experience of melatonin. I was a psychiatric nurse and we used it to treat insomnia associated with agitation. It did not work. It was experimental at the time and not available for general use here in the uk.

I found it helpful to list factors going on at the time when my migraines were at their worst to see if some could be avoided.

Was it the trigeminal nerve? Trigeminal neuralgia is a painful condition which although not related to seizures is treated with an anti convulsant called(in the uk) carbamazepine. Also, just to muddy the waters further, sometimes they use anti depressants to treat migraine preventatively.

It may be that the neurologist is saying that the cluster headaches are caused by a trapped nerve?

Cluster headaches are sometimes treated with the same drugs used to treat migraine.

Hope this helps and best wishes to your son. Cluster headaches are extremely painful and debilitating and I hope you isolate the trigger.

P.s I can't see the link with seizures but I have been out of work now for three years and medicine does move on. Epileptic seizures are caused by a random discharge of electricity in the brain. There are many types and the medication used to treat them is getting more efective all the time. Often a drug is developed to treat one disorder and is found to successfully treat another. Viagra was originally developed to treat heart disease!