| Abstract: | Question I am seeing more and more children and adolescents with headaches that can be defined as migraine headache. I have read about intranasal sumatriptan as an abortive therapy. Is this an effective treatment?Answer Acute migraine headache among children and adolescents is common and treatment is challenging. Intranasal sumatriptan is a safe and mostly effective option for children and adolescents. Currently the recommended dose is 20 mg for children who weigh more than 40 kg and 10 mg for children who weigh between 20 and 39 kg. Larger trials should be conducted to overcome the limitations of small sample sizes, potential low plasma concentration, and placebo effects witnessed in studies to date.Migraine headache is common in children, with a mean age of onset of 7 years for boys and 11 years for girls, and a prevalence of 8% to 23% by 15 years of age.1–3 Migraine can cause substantial morbidity associated with missed school, reduced participation in sports, and even depression.4,5The pathogenesis of migraine is multifactorial6 and diagnosis is made based on symptoms. (For more information, see the International Headache Society’s headache classifications.7) |
