Behavioral Therapy Could Ease Migraines in Children, Teens
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Behavioral therapy could help reduce the number of children and teens who suffer from migraines and migraine-related disabilities.
According to HealthDay News, the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that two percent of adults and 1.75 percent of children suffer from chronic migraines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, has not approved any treatments to reduce those migraines in young people.
Researchers analyzed data from 135 patients between the ages of 10 and 17 who suffered from migraines on 15 or more days each month. The children were assigned to either receive 10 cognitive behavioral therapy sessions or 10 headache education sessions. Both groups also received the drug amitriptyline, says HealthDay News.
After 12 months of treatment, the researchers found that 86 percent of the children who received behavioral therapy had a 50 percent or greater reduction in days with migraines. Only 69 percent of the children who received headache education saw an equivalent drop.
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