Abdominal Migraine

Abdominal migraine is a migraine with mostly gastrointestinal-type symptoms. These symptoms include stomach pain or upset, nausea and vomiting, and loss of appetite. Typically, these last between about 2-72 hours in duration with symptoms improving between attacks.

It is thought that abdominal migraines affect 4% of children and some adults. This is more common in children, especially those with a family history of migraine.

These symptoms may be accompanied by headache, sensitivity to light, sound, and smell, and fatigue. Abdominal migraines may be triggered by typical migraine triggers including lack of sleep, stress, or skipping meals.

Treatments for abdominal migraine include medications typically used to treat or prevent migraines in addition to other agents.

The cause of abdominal migraine is unclear due to limited research but is thought to be a childhood manifestation of migraine often evolves to migraine as a child moves into adulthood.

For more information about abdominal migraine, speak with your healthcare provider.