So my daughter had a concussion Nov 16, 2017 playing basketball. She was put on restrictions and concussion protocol within the school and athletics right away. Can't be inthe gym or cafeteria. No homeowrk, classwork ot testing.

She has had daily headaches that range from 3/10 to 7/10. As well, she was a kid with all high "A's" and has been frustrated with some cognitive struggles just sitting in class now. The average at home headache is 3-4/10 and average at school is 4-6/10. She is taking amitriptyline at bed time. MRI was deemed "clear" last week.

So here we are at 3.5 months later and looking to head to Cook's Childrens Neurology for the headaches and concussion. We have a great doc that is certified with concussions but he has admitted to me in the past that he isn't trained in alternative therapies so wouldn't care to comment on them. There is obviously alot more info to give but I'm trying to give enough to describe our situation but not give too much crappola.

Two questions:

• has anyone else had similar issues with their kids?
• Has anyone used alternative methods successfully as compared to just using meds ( i would prefer to wean her back off of since they dont seem to help and have some nasty side effects)?

Thanks in advance for sharing and any advice or treatment alternatives...
SML

https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/pain/headache/migraine/iv-ketamine-effect-post-concussional-migraine

Ketamine?

I'm currently taking amitriptyline for a stomach issue, and I don't like it at all. I wonder if that is actually causing some of the issues it is meant to be helping with?

Just throwing it out there...I have no medical experience other than taking that drug! Hope she gets better soon.

Total lay person here. But what kind of pain relief is she on for the headaches? I know that for normal headaches (not concussion related) if you constantly take otc meds for pain relief you can create a rebound headache cycle that is hard to break.

Not related to concussion but just giving you another train of thought.... when I was 13 I began having severe migraines that were stress and hormone induced. Started at the same time that my parents divoriced and I also started the fun woman stuff. Are these headaches for sure related to the concussion..... not sure if that would change the treatment plan or not. I ended up going to the headache clinic in Houston, Tx where I spent a week and they put me on a special diet and helped me learning coping and relaxation techniques to combat the headaches. All of the migraine medicine I was prescribed never worked for me.

It is really hard to tell is this is post concussive syndrome or migraines or some other type of chronic headache. Does she have any other symptoms of post concussive syndrome like: trouble concentrating, hypersomnia or insomnia, dizziness, mood disturbances, memory problems.

Going to a neuro at this point is a great idea. During her diagnosis and immediate recovery was any standardized concussion tool utilized? I use C3Logix and find it very helpful in the first few weeks following a concussion event.

I have used amitryptiline on paitnets several times for chronic post concussion headache with various results but I also make sure they don't have any other persistent cognitive defect with C3logix. I do think heading to a pedi neuro is a good plan at this point.

My 16 year old daughter is on month 2 of post concussion. Has similar headaches as yours. We are beginning physical therapy for her balance and stability. That was the biggest issue she faced (although I'm convinced she was all that coordinated or stable before the concussion.)