Non-Pharmacological Treatments in Paediatric Migraine

Abstract

Psychological, social, and biological aspects contribute synergistically to the maintenance and chronicity of pain in primary headaches. An integrated intervention seems to be the most appropriate in the management of these conditions, taking advantage not only of pharmacological strategies, but also of different approaches according to the global assessment and patient necessities. In this perspective, non-pharmacological treatments are becoming increasingly used to overcome these issues also in paediatric migraine treatment. Particularly, nutraceuticals, non-invasive neuromodulation, and behavioural approaches are well tolerated and of potential interest. This paper aims to present the main approaches reported in the literature in the management of migraine in children and adolescents presenting an up-to-date review of the current literature. We therefore performed a narrative presentation for each of these three categories: nutraceuticals (riboflavin; magnesium; melatonin; vitamin D; coenzyme Q10; and polyunsaturated fatty acid); non-invasive neuromodulation (trigeminal nerve stimulator; non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation; transcranial magnetic stimulation; and remote electrical neuromodulation), and behavioural therapies (biofeedback; cognitive behavioural therapy; and mindfulness-based therapy). These approaches are increasingly seen as a valid treatment option in primary headache management also in paediatrics, avoiding medication overuse and drug treatment contraindications.

Keywords: behavioural approaches; non-invasive neurostimulation; nutraceuticals; paediatric migraine.

Figure 1

Migraine biopsychosocial model.