Eye Tich - Migraines related?

[Donna]

My 5 year old son was recently diagnosed with migraines and has developed a tich.  He has had the headaches for several months before being diagnosed.  I originally thought they were caused by allergies.  Then about a month and a half ago he began blinking his eyes, then shifting his eyes from side to side.  We have taken him to a pediatric neurologist.  He perscribed cyprohettadine 1 tsp. a night.  He has been on this for five days and has had only one more migraine.  His eye movement has slowed and is not as drastic as it used to be.  Is their a possibility the two are related?  Can a child develop a temporary tich from a migraine?  Or can it make the Tich worse since he had the migraines so often?

Thank you for your advice.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Donna,

Motor tics that may have a psychogenic component are within my area of expertise to comment on, but I am not a neuologist and really can't tell you what the association might be beween migraine syndrome and motor tics such as your son displayed. Of course the fact that the tic coincided with the migraines is strong evidence for an association, as is the progressive improvement in both conditions. However, I'm only pointing out a common sense relationship, and don't know what the science might say about this.

[Rhonda]

Our son experienced a simillar condition. A pediatric Opthamologist suggested we take him totally off of caffeine. His
{eye jerking}subsided but the migraines continue, appx three or four a month.

[Julie]

My nephew was having horrible headaches (but not tics).  He was finally tested for allergies and found out he was very allergic to dairy products.  He was 8 years old and they never suspected a problem.  They then consulted with a nutritionist and got him off dairy products- his headaches went away right away!  This was also a child who had colic from birth to 5 1/2 months.  He literally cried 20 hours a day!  (dairy related??).  They never suspected a food allergy but just decided to do it as part of the battery of testing they were doing.  Just thought this story might be helpful for you!