Intermittent headache pain

[Mazzy007]

My 12 year old son is complaining of a sharp intermittent pain on the right side of his head. It started this evening about 6pm and has been on/off.  It hasn't happened in the last hour. What should I do?

[Godofredo MD]

Hi.

Has your son experienced any other symptoms such as ear pain or visual disturbances? How long does the pain last? Does he currently have a cold or flu?

Migraines cannot be ruled out at this point. OTC pain medications can be given although if the pain worsens or persists, it would be advisable to bring him to a physician for further assessment.

Hope this helps.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  As a first aid treatment, you can probably give him some Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) tablets to ease the pain.  Its probably nothing to worry about, although you probably need to ask him if he hit his head recently, if he has a toothache, or fever.  You may need to bring him to a doctor if he has any one of these additional symptoms aside from the headache.