Fluoxetine for the Treatment of Abdominal Migraine

Excerpt

To the Editor: A nine-year-old boy presented with bouts of intense, diffuse abdominal pain for three years. The episodes lasted for hours together, first with interruptions and later continuous. There was accompanied vomiting. Routine blood and urine investigations and biochemical tests, done multiple times, were normal. The test results of abdominal ultrasound, performed 4–5 times; abdominal CT, done thrice; and MRI with cholangio-pancreatic scan done once, were non-contributory. EEG was normal. Diagnosis of abdominal migraine (AM), essentially a clinical diagnosis, was made in the presence of paroxysmal bouts of acute abdominal pain over three years, with nausea and vomiting as associated symptoms. The illness interfered with everyday activities and schooling. In between the bouts of pain, the child returned to baseline health, and after appropriate medical evaluation, the symptoms could not be attributed to another medical condition. …