FlowerGarden
Active Member
My 17 y/o difficult child is on Depakote (500 twice a day), Trileptal (300 twice a day), Risperdal (2 twice a day), and Trazodone (50 at bed). He is extremely tired during the day (can't wake him up) and can't fall asleep at night. He starts feeling his best in the early evening.
He cannot go any higher on Depakote for level reasons. The Trileptal has just been doubled about 10 days ago. We tried lowering the Risperdal 4 weeks ago because he has what the doctor calls the "Risperdal" look & difficult child says he doesn't like being on it. The dr decided he needed to go back to the higher dose because of his mood went down hill more. I feel his mood went down because of argument with girlfriend. Trazodone was PRN but the dr has him taking it nightly now. We've been told by 2 psychiatrists and a clinician, that he is overmedicated but if he isn't then he has a tendency to rage more.
I feel the rages are actually caused by frustration from the anxiety and depression. I feel if the anxiety was under control, that he could handle things better.
Nothing seems to help his anxiety. He has ernormous anxiety. We had discovered that he started self medicating with marijuana to help. He was court ordered to go to an intensive outpatient program for substance abuse. He started getting more anxiety and depressed. The dr at the place betrayed him and difficult child refused to cooperated anymore. The dr was definitely in the wrong and difficult child was right.
We had to find a new place for him to attend. The place that his probation officer recommended, would not take him because they said that his problem is lots of anxiety and other issues and not substance abuse.
The doctor refuses to give him an anti anxiety/anti depressant even though years ago one psychiatrist had him just on Trileptal and Prozac for a month and he did fine. That was a doctor at a hospital he was in at one point. Once we went to the psychiatrist near home he was immediately taken off the Prozac.
I have neurally mediated syncope which causes me to have panic attacks. I take Paxil for it and when I started having depression with all that is going on with difficult child, Wellbutrin was added by a psychiatrist. difficult child and I share a lot of traits and I find him explaining how he feels the same way I did when I was his age. I am wondering if he is suffering from panic attacks along with the bipolar.
Does anyone have any experiences, opinions or suggestions on how to corral his enormous anxiety?
He cannot go any higher on Depakote for level reasons. The Trileptal has just been doubled about 10 days ago. We tried lowering the Risperdal 4 weeks ago because he has what the doctor calls the "Risperdal" look & difficult child says he doesn't like being on it. The dr decided he needed to go back to the higher dose because of his mood went down hill more. I feel his mood went down because of argument with girlfriend. Trazodone was PRN but the dr has him taking it nightly now. We've been told by 2 psychiatrists and a clinician, that he is overmedicated but if he isn't then he has a tendency to rage more.
I feel the rages are actually caused by frustration from the anxiety and depression. I feel if the anxiety was under control, that he could handle things better.
Nothing seems to help his anxiety. He has ernormous anxiety. We had discovered that he started self medicating with marijuana to help. He was court ordered to go to an intensive outpatient program for substance abuse. He started getting more anxiety and depressed. The dr at the place betrayed him and difficult child refused to cooperated anymore. The dr was definitely in the wrong and difficult child was right.
We had to find a new place for him to attend. The place that his probation officer recommended, would not take him because they said that his problem is lots of anxiety and other issues and not substance abuse.
The doctor refuses to give him an anti anxiety/anti depressant even though years ago one psychiatrist had him just on Trileptal and Prozac for a month and he did fine. That was a doctor at a hospital he was in at one point. Once we went to the psychiatrist near home he was immediately taken off the Prozac.
I have neurally mediated syncope which causes me to have panic attacks. I take Paxil for it and when I started having depression with all that is going on with difficult child, Wellbutrin was added by a psychiatrist. difficult child and I share a lot of traits and I find him explaining how he feels the same way I did when I was his age. I am wondering if he is suffering from panic attacks along with the bipolar.
Does anyone have any experiences, opinions or suggestions on how to corral his enormous anxiety?