difficult child 1 gets another medication in the mix... fingers crossed!

[gcvmom]

psychiatrist appointment Friday went well. I met with him privately to talk about the $500 in data charges difficult child 1 ran up on his brother's phone looking at porn, his violence and destructiveness, his general ability to pi$$ everyone off around him -- all when he's off stimulants in the morning and at night.

He's also still picking his upper arm skin as well as his knees, and he continues to have IBS issues that I'm convinced are anxiety related. The psychiatrist concurs.

So we are now adding Strattera to the mix, in hopes that it will provide a cushion or buffer when the stimulants are no longer in his system. If that improves, then we will examine the other medications like the Tegretol XR (may not even need it) and the Celexa (may need a little more, then again, maybe not).

My big concern is that difficult child 1 is not really able to function without the stimulant, and as he gets older (he'll be 16 in about a month) there are things he needs to learn to do for himself that he just can't do without the stimulant. I shouldn't have to be rushing to get a pill in him before his feet hit the floor every morning just so we can all have a little peace and so he can function. The day will come when he'll have to be able to do that himself. And it's going to come soon.

So, here we go!

 

[susiestar]

This sounds like a good plan. I am glad the psychiatrist listened to you. How did difficult child 1 react when you wanted to speak to the psychiatrist with-o him? Once Wiz got to be about 12 he started having a fit if I wanted to talk to the doctor with-o him. It was very useful because it let the psychiatrist see how difficult child was when he didn't like whatever was going on, which was VERY different than his 'good' behavior for the psychiatrist.

Strattera can be very effective for both the ADHD and for any depression issues. When we combined it with the other antidepressant it seemed to multiply the effect that that they each had alone. I did NOT expect it to be effective for adhd but it has been awesome for both Wiz and gfgbro. It may even help with his anxiety, which would be awesome.

Hopefully this will give him enough control that he won't go for the porn so determinedly. SSRI's are used for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) on a regular basis, and some of his porn seeking seems to be at that level, at least from your posts. Doses of SSRI for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are usually higher than for depression or adhd, so it may take a while to know if it will help with that.

 

[gcvmom]

Thanks, Susie. I'm hopeful, too. difficult child 1 had no problem with me going in first. I've done it before. psychiatrist called him in separately and explained the decision about the Strattera. Then it was difficult child 2's turn, and he went in by himself this time, too. I think because we've been seeing this guy since difficult child 1 was 5 that he's someone they trust, even if they are embarrassed to have their "dirty laundry" aired with him,

 

[Wiped Out]

Fingers crossed that this will really help! When you figure out how to get your difficult child to take his medications on his own in the morning let me know so I can try it with my difficult child!

 

[barneysmom]

My gfg17 just started on Strattera a few weeks ago so I'll be along for the ride, looking for results. he's always been on Concerta which helped him. The psychiatrist at Residential Treatment Center (RTC) wants to try Strattera for attention and also AD effects. As you described, we have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the mix too.

Susie -- of course everyone is different but I'm encouraged by the great effects Strattera had for Wiz and his bro. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[flutterby]

Gcv - According to our psychiatrist, Strattera can be hard on the stomach/GI tract and I wanted to let you know about that because of difficult child 1's Chron's. I hope it doesn't cause any problems and works as hoped!

I'd like to know how the Strattera works, too - we're considering it for ADD, depression, anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). So, I'll be watching all of you.

 

[gcvmom]

Thanks Heather. Fortunately, his Crohn's is in remission (labs are perfect). What I'm hoping this also helps is his IBS!