SuZir
Well-Known Member
I have noticed many have knowledge and experience about anxiety medications either for their difficult children or themselves around here. I'm especially interested about medications used off label to reduce anxiety. But of course also information and experiences about actual anxiety medications. What medications are used, for what type of problems and how are side effects.
difficult child's team's doctor wants to consult with difficult child's psychiatrist to talk about putting him on to anxiety medication. difficult child is very against medications, but is afraid he will be forced to take them. I'm afraid he is not able to advocate himself, is forced to take a prescription to medications he doesn't want and he will not take them but lie he is taking them. That could end up to quite a mess. I hope that talking with him and giving him information about different options before appointment would help him to advocate himself and be more open to different possibilities.
He has had hard time lately. He has been diagnosed with PTSD, is in therapy but has not been on any medication. He has been very against medications, especially SSRIs. He has been very wound up lately and also struggling with his sport performance and been under great pressure. Recently he had a good game and while very relieved, he ended up with full-blown panic attack right after it and couldn't calm down before he was given diazepam. It calmed him down, made him extremely sleepy and he hated how he felt next day. His team doctor has since added faster/shorter acting benzo to team's medicine assortment if need arises again. Apparently also his blood work and other physical symptoms suggest high anxiety levels, so does his behaviour and he is not denying it himself. That is why the doctor thinks medication should be considered.
difficult child is truly afraid of SSRIs. He had a classmate, who gained lots of weight after starting SSRI and, according to school yard rumours, had also bad sexual side effects. So difficult child is sure he will turn fat and impotent if he has to start SSRIs. Persuading him to even try them can be very challenging. And I have to say that I'm worried about especially some SSRIs too. My dad (while not truly bipolar) has had drug induced mania and I also have bipolarity in my family tree also elsewhere. difficult child has not ever been the most stable person when it comes to his moods. And he needs onset of bipolar like another head.
I check local guidelines to medication of anxiety and SSRIs are the first choice. Either paroxetine or fluvoxamine seem to be recommended so are venlafaxine and buspirone from non-SSRIs. In reality (after reading some local anxiety message boards) Lexapro, Zoloft and Celexa seem to be popular too. Then again buspirone doesn't seem to be commonly used. However in here i have noticed many seem to be using also other medications to help with anxiety and I would be interested to have more information about those.
I do hope that having information about different possibilities would help difficult child to be more involved in the meeting and voice his concerns and listen and be more open to try medications. Right now he feels violated and is catastrophizing and is sure he will be bullied to something he doesn't want to and he will not be heard on this. And if he goes to the meeting in this mood, he will not be heard. After all it is difficult for doctors to listen the patient, if all they are saying is "what ever" and "I don't care"... Luckily difficult child's team's doctor likely knows difficult child well enough that he knows that if it goes like that, it will only mean that difficult child may 'agree' to take medications, he may get them from pharmacy, but he will certainly not be taking them. And will be lying about it.
difficult child's team's doctor wants to consult with difficult child's psychiatrist to talk about putting him on to anxiety medication. difficult child is very against medications, but is afraid he will be forced to take them. I'm afraid he is not able to advocate himself, is forced to take a prescription to medications he doesn't want and he will not take them but lie he is taking them. That could end up to quite a mess. I hope that talking with him and giving him information about different options before appointment would help him to advocate himself and be more open to different possibilities.
He has had hard time lately. He has been diagnosed with PTSD, is in therapy but has not been on any medication. He has been very against medications, especially SSRIs. He has been very wound up lately and also struggling with his sport performance and been under great pressure. Recently he had a good game and while very relieved, he ended up with full-blown panic attack right after it and couldn't calm down before he was given diazepam. It calmed him down, made him extremely sleepy and he hated how he felt next day. His team doctor has since added faster/shorter acting benzo to team's medicine assortment if need arises again. Apparently also his blood work and other physical symptoms suggest high anxiety levels, so does his behaviour and he is not denying it himself. That is why the doctor thinks medication should be considered.
difficult child is truly afraid of SSRIs. He had a classmate, who gained lots of weight after starting SSRI and, according to school yard rumours, had also bad sexual side effects. So difficult child is sure he will turn fat and impotent if he has to start SSRIs. Persuading him to even try them can be very challenging. And I have to say that I'm worried about especially some SSRIs too. My dad (while not truly bipolar) has had drug induced mania and I also have bipolarity in my family tree also elsewhere. difficult child has not ever been the most stable person when it comes to his moods. And he needs onset of bipolar like another head.
I check local guidelines to medication of anxiety and SSRIs are the first choice. Either paroxetine or fluvoxamine seem to be recommended so are venlafaxine and buspirone from non-SSRIs. In reality (after reading some local anxiety message boards) Lexapro, Zoloft and Celexa seem to be popular too. Then again buspirone doesn't seem to be commonly used. However in here i have noticed many seem to be using also other medications to help with anxiety and I would be interested to have more information about those.
I do hope that having information about different possibilities would help difficult child to be more involved in the meeting and voice his concerns and listen and be more open to try medications. Right now he feels violated and is catastrophizing and is sure he will be bullied to something he doesn't want to and he will not be heard on this. And if he goes to the meeting in this mood, he will not be heard. After all it is difficult for doctors to listen the patient, if all they are saying is "what ever" and "I don't care"... Luckily difficult child's team's doctor likely knows difficult child well enough that he knows that if it goes like that, it will only mean that difficult child may 'agree' to take medications, he may get them from pharmacy, but he will certainly not be taking them. And will be lying about it.