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Our own good/bad experiences with medications for our kids
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<blockquote data-quote="klmno" data-source="post: 229108" data-attributes="member: 3699"><p>Wow- I don't know how some of you keep up with it all. I'm not sure difficult child would ever get the right dose of the right medications if I had to sort through all that. And I wouldn't like psychiatrist very much either. But, I know- it's a nightmare trying to find the right combo...</p><p></p><p>Me- the only thing I've taken beside allergy medications is <strong>Welbutrin (sp). </strong>It was rx'd because my GP wanted me to quit smoking, instead of being rx'd for depression. Although, I do suffer from situational depression at times. Anyway, it turned me into a time bomb and I had to stop taking it after about 5-6 days.</p><p></p><p>difficult child- first diagnosis at 11yo (major depression and disruptive behavior not otherwise specified)- rx'd 10mg of <strong>prozac</strong> (that is a really low dose)</p><p></p><p>Effect is debatable-</p><p></p><p>One possibility: It didn't do anything for him- after about 6 weeks, he changed quickly (like overnight) into his old self, then one year later, he changed back to having erratic behavior.</p><p></p><p>Second possibility: The prozac did help him change back into his old self when first given, but a year later when difficult child started showing signs of depression and minor disruption again and the prozac dose was doubled, it made him manic.</p><p></p><p>Either way, after difficult child got "kicked out" of school for being disruptive and then went on a 1 1/2 hr crime spree and racked up seven charges (including setting a brush fire by dropping lit matches around his feet), the prozac was stopped and he was not on any medications for about 6 weeks.</p><p></p><p>Then the trial of MS's started.</p><p></p><p><strong>Lamictol</strong>: If anything, it made him worse. Trouble at time of trial included staying awake for all hours, being agressive and irritable, basicly similar to the way his is right now, but worse.</p><p></p><p><strong>Lithium:</strong> Worked fine until therapuetic dose was reached, then stomach problems daily- that was switched to Lithobid and he's been on it since- over 1 year. He started sleeping regularly and agression stopped (except for occassional incidences and then a lot recently)</p><p></p><p><strong>Depakote</strong>: Added a few months after lithium started due to being jittery, excessively talking, inability to sit still. (Questionable in my mind if that was hypomania or a result of lithobid) Anyway, it stopped it but when titrated up to a mid-level therapuetic dose, difficult child looked and sounded like a different person- not raging- perfectly calm but saying very frightneing stuff. Depakote got lowered back immediately and switched to <strong>depakote er</strong>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Tegratol</strong> and something else were tried briefly as a possible MS to use in place of lithobid or depakote. They didn't work. Raging and inability to sleep came back as soon as lithium dosage was lowered the least bit.</p><p></p><p>PRN- for sleep, anger, anxiety issues- these were tried but never seemed to help more than they hurt: <strong>risperdal, zyprexa, seroquel </strong>(not tried for long)., then <strong>ativan</strong>.</p><p></p><p>More recently- last Oct., difficult child was showing serious signs of depression so the generic form of <strong>celexa</strong> was tried- but only for a few days, then stopped. He had to start taking some medications for physical illness and the risk of mania was too great. Plus, it looks like it could have flipped him over the line anyway and that might be why we are where we are today with it.</p><p></p><p>Oh- <strong>difficult child's diagnosis</strong> switched from depression to BiPolar (BP) after the "crime spree" and 6 week period of no medications. At least, that is the diagnosis by the prescribing psychiatrist. Another psychiatrist, who led difficult child's MDE feels like difficult child should not be given BiPolar (BP) diagnosis just yet, but should go back to square one and have diagnosis of depression and adjustment disorder but that difficult child needs to be on mood stabilizers to prevent mania from AD's and that he should be given an AD. She said with proper therapy/counseling and maturity/coping skills and future stabilization of hormones, that he might possibly be able to come off all medications someday because he does not meet the true criteria for a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis.</p><p></p><p><strong>Side effects</strong>: None from prozac (unless mania was one), MS's- more drinking water, stomach upsets, and urinating while body adjusted (lithium), weight gain and acne (all of them), cognitive dulling (depakote primarily- I think). AP's- too much sleep, no improvement in motivation, temperment, etc.- possibly made difficult child more irritable. Sometimes difficult child says he has sudden, intermittent jerks that he calls "mini-seizures" (I don;t think he would know a seizure). It didn't happen before MS's but I don't know what's causing it- I don't really see it- he has no obvious tics.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="klmno, post: 229108, member: 3699"] Wow- I don't know how some of you keep up with it all. I'm not sure difficult child would ever get the right dose of the right medications if I had to sort through all that. And I wouldn't like psychiatrist very much either. But, I know- it's a nightmare trying to find the right combo... Me- the only thing I've taken beside allergy medications is [B]Welbutrin (sp). [/B]It was rx'd because my GP wanted me to quit smoking, instead of being rx'd for depression. Although, I do suffer from situational depression at times. Anyway, it turned me into a time bomb and I had to stop taking it after about 5-6 days. difficult child- first diagnosis at 11yo (major depression and disruptive behavior not otherwise specified)- rx'd 10mg of [B]prozac[/B] (that is a really low dose) Effect is debatable- One possibility: It didn't do anything for him- after about 6 weeks, he changed quickly (like overnight) into his old self, then one year later, he changed back to having erratic behavior. Second possibility: The prozac did help him change back into his old self when first given, but a year later when difficult child started showing signs of depression and minor disruption again and the prozac dose was doubled, it made him manic. Either way, after difficult child got "kicked out" of school for being disruptive and then went on a 1 1/2 hr crime spree and racked up seven charges (including setting a brush fire by dropping lit matches around his feet), the prozac was stopped and he was not on any medications for about 6 weeks. Then the trial of MS's started. [B]Lamictol[/B]: If anything, it made him worse. Trouble at time of trial included staying awake for all hours, being agressive and irritable, basicly similar to the way his is right now, but worse. [B]Lithium:[/B] Worked fine until therapuetic dose was reached, then stomach problems daily- that was switched to Lithobid and he's been on it since- over 1 year. He started sleeping regularly and agression stopped (except for occassional incidences and then a lot recently) [B]Depakote[/B]: Added a few months after lithium started due to being jittery, excessively talking, inability to sit still. (Questionable in my mind if that was hypomania or a result of lithobid) Anyway, it stopped it but when titrated up to a mid-level therapuetic dose, difficult child looked and sounded like a different person- not raging- perfectly calm but saying very frightneing stuff. Depakote got lowered back immediately and switched to [B]depakote er[/B]. [B]Tegratol[/B] and something else were tried briefly as a possible MS to use in place of lithobid or depakote. They didn't work. Raging and inability to sleep came back as soon as lithium dosage was lowered the least bit. PRN- for sleep, anger, anxiety issues- these were tried but never seemed to help more than they hurt: [B]risperdal, zyprexa, seroquel [/B](not tried for long)., then [B]ativan[/B]. More recently- last Oct., difficult child was showing serious signs of depression so the generic form of [B]celexa[/B] was tried- but only for a few days, then stopped. He had to start taking some medications for physical illness and the risk of mania was too great. Plus, it looks like it could have flipped him over the line anyway and that might be why we are where we are today with it. Oh- [B]difficult child's diagnosis[/B] switched from depression to BiPolar (BP) after the "crime spree" and 6 week period of no medications. At least, that is the diagnosis by the prescribing psychiatrist. Another psychiatrist, who led difficult child's MDE feels like difficult child should not be given BiPolar (BP) diagnosis just yet, but should go back to square one and have diagnosis of depression and adjustment disorder but that difficult child needs to be on mood stabilizers to prevent mania from AD's and that he should be given an AD. She said with proper therapy/counseling and maturity/coping skills and future stabilization of hormones, that he might possibly be able to come off all medications someday because he does not meet the true criteria for a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis. [B]Side effects[/B]: None from prozac (unless mania was one), MS's- more drinking water, stomach upsets, and urinating while body adjusted (lithium), weight gain and acne (all of them), cognitive dulling (depakote primarily- I think). AP's- too much sleep, no improvement in motivation, temperment, etc.- possibly made difficult child more irritable. Sometimes difficult child says he has sudden, intermittent jerks that he calls "mini-seizures" (I don;t think he would know a seizure). It didn't happen before MS's but I don't know what's causing it- I don't really see it- he has no obvious tics. [/QUOTE]
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