jannie

trying to survive....
So--since April I've been tossing and turning regarding medications for my easy child/difficult child. He's always had issues, but not nearly as bad as difficult child so we've been less agressive in treating.

Last spring we took him to an experienced psychologist. She saw symptoms of adhd/anxiety/mild depression.

April 06 he took tenex for a few months to deal with hyperactivity/impulsivity/anger-some improvements but not really enough

August 06 trialed straterra--serious stomach/eating issues so we discontinued

September 06-April 07 Abilify 2.5 mg-not really good-increased anxiety anger issues etc. Started seeing a new therapist in March. He didn't even see the adhd mainly the anxiety/depression. He was having issues with anxiety some partial school refusal issues and quite uncooperative at doing new things. He does have outbursts at home--hits his brother and gets anger more than typical- School has alway been very good-no complaints- top of the class perfect report card (behavior too)--school thought this was his worse year ever--I think the abilify made him worse-concerns with writing and some reading comprehension ( I could not get him to read at night--this was new because in the past he'd like to read nonfiction texts/encyclopedias)

Stopped all medications since April--school was happy they saw an enthusiastic child again--however he is very hyper and impulsive-doesn't want to sit and focus and do work. The anxiety is still there but not nearly as strong (the abilify made it worse). There is Tourette's Syndrome in the family and difficult child was just diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome so we are not trialing stimulants--We've been doing no medications, but he really is all over the place--

We were given the prescription for Zoloft in May--but have been waiting and waiting (I'm not sure what I'm waiting for, but I guess I'm worried that he could have some type of negative reaction to the zoloft !!!!) I gave him 25 mg last night and he is supposed to take that for one week and then up it to 50 mg. I hope that his hyperactivty is do to anxiety and this will help--

How long will it take for me to see benefits and/or negative side effects? I've heard some really horror stories about zoloft, so please keep your fingers crossed.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
I think it usually takes about two weeks for any noticeable change with the SSRIs. And even then, if 25mg is not enough, the improvement/change me be very slight.

My difficult child 1 started taking Lexapro in June. At first, he was on 5mg, but after two weeks I didn't notice much of a change. But when he went to 10mg, after about a week I did notice he was a lot more relaxed and less snippy with people, and it has made a big difference in his anxiety over blood draws.

difficult child 2 tried Zoloft about 4 years ago but it made his emotional issues worse and he become somewhat hypomanic. We know now that he has bigger issues than difficult child 1.

Hope the Zoloft works for your easy child/difficult child -- summer's definitely the safest time to try these things.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I gave my son one dose of 10 mgs. Prozac and he was so off-the-wall, we wonder if he had a psychotic reaction. We had never had a call from school before, but he was jumping off his desk and saying he thinks he can fly, laughing, very manicky. I never gave him another pill and it has never happened again. Zoloft made me pretty hyper and nervous right away as well and in two weeks I was unable to sit still (akathesia). It can happen right away if the child is not going to react well to the medications or it can take a few months to either kick in or make things worse. Like everything else, it all depends on the person. by the way, I can take Paxil and it really helps, but both Prozac and Zoloft made me even more hyper. I was told it takes a good six weeks for any good effects, and that also happened to me. I was ready to throw out the Paxil when suddenly it just really kicked in (two months later) and it's been a miracle medication for me ever since. AD's are not quick fixes--they take time. But if you see anything negative, report it right away. Often if it isn't going to work, the side effects (hyperness, aggression, crying etc.) only get worse as it builds in the system and you should always tell the doctor. I've never experienced BAD side effects that went away. I always needed to discontinue and try something else. Wish you luck.
 

'Chelle

Active Member
My difficult child took Zoloft for over 2 years for anxieties, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) tendencies and probably he was getting a bit depressed (I would be too if I were always in trouble for things I couldn't help, but anyway). Started same as yours, at 25, then went up over a month to 100 and that's where he stayed. It worked well for my difficult child, he was able to get through school. We weaned him off over three months just this spring, and he's maintained fairly well. A few behaviors, but pretty minor and some more typical just turining teens stuff. We took him off because his psychiatrist and I felt he had matured to the point that he was able to use the things taught him in therapies to get through it, and he's done pretty well. We're going to see how he does his first while into high school, but I think he'll do ok.

As midwestmom said, medications affect every person differently. It should take probably 2-3 weeks before you see changes. With our difficult child it took a couple weeks, when the dosage hit 75, that we noticed improvements.
 

jannie

trying to survive....
So--will the zoloft help with his adhd symptoms-chill him out, reduce his acitivity level, slow down his quick temper?

I know that people often diagnose someone with adhd when it's really anxiety which means that zoloft could help, but if he really has both adhd with some mild anxiety...will the zoloft work??

 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Zoloft didn't work for me, but Paxil worked mega-time, and it's a cousin to Zoloft.
For me, Paxil helped my extremely horrible, recurrent depression (it's biggest effect on me), my moodswings (for some reason, along with Clonazapan, it works almost as a mood stabilizer, but I have no idea why), my unrelenting Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) thoughts went away, and my rages stopped completely (yes, I raged as an adult--not pretty). It made me far more mellow, but didn't dope me up.
Remember, everyone is different.
 

busywend

Well-Known Member
It is my opinion that some medications can help ADHD symptoms while truly solving a different issue. I have anxiety issues right now - new ones. I started taking Wellbutrin and I am getting so much more done at work. I think this particular medication is now being used for ADHD symptoms such as focus, but it is amazing to see the difference in my productivity. I am not ADHD that I know of. However, I have suspected a bit of it in the last few years.

It is so hard to be so diligent in monitoring medications and the reactions. Then to keep trying new ones to get it right. Parenting is so hard.
 

'Chelle

Active Member
Can only say how it affected my difficult child - but it did help with my difficult child's anger and frustration level, and I noticed especially when he first was weaned off that he was a bit more easily irritated when he's no longer on it. Doesn't rage anymore, thank goodness, but doesn't take much for him to get upset with noises sometimes.

Can't say as to the activity level part, as my difficult child never was over hyper.
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Jannie,

Hoping that the Zoloft helps. I don't have any experience with it. easy child takes Prozac for help with depression. It has helped. For the Prozac we were told that it takes 3-5 weeks to really take affect.
 

Sara PA

New Member
So--will the zoloft help with his adhd symptoms-chill him out, reduce his acitivity level, slow down his quick temper?
It depends mostly on whether or not he has a psychiatric adverse reaction to it. Antidepressants can cause mania, mood swings, hostility.......lots of things we don't want for our kids.
 

pepperidge

New Member
With my oldest, who has some major anxiety/depressive tendencies, disklike of school etc but would also have some very silly periods, we tried Prozac. Even at low doses (5 mg) we saw more disinhibition in behavior.

Actually my son had a good reaction to a very low dose of Adderall. It makes him much more cooperative, emphathetic. But it was when we finally hit on the combo of Lamictal and Risperdal (along with low dose Adderall) that we saw a major lifting of moods, much less anxiety.

Interestingly, Abilify seemed to have little effect on him, also tried Wellbutrin.

Don't know if this helps give you some perspective or not. I would definitely be on the lookout for disinhibited behavior--in my son's case, it involved shoplifting, greater silliness etc. When we stopped the Prozac, those issues stopped. He had also been on Lexapro (a normal dose) and flipped out after a couple of days. When we went to the Prozac, we didn't really see a strong improvement in mood or anxiety, and the other side effects were not worth it. Not saying it won't work for your child--I hope it does--just try to assess right now through note taking what his baseline state is so you can compare if you suspect side effects.

good luck.
 
Zoloft has been an absolute life saver for our difficult child. He takes a relatively small dose , 50 mg, in combination with a small dose of amitriptyline , 25 mg and Gabapentin (neurotin). His psychiatrist gave him these medications for pain and anxiety while he was hospitalized after his accident three years ago. While they have helped with his pain issues, they have also had other wonderful effects. He has lost the constant simmering irritation that he used to have,and his anger outbursts have completely disappeared. We now realize that he must have been depressed and anxious- and the symptoms were irritation and anger. The medication has made a huge difference in all of our lives, but I know that medications work differently for folks depending upon their own personal "chemistry".
 

jannie

trying to survive....
Thanks for your feedback--we'll just wait and see

1 day at a time--I'm extra happy to hear your positive results. It's been two days so far and I haven't noticed anything--Truthfully I am worried that it won't really treat the symptoms we need treated, but we are at a loss as to which medications to try...
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
I have a mood disorder if it is BiPolar (BP) I am unsure I have lot's of symptoms... I have had many things in my past that I think could point to a diagnosis of BiPolar (BP)...
That being said... I take 100mg Zoloft and it has helped me quite a bit, I also take Topamax but a small dose. My doctor thinks the Topamax helps my mood also.
I tried Paxil after K's birth but it made me feel out of sorts and numb... more manicy.

The Zoloft helps me with the anxiety, anger and insomnia, it seems to level me out.

It took about 3 weeks to slowly see a change. It was very gradual, I started low, 25mg.

Good luck
 

Abbey

Spork Queen
I've been on Zoloft for about 4 weeks now...100mg. I'd have to say that I don't feel any different. I have a few facial ticks, but they are manageable. I'll give it my next two refills, but if I don't see any benefit, I'll slowly stop. It has been the most tolerable antidepressant I've been on.

Abbey
 
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