Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
I'm an adult who was a difficult child. Medicated with Prozac at 5 yo for ODD/anxiety. My experience and advice. AMA.
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="mindinggaps" data-source="post: 762618" data-attributes="member: 29823"><p>Notsureofagoodone, these are extremely good questions and I wish the best for you and your teen. Firstly, I'm not surprised to hear that he benefited from an antidepressant. It's not uncommon for children with ODD to be mis or exclusively diagnosed with ADHD when there is actually more going on. This more often tends to happen when the diagnosis is made by someone who isn't a specialist. These days SSRIs are very commonly used as a first line medication for ODD because they help with emotional regulation and anger reduction. I was fortunate to be diagnosed by a child psychiatrist specialist who helped manage my medication.</p><p></p><p>I had a complicated relationship with my medication and it took me some time to realize how essential it was for me to be medicated. I was started on a low dose of Prozac at age 5 and my dosage was periodically adjusted to account for growth until I was taking 20mg at age 8. During this time everything was completely under control and I was very compliant with my medication, but I also didn't really understand much about it except that I knew it stopped me from having excessive anger. </p><p></p><p>When I was around 11, hormones became a significant issue and some of my behavioral issues started to reemerge, including outbursts of rage. It was suggested that my Prozac should be increased and at this stage, I had a rebellion against medication. I refused to take any medications and despite my parents best efforts at getting me to take it, I simply would not. I was put into extensive therapy but without the Prozac things deteriorated very rapidly and I was breaking into anger outbursts nearly daily. As things spiraled out of control, the psychiatrist intervened and made it clear how important it was for me to take my medication - this was a first warning that had the necessary effect and I was ramped up to 40mg of Prozac to get things under control. </p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, I think a common issue that arises, particularly in ODD, is that unless someone is properly medicated, they may not realize how important the medication is. Once I was back on a heavier dose of Prozac, I began to understand the need for the medication and I took a more active role in determining how to manage it. Fortunately, I was able to recognize and feel when the Prozac was properly helping and when I needed more. When I was 12, I could feel anger rising but this time I reported the issue and quickly and happily increased my Prozac to 60mg where it remained for more than a decade.</p><p></p><p>So in short, managing medications around puberty is challenging and can require lots of adjustments. Ideally, you want to get to the point where your teen understands that they need medication so they will cooperate with medical professionals, but this can be challenging because often you need to be properly medicated in the first place to get to this point. Certainly, the doctors and my parents helped make it clear that me taking Prozac was non-negotiable - this was the right decision because when properly dosed, it prevented me from having rage episodes and I was compliant taking it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mindinggaps, post: 762618, member: 29823"] Notsureofagoodone, these are extremely good questions and I wish the best for you and your teen. Firstly, I'm not surprised to hear that he benefited from an antidepressant. It's not uncommon for children with ODD to be mis or exclusively diagnosed with ADHD when there is actually more going on. This more often tends to happen when the diagnosis is made by someone who isn't a specialist. These days SSRIs are very commonly used as a first line medication for ODD because they help with emotional regulation and anger reduction. I was fortunate to be diagnosed by a child psychiatrist specialist who helped manage my medication. I had a complicated relationship with my medication and it took me some time to realize how essential it was for me to be medicated. I was started on a low dose of Prozac at age 5 and my dosage was periodically adjusted to account for growth until I was taking 20mg at age 8. During this time everything was completely under control and I was very compliant with my medication, but I also didn't really understand much about it except that I knew it stopped me from having excessive anger. When I was around 11, hormones became a significant issue and some of my behavioral issues started to reemerge, including outbursts of rage. It was suggested that my Prozac should be increased and at this stage, I had a rebellion against medication. I refused to take any medications and despite my parents best efforts at getting me to take it, I simply would not. I was put into extensive therapy but without the Prozac things deteriorated very rapidly and I was breaking into anger outbursts nearly daily. As things spiraled out of control, the psychiatrist intervened and made it clear how important it was for me to take my medication - this was a first warning that had the necessary effect and I was ramped up to 40mg of Prozac to get things under control. Unfortunately, I think a common issue that arises, particularly in ODD, is that unless someone is properly medicated, they may not realize how important the medication is. Once I was back on a heavier dose of Prozac, I began to understand the need for the medication and I took a more active role in determining how to manage it. Fortunately, I was able to recognize and feel when the Prozac was properly helping and when I needed more. When I was 12, I could feel anger rising but this time I reported the issue and quickly and happily increased my Prozac to 60mg where it remained for more than a decade. So in short, managing medications around puberty is challenging and can require lots of adjustments. Ideally, you want to get to the point where your teen understands that they need medication so they will cooperate with medical professionals, but this can be challenging because often you need to be properly medicated in the first place to get to this point. Certainly, the doctors and my parents helped make it clear that me taking Prozac was non-negotiable - this was the right decision because when properly dosed, it prevented me from having rage episodes and I was compliant taking it. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
I'm an adult who was a difficult child. Medicated with Prozac at 5 yo for ODD/anxiety. My experience and advice. AMA.
Top