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
Looking for Opinions!!!
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="smallworld" data-source="post: 20918" data-attributes="member: 2423"><p>In the fall of 2005, I had a very unstable 12-year-old son who had a manic reaction to the SSRI Zoloft. He refused to go to school, take his medications or attend weekly therapy with his prescribing psychiatrist. All he wanted to do was stay up all night playing online computer games. He was raging every evening, exhibiting aggression toward his younger sisters and me, trashing the house and threatening suicide. Needless to say, we were beside ourselves and didn't know what to do. So we came up with a plan: No matter what, he needed to go to school, take his medications and attend therapy. That involved my husband putting him in the car in his underwear (with a bag of clothes to change into) to take him to school, physically carrying him into therapy and getting him to buy into the need for medication. Everything else went by the wayside -- homework, family meals, limits on computer time, even hygiene. And our insistence on these 3 things has paid off over time. His medications are working, and he's no longer aggressive, angry or suicidal. He now goes both to school and therapy willingly (even though he doesn't always love to). He even does a little homework. It is far from perfect here, but the trajectory is upward. We are making progress because of our insistence that our son meet certain expectations. And we have a wonderful partnership with a board-certfied child/adolescent psychiatrist who understands what makes our son tick and continues to tweak medications for the best result.</p><p></p><p>I will also say that medications for BiPolar (BP) can take a long time to get right. Lamictal in particular takes a while to titrate to the right dose. You need to start low and go slow to avoid the side effect of a serious rash. In our case, it has been worth the wait because my son has greatly improved on Lamictal. But it in and of itself has not been THE answer. We have augmented Lamictal with other medications and with therapeutic interventions. Your daughter, too, may very well need more than Lamictal. And it is up to you to set the stage for her recovery. If it can't be done at home, then you might need to consider a therapeutic boarding school or a residential treatment center. </p><p></p><p>I once stood in your shoes -- exhausted, overwhelmed and frankly terrified. It has taken a lot of effort on our part, but we know we have made a difference in our son's life. You can do it, too, for your daughter.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="smallworld, post: 20918, member: 2423"] In the fall of 2005, I had a very unstable 12-year-old son who had a manic reaction to the SSRI Zoloft. He refused to go to school, take his medications or attend weekly therapy with his prescribing psychiatrist. All he wanted to do was stay up all night playing online computer games. He was raging every evening, exhibiting aggression toward his younger sisters and me, trashing the house and threatening suicide. Needless to say, we were beside ourselves and didn't know what to do. So we came up with a plan: No matter what, he needed to go to school, take his medications and attend therapy. That involved my husband putting him in the car in his underwear (with a bag of clothes to change into) to take him to school, physically carrying him into therapy and getting him to buy into the need for medication. Everything else went by the wayside -- homework, family meals, limits on computer time, even hygiene. And our insistence on these 3 things has paid off over time. His medications are working, and he's no longer aggressive, angry or suicidal. He now goes both to school and therapy willingly (even though he doesn't always love to). He even does a little homework. It is far from perfect here, but the trajectory is upward. We are making progress because of our insistence that our son meet certain expectations. And we have a wonderful partnership with a board-certfied child/adolescent psychiatrist who understands what makes our son tick and continues to tweak medications for the best result. I will also say that medications for BiPolar (BP) can take a long time to get right. Lamictal in particular takes a while to titrate to the right dose. You need to start low and go slow to avoid the side effect of a serious rash. In our case, it has been worth the wait because my son has greatly improved on Lamictal. But it in and of itself has not been THE answer. We have augmented Lamictal with other medications and with therapeutic interventions. Your daughter, too, may very well need more than Lamictal. And it is up to you to set the stage for her recovery. If it can't be done at home, then you might need to consider a therapeutic boarding school or a residential treatment center. I once stood in your shoes -- exhausted, overwhelmed and frankly terrified. It has taken a lot of effort on our part, but we know we have made a difference in our son's life. You can do it, too, for your daughter. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Parent Support Forums
General Parenting
Looking for Opinions!!!
Top