medications Question...

IMSnoopee

New Member
My son has ODD and just started on anti-depressants, as we think he has symptoms of depression, as well.

I'm wondering if there are other kids who are on medications that have ODD and if they help, etc.

I've been told that Prozac is the only FDA approved anti-depressant for children. medications are really new to me, so if anyone has any insight, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
HI and welcome. Who has diagnosed your son? Prozac is approved for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for children, although it can have side effects even with approval. Also, psychiatrists often use other antidepressants that are not approved for depression in kids. Any antidepressant can cause hyperactivity and worsening of aggressive behavior in children, including Prozac. Our Prozac experience was horrible, but maybe yours will be better. Each child is different. I'm sure others will come along.
 

Josie

Active Member
My daughter was diagnosis'ed with ODD and depression when she was 8. She was put on Lexapro, another a/d. While it was not approved for children, her psychiatrist said that because it had worked so well for me, it had a pretty good chance of working for her.

We noticed an improvement in her behaviour within the first few days. Gradually that wore off and we had to keep increasing the dose. After about 1 1/2 years, she finally got to the maximum dose and we were having to consider adding something else.

At that time, purely by coincidence, we discovered she had some food intolerances which were apparently causing her ODD. Instead of adding a medication, she has been able to reduce her a/d back to half of the original dose. So while it ultimately wasn't the answer for her, she was on it with no side effects and is weaning off from it, very slowly, with no real problems.

My younger daughter was on Prozac at one point for anxiety but it made her hyper. She tried Lexapro but it hurt her stomach. She ended up on Elavil, an older a/d, for migraine prevention and that has helped her anxiety so we stopped trying the SSRI's for her.
 

Sara PA

New Member
Prozac is the only SSRI antidepressant approved for use by children and adolescents for the treatment of MDD (major depressive disorder). No other antidepressant has been found to be safe and effective enough to gain approval; Prozac is considered only slight more effective than a placebo in treating MDD in children. Prozac, Luvox and Zoloft are approved for use by children and adolescents for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Strattera is approved for the treatment of ADD/ADHD in children. No other antidepressants are approved for children and adolescents for any reason. All the antidepressants have the same warnings about suicidality, hostility, mania, etc.
 
K

Kjs

Guest
My difficult child was diagnosed with ODD 9 years ago. Seems like nobody ever heard of it then. Has been tested for several things since. Was told Bipolar not otherwise specified about a year ago, Recently psychiatrist said he definately has ODD, but school's and insurance companies do not always recognise ODD as a real disorder so he tends to put bipolar not otherwise specified. Does not make me feel comfortable with that. Anyway, in the past we have tried several different medications and/or combo's. What works with one, doesn't always work with another. Lexapro put my difficult child in a tizzy. yet I read how wonderful it works for others. My son is on Lamictal for almost 2 years now. He has shown great improvement with his moods. Still has many days, not quite as severe. Did try to mix in a few other medications with no success. A year ago I could of said with Lamictal alone he had gone several months with no issues.

This spring he went spiraling out of control. Issues at school, friends, home...then tried to mix in other medication. Back to just Lamictal.
 

waytootired

New Member
My difficult child was on prozac for a year and a half and did very well with it. It seemed to take the edge off is moodiness. When that quit working for him he was on Effexor and it worked well for along while too, but coming off of it was HORRIBLE...MAJOR withdrawl, pain, hallusinations and violent rages !! I have heard this of other's too. in my opinion Effexor is a good medication but not worth the withdrawl when having to come off...... he is on to mood stableizers now.

The "medication game" as I call it is tough..trial and error. This forum is a great place for advice and experience. Just keep in mind that all our difficult child's are different and medications works differently for every child.

Hugs and good luck...
 
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