Need other parents opinion.........Please

missdot

New Member
<span style="color: #3366FF"> </span> <span style='font-size: 11pt'> </span> <span style='font-family: Comic Sans MS'> </span> difficult child 14 diagnosed @ about age 10 with ADD. I asked about 2 years ago the psychiatrist if he could be bipolar. He said he didn't diagnose that in children. It was rare. I advised him about a year ago of his headaches and bouts of insomnia. He put him on a something for sleep and advised us to see pediatrician about headaches. I was totally blown off. Now he is in a partial, finally they listened to what I was saying and said he has a tendency to be bipolar. 1) If difficult child was improperly diagnosed, not given the right medications is he totally responsible for his behavior? 2) Could he control his "tantrums"? Where is the line? What should I look for now that we are on topamax? Will the ADD medications wipe out the potential the medication has to alternate the attention span? I have lots more questions but will start with that for now. Please give me any opinions.
 
G

guest3

Guest
I was always told ADD mes would make Bi-polar worse and vice versa, but my difficult child II has been diagnosed bi-polar since the age of 8
 

smallworld

Moderator
Topamax is an anticonvulsant used to treat seizures, migraines and mood instability. It is not considered a first-line mood stabilizer, however, and is generally not the first medication prescribed to treat bipolar disorder. First-line mood stabilizers are Depakote, Lithium, Lamictal, Trileptal and Tegretol. Topamax is known to cause cognitive dulling. Other anticonvulants used to treat migraines are Depakote and Neurontin. My difficult child 1 has migraines and is treated wonderfully with the blood pressure medication Propranolol (generic for Inderal).

What ADD medication is your difficult child taking? Generally, ADD medications make kids with BiPolar (BP) worse, although my son takes a low dose of Focalin XR on school days to help with inattention, and it doesn't appear to affect his mood.
 

missdot

New Member
He is on dextroamphet, risperdal for ADD. He has a high metabolism and one dose just didn't do it for him. The psychiatric told me that she wanted to try topamax, because with depakote and others they need to do blood work constantly. What should I be asking or rather insisting on?
 

oceans

New Member
It is my understanding that you need to stabilize the mood first before trying to add ADD medications. My son is on Lamictal and it is working very well for him, and does not require blood draws. When they are severely depressed or manic they do not have good control of their behavior. The wrong medication can make things worse.
 

smallworld

Moderator
Lamictal and Trileptal do not require blood draws, but they also are not prescribed specifically to treat migraines. What medication you choose does depend somewhat on whether the headaches are caused by mood instability or whether your difficult child has true migraines. My difficult child 2 had frequent headaches until we stabilized her mood with Lamictal and Lexapro. Her headaches have improved tremendously on these medications. My difficult child 1 is another story altogether. In spite of high levels of Depakote (which is used to treat migraines) and then Lamictal, his headaches appeared daily, and about once a month, turned into a full-blown migraine. In his case, the blood pressure medication Propranolol does the trick.
 

nlg319

New Member
My son, difficult child#2 is diagnosis Add and possible bipolar...He takes Metadate, Risperdal, and Topamax. He seems to be good on this combo but he does have times when he's hyper, but is that mania?
It's so hard to figure out...I wonder if I should get a 2nd opinion...
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
My difficult child has been on Topomax for over a year. For him the other mood stabilizers did not work (although we are trialing Lamicatal again-never reached a theraputic dose the first time).

He is far from perfect on the Topomax but for over a year it helped more than the others had-hasn't been great lately though. It also helps him with his stomach migraines.

We found out my difficult child couldn't tolerate stimulants because it brought out too much raging. Every time we thought we could try a stimulant again it only made things worse but that is my difficult child and every child is different.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Metadate can cause mania, even with a mood stabilizer, but there is also the rebound effect. How is he sleeping? That "bipolar can't happen in a child" isn't true. I had it as a child, remember the moodswings, the rages, and the hyper-ness for me was a combo of hypomania and anxiety (big time anxiety). If so, according to Dimitri and Janet Papalos who wrote "The Bipolar Child" and are sort of known as pioneers for childhood bipolar, the kids should be on mood stabilizers for at least six months before any stims are slowly introduced. Some BiPolar (BP) kids can't take stims at all, even with co-morbid ADHD.You may want to get a second opinion. I trust "mom gut."
About the mood stabilizers, Topomax and Depakote can cause serious cognitive dulling, not in everyone, but in some. My daughter threw Depakote in the garbage, saying it made her "stupid." It's very individual.
 

missdot

New Member
<span style='font-family: Comic Sans MS'><span style="color: #6666CC">Started Topomax 3 day in, no complaint of headache since-long day today with band. He hasn't complained yet. Nobody has said anything about a neurologist. Nobody has really given me any info. Because he is 14 now, its almost as if I don't exist. He can make any decision he wants regarding Mental care according to the partial & the caseworker. However, I don't agree since I am the person who is legally responsible until 18. It's like the want him to be better, but don't want to tell me how to do that............FRUSTRATING :cry:</span></span>
 
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