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...when even the Vistaril won't calm bipolar child down...
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<blockquote data-quote="susiestar" data-source="post: 678797" data-attributes="member: 1233"><p>If I were giving a phone to a 12yo, I would likely go with a Net10 phone where you can cancel it/suspend it with-o fees Unlimited talk, text data {all are measured in minutes, so a text is half a minute, etc....} is $35 per month. You can order them online {better selection} and have thee cost handled automatically. The price they show is the price you pay, and our service is better than my parents w AT&T. Plus it is a TON cheaper. </p><p></p><p>Maybe your husband would be more open to the idea if it was used as a carrot to reward good behavior? She can use it for x minutes a week if she does this ONE thing she is having problems with. Of course use would be limited t people you know and other reasonable guidelines. In that case, I would probably not make it a birthday gift because it is tied to her behavior. I always try to make gifts be something I don't have to limit, but that is my philosophy.</p><p></p><p>Have you thought through what would be easier if your daughter had a phone? Try making a list before you talk with your husband, and include any negatives also. It is a tough decision though, so be sure you discuss the phone, plan, rules, consequences, etc...</p><p></p><p>Those are just my phone thoughts.</p><p></p><p>Sleepovers are sooo not something that generally helps a Difficult Child stay in control of herself. I used to dread the first day or 2 after them! Even my easy child would be a total brat! I have found that all of my kids were at least better after sleepovers if we had a high protein snack when I picked them up and if I didn't pan to do a whole lot after the sleepover or the first day back to school. If I had to go to the grocery or to run errands, each kid got a high protein snack to eat before or as we shopped. Protein bars can be a good option, and are certainly more purse/backpack friendly, but you MUST read the labels. The bars that help us the most are roughly 30% protein, 30% fat & 40% carb. Zone & Balance brands generally follow this, but other brands don't always, esp the ones for kids. Many of the brands out there are mostly sugar of 1 kind or 2 others. Even between flavors the difference can be staggering. But for my family it is worth the time and expense to have a stash on hand. It truly makes THAT MUCH of a difference Now that my 2 older kids are adults and thank you is in his late teens, they pay attention to the protein. They like how they feel & behave when they are not overly hungry or sugared up.</p><p></p><p>Finding the right diagnoses & medications is difficult and complicated and just plain hard for the whole family. I do wonder about the use of zoloft if she is bipolar, esp with mania. Zoloft is well known to trigger this in children and in bipolar patients. The treatment guidelines only call for adding antidepressants after the patient is stabilized. A mood stabilizer or 2, and often an antipsychotic are the first things to figure out, then any remaining symptoms can be addressed. Often the mood stabilizer (or 2) and antipsychotic control the mood swings so that the other symptoms go away without use of an antidepressant. This guideline was established by the board of child & adolescent psychiatrists and if you can work through it to find the right medications, it is very effective. I can name at least a dozen, likely many more, people with bipolar who could not stabilize their moods until they went off the antidepressants totally and then started re-tuning their medications at the beginning with only the 1 or 2 mood stabilizers and antipsychotic. medication combos that didn't work when the patient was taking an antidepressant, did work once the antidepressant was out of them. This wasn't always the case, but it did happen for some. This medication protocol was in "The Bipolar Child" by Papalous if you want more into. I used t have the complete citation info, but lost it in a computer crash. The book is the easiest place to find the info from what I remember.</p><p></p><p>I cannot diagnose or treat or prescribe for your daughter, but I hope some bit of info here will help in some way.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="susiestar, post: 678797, member: 1233"] If I were giving a phone to a 12yo, I would likely go with a Net10 phone where you can cancel it/suspend it with-o fees Unlimited talk, text data {all are measured in minutes, so a text is half a minute, etc....} is $35 per month. You can order them online {better selection} and have thee cost handled automatically. The price they show is the price you pay, and our service is better than my parents w AT&T. Plus it is a TON cheaper. Maybe your husband would be more open to the idea if it was used as a carrot to reward good behavior? She can use it for x minutes a week if she does this ONE thing she is having problems with. Of course use would be limited t people you know and other reasonable guidelines. In that case, I would probably not make it a birthday gift because it is tied to her behavior. I always try to make gifts be something I don't have to limit, but that is my philosophy. Have you thought through what would be easier if your daughter had a phone? Try making a list before you talk with your husband, and include any negatives also. It is a tough decision though, so be sure you discuss the phone, plan, rules, consequences, etc... Those are just my phone thoughts. Sleepovers are sooo not something that generally helps a Difficult Child stay in control of herself. I used to dread the first day or 2 after them! Even my easy child would be a total brat! I have found that all of my kids were at least better after sleepovers if we had a high protein snack when I picked them up and if I didn't pan to do a whole lot after the sleepover or the first day back to school. If I had to go to the grocery or to run errands, each kid got a high protein snack to eat before or as we shopped. Protein bars can be a good option, and are certainly more purse/backpack friendly, but you MUST read the labels. The bars that help us the most are roughly 30% protein, 30% fat & 40% carb. Zone & Balance brands generally follow this, but other brands don't always, esp the ones for kids. Many of the brands out there are mostly sugar of 1 kind or 2 others. Even between flavors the difference can be staggering. But for my family it is worth the time and expense to have a stash on hand. It truly makes THAT MUCH of a difference Now that my 2 older kids are adults and thank you is in his late teens, they pay attention to the protein. They like how they feel & behave when they are not overly hungry or sugared up. Finding the right diagnoses & medications is difficult and complicated and just plain hard for the whole family. I do wonder about the use of zoloft if she is bipolar, esp with mania. Zoloft is well known to trigger this in children and in bipolar patients. The treatment guidelines only call for adding antidepressants after the patient is stabilized. A mood stabilizer or 2, and often an antipsychotic are the first things to figure out, then any remaining symptoms can be addressed. Often the mood stabilizer (or 2) and antipsychotic control the mood swings so that the other symptoms go away without use of an antidepressant. This guideline was established by the board of child & adolescent psychiatrists and if you can work through it to find the right medications, it is very effective. I can name at least a dozen, likely many more, people with bipolar who could not stabilize their moods until they went off the antidepressants totally and then started re-tuning their medications at the beginning with only the 1 or 2 mood stabilizers and antipsychotic. medication combos that didn't work when the patient was taking an antidepressant, did work once the antidepressant was out of them. This wasn't always the case, but it did happen for some. This medication protocol was in "The Bipolar Child" by Papalous if you want more into. I used t have the complete citation info, but lost it in a computer crash. The book is the easiest place to find the info from what I remember. I cannot diagnose or treat or prescribe for your daughter, but I hope some bit of info here will help in some way. [/QUOTE]
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