totoro
Mom? What's a difficult child?
I just thought I would post this info for people who have questions or who have children who are not yer medicated. Because there are different options and our children do present differently with symptoms etc. As well as how they respond to each medication... we can only educate ourselves and hope our psychiatrist's are looking out for our child's best inerest and not just another number....
In the Third Edition Of the Bipolar Child, the Papolos' state on page 108 " Clinical experiene with childhood bipolar disorder patients suggests that the atypical antipsychotic agents may accomplish things and target symptoms that mood stabilizers don't. The atypicals may benefit children who have prolonged rage attacks, psychotic symptoms, mixed-irritable moods, and possibly very rapidly cycling mood, all of which are commonly associated with early-onset bipolar disorder and may require different forms of treatment than are usual in adults.".
They go on to page 113- " The popularity of the newer atypical antipsychotics for childhood bipolar disorder is growing rapidly, and some clinicians are beginning to prescribe one of these medications as an initial treatment choice without a concurrant mood stabilizer....Some thoughful and experienced clinicians are using this approach and find that it can be quite helpful for some young patients in certain situations. Dr. Maurizio Tohen and his team at Eli Lilly laboratories have been studying Zyprexa and have reported on its mood stabilizing effect. When we spoke to him, he said that Zyprexa not only worked on the manic and psychotic symptoms, but was also effective on the deprssive symptoms of mixed states or the depresseive aspects of acute mania. That statement may be a bit bewildering, but the manic states are not just a constant high with grandiose and activated thought, speech, and behavior. Often in adults, and very commonly in children, mania is interlaced with a rapidly shifting mood (mood lability), irritibility, sadness, sleeplessness, anxiety, and agitation.... So there is rhyme and reason here, based on the nature of the juvenile bipolar illness for some doctors to use these medications as a first line of treatment. They are easy to administer, and blood drawing to determine serum levels of the drugs is not necessary."
I am not trying to start an argument here I just hadn't fully explained why we are doing what we were doing and why and people were throwing out stats and reports at me so I thought I would explain my psychiatrists thinking, this is also what Dr. Feadda believes and tries with some of his patients. I know this doesn't work for all of our kids, but this is our first go at it and I am sure not our last...
In the Third Edition Of the Bipolar Child, the Papolos' state on page 108 " Clinical experiene with childhood bipolar disorder patients suggests that the atypical antipsychotic agents may accomplish things and target symptoms that mood stabilizers don't. The atypicals may benefit children who have prolonged rage attacks, psychotic symptoms, mixed-irritable moods, and possibly very rapidly cycling mood, all of which are commonly associated with early-onset bipolar disorder and may require different forms of treatment than are usual in adults.".
They go on to page 113- " The popularity of the newer atypical antipsychotics for childhood bipolar disorder is growing rapidly, and some clinicians are beginning to prescribe one of these medications as an initial treatment choice without a concurrant mood stabilizer....Some thoughful and experienced clinicians are using this approach and find that it can be quite helpful for some young patients in certain situations. Dr. Maurizio Tohen and his team at Eli Lilly laboratories have been studying Zyprexa and have reported on its mood stabilizing effect. When we spoke to him, he said that Zyprexa not only worked on the manic and psychotic symptoms, but was also effective on the deprssive symptoms of mixed states or the depresseive aspects of acute mania. That statement may be a bit bewildering, but the manic states are not just a constant high with grandiose and activated thought, speech, and behavior. Often in adults, and very commonly in children, mania is interlaced with a rapidly shifting mood (mood lability), irritibility, sadness, sleeplessness, anxiety, and agitation.... So there is rhyme and reason here, based on the nature of the juvenile bipolar illness for some doctors to use these medications as a first line of treatment. They are easy to administer, and blood drawing to determine serum levels of the drugs is not necessary."
I am not trying to start an argument here I just hadn't fully explained why we are doing what we were doing and why and people were throwing out stats and reports at me so I thought I would explain my psychiatrists thinking, this is also what Dr. Feadda believes and tries with some of his patients. I know this doesn't work for all of our kids, but this is our first go at it and I am sure not our last...
