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you've got to be kidding me! *frustrated*
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 333709" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Whether or not this is a bipolar issue, this IS an issue of medications being mucked around.</p><p></p><p>Every time medications get changed, forgotten, modified etc, it throws the kid off. As a rule, kids do try to behave. But after a time and especially after a lot of criticism and hounding, the kids can give up trying.</p><p></p><p>But even when they don't give up trying, every change is something new the kid has to try to re-adapt to. Your child can be stable on a particular medication, but if you take them off it for the weekend, say, or over the holidays, the child has to adapt each time there is a change.</p><p></p><p>Now, let's look at your child - he's been hospitalised. That is a change in location and routine. They changed his medications. then he was discharged on the changed medications. And now those medications are unavailable. A different medication has been prescribed (mistake? Or change without talking to you? Either could be the case).</p><p></p><p>So to send him to school with all these changes is likely to throw his equilibrium off. If you can, beg some work from the teacher and keep him home, but doing schoolwork (if you can). Let him know that he's home not because he's been difficult, but because with all the changes, you feel he needs a chance to work in a quieter, more familiar place for a few days until the medication issue is resolved. At the very least, it means if he still has problems (pacing the floor, walking into walls deliberately or otherwise) he will not be anywhere that people are likely to get annoyed about it or consider him a freak or weirdo. He will be home with someone who has the best chance of loving him and understanding him. You will also be there making notes about what you observe.</p><p></p><p>Now, as to Strattera - how long has he been on it? What have you observed? Any better? Or worse?</p><p></p><p>If it works, then that is great. But I keep hearing horror stories about Strattera, then we had our own horror story. difficult child 3 had only been on it a few days but his behaviour was getting increasingly irrational and violent. It was really scary. With hindsight, we should have taken him to the ER. We took him off all medications, kept him home and quiet for a few days, threw schoolwork at him and finally as he began to figuratively climb down from the walls and ceiling, he became more rational and we could talk to him. We were able to get him to understand that a lot of the time he thought WE were being unreasonable (and he couldn't pinpoint what we were allegedly being unreasonable about, he could only connect to his emotions of extreme anger and frustration, with no identifiable issue to be angry or frustrated about) it was actually the medications making him unstable.</p><p></p><p>Someone (I think one of his tdocs or psychiatrist) mentioned how he'd gone on Strattera - difficult child 3 was adamant that it is really awful, ghastly stuff and made him feel really bad, very angry and he couldn't understand why.</p><p></p><p>I'm sure if difficult child 3 had been assessed by a psychiatrist while affected by Strattera, we could have got a diagnosis of schizophrenia or more. He was really scary and just not with it. We started to get him back over the next few days (off the medications) and I guess it would have been about 12 hours later that we could begin to talk to him (and he began to make sense again) and 36 hours later that we were really certain that we had our boy back again and he wasn't psychotic.</p><p></p><p>It could still be ADHD but stims not working - it can happen. But if your instincts are saying, "Let's keep looking further," then trust your instincts. Even if eventually it does prove to be ADHD - YOU need to be sure, whichever way, and to make sure your concerns are thoroughly checked out. </p><p></p><p>Your boy is 7 years old. That's very young for a CD diagnosis, for a lot of things suggested. The ODD - I reckon if I were a kid with possible ADHD, getting medications changed here & there plus copping it form teachers and kids at school, I'd be very oppositional too. Doesn't mean it's true ODD - it's very easy for things that LOOK like ODD to develop in a kid's behaviour, purely out of reaction to all the crud that goes on in their lives when something is wrong and nobody seems able to fix it for him.</p><p></p><p>I'm glad both of you are working this site, it has really helped us (me and my husband) to follow each other's posts. Good communication is one of your best supports.</p><p></p><p>As for the medication being change - I agree you should have been contacted. So it could be a mistake. Or it could be that he got so used to acting high-handedly while the kid was in hospital and under his control, that the doctor just didn't think to talk to you but just went ahead and did it.</p><p></p><p>Let us know how you get on.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 333709, member: 1991"] Whether or not this is a bipolar issue, this IS an issue of medications being mucked around. Every time medications get changed, forgotten, modified etc, it throws the kid off. As a rule, kids do try to behave. But after a time and especially after a lot of criticism and hounding, the kids can give up trying. But even when they don't give up trying, every change is something new the kid has to try to re-adapt to. Your child can be stable on a particular medication, but if you take them off it for the weekend, say, or over the holidays, the child has to adapt each time there is a change. Now, let's look at your child - he's been hospitalised. That is a change in location and routine. They changed his medications. then he was discharged on the changed medications. And now those medications are unavailable. A different medication has been prescribed (mistake? Or change without talking to you? Either could be the case). So to send him to school with all these changes is likely to throw his equilibrium off. If you can, beg some work from the teacher and keep him home, but doing schoolwork (if you can). Let him know that he's home not because he's been difficult, but because with all the changes, you feel he needs a chance to work in a quieter, more familiar place for a few days until the medication issue is resolved. At the very least, it means if he still has problems (pacing the floor, walking into walls deliberately or otherwise) he will not be anywhere that people are likely to get annoyed about it or consider him a freak or weirdo. He will be home with someone who has the best chance of loving him and understanding him. You will also be there making notes about what you observe. Now, as to Strattera - how long has he been on it? What have you observed? Any better? Or worse? If it works, then that is great. But I keep hearing horror stories about Strattera, then we had our own horror story. difficult child 3 had only been on it a few days but his behaviour was getting increasingly irrational and violent. It was really scary. With hindsight, we should have taken him to the ER. We took him off all medications, kept him home and quiet for a few days, threw schoolwork at him and finally as he began to figuratively climb down from the walls and ceiling, he became more rational and we could talk to him. We were able to get him to understand that a lot of the time he thought WE were being unreasonable (and he couldn't pinpoint what we were allegedly being unreasonable about, he could only connect to his emotions of extreme anger and frustration, with no identifiable issue to be angry or frustrated about) it was actually the medications making him unstable. Someone (I think one of his tdocs or psychiatrist) mentioned how he'd gone on Strattera - difficult child 3 was adamant that it is really awful, ghastly stuff and made him feel really bad, very angry and he couldn't understand why. I'm sure if difficult child 3 had been assessed by a psychiatrist while affected by Strattera, we could have got a diagnosis of schizophrenia or more. He was really scary and just not with it. We started to get him back over the next few days (off the medications) and I guess it would have been about 12 hours later that we could begin to talk to him (and he began to make sense again) and 36 hours later that we were really certain that we had our boy back again and he wasn't psychotic. It could still be ADHD but stims not working - it can happen. But if your instincts are saying, "Let's keep looking further," then trust your instincts. Even if eventually it does prove to be ADHD - YOU need to be sure, whichever way, and to make sure your concerns are thoroughly checked out. Your boy is 7 years old. That's very young for a CD diagnosis, for a lot of things suggested. The ODD - I reckon if I were a kid with possible ADHD, getting medications changed here & there plus copping it form teachers and kids at school, I'd be very oppositional too. Doesn't mean it's true ODD - it's very easy for things that LOOK like ODD to develop in a kid's behaviour, purely out of reaction to all the crud that goes on in their lives when something is wrong and nobody seems able to fix it for him. I'm glad both of you are working this site, it has really helped us (me and my husband) to follow each other's posts. Good communication is one of your best supports. As for the medication being change - I agree you should have been contacted. So it could be a mistake. Or it could be that he got so used to acting high-handedly while the kid was in hospital and under his control, that the doctor just didn't think to talk to you but just went ahead and did it. Let us know how you get on. Marg [/QUOTE]
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