Advice anyone?

November 29, 2000

Hi,

Although my daughter is only five, she has ADHD type issues and OCD.

She also lost weight as her dose of prozac was increased. Kids with

ADHD type issues often do better on SSRIs other than prozac, or drugs

other than SSRIs. For example, my daughter did much better on

zoloft, at a low dose--and many do well on paxil. Others will

probably have very good advice on this. My daughter does well with a

low dose of an SSRI and clonidine. Others do well with an SSRI in

combination with risperdal. There are so many ways to go,

unfortunately finding the combination that works is difficult, but

worth striving for. Good luck.

Stephany

November 29, 2000

Hi Dana.

My 9 year old son has OCD, ADHD, depression, and mild TS. We have noticed similar effects from the Prozac (I think). His biggest problem was rages so we had him on Wellbutrin 300 mg and 5 mg of Prozac to combat irritability. The rages and meltdowns went away but so did his concentration at school. We dropped the Wellbutrin and added Adderall for the ADHD. His concentration greatly improved but his mood was pretty ugly. We upped the Prozac to 10 mg, and lost the concentration again and his mood got worse. Now we're in the process of dropping the Prozac completely. We are going to go with 100 mg of Wellbutrin and 10 mg of Adderall. I am a little concerned that he will have no front line meds for OCD, but am actively looking for a CBT therapist for him. He really loves his current therapist, but she does no E & RP. She has been supposed to buy and read the March protocol and Teaching the Tiger for about a month now. When I interviewed her, she assured me she was trained to do CBT. Unfortunately, her training didn't include E & RP. I feel like she misrepresented herself but I guess it was just a case of misunderstanding. I doubt her commitment to learning about E & RP so I'm looking for a new therapist. So far the only one I've heard of isn't on our insurance and since I have 3 OCD kids, therapy might be too expensive.

As far as weight loss, I haven't noticed any. The only SSRI I noticed weight gain on was Paxil. I guess I haven't helped much but I do understand what you're going through.

Advice anyone?

November 29, 2000

Hi Dana: I have a 15 year old son that has the same problem with loosing

weight on the prozac and he takes 30 mg per day. He has lost alot of

weight but they say this happens until the body becomes used to the new

dosage. Now I have noticed that he is very unhappy to so I phoned the

doctor and he said that it could be seasonal depression. If you find out

any new information PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

Thanks

Kathy - (Canada)

At 02:46 AM 11/30/00 +0000, you wrote:

>Hi everyone. My 10 year old daughter has OCD, ADHD, and depression.

>She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was in lst grade and in August

>of this year received the OCD & depression diagnosis. The doctor

>started her on 20 mg of Prozac and also Trazadone to help with

>sleeping.(She also takes Adderall for the ADHD). After a couple of

>weeks, we noticed that she was in a better mood, more relaxed, and

>seemed to be happier. After a month on 20mg, the doctor then said

>that she needed to be increased to 30mg followed by 40mg for therapy

>to be most effective. I started to notice that she seemed more

>anxious and less happy on the higher dosage. After having a

>difficult time getting answers from her teachers, it looks like she

>is having difficulty with concentration and keeping on task. She is

>also not as happy as she was. She has lost weight taking the

>medication and I'm somewhat concerned about that. Has anyone had a

>similar experience with Prozac? I don't know whether the dosage is

>too high or if it's the wrong one. I do worry about weight gain on

>the other medications and the effect this will have on my daughter's

>self esteem. With her distractability, I don't know how much is the

>ADHD & how much is the OCD.

>

>I spoke with her therapist today, and asked if she was doing CBT.

>She said yes, she had tried 5 or 6 times, but my daughter would not

>do it. She doesn't want to answer questions and continuously changes

>the subject with the therapist. Even though she often changes the

>subject, I know that my daughter feels comfortable with this

>therapist, but I am concerned that she is not receiving CBT and ER & P

>like she should to get better. She has never treated a child with

>OCD, but has treated adults. Our insurance is changing, and it's

>uncertain if we'll be able to continue with this therapist. Should I

>be looking for someone else since it seems like they do more talking

>than anything else? I don't know how my daughter would respond to

>going to someone new. Any help or guidance you all could give would

>be appreciated.

>

>Thanks!

>Dana

>

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November 30, 2000

In a message dated 11/29/00 9:48:44 PM Eastern Standard Time,

drmorris2000@... writes:

<< is having difficulty with concentration and keeping on task. She is

also not as happy as she was. She has lost weight taking the

medication and I'm somewhat concerned about that. Has anyone had a

similar experience with Prozac >>

November 30, 2000

In a message dated 11/29/00 9:48:44 PM Eastern Standard Time,

drmorris2000@... writes:

<< is having difficulty with concentration and keeping on task. She is

also not as happy as she was. She has lost weight taking the

medication and I'm somewhat concerned about that. Has anyone had a

similar experience with Prozac >>

Hi Dana,

My son is taking prozac and he has gained a lot of weight. When I read your

post, I thought about what Dr. Grayson had said at the OC Conference last

year. He said that he found that if the person was prone to be thin, the

medication would have the effect you are talking about, and if you were prone

to gaining weight, then you would probably gain weight from the med. I was

just curious if this holds true with your daughter. It does with my son.

Has anyone else found this to be the case?

Take care,

Noelle

November 30, 2000

Hi Dana,

I don't know why your doctor increased her dose from 20mg, since that seemed to

be working. I know that usually the higher doses are recommended for OCD but

since everyone is different I think he should be open to just going with what

works. When my 12 yr old was on Paxil she only took 10mg. When I was at the

OCD Conference in Chicago I asked Dr. Jenike about this and he said for some

people the lower doses work best, not for most people but for some.

As far as the therapist goes, talk therapy isn't recommended for OCD. In fact,

spending an hour worrying or complaining (my daughter would mostly be

complaining) can just exacerbate OCD. My daughter doesn't want to do E & RP right

now so she is seeing a therapist who is working with her on the basics of

" self-talk " as a way to develop the idea that you can use inner resources to

deal with stress rather than always relying on acting out or trying to control

the situation. She will see this therapist 4 times and then they will do some

E & RP, if Ava is willing.

Since your daughter has a good relationship with this therapist maybe you could

have the therapist help her transition to someone who is experienced with

children and E & RP. Your daughter might be more agreeable if she sees it as a

continuation of treatment guided by her therapist, rather than you changing

things on her.

Good Luck!

Dana in NC

November 30, 2000

Hi Dana, you wrote:

> The doctor

> started her on 20 mg of Prozac and also Trazadone to help with

> sleeping.(She also takes Adderall for the ADHD). After a couple of

> weeks, we noticed that she was in a better mood, more relaxed, and

> seemed to be happier. After a month on 20mg, the doctor then said

> that she needed to be increased to 30mg followed by 40mg for therapy

> to be most effective. I started to notice that she seemed more

> anxious and less happy on the higher dosage.

How long has your daughter been on the increased dose? Each time my child's

meds were increased, things got worse for awhile before they got better.

Others have told me this can be a sign that once the child has acclimated to

the med, it will be effective.

> After having a

> difficult time getting answers from her teachers, it looks like she

> is having difficulty with concentration and keeping on task. She is

> also not as happy as she was. She has lost weight taking the

> medication and I'm somewhat concerned about that. Has anyone had a

> similar experience with Prozac?

My daughter took Prozac for about three months, had very little appetite

while taking it, and lost about five pounds. For my child, Prozac had a lot

of side-effects on mood, behavior, sleep and so on, which is why we switched

her after three months.

> I spoke with her therapist today, and asked if she was doing CBT.

> She said yes, she had tried 5 or 6 times, but my daughter would not

> do it. She doesn't want to answer questions and continuously changes

> the subject with the therapist. Even though she often changes the

> subject, I know that my daughter feels comfortable with this

> therapist, but I am concerned that she is not receiving CBT and ER & P

> like she should to get better. She has never treated a child with

> OCD, but has treated adults.

I believe a good therapist would be able to work around your daughter's

resistence. I think your instincts are right on, and a different therapist

with experience doing CBT with E & RP with children may be in order. The

current therapist may be trying to work too high on your daughter's

heirarchy, for example, but not realize this. Your daughter feeling

comfortable with this therapist could simply be due to the fact that they

are not confronting the OCD!

> Our insurance is changing, and it's

> uncertain if we'll be able to continue with this therapist. Should I

> be looking for someone else since it seems like they do more talking

> than anything else? I don't know how my daughter would respond to

> going to someone new.

Since the current therapist has said she's unable to do E & RP with your

daughter, also that she's inexperienced in working with children, she may be

willing to work toward a transition to a new, more experienced therapist to

smooth this process for your daughter.

Kathy R. in Indiana

November 30, 2000

Hi Noelle, Dr. Grayson's comment confuses me. It makes sense when applied

to adults, but all children are supposed to be growing and gaining weight.

It brings us back to height/weight ratios and weight percentiles, gaining

too much too quickly. Weight loss in any child should be cause for concern.

In any case, my daughter lost weight rapidly on Prozac, regained the pounds

she lost fairly quickly on her next SSRI, Luvox, then didn't gain anymore

weight for several months, so I don't know how if at all SSRIs affected her

weight. I've personally wondered if pre- or post-puberty factors in to

whether a child gains, loses or has no weight change on an SSRI.

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

From: <larkspurmr@...>

> My son is taking prozac and he has gained a lot of weight. When I read

your

> post, I thought about what Dr. Grayson had said at the OC Conference last

> year. He said that he found that if the person was prone to be thin, the

> medication would have the effect you are talking about, and if you were

prone

> to gaining weight, then you would probably gain weight from the med. I

was

> just curious if this holds true with your daughter. It does with my son.

> Has anyone else found this to be the case?

November 30, 2000

HI Kathy:

Weight loss can also be a symptom of depression. If you are noticing a

mood problem you might want to ask your son's psychiatrist to augment his

OCD meds with another non-SSRI anti-depressant. Depression is very

treatable and untreated it can interefere with doing E & RP which will help

the OCD and probably indirectly help your son's depression.

I have a son who is now 13 and he has major depressive disorder (MDD) along

with his OCD. Thanks to E & RP for his OCD, which was quite severe, our

major concern now is his MDD and keeping that under control. Puberty can

be such a tough time anyway and to deal with NBDs on top is a real

challenge for our beloved children. Good luck, take care, aloha, Kathy (H)

(Hawai`i)

kathyh@...

At 08:44 PM 11/29/2000 -0800, you wrote:

>Hi Dana: I have a 15 year old son that has the same problem with loosing

>weight on the prozac and he takes 30 mg per day. He has lost alot of

>weight but they say this happens until the body becomes used to the new

>dosage. Now I have noticed that he is very unhappy to so I phoned the

>doctor and he said that it could be seasonal depression. If you find out

>any new information PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

>Thanks

>Kathy - (Canada)

November 30, 2000

I think it's time to consider a different medication, such as anafranil, luvox, or celexa. Prozac can really get on some people's nerves. If she felt better, she would cooperate better with CBT.

Judy

Advice anyone?

Hi everyone. My 10 year old daughter has OCD, ADHD, and depression. She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was in lst grade and in August of this year received the OCD & depression diagnosis. The doctor started her on 20 mg of Prozac and also Trazadone to help with sleeping.(She also takes Adderall for the ADHD). After a couple of weeks, we noticed that she was in a better mood, more relaxed, and seemed to be happier. After a month on 20mg, the doctor then said that she needed to be increased to 30mg followed by 40mg for therapy to be most effective. I started to notice that she seemed more anxious and less happy on the higher dosage. After having a difficult time getting answers from her teachers, it looks like she is having difficulty with concentration and keeping on task. She is also not as happy as she was. She has lost weight taking the medication and I'm somewhat concerned about that. Has anyone had a similar experience with Prozac? I don't know whether the dosage is too high or if it's the wrong one. I do worry about weight gain on the other medications and the effect this will have on my daughter's self esteem. With her distractability, I don't know how much is the ADHD & how much is the OCD.I spoke with her therapist today, and asked if she was doing CBT. She said yes, she had tried 5 or 6 times, but my daughter would not do it. She doesn't want to answer questions and continuously changes the subject with the therapist. Even though she often changes the subject, I know that my daughter feels comfortable with this therapist, but I am concerned that she is not receiving CBT and ER & P like she should to get better. She has never treated a child with OCD, but has treated adults. Our insurance is changing, and it's uncertain if we'll be able to continue with this therapist. Should I be looking for someone else since it seems like they do more talking than anything else? I don't know how my daughter would respond to going to someone new. Any help or guidance you all could give would be appreciated.Thanks!Dana

November 30, 2000

wrote: " I am a little concerned that he will have no front line meds for

OCD, but am actively looking for a CBT therapist for him. He really loves his

current therapist, but she does no E & RP. She has been supposed to buy and read

the March protocol and Teaching the Tiger for about a month now. When I

interviewed her, she assured me she was trained to do CBT. Unfortunately, her

training didn't include E & RP. I feel like she misrepresented herself but I

guess it was just a case of misunderstanding. "

There is an excellent article in the current oc foundation newsletter addressing

the CBT issue. It explains that there are really two types of CBT -- one which

involves cognitive restructuring which is used effectively with depression; and

cognitive conceptualization and cognitive management to treat OCD. The

conceptualization involves removing the shame and guilt from the ocders by

providing a cognitive map of the hidden " rules " of ocd. CM is the ERP part.

Thus, your therapist may very well have been trained in CBT, but not for its use

in OCD. Does that make sense? And I would try an find one that is, BTW.

Jule

November 30, 2000

:

My 12 yo son has OCD, depression, ADHD, PDD-NOS, and some learning disabilities

(mild -- mostly concerning expressive language and writing). He took 60 mg of

Prozac for two years before it pooped out. He experienced no apparent side

effects from this dose. He also was on Adderall which ended up causing an acute

exacerbation of the OCD to the point he was hospitalized. As soon as the

Adderall was removed, he was a different person -- still OCD, but able to

function. At that point we added a small dose of Risperdal, and treated the

ADHD with Ritalin only at school. The Risperdal has caused a great deal of

weight gain, but he was a VERY skinny kid, and his weight has stabilized. Now

that he's growing faster, he's beginning to slim down a bit. Last spring we

switched from Prozac to Celexa, and a month or so ago added a low dose of

Wellbutrin to treat the depression. This combination seems to work pretty well.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to ferret out what is ADHD behavior, and what

is depression as the symptoms can be identical -- agitation, irritation,

innattention, weight loss (or gain), etc. As others have said, there can be an

increase in behavioral side effects (BSEs) when meds are increased or otherwise

adjusted. SSRIs are the only meds that are effective in treating OCD. The

others are used to boost their effect -- for example an SSRI and Wellbutrin.

Risperdal is effective with kids who have trouble with rages or a lot of

anxiety, or for kids on the autism spectrum. I have tried lowering Aiden's

Risperdal dose, but can't get him down any lower than the 1 mg AM and PM.

It is difficult for kids to work on their hierarchies when their anxiety and/or

depression is not effectively treated. Like Kathy H, I am ever vigilant for the

signs of depression in my son.

Jule in Cleveland

November 30, 2000

-Hi Kathy.

You brought up some good points. She has been on 40 mg for about 6

weeks. Would this have been a long enough time for her body to

adjust to this dosage? Her therapist after reading what her teachers

had to say about her, agreed with me that the medication should be

looked at. She is not happy with where my daughter is right now.

She feels that she shouldn't be having so many problems this far into

therapy and with the medication. Of course, with therapy going the

way it is, I can see why she wouldn't have made much progress there.

One concern I do have about her weight loss is her attitude toward

it. When I told my daughter that she weighed 89 pounds (she's 5 feet

tall), she was excited to be " light " . I told her that she didn't

need to lose any more weight. On weekends, she might not eat until

1:30 in the afternoon and at night we have to remind her often to eat

dinner. She's a very picky eater and usually doesn't eat what we

eat, therefore, she often eats at a different time because she's not

hungry, etc. I don't necessarily think her weight loss is because of

an eating disorder, but I do worry that this is coming. I've read

that anorexia often accompanies OCD. With her depression, I know

that that can be a factor in weight loss too.

We've also had to increase her dosage of Trazadone at night to help

her sleep. She originally started out taking 25-50mg. We now have

to give her 100 mg at night to help her sleep through the night. She

mainly has trouble sleeping on school nights. She was getting up

anywhere from 3am on. Now that she's taking 100mg, she's sleeping

pretty much through the night. I don't know how much of the

sleeplessness is due to the Prozac and how much of it is due to OCD.

Has anyone else had sleeping problems on Prozac? I hate to have her

on such a high dosage, but I'm told by the doctor and therapist, that

it is one of the safest sleeping meds out there.

All of you have been great at replying to my message. Any further

comments or suggestions would be welcomed. Take care.

Dana

-- In egroups, " Kathy " <klr@s...> wrote:

> Hi Dana, you wrote:

> > The doctor

> > started her on 20 mg of Prozac and also Trazadone to help with

> > sleeping.(She also takes Adderall for the ADHD). After a couple

of

> > weeks, we noticed that she was in a better mood, more relaxed, and

> > seemed to be happier. After a month on 20mg, the doctor then said

> > that she needed to be increased to 30mg followed by 40mg for

therapy

> > to be most effective. I started to notice that she seemed more

> > anxious and less happy on the higher dosage.

>

> How long has your daughter been on the increased dose? Each time

my child's

> meds were increased, things got worse for awhile before they got

better.

> Others have told me this can be a sign that once the child has

acclimated to

> the med, it will be effective.

>

> > After having a

> > difficult time getting answers from her teachers, it looks like

she

> > is having difficulty with concentration and keeping on task. She

is

> > also not as happy as she was. She has lost weight taking the

> > medication and I'm somewhat concerned about that. Has anyone had

a

> > similar experience with Prozac?

>

> My daughter took Prozac for about three months, had very little

appetite

> while taking it, and lost about five pounds. For my child, Prozac

had a lot

> of side-effects on mood, behavior, sleep and so on, which is why we

switched

> her after three months.

>

> > I spoke with her therapist today, and asked if she was doing CBT.

> > She said yes, she had tried 5 or 6 times, but my daughter would

not

> > do it. She doesn't want to answer questions and continuously

changes

> > the subject with the therapist. Even though she often changes the

> > subject, I know that my daughter feels comfortable with this

> > therapist, but I am concerned that she is not receiving CBT and

ER & P

> > like she should to get better. She has never treated a child with

> > OCD, but has treated adults.

>

> I believe a good therapist would be able to work around your

daughter's

> resistence. I think your instincts are right on, and a different

therapist

> with experience doing CBT with E & RP with children may be in order.

The

> current therapist may be trying to work too high on your daughter's

> heirarchy, for example, but not realize this. Your daughter feeling

> comfortable with this therapist could simply be due to the fact

that they

> are not confronting the OCD!

>

> > Our insurance is changing, and it's

> > uncertain if we'll be able to continue with this therapist.

Should I

> > be looking for someone else since it seems like they do more

talking

> > than anything else? I don't know how my daughter would respond to

> > going to someone new.

>

> Since the current therapist has said she's unable to do E & RP with

your

> daughter, also that she's inexperienced in working with children,

she may be

> willing to work toward a transition to a new, more experienced

therapist to

> smooth this process for your daughter.

>

> Kathy R. in Indiana

November 30, 2000

HI :

I am with you on the approach to violence. Even if an OCDer is sorely

tried and not in control of the feelings and thoughts, they can work on

controlling their behavior. This understanding is part of the C part of

CBT and it well explained in Dr. Baer's excellent book " Getting Control " .

With successes at E & RP this control becomes easier to manage.

The only part that Avery can find helpful is that Ian is not in control and

that she can understand this behavior is a result of OCD and other problems

and not something personal against her. She should definitely not feel

responsible in any way for Ian's behavior. If she has to walk on

eggshells all the time waiting for him to blow, that is a tremendously

unfair burden to a sibling. We found that we had to apply very consistent,

prenegotiated but parent approved, consequences for violent behavior. Also

discussing violence as a problem for our family during a calm time (oh yes

just less agitated time!) really helped. Even more helpful was to reward

those times when Steve managed to control himself when things might easily

have moved to violence.

Our beloved OCDers often feel very, very guilty about these violent

outbursts and don't believe at first there is anything they can do about

it. At least that was our experience. We found it necessary to train

Steve by modelling anger management techniques and tips. It was almost as

thought his brain was in such a state of confusion that he could not access

his intelligence and creativity to figure out ways to control his anger

without our guidance.

Although it is hard, I am sure it will be more than worthwhile to your

entire family to have Ian receive competent E & RP for his OCD. These

techniques of facing our fears and understanding our emotions and responses

are very helpful for anyone, and absolutely essential (IMO) for anyone

dealing with OCD.

Good luck, take care, aloha, Kathy (H)

kathyh@...

November 30, 2000

HI Dana:

It sounds like you need the services of a skilled pediatric

psychopharmacologist. If you live near a large metropolitan area this

should be relatively easy to accomplish. If you live further away it might

be harder to accomplish. We take STeve on a 500 mile round trip flight to

his psychiatrist who is very skilled at prescribing and also takes

psychotropic meds himself, as does much of his family. It certainly has

helped Steve's attitude to taking meds to have a doc who takes medication

for one of their mutual diagnoses.

Another thing you might consider looking into it getting a consult with a

clinic that specializes in OCD comorbid with eating disorders and other

alphabet soup. I understand there is one at Brown University in Rhode

Island.

Steve did initially have trouble with his first SSRI and sleeping. It

really activated him and he had serious insomnia. Now when he has insomnia

I know it is due to obsessing. A bit of cat cuddling and some music seem

to help him and distract his mind from obsessing. OCD is sneaky and comes

up when our beloved OCDers are at their most relaxed.

If your daughter's therapist is skilled and experienced at E & RP and your

daughter has not made progress after 5-6 sessions, you might want to ask

the docs to reassess what comorbidities are interfering with success at

E & RP. Steve tried three times before being successful at E & RP. Some of

the problem was unskilled therapists, but probably a greater part was his

serious depression. Other comorbid severe anxiety disorders can also

interfere with success at E & RP.

WHen Steve had trouble sleeping due to activation by medication he found

taking some Benadryl very helpful. Hope this helps. take care, good luck,

aloha, Kathy (H)

kathyh@...

At 02:19 AM 12/01/2000 -0000, you wrote:

>-Hi Kathy.

>

>You brought up some good points. She has been on 40 mg for about 6

>weeks. Would this have been a long enough time for her body to

>adjust to this dosage? Her therapist after reading what her teachers

>had to say about her, agreed with me that the medication should be

>looked at. She is not happy with where my daughter is right now.

>She feels that she shouldn't be having so many problems this far into

>therapy and with the medication. Of course, with therapy going the

>way it is, I can see why she wouldn't have made much progress there.

>

>One concern I do have about her weight loss is her attitude toward

>it. When I told my daughter that she weighed 89 pounds (she's 5 feet

>tall), she was excited to be " light " . I told her that she didn't

>need to lose any more weight. On weekends, she might not eat until

>1:30 in the afternoon and at night we have to remind her often to eat

>dinner. She's a very picky eater and usually doesn't eat what we

>eat, therefore, she often eats at a different time because she's not

>hungry, etc. I don't necessarily think her weight loss is because of

>an eating disorder, but I do worry that this is coming. I've read

>that anorexia often accompanies OCD. With her depression, I know

>that that can be a factor in weight loss too.

>

>We've also had to increase her dosage of Trazadone at night to help

>her sleep. She originally started out taking 25-50mg. We now have

>to give her 100 mg at night to help her sleep through the night. She

>mainly has trouble sleeping on school nights. She was getting up

>anywhere from 3am on. Now that she's taking 100mg, she's sleeping

>pretty much through the night. I don't know how much of the

>sleeplessness is due to the Prozac and how much of it is due to OCD.

>Has anyone else had sleeping problems on Prozac? I hate to have her

>on such a high dosage, but I'm told by the doctor and therapist, that

>it is one of the safest sleeping meds out there.

>

>All of you have been great at replying to my message. Any further

>comments or suggestions would be welcomed. Take care.

>

>Dana

December 1, 2000

Hi Dana, yes I think 6 weeks would be enough time, or nearly so, for side

effects to diminish. Prozac is available in liquid which makes it possible

to make very small dose increases, this can reduce or avoid altogether med

side effects. Maybe this approach would work for your daughter? One

problem: liquid Prozac tastes nasty. Prozac wired my child, and from the

first dose she was unable to fall asleep until midnight or later (usual

bedtime pre-Prozac was around 8), then was wide awake around 4 or 5 a.m. and

it was go, go, go all day. We did this for three months until this

side-effect and others caused us to change Kel to Luvox, and her sleeping

problems vanished.

I'm concerned about weight and eating issues too, even though my child was

only 4 at onset she suddenly had disgust for fat people, worries about being

fat herself (she wasn't and isn't), plus a zillion little eating-related

compulsions and obsessive thoughts. I remain amazed at the common themes

OCD attaches itself to, even in a small child who had yet to be much

affected by images on TV, culture's support of thinness, etc. I think a lot

of OCD kids have " disordered " eating, not necessarily to a diagnosable

degree.

I don't have any experience with Trazadone but know that several kids

represented on this list have taken it or take it currently. In our family

(following our Prozac experience) we've decided solving sleep problems,

whatever their cause, is a top priority because being chronically

sleep-deprived works to OCD's advantage.

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

From: <drmorris2000@...>

> You brought up some good points. She has been on 40 mg for about 6

> weeks. Would this have been a long enough time for her body to

> adjust to this dosage?

>>snip<<

> One concern I do have about her weight loss is her attitude toward

> it. When I told my daughter that she weighed 89 pounds (she's 5 feet

> tall), she was excited to be " light " . I told her that she didn't

> need to lose any more weight. On weekends, she might not eat until

> 1:30 in the afternoon and at night we have to remind her often to eat

> dinner. She's a very picky eater and usually doesn't eat what we

> eat, therefore, she often eats at a different time because she's not

> hungry, etc. I don't necessarily think her weight loss is because of

> an eating disorder, but I do worry that this is coming. I've read

> that anorexia often accompanies OCD. With her depression, I know

> that that can be a factor in weight loss too.

>>snip<<

> I don't know how much of the

> sleeplessness is due to the Prozac and how much of it is due to OCD.

> Has anyone else had sleeping problems on Prozac? I hate to have her

> on such a high dosage, but I'm told by the doctor and therapist, that

> it is one of the safest sleeping meds out there.

December 1, 2000

We had just the opposite effect with Josh--With in a week of starting on Prozac he would get in bed & be asleep within a few minutes. Before that he would lay there for hours..or run around the house till 11-12 at night & then just drop where ever he was....now many nights I don't even have to say " GO TO BED " he just takes his meds & gets in bed..turns on the radio.. & goes out fast. Sleeps till 7:30 wake up every day. Good luck--Joy

--

Joy- Mom to 13 (CP, Mosaic for s Syndrome, Bilateral Cataracts-left eye / IOL & Developmental delays ) & Josh 11 ( SID, OCD, ADHD) PATH Parent Resource Library- CT

From: " Kathy " <klr@...>

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