Re: update on us...and zoloft

[Guest guest]

Hi

It's great to hear your dd is doing so well!!!!!!

My dd(11) has done well with Zoloft since she was 5. Without it, she has severe

panic.

Hugs!!!!

Judy

[Guest guest]

, YAY! I'm glad things are going so much better! And, wow, I

remember " normal " ! LOL!

I'm still hoping will try medication, or that one of

the " alternatives " he's willing to try will kick in and help (no

success yet). My opinion, he still can't distinguish what's OCD and

what's not, meds would help with that.

ANYWAY - thank you so much for sharing progress and SUCCESS and

(((hugs))) to you and your daughter!

single mom, 3 sons

, 19, with OCD, dysgraphia and Aspergers

>

> I've been meaning to write but haven't found the time till now. I

just

> wanted to thank everyone who contributes to this list by sharing

their lives

> with other in the hopes of helping them. I read some of the

stories here

[Guest guest]

, that is so great!

We stressed over meds the first time too. For the first week I would

hide (from our son) and cry every day, wondering what irreparable

damage I might be doing to him, going along with having him take meds.

But, we were desperate at that point, and like your situation, he

miraculously became himself again.

He was on meds for 3 years when we decided to take him off. He did

well for about 8 months. That is when he relapsed hard. He was

worse than he'd ever been. He's back on the meds now, and they are

helping, but not as much as they did when he was younger. It's hard

to say why. And you've got to wonder how much teenage hormones play

into it all.

He's been doing so well lately, but caught a cold and having a lot of

breakthrough anxiety this week because of it. Illness is completely

different for children with OCD, as we all know, because it causes all

the OCD stuff to flare too. Every time this happens, it reinforces

for me that this disorder can be controlled, but is always there, even

when things seem to be going well.

I'm glad to hear of your success. It is nice when your child can

enjoy life again. Thanks for sharing.

Celebrating with you,

BJ

>

> I've been meaning to write but haven't found the time till now. I just

> wanted to thank everyone who contributes to this list by sharing

their lives

> with other in the hopes of helping them. I read some of the stories

here

> and my heart aches for the families as we have a good idea of what

they are

> going through and we know just how hard it is to cope when ocd is

running

> the show. I wish all the families who are stuggling peace and I

hope they

> find what works for their child.

>

>

>

> When I first found this list I was very much against (or maybe

afraid) of

> using medication with my child. I hoped with all my heart that we could

> find a way to help my daughter without meds and we certainly did

give it our

> best shot. She went to a wonderful psychologist who specializes in

OCD and

> ERP and CBT and she did make a lot of headway with many of her issues.

> However, we did reach a point where she felt like she could not

fight the

> OCD and it was difficult to help her because the way it manifests

itself is

> with her at this point is just not feeling comfortable in her own skin.

> It's hard to address intrusive thoughts.

>

>

>

> Anyway, on to my point. Despite the fact that I did not want to try

> medication for all the fears that I carried, my daughter wanted to

try it

> and we felt like it might help us to find some normalcy again as the

> compulsions were running both my dd's and all of our lives at times. We

> began with a low dose of 20mg of Zoloft. We increased to 40mg

before we saw

> some of her anxiety fade away and we are now trying 50mg to see if

it makes

> those last few compulsions fade away for now. What I want people to

know

> (and thanks to those of you who shared your stories) is that it has

given us

> our dd back and our lives back.

>

>

>

> The once anxiety ridden, compulsion doing child who kept saying she

just

> wanted to die, is now almost completely back to her normal happy

care-free

> self. (more often than not) We were talking about death the other

night and

> she said to me, " I don't ever want to die. " Let me tell you, those

words

> were MUSIC to my ears and it brings tears to my eyes to just type that.

> This child, who could not see past her own pain to see any of the joy in

> life is now happy and loving and touching again. This is JUST what she

> needed right now.

>

>

>

> Some day she may feel able to fight this demon on her own and at

that time

> we will address lowering her dose of Zoloft, but for right now it

has given

> her her life back and given our family back a sense of normalcy.

Where she

> once had trouble touching me, she now hugs me on a whim. Where she

could

> not say thank you for fear of repeating it endlessly, she says it and at

> times I can even not answer her and she doesn't repeat it. She is

using the

> bathroom independently 95% of the time and at one time she wiped for 45

> minuets and still felt wet and anxiety ridden about it. I cannot even

> address all the things that have changed between the therapy help

and the

> Zoloft. She is sleeping at friend's houses again, hugging her pets

again,

> and on and on.

>

>

>

> Thank you for sharing your stories of hope even when they've included

> medication. Thank you!!!

>

>

>

> Shaw

>

> game-enthusiast@...

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[Guest guest]

Another Yay! ,

My dd (11) has been on 50mg zoloft since last August and we have gotten

back our dd, hugs and all! We still struggle but not nearly as bad or

as often.

I still wish so badly though that she could be this way w/o meds, maybe

one day.

But I am very happy for you, sounds like our children have much in

common.

Melinda

TN

[Guest guest]

Another Yay! ,

My dd (11) has been on 50mg zoloft since last August and we have gotten

back our dd, hugs and all! We still struggle but not nearly as bad or

as often.

I still wish so badly though that she could be this way w/o meds, maybe

one day.

But I am very happy for you, sounds like our children have much in

common.

Melinda

TN