Re: New here, please help, meds and behavior questions

July 24, 2008

Hi ML, I have to say I tend to agree with you & dad, wondering if the

medication caused the behavior with matches/burning. Personally I

don't have the experience, but from reading here and in other groups

over the years, medication can change behavior; might cause

aggression or have kids begin getting impulsive actions, etc.

I always give the personal example of years ago when the doctor

switched my birth control pills. For 2,3,4 months or so, each day I

felt like punching someone in the face or something. Never did, LOL,

but just moody and wanting to punch face! (and I never was in any

fights with kids growing up, I'm a wimp!) Anyway, finally I realized

it began when I started the new BC pills and so I just stopped them

and felt like my old self the first day I quit taking them, didn't

feel like hitting anyone.

Kids (adults too) can react differently to each medication, even

though they all treat OCD. So hopefully Prozac will have a better

result.

I guess he didn't prescribe Paxil since it's not " for kids for OCD "

so far as the label (even though many children are on it for OCD)?

Just that you've done well on it, so would think he would suggest

that first.

I know he's 12 (I raised 3 sons) and puberty/hormones sure can have

changes in behavior and their " mouth " and OCD can certainly cause

some behaviors, but I just don't see OCD making him burn like he

did. Though OCD can get pretty weird with behaviors, you won't read

about all of them in books.

Is your son doing better now that he's off Zoloft (though I guess OCD

is just as bad)?

My son's OCD began with a lot of touching things, having to get

a " just right " feeling when he touched them, some repeating things

and getting " stuck " and other OC behaviors. He's 19 now. His OCD

began in 6th grade, few months before turning 12. We've had some

calm times, he made it through all that " beginning OCD " . However bad

thoughts began quite a while ago, he won't take meds, and so he is

still suffering with those. (that's the sort story!)

>

> Hi everyone, it is so good to find this group.

>

> I am the mother of a 12 year old boy who has been diagnosed this

spring with OCD and some generalized anxiety disorder. He has very

typical symptoms, including touching things certain ways, hoarding,

tapping, rhythms, etc. He has always been a sensitive and sometimes

nervous kid.

July 25, 2008

Hi Missy,

I am sorry you are going throught this. It is very concerning when

your child does such out of character things. Our son is 17 now, 15

at the onset of OCD. We went through some grave difficulties with

medication being at minimum a contributing factor, if not the causal

agent.

We also saw change of behavior with increase of ssri. Our son did

become hypomanic on the higher doses. The ssri's can be what is

called " activating " for some. It can also lower inhibitions to do

things they would not ordinarily do, and in combo with the OCD this

can be problematic. This was our experience in any case, and I have

seen others report similar. I am very happy to communicate with you

offline at any time if you need to speak further on this.

Having said that, if his OCD is truly disabling you do want to

continue trying medications to try and find something that works. We

did too. Sometimes one ssri is fine where all the others are not.

So it is a matter of trial, unfortunately. In other cases an ssri is

just not the right choice and either an atypical alone, or

anafranilor something else works. Since brain chemistry is so

individual it is often not as simple as taking the first med and it

works. Some are luckier in this regard. Sometimes more than one

medication is needed to balance things, and this truly is

an " artform " in itself.

If there is any bipolar disorder in your family I would use caution

when using the ssri's. Our son was ok on a lower dose, 20mg of

celexa, but not good higher. Still issues, as in more anger and

aggression but it subsides and is the trade of for more function and

less suffering with the OCD.

Again, please feel free to contact me anytime. This can be very

scary to go through and leave you wondering what is going on with

your child. I understand.

I send you hugs!

Barb

>

> Hi everyone, it is so good to find this group.

>

> I am the mother of a 12 year old boy who has been diagnosed this

spring with OCD and some generalized anxiety disorder. He has very

typical symptoms, including touching things certain ways, hoarding,

tapping, rhythms, etc. He has always been a sensitive and sometimes

nervous kid.

>

> We are seeing a psychiatrist and therapist. He was put on zoloft,

starting at 25 mg and she raised his dose every 7-10 days until he

was at 100 mg. At 75 mg he started having very vivid disturbing

dreams about buildings falling over, earthquakes, etc. We waited a

little longer at 75 mg then he thought the dreams were a bit better

so he went to 100 mg.

>

> 3 days after going to 100 mg he did something very reckless and out

of character... he played with matches & burned small corners of

things. He has always loved to have campfires, enjoys lighting

dinner table candles, etc, but we have never known him to play with

fire. My husband and I were and are shocked and terrified. He has

always been extremely responsible, loving, shy, sensitive. Of course

he has normal preadolescent crabbiness sometimes, but all in all

never a kid I was worried about for dangerous acts.

>

> I called his doctors right away and they took him off the zoloft

cold turkey just in case it was causing an unusual side effect. They

questioned us if he seemed manic at all, and he really didn't (in

case the zoloft was causing a bipolar reaction). He seemed like the

same boy to us and has never seemed depressed. Upon speaking more

with our therapist & psychiatrist (and our psychiatrist consulted 2

other psychiatrists as well) they are leaning towards thinking it was

not the zoloft. The black box side effects usually include suicidal

thoughts and behavior or feelings of wanting to hurt others. They

are inclined to think that it was either a 12 year old boy making a

very bad choice, or a combo of that and his OCD (he couldn't stop the

compulsion to light matches once he saw them.

>

> My husband and I are absolutely terrified. This is not like our

son at all! The doctors want him to try prozac now because everyone

agrees his OCD is bad enough school will be difficult without meds.

I have had generalized anxiety disorder for 10 years and have done

very well on paxil, so I know how much meds can help. I am so scared

though- that it was the zoloft & the prozac will have a similar

effect, or that it wasn't the zoloft and we have a even more serious

mental illness. My anxiety has resurfaced through this so it is very

hard for me to not think worse case scenario. Our therapist assures

me he is not a pyromaniac, he does not have conduct disorder, etc.

He came to us and confessed the behavior and is showing remorse.

>

> I would love absolutely any input or experiences you have to share

about your children's behavior, prozac, zoloft, switching SSRI's

etc. I am most grateful in advance.

>

> M.L.

>

July 25, 2008

I am seeing more anger on the part of my daughter since starting on medication.

Â On the other hand, she can't go on with the amount of fearful thinking she has

without being on a medication. It is so frustrating that there is no " good "

answer when it comes to children. Â As an adult with OCD, I never had the anger

issue with medications. Â If anything, it relieves irritability.

Re: New here, please help, meds and behavior

questions

Hi Missy,

I am sorry you are going throught this. It is very concerning when

your child does such out of character things. Our son is 17 now, 15

at the onset of OCD. We went through some grave difficulties with

medication being at minimum a contributing factor, if not the causal

agent.

We also saw change of behavior with increase of ssri. Our son did

become hypomanic on the higher doses. The ssri's can be what is

called " activating " for some. It can also lower inhibitions to do

things they would not ordinarily do, and in combo with the OCD this

can be problematic. This was our experience in any case, and I have

seen others report similar. I am very happy to communicate with you

offline at any time if you need to speak f

urther on this.

Having said that, if his OCD is truly disabling you do want to

continue trying medications to try and find something that works. We

did too. Sometimes one ssri is fine where all the others are not.

So it is a matter of trial, unfortunately. In other cases an ssri is

just not the right choice and either an atypical alone, or

anafranilor something else works. Since brain chemistry is so

individual it is often not as simple as taking the first med and it

works. Some are luckier in this regard. Sometimes more than one

medication is needed to balance things, and this truly is

an " artform " in itself.

If there is any bipolar disorder in your family I would use caution

when using the ssri's. Our son was ok on a lower dose, 20mg of

celexa, but not good higher. Still issues, as in more anger and

aggression but it subsides and is the trade of for more function and

less suffering with the OCD.

Again, please feel free to contact me anytime. This can be very

scary to go through and leave you wondering what is going on with

your child. I understand.

I send you hugs!

Barb

>

> Hi everyone, it is so good to find this group.

>

> I am the mother of a 12 year old boy who has been diagnosed this

spring with OCD and some generalized anxiety disorder. 20He has very

typical symptoms, including touching things certain ways, hoarding,

tapping, rhythms, etc. He has always been a sensitive and sometimes

nervous kid.

>

> We are seeing a psychiatrist and therapist. He was put on zoloft,

starting at 25 mg and she raised his dose every 7-10 days until he

was at 100 mg. At 75 mg he started having very vivid disturbing

dreams about buildings falling over, earthquakes, etc. We waited a

little longer at 75 mg then he thought the dreams were a bit better

so he went to 100 mg.

>

> 3 days after going to 100 mg he did something very reckless and out

of character... he played with matches & burned small corners of

things. He has always loved to have campfires, enjoys lighting

dinner table candles, etc, but we have never known him to play with

fire. My husband and I were and are shocked and terrified. He has

always been extremely responsible, loving, shy, sensitive. Of course

he has normal preadolescent crabbiness sometimes, but all in all

never a kid I was worried about for dangerous acts.

>

> I called his doctors right away and they took him off the zoloft

cold turkey just in case it was causing an unusual side effect. They

questioned us if he seemed manic at all, and he really didn't (in

case the zoloft was causing a bipolar reaction). He seemed like the

same boy to us and has never seemed depressed. Upon sp

eaking more