Re: in need of input from experienced parents of children with ocd

[Guest guest]

Gosh - I think you should consult a good attorney ASAP. Taking him off these

medes is like taking away insoline from a Diabetic! It would be child

abuse/neglect!

Keep us posted - maybe someone knows of a good attorney in your area?

>

> 1. This support group was so helpful and resourceful for me last year!

> 2. We have been so fortunate (after a very draining and disruptive long period

of time in helping my then 7 yr old son with his extreme ocd behaviors. He was

out of school for a few months.

> 3. Had a great CBT child psychologist who believed in the Super-Nanny approach

in dealing with behaviors (ouch! against the literature I studied and SO hard on

everyone!) CBT doctor left practice.

> 4. Also have child psychiatrist who has been very helpful and patient in

finding correct medication.

> 5. My son is a completely different child now and is a joy and delight. This

school year has been enormously great for all of us (as in past he hated school

- had the school germ contamination thing - school pushed for use of gloves

(instead of aid), etc.).

> 6. Here we all were thinking things are great - counting our blessings -

praising God for the right medications and help and;

> 7. BOOM - son's father steps in and demands that his son be taken off of his

medications (BECAUSE he is doing so well!)

> 8. Child psychiatrist says she will have to withdraw from treatment being that

father disagrees. (Does not want to get in middle of a battle, yet feels her

treatment is clinically necessary.)

> 9. What will happen if I am forced to take my son off of his medications?

Will his ocd (which is very much under control)return and manifest? (He still

has fears and anxiety that all seem to stem from spending time with his father!)

> 10. Note: meds are celexa 20 and zyprexa 5 - which the father never wanted

him on and says the side effects are scarey and he does not want his son on

psychotropic drugs.

> I am looking forward to your input (and am grateful with much sincerity!)

Sandy

>

[Guest guest]

Gosh, darn dad! Well...my thought is you can't just stop Celexa, you will have

to wean him off, could take a couple months. IF his symptoms were to start

returning as the dose is lowered/stopped, maybe that would prove to dad that the

meds ARE helping, he needs them.

But there is the possibility symptoms won't worsen during this time, could

happen weeks or months later, if indeed he still does need an OCD med. SIGH!

But if you have to stop, then explain to dad that he needs weaned off, you don't

just STOP the med.

I'm sure you've argued, " yes he is doing great BECAUSE the medication helps " but

dad apparently thinks it's cured. Can you argue you feel another year would

benefit him and then you're try weaning him off to see if he still needs it?

(Many do need ongoing meds for OCD, however not everyone, so you really do have

to try and see if still need somewhere along the line; but I think the longer

they are on it the better chance for later. was on Celexa in high

school for 9th grade and stopped it the end of 10th grade in May after weaning

down. I let him. So not quite 2 years on. I don't know when it started, but

by following January OCD returned severely. Maybe tell dad our experience.)

If comes off meds, he will at least have to be able to use the " tools " of what

is learned in therapy about bossing back OCD, how to work on returning symptoms.

For us that wasn't a help as OCD returned in a new way (bad thoughts and other)

so we were dealing with something new. I actually wish the same stuff had

returned, I knew how to deal with it.

Talk to an attorney, perhaps you two could go for some mediation type meeting?

Quick thoughts, do keep us updated. I'm really happy to hear he's been doing so

well!!!

>

> 1. This support group was so helpful and resourceful for me last year!

> 2. We have been so fortunate (after a very draining and disruptive long period

of time in helping my then 7 yr old son with his extreme ocd behaviors. He was

out of school for a few months.

> 3. Had a great CBT child psychologist who believed in the Super-Nanny approach

in dealing with behaviors (ouch! against the literature I studied and SO hard on

everyone!) CBT doctor left practice.

> 4. Also have child psychiatrist who has been very helpful and patient in

finding correct medication.

> 5. My son is a completely different child now and is a joy and delight. This

school year has been enormously great for all of us (as in past he hated school

- had the school germ contamination thing - school pushed for use of gloves

(instead of aid), etc.).

> 6. Here we all were thinking things are great - counting our blessings -

praising God for the right medications and help and;

> 7. BOOM - son's father steps in and demands that his son be taken off of his

medications (BECAUSE he is doing so well!)

> 8. Child psychiatrist says she will have to withdraw from treatment being that

father disagrees. (Does not want to get in middle of a battle, yet feels her

treatment is clinically necessary.)

> 9. What will happen if I am forced to take my son off of his medications?

Will his ocd (which is very much under control)return and manifest? (He still

has fears and anxiety that all seem to stem from spending time with his father!)

> 10. Note: meds are celexa 20 and zyprexa 5 - which the father never wanted

him on and says the side effects are scarey and he does not want his son on

psychotropic drugs.

> I am looking forward to your input (and am grateful with much sincerity!)

Sandy

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Sandy,

It sounds like your husband is making his demands because of fear. I never

demanded a reduction in meds but I always worked with our psychiatrist in trying

to reduce the meds with the hope that my DD would not need them. It is scary to

read about the side effects. I agree with who said to try weaning your

son off slowly and look carefully for behavioral clues that point to problems.

I wanted to add that someone must stress to your husband that as your son gets

older the hormones can cause an escalation in OCD symptoms. This is exactly

what happened to my daughter and I put her through horrible dysregulation

resulting in 52 days of hospitalization as they tried to get the right meds to

stabilize her. I was reducing her trileptal at the same time we introduced an

antidepressant. It was 4 months after she began menstruating. No one knows

what triggered the problems but the med change and puberty is the best guess.

My new and wonderful psychiatrist says she needs to stay on meds until she is at

least 18 years old and then we can consider weaning her off them. The brain is

still developing and if we constantly bathe it in stress hormones it is going to

cause problems. Pre-puberty is not the time to make drastic med changes.

Hospitalization is very, very expensive and insurance companies control the

length of stay, not sound medical decisions. Psych hospitals are also not

pleasant places for children. The experience traumatized my daughter and it

took years to overcome the experience. If the meds weren't needed, they wouldn't

have helped. Perhaps your husband would be willing to hear a second opinion?

I'm pretty confident that all psychiatrists would say that if it's working,

don't mess with it.

Dorelle

[Guest guest]

1) Side effects are POSSIBILITIES and not PROBABILITIES. side effects must be

listed for even small probabilities as per FDA. I think that after a pd of

stability, Zyprexa can be removed. Keep in mind that many times 2 low dose

meds are less risky than 1high dose drug.

2) Psychiatrists are afraid of litigious parents....appeal to your doctor to

speak with dad

3) Appeal to dad to at least wait out the school yr....meds changes can wreck

havoc.

4) Ask why dad wants to undermine your ideas?

Just some thoughts

Bonnie

>

> 1. This support group was so helpful and resourceful for me last year!

> 2. We have been so fortunate (after a very draining and disruptive long period

of time in helping my then 7 yr old son with his extreme ocd behaviors. He was

out of school for a few months.

> 3. Had a great CBT child psychologist who believed in the Super-Nanny approach

in dealing with behaviors (ouch! against the literature I studied and SO hard on

everyone!) CBT doctor left practice.

> 4. Also have child psychiatrist who has been very helpful and patient in

finding correct medication.

> 5. My son is a completely different child now and is a joy and delight. This

school year has been enormously great for all of us (as in past he hated school

- had the school germ contamination thing - school pushed for use of gloves

(instead of aid), etc.).

> 6. Here we all were thinking things are great - counting our blessings -

praising God for the right medications and help and;

> 7. BOOM - son's father steps in and demands that his son be taken off of his

medications (BECAUSE he is doing so well!)

> 8. Child psychiatrist says she will have to withdraw from treatment being that

father disagrees. (Does not want to get in middle of a battle, yet feels her

treatment is clinically necessary.)

> 9. What will happen if I am forced to take my son off of his medications?

Will his ocd (which is very much under control)return and manifest? (He still

has fears and anxiety that all seem to stem from spending time with his father!)

> 10. Note: meds are celexa 20 and zyprexa 5 - which the father never wanted

him on and says the side effects are scarey and he does not want his son on

psychotropic drugs.

> I am looking forward to your input (and am grateful with much sincerity!)

Sandy

>