Re: Very worried!

[Guest guest]

The medication that worked for my own severe OCD and then now works for my

daughter who is 12 is Anafranil. You might want to try that first because it's

not an antipsychotic, and it has amazing results for both myself and my

daughter. Some of my daughter's fears and definitely mine were really off the

mark until we went on it. I was VERY dysfunctional until I went on it. By the

way, the Lexapro dose is probably not enough. My own son who is 12 was put on

20mg. of Lexapro, but I still believe that Anafranil is the best for people like

me with very severe OCD.

Very worried!

I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to 's.

Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me some

actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge in

the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also noticed

him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's hard to

tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days ago!!

I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can find to

start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few times

in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them in

his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past few

months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the stress

and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go up and

down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night. Also

progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that he

would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap from

the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's " too

tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I can

monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused a

few accidents over it!!

I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

Thanks for listening!

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for sharing this, I will definitely check into Anafranil.

> The medication that worked for my own severe OCD and then now works for my

daughter who is 12 is Anafranil. You might want to try that first because it's

not an antipsychotic, and it has amazing results for both myself and my

daughter. Some of my daughter's fears and definitely mine were really off the

mark until we went on it. I was VERY dysfunctional until I went on it. By the

way, the Lexapro dose is probably not enough. My own son who is 12 was put on

20mg. of Lexapro, but I still believe that Anafranil is the best for people like

me with very severe OCD.

>

> Very worried!

>

> I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

>

> He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

>

> I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also

noticed him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's

hard to tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days

ago!! I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can

find to start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

>

> Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few

times in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them

in his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

>

> He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past

few months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

>

> His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the stress

and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go up and

down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night. Also

progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that he

would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

>

> The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap from

the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's " too

tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I can

monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused a

few accidents over it!!

>

> I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

>

> Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

>

> Thanks for listening!

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Keep us posted - your family is in our prayers. Are you getting appropriate

support from your Dr? If not, would it be possible to find another?

>

> I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

>

> He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

>

> I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also

noticed him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's

hard to tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days

ago!! I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can

find to start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

>

> Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few

times in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them

in his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

>

> He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past

few months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

>

> His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the stress

and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go up and

down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night. Also

progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that he

would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

>

> The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap from

the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's " too

tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I can

monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused a

few accidents over it!!

>

> I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

>

> Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

>

> Thanks for listening!

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think you may be very happily surprised by how he will change when on it. I

was up to taking 24 hour showers and going through bars and bars of soap in the

process, sometimes starting to pass out in the shower because of this. When I

went on the medication, I was able to drop down to about 30 min showers which is

sort of where I am to this day even when I am not on medication. I can't begin

to tell you how dysfunctional I had become. I had basically graduated from

college, just because I was smart, not because I was living normally, and then

in order to be willing to go from my university that I thought was contaminated

to my home, my parents finally had to agree that I throw EVERYTHING I owned

there away. I came home to a train station where my dad and brother picked me

up and drove me to a local hotel where I showered and then left my belongings I

had on my back when my mother brought me clean ones the next morning, including

my shoes, in order for me to be willing to go back to our home. I spent the

next few years trying to find help and basically living on my parents' den

couch, rarely showering and only wearing the same one or two outfits. I would

stand nude watching for that one outfit to be washed( and only I was allowed to

do it in the machine, according to my fears) when it got too smelly and I got

up the energy to take that ridiculously long, ritualistic shower. I was

freezing sleeping in the den at night there, but I couldn't get up the courage

to sleep in my bedroom which I felt was contaminated. Back then there was no

medication available in the US for OCD, and few therapist knew what it even was.

Finally I found an OCD therapist who was amazing and when ERP alone wasn't

helping enough, I went to Canada where the first medication for OCD was

available. That was Anafranil, and the medication slowly changed my thoughts.

I didn't have the same level of constant fears that felt truly compelling and

the fears that remained, I was able to work on through ERP. Did I still have

OCD fears that made me " different " and affected me all the time? Yes, but I

truly could enjoy life within those parameters which were so much less

restraining and I got a masters degree, a career in teaching, moved out on my

own, eventually had my own kids, etc. I'm off medication right now for a

variety of reasons, and I'm feeling really poorly again, but for my kids' sake

and my career and just because I don't want to give up, I am pressing on.

Hopefully, I will start back on medication and feel like I used to again.

Very worried!

>

> I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

>

> He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

>

> I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also

noticed him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's

hard to tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days

ago!! I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can

find to start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

>

> Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few

times in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them

in his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

>

> He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past

few months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

>

> His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the stress

and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go up and

down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night. Also

progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that he

would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

>

> The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap from

the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's " too

tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I can

monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused a

few accidents over it!!

>

> I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

>

> Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

>

> Thanks for listening!

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much, . I think for now we sort of have to sit tight with the

doctors because the hope is my son will be at 's within the next 3-4 weeks.

He has a psychiatrist and MD who are both in contact with one another. They

psychiatrist is very highly regarded in our area for treating complex cases, but

even he admits that this a huge challenge. I have a lot of faith in the MD, but

again, I think my son's case is so complex that I'm not sure any doctor,

psychiatrist will have " the answer. " My hope is that once he gets to 's and

has a team of doctors to assess his situation that things will start falling

into place. I know it will most likely take a while and I expect his stay there

to be more lengthy than most, but I need to do whatever I can to get him the

help he needs.

> Keep us posted - your family is in our prayers. Are you getting appropriate

support from your Dr? If not, would it be possible to find another?

>

>

>

> >

> > I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

> >

> > He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

> >

> > I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also

noticed him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's

hard to tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days

ago!! I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can

find to start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

> >

> > Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few

times in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them

in his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

> >

> > He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past

few months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

> >

> > His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the

stress and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go

up and down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night.

Also progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that

he would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

> >

> > The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap

from the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's

" too tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I

can monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused

a few accidents over it!!

> >

> > I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

> >

> > Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

> >

> > Thanks for listening!

> >

> >

>

>

[Guest guest]

, I hope comes through soon, not too far away if they can keep those

dates! The severity is really picking up with his OCD. I'm surprised he is

managing school, even being " forced, " what with so much stuff being " OCD " for

him. Then again, somehow they often seem to manage once there and it all comes

back out at home.

had a problem with food when his scrupulosity started in high school.

He was down to eating a plain baked potato (looking intensely at it for parts of

skin or something) and still can't recall the one liquid he managed to still

drink. But all because he had " promised God " that he wouldn't eat certain

foods/ingredients. And those impulsive thoughts just kept increasing. I was

frantic, thought he'd end up in the hospital, but somehow he managed to push

himself into eating more and most of it went away. Don't want to say " all " cuz

there may be something I missed that he still avoids, like meats/blood (I still

avoid letting him see blood with raw meat). Just saying how crazy OCD can get

as to reasons they do/avoid some things. And the reasons may not matter in some

instances, so far as our knowing what it actually is, it's just getting them to

be able to push past it and ignore their " reason. "

Will be interested to hear how the Risperdal trial goes! Cross fingers it helps

in some way!!

>

> I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Chris.

My son goes to school 3 days a week now, and it's only a 5 hour day, so I think

he's able to pull it together long enough and literally the second he gets in

the car all hell break loose. It drives me crazy because I think the staff at

his school thinks I must be totally nuts since they never see any of the

behaviors we see outside of school, except of course for his tics. But even

those, he is able to do under the radar or he'll take frequent breaks to go to

the basement and do them.

Wow, that must have been SO difficult with your son and his eating issues in

high school, I can't even imagine!! What medications did your son take, how is

he doing now? I am so petrified about the Risperdal, or really any meds for that

matter, but especially the anti-psychotics.

> , I hope comes through soon, not too far away if they can keep

those dates! The severity is really picking up with his OCD. I'm surprised he is

managing school, even being " forced, " what with so much stuff being " OCD " for

him. Then again, somehow they often seem to manage once there and it all comes

back out at home.

>

> had a problem with food when his scrupulosity started in high school.

He was down to eating a plain baked potato (looking intensely at it for parts of

skin or something) and still can't recall the one liquid he managed to still

drink. But all because he had " promised God " that he wouldn't eat certain

foods/ingredients. And those impulsive thoughts just kept increasing. I was

frantic, thought he'd end up in the hospital, but somehow he managed to push

himself into eating more and most of it went away. Don't want to say " all " cuz

there may be something I missed that he still avoids, like meats/blood (I still

avoid letting him see blood with raw meat). Just saying how crazy OCD can get as

to reasons they do/avoid some things. And the reasons may not matter in some

instances, so far as our knowing what it actually is, it's just getting them to

be able to push past it and ignore their " reason. "

>

> Will be interested to hear how the Risperdal trial goes! Cross fingers it

helps in some way!!

>

>

>

>

> >

> > I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

> >

> >

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Please pat yourself on the back for a lot of reasons, including:

--Enlisting the Neighborhood SWAT team

--Writing to us on this list

--Hanging in there

I know how scary it is to try one of the anti-psychotic drugs. I also know how

it feels to be willing to do anything to help your child. I recall when a

psychiatrist recommended 1st Risperdal for my son (10 yrs ago). I read the

side-effects and essentially said: " Are you out of your mind??? " It didn't

happen to be the med that helped our son, but we tried that and all the others

in time.

On the positive side:

--Once you start a med, it doesn't mean it can't be stopped.

--Risperdal tends to stimulate appetite (which could be a good side-effect for

your son at this time)

--I know of a number of kids for whom Risperdal was the " right " med and who have

gone on to do well on ongoing Risperdal without side-effects.

Thru all this, your son knows you are hanging in there with him.

> I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

>

> He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

>

> I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also

noticed him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's

hard to tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days

ago!! I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can

find to start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

>

> Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few

times in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them

in his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

>

> He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past

few months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

>

> His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the stress

and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go up and

down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night. Also

progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that he

would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

>

> The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap from

the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's " too

tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I can

monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused a

few accidents over it!!

>

> I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

>

> Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

>

> Thanks for listening!

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry to hear about your son spiraling downward. I also have a son that is

15 with ocd. It was very severe and weekly therapy didn't make a dent in his

ocd and at $200/hr, it made things even more stressful. My son ended up at

ucla's intensive outpatient program for adolescence with ocd and it was

incredible what a difference that made. He still has ocd but it is nowhere near

where it was before he went to the iop. One of our problems is that he has

always refused to take medicine. I wish he would give it a shot, maybe it could

be the crutch that he needs to completely be free of ocd. But the people at

ucla's ocd program are amazing, the gains that he made really freed him from so

much anxiety. Ucla was great for ERP, there are construction sites, fresh

paint, the ICU, public restrooms all the things that he had been avoiding.

Things will get better, when we were in the midst of it, before we started the

IOP, I was hopeless, depressed, crying all the time, in fact our whole family

was sooo stressed out, but the intensive therapy worked and things got better.

Sdenka

>

> I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

>

> He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

>

> I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also

noticed him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's

hard to tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days

ago!! I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can

find to start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

>

> Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few

times in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them

in his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

>

> He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past

few months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

>

> His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the stress

and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go up and

down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night. Also

progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that he

would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

>

> The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap from

the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's " too

tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I can

monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused a

few accidents over it!!

>

> I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

>

> Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

>

> Thanks for listening!

>

>

[Guest guest]

What do you think enabled your son to allow himself to be exposed to what he was

afraid of? I'm so happy to hear of his success! How long has it been since he

was finished with the program, and has he continued with a therapist from there?

Re: Very worried!

I'm sorry to hear about your son spiraling downward. I also have a son that is

15 with ocd. It was very severe and weekly therapy didn't make a dent in his

ocd and at $200/hr, it made things even more stressful. My son ended up at

ucla's intensive outpatient program for adolescence with ocd and it was

incredible what a difference that made. He still has ocd but it is nowhere near

where it was before he went to the iop. One of our problems is that he has

always refused to take medicine. I wish he would give it a shot, maybe it could

be the crutch that he needs to completely be free of ocd. But the people at

ucla's ocd program are amazing, the gains that he made really freed him from so

much anxiety. Ucla was great for ERP, there are construction sites, fresh

paint, the ICU, public restrooms all the things that he had been avoiding.

Things will get better, when we were in the midst of it, before we started the

IOP, I was hopeless, depressed, crying all the ti me, in fact our whole family

was sooo stressed out, but the intensive therapy worked and things got better.

Sdenka

>

> I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

>

> He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

>

> I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also

noticed him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's

hard to tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days

ago!! I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can

find to start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

>

> Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few

times in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them

in his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

>

> He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past

few months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

>

> His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the stress

and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go up and

down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night. Also

progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that he

would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

>

> The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap from

the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's " too

tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I can

monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused a

few accidents over it!!

>

> I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

>

> Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

>

> Thanks for listening!

>

>

[Guest guest]

I think it was just the quality of the therapists and that the program is

intensive, 4 days a week for 3 hours a day. The IOP program seems to be for

kids with severe ocd so they know how to talk to the kids, educate them about

ocd and get them to do the exposures. It seemed like they got right down to

business starting day one. It's amazing! When I found out they'd been taking him

to the ICU, I couldn't believe it. He'd always avoided anyone that looked even

a little sick.

> >

> > I am praying my son (and I) can hold out long enough for him to get to

's. Spoke with intake the other day and it was the first time they gave me

some actual dates as " possibilities. " Supposedly 3 boys are slated for discharge

in the next 2-3 weeks, but of course there's no guarantee that will actually

happen. The 's rep said that we're looking at the week of 3/5 or 3/12 for

admitting my son. I asked her what the likelihood of that happening was on a

1-10 scale and she said about an 8, so I pray that is the case.

> >

> > He is continuing to spiral downward with each passing day, becoming more and

more non-functional, now to the point where he'll lay on the stairs for hours,

sit in the car in the garage for hours, lay on the floor, etc. Still refusing

showers, not brushing teeth, wearing same clothes each day, almost impossible to

get him out the door to school on the 3 days a week he's going. On top of

everything else, I just discovered that he's lost 15 lbs. in the past 2 months,

which is vey concerning, especially since he also grew 3/4 " in that same time

period. He's almost 16, and is now 5.5 and 117lbs.

> >

> > I had noticed his appetite decreasing over the past month or so and also

noticed him looking a little thinner, but when you see someone everyday it's

hard to tell sometimes. I almost fainted when I had him step on the scale 2 days

ago!! I'm going to Whole Foods today to see what type of protein shake I can

find to start supplementing him and get him the nutrition his body needs.

> >

> > Also very concerning is that for the past few nights I've heard him a few

times in the middle of the night doing his tics. I'm not sure if he's doing them

in his sleep or he's actually awake when he does them, but either way, I don't

think he's getting quality sleep each night.

> >

> > He's on 15mg. of Lexapro, and that's basically all he's been on for the past

few months. As much as I hate to go down this road and am scared to death, we're

going to start him on Risperdal this coming week. I'm petrified of these type of

medications due to the potential side effects, especially because if my son

starts experiencing things like night terrors, agitation, and some of the other

very unpleasant effects that are possible, he will totally freak out and

probably refuse to ever put another pill in his mouth! I know many people have

had success with Risperdal and the other anti-psychotics, but my whole family

looks at a pill and we get side effects, so I just pray that my son has not

inherited that " gene. "

> >

> > His behavior has become very defiant, which of course just adds to the

stress and upset of this whole thing. He'll sit or lay on the stairs we all go

up and down, sometimes for hours and will keep turning the lights off at night.

Also progressing is the word thing. It used to be probably about 8-9 words that

he would have a fit if you say them, whether positive or negative. Now the

vocabulary of prohibited words is growing to a point of complete insanity and

now he will spell out a lot of words that he has to convey because he doesn't

want to hear the word when he says it either!!! Example: I brought him sushi

last night for dinner, told me not to say the word " Sushi. "

> >

> > The other thing he's doing now is he will keep taking the shoulder strap

from the seatbelt while driving and putting it around his chest saying that it's

" too tight. " I now have to drive with the rearview mirror pointed at him so I

can monitor his seatbelt usage, it's complete crazymaking and I've almost caused

a few accidents over it!!

> >

> > I decided to enlist a neighborhood " swat team " so to speak. Three of my

neighbors have agreed to be on a call list so when I need to get my son to the

doctor, to school, etc. and he's refusing and just planting himself in the

stairway or wherever, I'm going to call one of the neighbors to come over and

talk to him. I did a test run yesterday when we had to go to the doctor and just

the threat of my calling the neighbor seemed to help get him out the door. I

think if he sees that I will actually follow through with this it should only

take a few times of my having to do that, I hope!

> >

> > Bottom line, if this continues much longer and he can't get into 's by

mid-March I think I will have to be committed! The constant stress and worry is

really starting to get to me and I'm usually a pretty tough cookie!

> >

> > Thanks for listening!

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, with the eating, wasn't on any medication and, to this day, still

refuses. He had been on Celexa prior to that, the scrupulosity with eating

problem began several months after he stopped the Celexa. Celexa had worked

great, he took it in 9th and 10th grades and then wanted to see if he could go

" no med " and handle his OCD on his own. He was willing to try " alternative "

things for OCD. We tried inositol powder again, which had worked great in

middle school, but it didn't help 2nd time trying. And we tried a few other

supplements, but no help. Was fortunate he got past the eating on his own

(though we did talk to a couple ministers about things).

>

> Wow, that must have been SO difficult with your son and his eating issues in

high school, I can't even imagine!! What medications did your son take, how is

he doing now? I am so petrified about the Risperdal, or really any meds for that

matter, but especially the anti-psychotics.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, I know things are very difficult right now, but I think it is a real

positive that your son can attend school 3 days a week, for 5 hours. My dd was

in an intensive inpatient treatment program for 60 days. Prior to that, she was

barely able to attend any school for 3 years of high school. Her treatment

program was all girls and most of the other girls also hadn't been able to

attend school at all before they entered either. It doesn't sound like your son

has tried much in the way of meds, which can be life changing. I am glad your

son is trying the Risperdal and hopefully it will make a difference with minimal

side effects. The biggest difference the inpatient program did for my dd was get

her meds right to allow her to be functional. Prior to that, we tried many, many

combinations and she was severely ill and nonfunctional. She is now a junior in

college and doing great. I hope your son will have the same success. Stormy

Sent from my iPad

>

> My son goes to school 3 days a week now, and it's only a 5 hour day, so I

think he's able to pull it together long enough and literally the second he gets

in the car all hell break loose. It drives me crazy because I think the staff at

his school thinks I must be totally nuts since they never see any of the

behaviors we see outside of school, except of course for his tics. But even

those, he is able to do under the radar or he'll take frequent breaks to go to

the basement and do them.

[Guest guest]

, when my OCD son was breaking down and suicidal at 15, the pdoc

wanted to put him in the hospital. He was so upset by the thought and so

confused that we both took time off and stayed with him for 24 hour watch.

I think this son would need to be talked to by the pdoc and would have to

know as much as he could about what was happening. He has alot of respect

for his pdoc so if he recommends it and explained everything to him well,

he would be on board. It would be traumatic and panic inducing if we took

him without prior info and consent.

My other son (22) ith BP, with psychosis does not have the same insight as

my OCD son. We needed to have the college health center take him from the

dorm, where they determined he needed to be hospitalized. He was handcuffed

from the ER and brought to the hospital (safety risk to self and others).

I asked him if he was traumatized by all of that and he said no, he didn't

allow them to control him. I think he was so out of touch with his feelings

that he wasn't even affected like most would be. I don't know how your son

but even though I knew I had to get my son to the hospital, he was angry

with me and I felt terrible. So having mixed feelings is normal when doing

what is best for your son.

> Thanks, Stormy. From what I hear, it seems like a good majority of kids by

> the time they get to 's or an inpatient facility are like your

> daughter, they are begging for their life back, for some normalcy. On one

> hand of course I'm thankful that my son is not desperate or crying out for

> help, but on the other hand, it's almost more worrisome because with the

> state he's in and being so non-functional, zero social life, zero life,

> that he is not going absolutely stir crazy and begging for help. He's

> perfectly happy just sitting in his little cocoon at home, laying for hours

> on the stairs, on the floor, sitting in the car for hours, or whatever

> suits his fancy.

>

> > , I can see your concern. My dd knew she was seriously ill and she

> wanted her life back. She wasn't functional in the house and barely ever

> left the house. Though for years she had various symptoms, but the truly

> disabled part came on suddenly. Prior, she was in the top 3 percent of her

> high school class and involved in many activities. So, it was a very

> drastic difference to not be able to go to school or complete any school

> work. She spent 3 years severely ill. She wanted more than anything to

> become well again. She has comorbid illnesses including bipolar which made

> getting her stable very challenging. She is now on 5 meds to keep her

> stable. I really wish your son the best! Stormy

> >

> > Sent from my iPad

> >

> >

> >

> > > My gut feeling is that he'll most likely end up staying longer than is

> typical because I think he's going to be a very challenging case to deal

> with, mainly because he essentially doesn't see any problem with the way he

> is living, his behaviors, etc. The only thing that is bothersome to him are

> his tics, and even those he doesn't complain about that much.

> >

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, . Wow, you have certainly had a rough go with your kids! I know

somehow things will fall into place with getting my son to 's. When I think

about it, it probably would have been ideal if no one would have told me either

that he's going to 's until the last minute so I wouldn't have all of this

time to stress about it and dwell on how I'm going to get him there! LOL.

> , when my OCD son was breaking down and suicidal at 15, the pdoc

> wanted to put him in the hospital. He was so upset by the thought and so

> confused that we both took time off and stayed with him for 24 hour watch.

> I think this son would need to be talked to by the pdoc and would have to

> know as much as he could about what was happening. He has alot of respect

> for his pdoc so if he recommends it and explained everything to him well,

> he would be on board. It would be traumatic and panic inducing if we took

> him without prior info and consent.

> My other son (22) ith BP, with psychosis does not have the same insight as

> my OCD son. We needed to have the college health center take him from the

> dorm, where they determined he needed to be hospitalized. He was handcuffed

> from the ER and brought to the hospital (safety risk to self and others).

> I asked him if he was traumatized by all of that and he said no, he didn't

> allow them to control him. I think he was so out of touch with his feelings

> that he wasn't even affected like most would be. I don't know how your son

> but even though I knew I had to get my son to the hospital, he was angry

> with me and I felt terrible. So having mixed feelings is normal when doing

> what is best for your son.

>

>

>

> > Thanks, Stormy. From what I hear, it seems like a good majority of kids by

> > the time they get to 's or an inpatient facility are like your

> > daughter, they are begging for their life back, for some normalcy. On one

> > hand of course I'm thankful that my son is not desperate or crying out for

> > help, but on the other hand, it's almost more worrisome because with the

> > state he's in and being so non-functional, zero social life, zero life,

> > that he is not going absolutely stir crazy and begging for help. He's

> > perfectly happy just sitting in his little cocoon at home, laying for hours

> > on the stairs, on the floor, sitting in the car for hours, or whatever

> > suits his fancy.

> >

> > > , I can see your concern. My dd knew she was seriously ill and she

> > wanted her life back. She wasn't functional in the house and barely ever

> > left the house. Though for years she had various symptoms, but the truly

> > disabled part came on suddenly. Prior, she was in the top 3 percent of her

> > high school class and involved in many activities. So, it was a very

> > drastic difference to not be able to go to school or complete any school

> > work. She spent 3 years severely ill. She wanted more than anything to

> > become well again. She has comorbid illnesses including bipolar which made

> > getting her stable very challenging. She is now on 5 meds to keep her

> > stable. I really wish your son the best! Stormy

> > >

> > > Sent from my iPad

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > > My gut feeling is that he'll most likely end up staying longer than is

> > typical because I think he's going to be a very challenging case to deal

> > with, mainly because he essentially doesn't see any problem with the way he

> > is living, his behaviors, etc. The only thing that is bothersome to him are

> > his tics, and even those he doesn't complain about that much.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Thanks, . Wow, you have certainly had a rough go with your kids! I know

somehow things will fall into place with getting my son to 's. When I think

about it, it probably would have been ideal if no one would have told me either

that he's going to 's until the last minute so I wouldn't have all of this

time to stress about it and dwell on how I'm going to get him there! LOL.

> , when my OCD son was breaking down and suicidal at 15, the pdoc

> wanted to put him in the hospital. He was so upset by the thought and so

> confused that we both took time off and stayed with him for 24 hour watch.

> I think this son would need to be talked to by the pdoc and would have to

> know as much as he could about what was happening. He has alot of respect

> for his pdoc so if he recommends it and explained everything to him well,

> he would be on board. It would be traumatic and panic inducing if we took

> him without prior info and consent.

> My other son (22) ith BP, with psychosis does not have the same insight as

> my OCD son. We needed to have the college health center take him from the

> dorm, where they determined he needed to be hospitalized. He was handcuffed

> from the ER and brought to the hospital (safety risk to self and others).

> I asked him if he was traumatized by all of that and he said no, he didn't

> allow them to control him. I think he was so out of touch with his feelings

> that he wasn't even affected like most would be. I don't know how your son

> but even though I knew I had to get my son to the hospital, he was angry

> with me and I felt terrible. So having mixed feelings is normal when doing

> what is best for your son.

>

>

>

> > Thanks, Stormy. From what I hear, it seems like a good majority of kids by

> > the time they get to 's or an inpatient facility are like your

> > daughter, they are begging for their life back, for some normalcy. On one

> > hand of course I'm thankful that my son is not desperate or crying out for

> > help, but on the other hand, it's almost more worrisome because with the

> > state he's in and being so non-functional, zero social life, zero life,

> > that he is not going absolutely stir crazy and begging for help. He's

> > perfectly happy just sitting in his little cocoon at home, laying for hours

> > on the stairs, on the floor, sitting in the car for hours, or whatever

> > suits his fancy.

> >

> > > , I can see your concern. My dd knew she was seriously ill and she

> > wanted her life back. She wasn't functional in the house and barely ever

> > left the house. Though for years she had various symptoms, but the truly

> > disabled part came on suddenly. Prior, she was in the top 3 percent of her

> > high school class and involved in many activities. So, it was a very

> > drastic difference to not be able to go to school or complete any school

> > work. She spent 3 years severely ill. She wanted more than anything to

> > become well again. She has comorbid illnesses including bipolar which made

> > getting her stable very challenging. She is now on 5 meds to keep her

> > stable. I really wish your son the best! Stormy

> > >

> > > Sent from my iPad

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > > My gut feeling is that he'll most likely end up staying longer than is

> > typical because I think he's going to be a very challenging case to deal

> > with, mainly because he essentially doesn't see any problem with the way he

> > is living, his behaviors, etc. The only thing that is bothersome to him are

> > his tics, and even those he doesn't complain about that much.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

That is how it was for my dd. We had no idea she was going at all. Then all of

the sudden it was she needs to be here in 2 days or else it will be weeks before

another opening. Since she was going 2,000 miles away we made quick arrangements

and then left. There wasn't a lot of time to think about it, which I think was

for the best. It was life changing for her. I hope your son's will be as well.

Stormy

Sent from my iPad

> Thanks, . Wow, you have certainly had a rough go with your kids! I know

somehow things will fall into place with getting my son to 's. When I think

about it, it probably would have been ideal if no one would have told me either

that he's going to 's until the last minute so I wouldn't have all of this

time to stress about it and dwell on how I'm going to get him there! LOL.

[Guest guest]

That is how it was for my dd. We had no idea she was going at all. Then all of

the sudden it was she needs to be here in 2 days or else it will be weeks before

another opening. Since she was going 2,000 miles away we made quick arrangements

and then left. There wasn't a lot of time to think about it, which I think was

for the best. It was life changing for her. I hope your son's will be as well.

Stormy

Sent from my iPad

> Thanks, . Wow, you have certainly had a rough go with your kids! I know

somehow things will fall into place with getting my son to 's. When I think

about it, it probably would have been ideal if no one would have told me either

that he's going to 's until the last minute so I wouldn't have all of this

time to stress about it and dwell on how I'm going to get him there! LOL.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear what you and your son are going through. I've tried to

read through some the responses to get an idea of the advice you've received. I

don't see anyone suggesting PANS as a possible causes. Did his doctor test for

any infections: strep, Lyme, mycoplasma, etc? Is there any history of autoimmune

disorders in your family.If these things have not been seriously and extensively

considered, I recommend that you follow up with your doctor and get as much

testing done as possible.

New diagnostic criteria has been established for PANS (or what used to be

referred to as PANDAS). Sudden onset OCD or eating disorders is a primary

criteria. No longer is " pre-pubescent " onset considered a criteria. It happens

in teens as well.

I posted a public service announcement from the INternational OCD Foundation a

few days ago. HEre's the link again:

Here are some other resources for you, including a link to the white paper and

the recently updated National Institute of Mental Health's website:

http://pandasnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2161-0665-2-113.pdf

http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm

This website has links to most of the recent articles and studies and the PSA

mentioned above

www.pandasnetwork.org

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Best wishes,

Kara

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear what you and your son are going through. I've tried to

read through some the responses to get an idea of the advice you've received. I

don't see anyone suggesting PANS as a possible causes. Did his doctor test for

any infections: strep, Lyme, mycoplasma, etc? Is there any history of autoimmune

disorders in your family.If these things have not been seriously and extensively

considered, I recommend that you follow up with your doctor and get as much

testing done as possible.

New diagnostic criteria has been established for PANS (or what used to be

referred to as PANDAS). Sudden onset OCD or eating disorders is a primary

criteria. No longer is " pre-pubescent " onset considered a criteria. It happens

in teens as well.

I posted a public service announcement from the INternational OCD Foundation a

few days ago. HEre's the link again:

Here are some other resources for you, including a link to the white paper and

the recently updated National Institute of Mental Health's website:

http://pandasnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2161-0665-2-113.pdf

http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm

This website has links to most of the recent articles and studies and the PSA

mentioned above

www.pandasnetwork.org

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Best wishes,

Kara

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much, Kara. My son did test positive for chronic Lyme about a year

ago. We did some initial PANDAS testing, but didn't get into that extensively,

yet. When we got the Lyme diagnosis he went on abx for around 5 months,

switching a few times during that course. Initially, within the first few days

of him going on abx, his tics diminished substantially, however within a week or

two they crept right back up and kept progressing. This is what is so difficult

and crazy-making with my son.........Tourette's and Lyme (and OCD I presume) wax

and wane as far as tics and other symptoms, so there is no way to know for sure

if the waning of his tics in conjunction with starting the abx was just a

coincidence.

I took him last December to see a neurologist in MD who specializes in

diagnosing/treating PANDAS/PANS. She didn't say specifically whether she felt he

was a PANDAS/PANS case, but did feel that there was likely some type of

autoimmune issue going on. He also has herpes in his system (developed at age 3

on bottom of one foot!) so clearly he has immune system issues going on.

The difficulty is that there are SO many roads I can go down with all of this,

and each road takes time, trial and error, wait and see. That's why right now,

although I'm not thrilled at the prospect, I think it's best to start him on the

Risperdal with the hopes of helping to stabilizing him, get him to

(hopefully very soon!) and then continue researching possible diagnostics,

doctors, etc. I have a feeling that no matter which way I go it will be a long

and winding road, because he has so many layers of stuff going on medically,

psychologically, and neurologically. It's like trying to put together a 1,000

piece jigsaw puzzle!

> Hi,

>

> I am so sorry to hear what you and your son are going through. I've tried to

read through some the responses to get an idea of the advice you've received. I

don't see anyone suggesting PANS as a possible causes. Did his doctor test for

any infections: strep, Lyme, mycoplasma, etc? Is there any history of autoimmune

disorders in your family.If these things have not been seriously and extensively

considered, I recommend that you follow up with your doctor and get as much

testing done as possible.

>

> New diagnostic criteria has been established for PANS (or what used to be

referred to as PANDAS). Sudden onset OCD or eating disorders is a primary

criteria. No longer is " pre-pubescent " onset considered a criteria. It happens

in teens as well.

>

> I posted a public service announcement from the INternational OCD Foundation a

few days ago. HEre's the link again:

>

> Here are some other resources for you, including a link to the white paper and

the recently updated National Institute of Mental Health's website:

>

> http://pandasnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2161-0665-2-113.pdf

>

> http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/pdn/web.htm

>

> This website has links to most of the recent articles and studies and the PSA

mentioned above

>

> www.pandasnetwork.org

>

> Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

>

> Best wishes,

>

> Kara

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

My son ( severe onset of OCD at 16) has been on Lexapro since the day it was

approved.( 10 yrs ago?) with no side affects. He once took Resperdal with

Lexapro and thought he was going absolutely crazy. He only took the Resperdal

twice and we threw the bottle out. I didn't need a doctor to tell me perhaps it

is not the correct drug combination.

I say go with your gut and do what you think you have to do to save your

son. Don't wait for permission....go to and don't leave until you have

done everything possible advocating for your son.

Stay strong & pray often,

Dana

Very worried!

Hi all,

I am SO beside myself with worry right now! As you know, my son was admitted a

week ago to 's. Over the past 3-4 months, his downward spiral has been very

rapid in just about every respect, including losing almost 20 lbs. in less than

2 months. Of course my husband and I both discussed in great detail, his rapid

decline and I also stressed my concern about his weight loss with doctors at

's when we admitted him. He's almost 16, when he was admitted he was 5'5 "

and weighed 113 lbs, and literally looked anorexic. . I called this morning to

find out he's lost another 2 lbs. since a week ago and is now down to 111 lbs.!!

I know for a fact he was not exhibiting any type of eating disorder behaviors

because I was with him at all times and would have known if he was doing

anything along those lines. He clearly had a reduced appetite and as time went

on it became more of a struggle to get him to eat, but I had attributed that to

his OCD/anxiety and the progression of the illness. Now that I look back on

things and analyze the whole picture, I believe it is possible that the Lexapro

(and Risperdal) may be the cause of his weight loss and psychotic-like behavior.

He started on Lexapro in mid-November, and prior to that had not been on any

meds because his condition wasn't severe enough to warrant meds, and we were

coming at treatment more from the Lyme angle at that point.

He's been on 20mg. of Lexapro now for about a month, started on 5mg. initially.

He's on a very low dose of Risperdal (.5mg.) and started on that about a month

ago. Here's the thing.......I had two HORRIBLE bouts with severe anxiety, one

was postpartum, the other pre-menopause. i was living in two different places

when each episode occurred, and both times I was put on medication after

medication that made my symptoms so bad to the point where I could barely eat,

sleep or function from one minute to the next. I would say it was sort of like a

psychosis, but I wasn't exhibiting odd behaviors, just going crazy in my own

head. Both episodes were the biggest nightmares of my life that I wouldn't wish

upon my worst enemy.

Now I never took Lexapro or Risperdal, but I did try Paxil, Zoloft, and probably

a dozen other anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, which all sent me

completely through the roof. I basically had the opposite reaction that most

people do to a lot of these meds, and I felt like I was ready to crawl out of my

skin, it was beyond horrible and unbearable.

So here I sit, watching my son exhibiting severe anxiety, rapid weight loss,

agitation, and behaviors that were clearly not present before he started on

Lexapro or Risperdal. Now of course, these behaviors could be attributed to the

natural progression of his OCD, but the things like urinating and defecating,

severe withdrawal, and especially the weight loss and decreased appetite were

non-issues prior to him starting on Lexapro.

I googled Lexapro and psychosis to see if I could find anything and sure enough

I did find some postings from people saying they experienced psychotic-like

behavior and thoughts while on Lexapro. I had spoken just yesterday to my son's

psychiatrist at 's about my medication experiences, and this was before I

just learned about my son's additional weight loss this morning since being

admitted. The psychiatrist feels it's a definite consideration about my

experiences with meds and deciding what my son should be on.

I placed a frantic call to his psychiatrist, the therapist, and the dietician at

's this morning, I am so beside myself right now it's all I can do not to

hop on a plane to Wisconsin. Not to see my son, but just to spend a few days

meeting with his doctors to brainstorm on medications and treatment moving

forward now that they've had a little time to observe him. It's difficult to do

this type of thing over the phone so far away. If I did go, I wouldn't want my

son to even know I'm there, it would strictly be to meet with doctors and staff.

Wondering what you all think?

Thanks

[Guest guest]

, thanks so much for all of this great information, I truly appreciate it.

What you are explaining does make a lot of sense. The medication that ended up

helping me in the end was Elavil, which is one of the older anti-depressants,

not sure what class it is in. My son's psychiatrist was surprised when I told

him that was the med that ended up helping me.

One of the worst meds they put me on during those episodes was Neurontin, which

I believe is also an anti-seizure medication. I can not begin to describe how

horrific the side effect were. It was all I could do to keep my focus from one

minute to the next because the anxiety and agitation was so severe.

I'm going to ask my son's psychiatrist what he thinks about trying Elavil with

my son. I realize it's not an OCD med, but it is used for anxiety disorders and

nervousness/agitation is *not* listed as one of the potential side effects.

However, I do remember I had to go up very slowly because the second episode I

had a new doctor and he put me on 50mg. out of the gate and it sent me through

the roof. Then I went back down to 10mg. and worked my way up and I was fine.

Perhaps another thought, like you suggested, taking him off the Lexapro and

leaving him on Risperdal to see if that makes any difference. I will wait and

see what his psychiatrist and therapist say and go from there.

> ,

>

> (1) I think maybe this will be an opportunity to fit a lot of the puzzle

pieces together.

>

> (2) Can you email with his doctor at ? Personally, I love email

because you don't have to think on your feet as you would in a phone call--or

even if you were to physically go there to talk to his doctor. Email

lets you think of further ideas without having to debate about calling the doc

again (or tracking him down physically) as each new idea comes along.

>

> Doctors and medical institutions are variable in their policies about

discussing patients via email. Sometimes they will go ahead and do that if you

1st sign a request and acknowledge that email is not guaranteed to be 100%

confidential. I really, really hope that will okay communication by

email.

>

> (3) Your own experience with anxiety and adverse reactions to SSRI

anti-depressants strongly suggests that your anxiety is a subset of bipolar

disorder. People tend to over-react to the notion that they or their child may

have bipolar. But " bipolar " just means that a person with anxiety, OCD,

depression, etc. may respond badly to SSRI's and do well on mood-stabilizing

medications. Once a person with bipolar is stabilized on a mood-stabilizing med

or meds, SSRI's can be added if needed. But if SSRIs are used alone--without a

mood-stabilizer on board--in a person with bipolar, bad symptoms may occur such

as agitation, " jumping out of your skin " , feeling worse than you did prior to

starting the SSRI. It sounds like what happened to you. Plus there's a

statistic that 50% of women who develop post-partum depression/anxiety have

underlying bipolar neurobiology.

>

> To reduce the stigma of the term 'bipolar', I think they should change the

terminology. e.g. there could be Type A anxiety/depression (the kind that

responds to SSRIs) and Type B anxiety/depression (the kind that responds to

mood-stabilizers and may get worse with SSRIs).

>

> You probably already know the list of SSRI anti-depressant/anti-anxiety meds:

Lexapro, Celexa, Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Venlafexine, and others that I can't

think of at the moment. Bupropion (Welbutrin) is kind of an SSRI, as well.

>

> Mood-stabilizing meds come in 3 categories:

> (1) Lithium. Some people respond to Lithium; some don't. It's genetic to

some extent: if a family member has responded favorably to lithium, another

family member may respond well, too. Or if it did not help the one family

member, it may not help the other.

> (2) Anti-seizure meds, including Trileptal, Tegretol, Depakote, and Lamictal.

Besides stabilizing electrical activity in the brain to prevent seizures,

anti-seizure meds also stabilize electrical brain pathways that lead to bipolar

symptoms.

> (2) Second-generation anti-psychotic meds such as Risperdal, Zyprexa,

Seroquel, and others. All the anti-psychotic meds (except for Geodon) have the

side-effect of weight gain.

>

> Looking at the timeline of your son's experience, I wonder if the Lexapro

started making things worse and worse and the Risperdal may have been too little

too late in the face of several months of Lexapro. Not that I'm blaming

anybody. If a person with bipolar is started on an SSRI (without a

mood-stabilizer) things may briefly improve. The adverse reaction may take

days, weeks or even months to show up.

>

> Anyhow, I think that bipolar disorder may be the underlying cause of your

son's suffering. Which is maybe what the doctor had in mind when he said

that your past history could help them with decisions about meds for your son.

>

> As awful as this all is, I think it may lead to the right meds (and, of course

CBT-ERP) to get your son healthy again.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>> Hi all,

>>

>> I am SO beside myself with worry right now! As you know, my son was admitted

a week ago to 's. Over the past 3-4 months, his downward spiral has been

very rapid in just about every respect, including losing almost 20 lbs. in less

than 2 months. Of course my husband and I both discussed in great detail, his

rapid decline and I also stressed my concern about his weight loss with doctors

at 's when we admitted him. He's almost 16, when he was admitted he was

5'5 " and weighed 113 lbs, and literally looked anorexic. . I called this morning

to find out he's lost another 2 lbs. since a week ago and is now down to 111

lbs.!!

>>

>> I know for a fact he was not exhibiting any type of eating disorder behaviors

because I was with him at all times and would have known if he was doing

anything along those lines. He clearly had a reduced appetite and as time went

on it became more of a struggle to get him to eat, but I had attributed that to

his OCD/anxiety and the progression of the illness. Now that I look back on

things and analyze the whole picture, I believe it is possible that the Lexapro

(and Risperdal) may be the cause of his weight loss and psychotic-like behavior.

He started on Lexapro in mid-November, and prior to that had not been on any

meds because his condition wasn't severe enough to warrant meds, and we were

coming at treatment more from the Lyme angle at that point.

>>

>> He's been on 20mg. of Lexapro now for about a month, started on 5mg.

initially. He's on a very low dose of Risperdal (.5mg.) and started on that

about a month ago. Here's the thing.......I had two HORRIBLE bouts with severe

anxiety, one was postpartum, the other pre-menopause. i was living in two

different places when each episode occurred, and both times I was put on

medication after medication that made my symptoms so bad to the point where I

could barely eat, sleep or function from one minute to the next. I would say it

was sort of like a psychosis, but I wasn't exhibiting odd behaviors, just going

crazy in my own head. Both episodes were the biggest nightmares of my life that

I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.

>>

>> Now I never took Lexapro or Risperdal, but I did try Paxil, Zoloft, and

probably a dozen other anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, which all sent me

completely through the roof. I basically had the opposite reaction that most

people do to a lot of these meds, and I felt like I was ready to crawl out of my

skin, it was beyond horrible and unbearable.

>>

>> So here I sit, watching my son exhibiting severe anxiety, rapid weight loss,

agitation, and behaviors that were clearly not present before he started on

Lexapro or Risperdal. Now of course, these behaviors could be attributed to the

natural progression of his OCD, but the things like urinating and defecating,

severe withdrawal, and especially the weight loss and decreased appetite were

non-issues prior to him starting on Lexapro.

>>

>> I googled Lexapro and psychosis to see if I could find anything and sure

enough I did find some postings from people saying they experienced

psychotic-like behavior and thoughts while on Lexapro. I had spoken just

yesterday to my son's psychiatrist at 's about my medication experiences,

and this was before I just learned about my son's additional weight loss this

morning since being admitted. The psychiatrist feels it's a definite

consideration about my experiences with meds and deciding what my son should be

on.

>>

>> I placed a frantic call to his psychiatrist, the therapist, and the dietician

at 's this morning, I am so beside myself right now it's all I can do not

to hop on a plane to Wisconsin. Not to see my son, but just to spend a few days

meeting with his doctors to brainstorm on medications and treatment moving

forward now that they've had a little time to observe him. It's difficult to do

this type of thing over the phone so far away. If I did go, I wouldn't want my

son to even know I'm there, it would strictly be to meet with doctors and staff.

>>

>> Wondering what you all think?

>>

>> Thanks

>>

>>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, he may be not eating b/c he is adjusting to a new environment. I am the

same way in new places but eventually adjust. I am on Lexapro, low dose (.5, in

summer .25) and it has worked for my anxiety/depression. If go higher, I get

more depressed and wiped out. My son with recently diag.

Bipolar/?schizoaffective is weaning himself off of risperdal. It had more of the

neg. symptoms (lack of concentration, inside himself, thinking all the time,

flat affect). The med. he has tried (zyprexa, Depakote, Risperdal) all made him

more zombie-ish, which didn't help him. Abilify was horrible and made him very

agitated,crawling out of his skin. Anyway, he is going with Empower plus

vitamins now since they seem to work with his uncle for his bipolar. This son

also is low weight, 128, 6'2 " , but has always been this way. He did lose even

more weight when manic and hospitalized. Risp. is sup. to cause weight gain but

maybe not with some kids.

I think you are right at looking at family history and reactions to meds. I

could be wrong on this but when I looked up Risp. and chemical make-up and how

processed in body, they mentioned Paxil as being a component of risp. So if you

had a reaction to Paxil, there may be something to this. Crazy meds website has

good info on drugs. Did they ever try Prozac? This has worked for my OCD son and

also for my sister. Also, if there is bipolar/mood regulation problems, SSRI do

cause increased mania.

It is hard when he is away. When my son was in the hospital for his Bipolar, it

was helpful to do conference calls with the social worker b/c she seemed to have

more of a handle on his day to day happenings. The doc. was OK but I didn't

think he was that aware and as connected to the whole team. I hope this helps.

>

> Hi all,

>

> I am SO beside myself with worry right now! As you know, my son was admitted a

week ago to 's. Over the past 3-4 months, his downward spiral has been very

rapid in just about every respect, including losing almost 20 lbs. in less than

2 months. Of course my husband and I both discussed in great detail, his rapid

decline and I also stressed my concern about his weight loss with doctors at

's when we admitted him. He's almost 16, when he was admitted he was 5'5 "

and weighed 113 lbs, and literally looked anorexic. . I called this morning to

find out he's lost another 2 lbs. since a week ago and is now down to 111 lbs.!!

>

> I know for a fact he was not exhibiting any type of eating disorder behaviors

because I was with him at all times and would have known if he was doing

anything along those lines. He clearly had a reduced appetite and as time went

on it became more of a struggle to get him to eat, but I had attributed that to

his OCD/anxiety and the progression of the illness. Now that I look back on

things and analyze the whole picture, I believe it is possible that the Lexapro

(and Risperdal) may be the cause of his weight loss and psychotic-like behavior.

He started on Lexapro in mid-November, and prior to that had not been on any

meds because his condition wasn't severe enough to warrant meds, and we were

coming at treatment more from the Lyme angle at that point.

>

> He's been on 20mg. of Lexapro now for about a month, started on 5mg.

initially. He's on a very low dose of Risperdal (.5mg.) and started on that

about a month ago. Here's the thing.......I had two HORRIBLE bouts with severe

anxiety, one was postpartum, the other pre-menopause. i was living in two

different places when each episode occurred, and both times I was put on

medication after medication that made my symptoms so bad to the point where I

could barely eat, sleep or function from one minute to the next. I would say it

was sort of like a psychosis, but I wasn't exhibiting odd behaviors, just going

crazy in my own head. Both episodes were the biggest nightmares of my life that

I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.

>

> Now I never took Lexapro or Risperdal, but I did try Paxil, Zoloft, and

probably a dozen other anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, which all sent me

completely through the roof. I basically had the opposite reaction that most

people do to a lot of these meds, and I felt like I was ready to crawl out of my

skin, it was beyond horrible and unbearable.

>

> So here I sit, watching my son exhibiting severe anxiety, rapid weight loss,

agitation, and behaviors that were clearly not present before he started on

Lexapro or Risperdal. Now of course, these behaviors could be attributed to the

natural progression of his OCD, but the things like urinating and defecating,

severe withdrawal, and especially the weight loss and decreased appetite were

non-issues prior to him starting on Lexapro.

>

> I googled Lexapro and psychosis to see if I could find anything and sure

enough I did find some postings from people saying they experienced

psychotic-like behavior and thoughts while on Lexapro. I had spoken just

yesterday to my son's psychiatrist at 's about my medication experiences,

and this was before I just learned about my son's additional weight loss this

morning since being admitted. The psychiatrist feels it's a definite

consideration about my experiences with meds and deciding what my son should be

on.

>

> I placed a frantic call to his psychiatrist, the therapist, and the dietician

at 's this morning, I am so beside myself right now it's all I can do not

to hop on a plane to Wisconsin. Not to see my son, but just to spend a few days

meeting with his doctors to brainstorm on medications and treatment moving

forward now that they've had a little time to observe him. It's difficult to do

this type of thing over the phone so far away. If I did go, I wouldn't want my

son to even know I'm there, it would strictly be to meet with doctors and

staff.

>

> Wondering what you all think?

>

> Thanks

>

[Guest guest]

, I think this is a really big blessing.  Having your son at has

given you time to actually sit by yourself and think things through clearly and

rationally.  I think it is really good sign they are taking you seriously with

your concerns.  If you feel the need to go, I would go because you are going

to drive yourself crazy with worry if you don't.  What were his ocd symptoms

before starting the medication?

in WA 

To:

Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2012 7:42 AM

Subject: Re: Very worried!

 

,

My son ( severe onset of OCD at 16) has been on Lexapro since the day it was

approved.( 10 yrs ago?) with no side affects. He once took Resperdal with

Lexapro and thought he was going absolutely crazy. He only took the Resperdal

twice and we threw the bottle out. I didn't need a doctor to tell me perhaps it

is not the correct drug combination.

I say go with your gut and do what you think you have to do to save your

son. Don't wait for permission....go to and don't leave until you have

done everything possible advocating for your son.

Stay strong & pray often,

Dana

Very worried!

Hi all,

I am SO beside myself with worry right now! As you know, my son was admitted a

week ago to 's. Over the past 3-4 months, his downward spiral has been very

rapid in just about every respect, including losing almost 20 lbs. in less than

2 months. Of course my husband and I both discussed in great detail, his rapid

decline and I also stressed my concern about his weight loss with doctors at

's when we admitted him. He's almost 16, when he was admitted he was 5'5 "

and weighed 113 lbs, and literally looked anorexic. . I called this morning to

find out he's lost another 2 lbs. since a week ago and is now down to 111 lbs.!!

I know for a fact he was not exhibiting any type of eating disorder behaviors

because I was with him at all times and would have known if he was doing

anything along those lines. He clearly had a reduced appetite and as time went

on it became more of a struggle to get him to eat, but I had attributed that to

his OCD/anxiety and the progression of the illness. Now that I look back on

things and analyze the whole picture, I believe it is possible that the Lexapro

(and Risperdal) may be the cause of his weight loss and psychotic-like behavior.

He started on Lexapro in mid-November, and prior to that had not been on any

meds because his condition wasn't severe enough to warrant meds, and we were

coming at treatment more from the Lyme angle at that point.

He's been on 20mg. of Lexapro now for about a month, started on 5mg. initially.

He's on a very low dose of Risperdal (.5mg.) and started on that about a month

ago. Here's the thing.......I had two HORRIBLE bouts with severe anxiety, one

was postpartum, the other pre-menopause. i was living in two different places

when each episode occurred, and both times I was put on medication after

medication that made my symptoms so bad to the point where I could barely eat,

sleep or function from one minute to the next. I would say it was sort of like a

psychosis, but I wasn't exhibiting odd behaviors, just going crazy in my own

head. Both episodes were the biggest nightmares of my life that I wouldn't wish

upon my worst enemy.

Now I never took Lexapro or Risperdal, but I did try Paxil, Zoloft, and probably

a dozen other anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds, which all sent me

completely through the roof. I basically had the opposite reaction that most

people do to a lot of these meds, and I felt like I was ready to crawl out of my

skin, it was beyond horrible and unbearable.

So here I sit, watching my son exhibiting severe anxiety, rapid weight loss,

agitation, and behaviors that were clearly not present before he started on

Lexapro or Risperdal. Now of course, these behaviors could be attributed to the

natural progression of his OCD, but the things like urinating and defecating,

severe withdrawal, and especially the weight loss and decreased appetite were

non-issues prior to him starting on Lexapro.

I googled Lexapro and psychosis to see if I could find anything and sure enough

I did find some postings from people saying they experienced psychotic-like

behavior and thoughts while on Lexapro. I had spoken just yesterday to my son's

psychiatrist at 's about my medication experiences, and this was before I

just learned about my son's additional weight loss this morning since being

admitted. The psychiatrist feels it's a definite consideration about my

experiences with meds and deciding what my son should be on.

I placed a frantic call to his psychiatrist, the therapist, and the dietician at

's this morning, I am so beside myself right now it's all I can do not to

hop on a plane to Wisconsin. Not to see my son, but just to spend a few days

meeting with his doctors to brainstorm on medications and treatment moving

forward now that they've had a little time to observe him. It's difficult to do

this type of thing over the phone so far away. If I did go, I wouldn't want my

son to even know I'm there, it would strictly be to meet with doctors and staff.

Wondering what you all think?

Thanks