Re: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

[Guest guest]

Tara,

It took us a while to arrive at the diagnosis of OCD, and no time at all to

decide to medicate. The Developmental Pediatrician we see told me his own

daughter takes the same medication for the same issues, and he said he

wouldn’t prescribe anything for his patients that he wasn’t willing to give

his own child. My daughter (11 years old) takes Zoloft once a day and it has

done wonders for her! I was concerned about appetite changes, specifically the

loss of appetite we had seen with ADD meds, but then I read that sometimes kids

on SSRIs will actually GAIN weight. So far she has gained about 5 pounds in

roughly 8 months, but she is still the right size for her age and nowhere near

overweight. I was also worried about personality changes since we had seen her

become almost zombie-like on ADD meds, but she is still her quirky little self.

She’s just quirky without all the anxiety and she is much, much happier.

As with most medications, your side effects may vary. We haven’t experienced

any. We looked at the meds this way: if she had a physical disorder that

required medication, would we base our decision on the possibility that she

might need it the rest of her life or that she might have to deal with side

effects? Which is worse, the anxiety/OCD or the side effects? In our case, we

felt like we had the opportunity to help her have a better quality of life

through medication. That may not be true for everyone. If you try it and

decide it’s not for your son you can discontinue it WITH the doctor’s

supervision, because some of the meds you can’t just stop cold turkey. And

you may still be able to do some exposure work even while he’s on medication,

if that’s what you choose to do.

Every family has to make the best choice for them. I wish my daughter did not

need a prescription to live a full life, but I’m very relieved that we have

that option for her.

Kim A.

From: Tara Montgomery

Sent: Monday, July 09, 2012 3:36 PM

To:

Subject: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi-

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It waxes

and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and has

worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade this

little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging* us

to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the eval.

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his life

(and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Tara

[Guest guest]

> Hi-

>

> Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

>

> My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

>

Quality of life. Too much suffering.

>

> A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging*

us to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

>

Meds will help, but the exposure will work will still be hard. But the meds may

help things be less overwhelming and make it a little more bearable to do the

exposure work and thus make progress and get better.

>

> We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

>

> The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

>

No and no. If the med is helpful, it will allow him to make more progress with

the exposures and ultimately the 2 together (med and CBT/ERP) will allow his

true personality, his true self, to shine.

It's a guessing game as to which med will work best with which person. If a

med makes a person feel uncomfortable (and continues to make the person feel

that way even after the several weeks it may take for the body to get used to

it) then a different med is tried.

If a med is helpful to a person, they usually stay on it for a few years. At

some point, the decision will probably be made to try lowering the dose little

by little and see how it goes. The med may have done its job by helping the

person push thru exposures and achieve enough control that they can continue to

do well with just the CBT/ERP.

On the other hand (I'm thinking of any medication and any health condition), if

a person's suffering were to return after lowering and stopping a med, and if

that med made all the difference between a life of thriving vs suffering, I'd

vote for continuing the med. It's all a matter of relative risks and benefits.

But starting a med for OCD definitely does not mean a commitment to a lifetime

of meds.

>

> My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

>

The SSRIs may cause weight gain, but not always.

>

> Thanks for any insight you can share.

>

> You're welcome. Been there.

>

>

> Tara

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tara

Tipping point - well, we waited waaay too long. By the time we started meds, son

had to be hospitalized. He actually was not put on meds the first 3 days in ER.

Then moved to inpatient and still not put on meds until he wouldn't change

clothes. They started with very low doses. Each time he hit a new barrier with

ERP, they increased dose, until he was able to get in car with dad (contaminant)

and go somewhere, and sleep in room after dad had been there. He ended up two

weeks later on 40 mg Prozac and .5 Risperdone in evening, .25 in morning.

That's been 2 months ago now. Over that time since he's been home, we've cut

back Risperdone to .25 total and are shaving that little pill in half at night.

Prozac is still at 40 - we will start taking grains out of those at some point.

Side effects? The med accumulates over time. So he started getting more and more

tired and could hardly get up from lunch. That's when we started cutting back.

His energy is coming back, and he's still voluntarily putting himself into

exposures, such as going places with Dad. So overall the med has done what it's

supposed to all along - first very high amounts to get through the initial ERPS.

Now lower doses as we watch and see what maintenance dose he needs. If he's

challenged, I would increase again, knowing I can decrease.

We do all the stuff has described - diet sleep, supplements, exercise, all

this balances effects of chemicals, I think.

Son does not want to eat as much as he used to but I notice that if it's stuff

he really likes, he will. He doesn't really like healthy food (imagine!?!).

No change in personality - or rather, he is up more than down, very welcome, to

see him laugh and joke like he did 5 years ago.

Someone recently recommended OCDefense as a substitue for SSRI - might be worth

trying for you but not covered by insurance.

Hope that helps

Rhonda

considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi-

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging*

us to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Tara

[Guest guest]

Tara,

I think the determining factor is when you see his quality of life is being

affected.

 

I, personally, have not used medication for my son but I would not heitate to do

so.  He has been very effectively treated so far with vitamins/homeopathic

remedies.  But that is for him.  If they stopped working , I would not

hesitate at all to put him on meds. 

 

No, this would not mean he has to be on them his entire life.  Again, because

of the nature of ocd, he may reach a point he wants to go off the meds and he is

fine.  Some people, yes, they do have to be on them.  It differs so much from

person to person.  I gained a new perspective last year.  I had shingles and

was co-hosting a baby shower (though not at my home).  The baby had already

been born.  I asked my dr if I should not go and I was assured that singles

were not contagious and absolutely I should go.  Well I did go and I did not

touch or even go near the baby, but the next day, the baby passed away.  The

cause was unknown.  My mind went into complete panic mode ... the baby caught

shingles from me and died.  I could not sleep, I could think of nothing else --

I killed the baby.  I had nurse friends, other friends, my mom, etc all say

that was absolutely ludicrous -- I was not contagious, etc. but I looked on the

internet and saw in

reality there is a very small chance shingles can be contagious and very

harmful to a baby or someone else with a weakened immune system.  I could not

function.  Well it turned out the cause of death was something else completely

and then i was okay, but I gained such sympathy for an OCD sufferer.  The worry

and guilt was so intense and unrelenting.  I was absolutey exhausted.  Our

poor kids.

 

I wish you luck in your decision.

Kind Regards,

To:

Sent: Monday, July 9, 2012 12:36 PM

Subject: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

 

Hi-

 

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It waxes

and wanes but is really tough this summer.  Our social worker is great and has

worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade this

little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

 

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

 

A few other facts:  My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging* us

to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

 

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the eval.

 

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

 

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

 

Thanks for any insight you can share.

 

Tara

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Looks like lots of good insights already today.

One thought that comes to mind to put out there for feedback from the group is

this--

SSRI's and or Anxiety meds ( any of them ) definitely have their place. I love

your question about if it is a life long pill or not? Good question....

one thing I would ask the doctors is if we put our daughter (almost 8) on meds

and at some point decide to take her off or she ages and wants to go off them --

what does that look like?? Are there withdrawals? How much anxiety is added

when going off ananti depressant or anti anxiety med? I have heard some meds

are smoother to go off of than others.

We are currently not using meds for our child, yet like other people if needed

will use them. However, I am not sure we would use anti anxiety meds due to

some things I have learned about withdrawals from them. SSRI's have a much

better transition off them slowly with a doctors care. I do know of some people

(all adults ) that had a lot of trouble going off any of the benzo drugs. Any

input from the group on this would be helpful to know about.

A few years ago when a very close relative of mine passed away I took Celexa for

1.5 years at a low dose and went off it with minor withdrawals. That was in my

early 30's. I did have some odd withdrawal symptoms but they only lasted two

weeks. That said, I do not have OCD and I cannot imagine my daughter going

through the withdrawals I did with her OCD. Even if only a few weeks. Each

person has differnt experiences with meds. I would even with my experience use

SSRI's if I felt it was necessary for our child's safety and well-being. If it

was just to make her life " better " I would personally --just me look for a

natural alternative --and do the CBT and ERP as much as possible. Even if my

daughter does not want to do CBT and ERP I can work it into our day without her

fully seeing I am doing so--sometimes. Often I put things in the day that will

challenge her without her realizing it and by the time it is done she says " hey,

I just did that! " . I say " really, wow that is very cool " . We move on, I don't

make a big deal of it.

I have heard from several adult friends with OCD that the CBT and ERP are

mandatory that just taking meds alone wont do the job. I have not tried meds

but could guess they definitely could help. I am just very cautious about Benzo

drugs and the withdrawals that would come at some point later. Yet, in the

correct situation if it were life threatening, would use these drugs if it was

the only way to help my child. I know Benzo's are used for anxiety and yet

would not want anyone to go through the withdrawals if they could avoid them.

Worth looking into before getting on any of the meds.

Also, recommend that any drug that is proposed for your child that you go online

to the manufacture and read about side effects etc....first. So you can watch

for signs if you do use a drug.

It is hard for me at times not to feel desperate for a solution to one of my

childs needs " right now " . However, I have found when I take the time and do my

homework on any med or even just interviewing a thearpist to see if I can handle

working with their personality type-- I end up much better off a few weeks later

than if I just take the first thing that is in front of me. Sometimes this is

easier said than done.

Warmly and wishing you the best!

[Guest guest]

Wow that is an incredible story, thanks . I could " be there " and understand

how that whole association thing works now.

Rhonda

Re: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Tara,

I think the determining factor is when you see his quality of life is being

affected.

I, personally, have not used medication for my son but I would not heitate to

do so. He has been very effectively treated so far with vitamins/homeopathic

remedies. But that is for him. If they stopped working , I would not hesitate

at all to put him on meds.

No, this would not mean he has to be on them his entire life. Again, because

of the nature of ocd, he may reach a point he wants to go off the meds and he is

fine. Some people, yes, they do have to be on them. It differs so much from

person to person. I gained a new perspective last year. I had shingles and was

co-hosting a baby shower (though not at my home). The baby had already been

born. I asked my dr if I should not go and I was assured that singles were not

contagious and absolutely I should go. Well I did go and I did not touch or

even go near the baby, but the next day, the baby passed away. The cause was

unknown. My mind went into complete panic mode ... the baby caught shingles

from me and died. I could not sleep, I could think of nothing else -- I killed

the baby. I had nurse friends, other friends, my mom, etc all say that was

absolutely ludicrous -- I was not contagious, etc. but I looked on the internet

and saw in

reality there is a very small chance shingles can be contagious and very

harmful to a baby or someone else with a weakened immune system. I could not

function. Well it turned out the cause of death was something else completely

and then i was okay, but I gained such sympathy for an OCD sufferer. The worry

and guilt was so intense and unrelenting. I was absolutey exhausted. Our poor

kids.

I wish you luck in your decision.

Kind Regards,

[Guest guest]

I started my daughter on medication when she was in 2nd grade because her OCD

had become very difficult for her and it was affecting her willingness to eat so

many things. Before she went on medication, she was much more " off " in her

thinking with regard to her fears, and the medication made her thinking more on

target and thus she was better able to fight her fears. I started my son on

medication when he was in about sixth grade because he was becoming so depressed

about how anxious he was all the time and how his mind wouldn't rest. He is so

different when on medication. Both my kids were only able to comply with

exposures when they started on medication. For both my children, the medication

allows my kids' real personalities to shine, less encumbered by fears,

obsessions, and compulsions. This then allows them to do so much better

socially and to be so much happier. I have had OCD for as long as I can

remember, but medication for OCD only became available in this country when I

was an adult. I have been on medication for OCD for most of the last 30 years,

give or take a year or so in between. I have found that I need it to have a

good quality of life, and if this is true for my children, then I am thrilled

that it is available.

considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi-

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It waxes

and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and has

worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade this

little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging* us

to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the eval.

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his life

(and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Tara

[Guest guest]

Rhonda, although I'm not a dr., I would imagine that it is the Risperidone that

causes that tiredness. It is a serious medication, so I totally understand

wanting your son off that, if it is possible and he still does well. On the

other hand, if your son continues to do well with the Prozac, I wouldn't be too

fast on cutting that back. Many with OCD need the SSRI or Anafranil in order to

function at their best. The obsessional thinking tends to recur for many when

it is discontinued.

Re: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi Tara

Tipping point - well, we waited waaay too long. By the time we started meds, son

had to be hospitalized. He actually was not put on meds the first 3 days in ER.

Then moved to inpatient and still not put on meds until he wouldn't change

clothes. They started with very low doses. Each time he hit a new barrier with

ERP, they increased dose, until he was able to get in car with dad (contaminant)

and go somewhere, and sleep in room after dad had been there. He ended up two

weeks later on 40 mg Prozac and .5 Risperdone in evening, .25 in morning.

That's been 2 months ago now. Over that time since he's been home, we've cut

back Risperdone to .25 total and are shaving that little pill in half at night.

Prozac is still at 40 - we will start taking grains out of those at some point.

Side effects? The med accumulates over time. So he started getting more and more

tired and could hardly get up from lunch. That's when we started cutting back.

His energy is coming back, and he's still voluntarily putting himself into

exposures, such as going places with Dad. So overall the med has done what it's

supposed to all along - first very high amounts to get through the initial ERPS.

Now lower doses as we watch and see what maintenance dose he needs. If he's

challenged, I would increase again, knowing I can decrease.

We do all the stuff has described - diet sleep, supplements, exercise, all

this balances effects of chemicals, I think.

Son does not want to eat as much as he used to but I notice that if it's stuff

he really likes, he will. He doesn't really like healthy food (imagine!?!).

No change in personality - or rather, he is up more than down, very welcome, to

see him laugh and joke like he did 5 years ago.

Someone recently recommended OCDefense as a substitue for SSRI - might be worth

trying for you but not covered by insurance.

Hope that helps

Rhonda

considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi-

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging*

us to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Tara

[Guest guest]

Our son was dx at age 3 and meds recommended at that time. We did not do it

then, did CBT/ERP and diet, vitamins etc. Took about 2.5 years but he got

better and had about 2 good years. Then got bad again at age 8 and stopped

eating due to contamination fears- that is when we started. He too, BEGGED us

for meds and we held off because of his young age, but when he was not eating we

felt we had not choice. The meds were a rollercoaster finding the right one and

the right dose, dealing with side effects ( no weight issues, but problems with

" activation " and disinhibition as well as suicidal on prozac). He ended up on

175 mg Zoloft at age 8 with good enough OCD control to CBT/ERP and we began

backing down on dose. Got down to 25 mg and then went off for several months but

he asked to go back on because the thoughts were coming back. he is now almost

16 and I would love to see him off meds all together and think he could be off

them if he was willing to work his ERP which I think would be a better option,

but it is his disease, and he is a teen and we are giving him the choice and he

wants to be on- so he is on. Is it safe? I have no idea. I do know that he is

living a happy successful life as opposed to being tortured 20 hours a day and

not able to leave the house or a room or be able to attend to school etc.

I will say that playing with the meds and finding the right one can be a

nightmare, sorting out what is OCD, what is side effects, what is your kid- all

a huge tangle. But in the end, the meds helped give him his life back and we

can see him , not him under the infulence of OCD for every action. I dread if

he ever needs to go up on dose or change meds, but we will cross that bridge if

we come to it.

I think it is appropriate to be concerned about putting any child on meds, but

that does not mean it should not be done- it is a risk benefit analysis. The

problem is that you dont know the risk associated with medicating or not

medicating so it is like asking you to pick what is behind door number one vs

what is behind door number 2 , not knowing what is behind either and your

child's life hanging in the balance. Very hard decision for sure.Good luck with

it.

[Guest guest]

Our son was dx at age 3 and meds recommended at that time. We did not do it

then, did CBT/ERP and diet, vitamins etc. Took about 2.5 years but he got

better and had about 2 good years. Then got bad again at age 8 and stopped

eating due to contamination fears- that is when we started. He too, BEGGED us

for meds and we held off because of his young age, but when he was not eating we

felt we had not choice. The meds were a rollercoaster finding the right one and

the right dose, dealing with side effects ( no weight issues, but problems with

" activation " and disinhibition as well as suicidal on prozac). He ended up on

175 mg Zoloft at age 8 with good enough OCD control to CBT/ERP and we began

backing down on dose. Got down to 25 mg and then went off for several months but

he asked to go back on because the thoughts were coming back. he is now almost

16 and I would love to see him off meds all together and think he could be off

them if he was willing to work his ERP which I think would be a better option,

but it is his disease, and he is a teen and we are giving him the choice and he

wants to be on- so he is on. Is it safe? I have no idea. I do know that he is

living a happy successful life as opposed to being tortured 20 hours a day and

not able to leave the house or a room or be able to attend to school etc.

I will say that playing with the meds and finding the right one can be a

nightmare, sorting out what is OCD, what is side effects, what is your kid- all

a huge tangle. But in the end, the meds helped give him his life back and we

can see him , not him under the infulence of OCD for every action. I dread if

he ever needs to go up on dose or change meds, but we will cross that bridge if

we come to it.

I think it is appropriate to be concerned about putting any child on meds, but

that does not mean it should not be done- it is a risk benefit analysis. The

problem is that you dont know the risk associated with medicating or not

medicating so it is like asking you to pick what is behind door number one vs

what is behind door number 2 , not knowing what is behind either and your

child's life hanging in the balance. Very hard decision for sure.Good luck with

it.

[Guest guest]

As an addition to what you wrote below, one of the very real issues that waiting

to medicate can have is allowing the child to be stigmatized by other children

for " odd " behavior that is really the OCD. Until my daughter got on the right

medication, her OCD made her think and react quite differently than other kids,

and the damage had been done as far as how the kids in her grade treated her and

still view her today, years later. Also, not being on medication can prevent

the child from achieving normal social and academic milestones because the OCD

is so overwhelming and then it can be hard to play catch up: growing up is hard

enough for typical kids, but being out of synch with age mates can be even more

anxiety producing for anxious kids.

Re: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Our son was dx at age 3 and meds recommended at that time. We did not do it

then, did CBT/ERP and diet, vitamins etc. Took about 2.5 years but he got

better and had about 2 good years. Then got bad again at age 8 and stopped

eating due to contamination fears- that is when we started. He too, BEGGED us

for meds and we held off because of his young age, but when he was not eating we

felt we had not choice. The meds were a rollercoaster finding the right one and

the right dose, dealing with side effects ( no weight issues, but problems with

" activation " and disinhibition as well as suicidal on prozac). He ended up on

175 mg Zoloft at age 8 with good enough OCD control to CBT/ERP and we began

backing down on dose. Got down to 25 mg and then went off for several months but

he asked to go back on because the thoughts were coming back. he is now almost

16 and I would love to see him off meds all together and think he could be off

them if he was willing to wo rk his ERP which I think would be a better option,

but it is his disease, and he is a teen and we are giving him the choice and he

wants to be on- so he is on. Is it safe? I have no idea. I do know that he is

living a happy successful life as opposed to being tortured 20 hours a day and

not able to leave the house or a room or be able to attend to school etc.

I will say that playing with the meds and finding the right one can be a

nightmare, sorting out what is OCD, what is side effects, what is your kid- all

a huge tangle. But in the end, the meds helped give him his life back and we

can see him , not him under the infulence of OCD for every action. I dread if

he ever needs to go up on dose or change meds, but we will cross that bridge if

we come to it.

I think it is appropriate to be concerned about putting any child on meds, but

that does not mean it should not be done- it is a risk benefit analysis. The

problem is that you dont know the risk associated with medicating or not

medicating so it is like asking you to pick what is behind door number one vs

what is behind door number 2 , not knowing what is behind either and your

child's life hanging in the balance. Very hard decision for sure.Good luck with

it.

[Guest guest]

As an addition to what you wrote below, one of the very real issues that waiting

to medicate can have is allowing the child to be stigmatized by other children

for " odd " behavior that is really the OCD. Until my daughter got on the right

medication, her OCD made her think and react quite differently than other kids,

and the damage had been done as far as how the kids in her grade treated her and

still view her today, years later. Also, not being on medication can prevent

the child from achieving normal social and academic milestones because the OCD

is so overwhelming and then it can be hard to play catch up: growing up is hard

enough for typical kids, but being out of synch with age mates can be even more

anxiety producing for anxious kids.

Re: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Our son was dx at age 3 and meds recommended at that time. We did not do it

then, did CBT/ERP and diet, vitamins etc. Took about 2.5 years but he got

better and had about 2 good years. Then got bad again at age 8 and stopped

eating due to contamination fears- that is when we started. He too, BEGGED us

for meds and we held off because of his young age, but when he was not eating we

felt we had not choice. The meds were a rollercoaster finding the right one and

the right dose, dealing with side effects ( no weight issues, but problems with

" activation " and disinhibition as well as suicidal on prozac). He ended up on

175 mg Zoloft at age 8 with good enough OCD control to CBT/ERP and we began

backing down on dose. Got down to 25 mg and then went off for several months but

he asked to go back on because the thoughts were coming back. he is now almost

16 and I would love to see him off meds all together and think he could be off

them if he was willing to wo rk his ERP which I think would be a better option,

but it is his disease, and he is a teen and we are giving him the choice and he

wants to be on- so he is on. Is it safe? I have no idea. I do know that he is

living a happy successful life as opposed to being tortured 20 hours a day and

not able to leave the house or a room or be able to attend to school etc.

I will say that playing with the meds and finding the right one can be a

nightmare, sorting out what is OCD, what is side effects, what is your kid- all

a huge tangle. But in the end, the meds helped give him his life back and we

can see him , not him under the infulence of OCD for every action. I dread if

he ever needs to go up on dose or change meds, but we will cross that bridge if

we come to it.

I think it is appropriate to be concerned about putting any child on meds, but

that does not mean it should not be done- it is a risk benefit analysis. The

problem is that you dont know the risk associated with medicating or not

medicating so it is like asking you to pick what is behind door number one vs

what is behind door number 2 , not knowing what is behind either and your

child's life hanging in the balance. Very hard decision for sure.Good luck with

it.

[Guest guest]

Tara, the tipping point for us was the first time at 8, he basically could not

function in second grade (jan til May). We put him on meds. in May and things

def. turned around for the better, so we took him off the meds. He had severe

general anxiety disorder. I guess the OCD was more thoughts, no rituals that I

saw. It waxed and waned, with some odd tourettes type stuff but back again in

vengence at 14. Tipping point there was severe diarrhea and again unable to cope

in school or any social situation. Med. was lifesaver. Still on meds. by his

choice.

Change in appetite/weight gain-Roy is also on Adderall for his ADD so prob.

balances the weight gain issue. Always a little nauseaus with each increase in

med. dosage but then levels off. Our family does not tend to gain weight on

meds. so maybe depends on your family.

The pdoc should talk with your son that the magic formula is meds. with the

ERP/CBT and that the meds. won't take away all his troubles. My son tends toward

the depressive side and has gotten alot better, but he is beginning to

understand the key word is " manage " and not that it will be all taken away.

Yes, we have thought the same about changing his personality and is this

lifelong with the med. Especially with the costs of meds. and his need to pay

for this once he is off of our health plan. (yes, my mind does get working

overtime). He has accepted this b/c his quality of life is really pretty good

now on the meds. So we don't know his REAL personality without meds but i can

guess, he prob. would be suicidal and unhappy, based on previous experience. In

retrospect, I wish we would have had him on meds. and followed by a pdoc,

continually from age 8. He would have had an easier time and not suffered so

much with the anxiety and self-doubt. Thinking of you and your family..

in WI-55. PT in schools

Roy-17. Anxiety/depression,OCD ADD. Lexapro 60 mg., Busbar 30 mg., Adderall XR

30 mg. 504 in schools.

>

> Hi-

>  

> Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer.  Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

>  

> My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

>  

> A few other facts:  My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging*

us to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

>  

> We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

>  

> The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

>  

> My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

>  

> Thanks for any insight you can share.

>  

> Tara

>  

>  

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Jordana - I was wondering if I'm doing the right thing since we're not

really working with a doc but so far seems good. I expect he will stay on some

dose of Prozac but hoping we can go a bit lower. He is working with me and

letting me know how he's doing, etc. I will keep working on getting off of R.

for now.

So good to hear how long you've been on your med and no probs for you. My mom

has been on blood pressure meds, etc, etc and has had problems with all of them

- eventually mental health meds (and the risks) will just be seen as meds like

all the rest of them!!

warmly,

Rhonda

considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi-

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging* us

to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Tara

[Guest guest]

I just got back from having lunch with two friends whom I went to grad school

with about 25 years ago. We are all special ed teachers, so we have the summer

off and we use it to get together because we live rather far apart. Anyway,

they became my friends just as I was finishing my first round of intensive

behavior therapy and was on my first round of medication. We became extremely

close friends and they know all about my OCD and my ups and downs over the

years. It felt so good for one of my friends to ask, " How are you doing? You

look terrific! " What she meant was a silent recognition that I must be doing

well OCD/depression-wise, yet I haven't gained a lot of weight from the med I am

on. I am writing this to let you know that it is wonderful to have some friends

who have been there for me for so very many years and know I need to take

medication and it is no big deal to them.

Re: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Thanks Jordana - I was wondering if I'm doing the right thing since we're not

really working with a doc but so far seems good. I expect he will stay on some

dose of Prozac but hoping we can go a bit lower. He is working with me and

letting me know how he's doing, etc. I will keep working on getting off of R.

for now.

So good to hear how long you've been on your med and no probs for you. My mom

has been on blood pressure meds, etc, etc and has had problems with all of them

- eventually mental health meds (and the risks) will just be seen as meds like

all the rest of them!!

warmly,

Rhonda

considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi-

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It waxes

and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and has

worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade this

little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging* us

to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the eval.

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his life

(and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Tara

[Guest guest]

, a nice thing to know is that the med for OCD that my son and I are taking

is the generic Prozac, so it is not expensive. Many of the meds for OCD will be

generics when he is older.

Re: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Tara, the tipping point for us was the first time at 8, he basically could not

function in second grade (jan til May). We put him on meds. in May and things

def. turned around for the better, so we took him off the meds. He had severe

general anxiety disorder. I guess the OCD was more thoughts, no rituals that I

saw. It waxed and waned, with some odd tourettes type stuff but back again in

vengence at 14. Tipping point there was severe diarrhea and again unable to cope

in school or any social situation. Med. was lifesaver. Still on meds. by his

choice.

Change in appetite/weight gain-Roy is also on Adderall for his ADD so prob.

balances the weight gain issue. Always a little nauseaus with each increase in

med. dosage but then levels off. Our family does not tend to gain weight on

meds. so maybe depends on your family.

The pdoc should talk with your son that the magic formula is meds. with the

ERP/CBT and that the meds. won't take away all his troubles. My son tends toward

the depressive side and has gotten alot better, but he is beginning to

understand the key word is " manage " and not that it will be all taken away.

Yes, we have thought the same about changing his personality and is this

lifelong with the med. Especially with the costs of meds. and his need to pay

for this once he is off of our health plan. (yes, my mind does get working

overtime). He has accepted this b/c his quality of life is really pretty good

now on the meds. So we don't know his REAL personality without meds but i can

guess, he prob. would be suicidal and unhappy, based on previous experience. In

retrospect, I wish we would have had him on meds. and followed by a pdoc,

continually from age 8. He would have had an easier time and not suffered so

much with the anxiety and self-doubt. Thinking of you and your family..

in WI-55. PT in schools

Roy-17. Anxiety/depression,OCD ADD. Lexapro 60 mg., Busbar 30 mg., Adderall XR

30 mg. 504 in schools.

>

> Hi-

>

> Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

>

> My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

>

> A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging*

us to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

>

> We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

>

> The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

>

> My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

>

> Thanks for any insight you can share.

>

> Tara

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, a nice thing to know is that the med for OCD that my son and I are taking

is the generic Prozac, so it is not expensive. Many of the meds for OCD will be

generics when he is older.

Re: considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Tara, the tipping point for us was the first time at 8, he basically could not

function in second grade (jan til May). We put him on meds. in May and things

def. turned around for the better, so we took him off the meds. He had severe

general anxiety disorder. I guess the OCD was more thoughts, no rituals that I

saw. It waxed and waned, with some odd tourettes type stuff but back again in

vengence at 14. Tipping point there was severe diarrhea and again unable to cope

in school or any social situation. Med. was lifesaver. Still on meds. by his

choice.

Change in appetite/weight gain-Roy is also on Adderall for his ADD so prob.

balances the weight gain issue. Always a little nauseaus with each increase in

med. dosage but then levels off. Our family does not tend to gain weight on

meds. so maybe depends on your family.

The pdoc should talk with your son that the magic formula is meds. with the

ERP/CBT and that the meds. won't take away all his troubles. My son tends toward

the depressive side and has gotten alot better, but he is beginning to

understand the key word is " manage " and not that it will be all taken away.

Yes, we have thought the same about changing his personality and is this

lifelong with the med. Especially with the costs of meds. and his need to pay

for this once he is off of our health plan. (yes, my mind does get working

overtime). He has accepted this b/c his quality of life is really pretty good

now on the meds. So we don't know his REAL personality without meds but i can

guess, he prob. would be suicidal and unhappy, based on previous experience. In

retrospect, I wish we would have had him on meds. and followed by a pdoc,

continually from age 8. He would have had an easier time and not suffered so

much with the anxiety and self-doubt. Thinking of you and your family..

in WI-55. PT in schools

Roy-17. Anxiety/depression,OCD ADD. Lexapro 60 mg., Busbar 30 mg., Adderall XR

30 mg. 504 in schools.

>

> Hi-

>

> Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

>

> My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

>

> A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging*

us to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

>

> We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

>

> The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

>

> My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

>

> Thanks for any insight you can share.

>

> Tara

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing, Jordana, that is special. I'm just glad the meds are there

for you to take! Otherwise you would not even be here sharing with all of us,

and your perspective is so helpful!

Anyone tries to look down on my son for taking meds will have me to deal with!

(me? overprotective???)

Rhonda

considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi-

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging* us

to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Tara

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing, Jordana, that is special. I'm just glad the meds are there

for you to take! Otherwise you would not even be here sharing with all of us,

and your perspective is so helpful!

Anyone tries to look down on my son for taking meds will have me to deal with!

(me? overprotective???)

Rhonda

considering meds, would appreciate any thoughts

Hi-

Our almost 9 year old son has been diagnosed with OCD since 1st grade. It

waxes and wanes but is really tough this summer. Our social worker is great and

has worked well with my son on exposures, but it is getting tougher to persuade

this little guy to fight being so overwhelmed.

My question is: when other families considered meds (SSRI, I think), what was

the tipping point for deciding yes or no?

A few other facts: My son, upon hearing about medication has been *begging* us

to get it for him, he thinks the exposure work is hard.

We are in the process of scheduling an appointment with a psych to do the

eval.

The worries about meds from dad - once we start is this for the rest of his

life (and is that ok?) and will it change his personality.

My own concerns- weight gain/loss or change in appetite.

Thanks for any insight you can share.

Tara

[Guest guest]

My daughter (14) had been on a few different meds, and the miracle drug for her

is Luvox.  It has quieted her OCD so now she can enjoy life.  She started it

about a month ago.

 

Judy Hawkinson

judyhawkinson@...

 

cell: