Anxiety meds | Imamother

amother

Lawngreen

Mon, May 04 2015, 7:18 am

Lexapro has done well for us. Zoloft did nothing for us, though I hear it helps others. We had limited success with Luvox. Stay away from Abilify unless you have a very good reason; it can have serious side effects thay may or may not go away when you stop it.

If the anxiety has any relation to compulsions, we did very well with something called topamax, which is officially a seizure med but is used in addictions treatment to block the reward feeling you get from rechecking the doorknob, etc. But you don't usually start with that.

What she would take very much depends on the source and scope of her anxiety. Make sure your doc takes that into account.

chani8

Tue, May 05 2015, 5:29 am

Why wont you try herbs? She's too little for hard core meds, don't you think? The side effects on the liver. I really think you could try some natural option and just see if they work. If not, it wears off in half a day and nothing is lost but money.

I know anxiety very well and I lived off GABA and Seriphos, but the GABA affected my eyes, so I don't recommend it or amino acids in general anymore, and prefer herbs. The Seriphos worked but I had to take so much of it. Then I gave Valerian a chance and found it to be very effective.

There are lots of various herbal mixes with various different ingredients that you can try for her. I prefer that it should include Valerian because a SPECT study shows that Valerian actually heals the brain.

I went on amazon and typed in herbal anxiety drops and there is so many options available to you in the US.

These chinese herbs looked interesting: http://www.amazon.com/Herbalog.....drops

But I take Valerian - http://www.amazon.com/Natures-.....5B2GQ

And my daughter takes St John's Wort, though this with Passiflora is probably even better - http://www.amazon.com/Native-R.....CECMP

Scrabble123

Tue, May 05 2015, 10:42 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

Thanks for the info. She has generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), but she's gotten a good hold on her compulsions. Therapy has worked well on the majority of them.

It just seems like every little thing makes her nervous, and when she gets overwhelmed with worry she completely shuts down. She's absolutely miserable, and wants it to STOP.

FF, do you feed into her anxiety? When some children whose lives I was very involved in were having severe anxiety, a therapist taught me specifically what to say when the kids were feeling good so that they developed a sense of even when they were anxious that "it's ok because it will pass, and I'm safe because I'm surrounded by people who look out for me." I was told to just say those words and not feed into the anxiety by saying things that would be more natural like, "you're not shaking because you're sick. It's not hot, etc. etc." In a way it's more important for a kid to feel like it will stop and go away one day in the future when I work on myself than to actually have it STOP without that sense of positive confidence. What I wrote may totally not be applicable to you, so if that's the case, then just disregard it. Good luck!

amother

Lawngreen

Tue, May 05 2015, 10:56 am

I actually love supplements and herbs, but please treat them as you would medication. That means being overseen by a doctor who knows how to use them including dosage and timing, potential interactions, and how this applies to kids your dd's age. We once tried to put it a supplement on our own and accidentally jacked up ds's anxiety and irritability in the process.

Re. meds, plenty of kids your dd's age and younger have used them. It's a personal decision to be made with your doctor. And not all meds are created equal.

Based on your new description and her ability to use therapy to get control of compulsions, it's highly likely that she may benefit from a limited course of anti-anxiety meds to lower her anxiety level enough for her to use and access her therapy techniques. Once she can use them (CBT, progressive relaxation, etc.) on the meds, the meds can be tapered off and she will be able to learn to control herself without the meds. Of course, if it turns out that she needs a low dose regularly to maintain control, that's fine too, as long as she's tolerating it.

The Zoloft that didn't really work for us may very well work for you, or something like it in the SSRI family. More than you need a medication rec, though, you need a good doctor: one who will listen to what you say and take it seriously and who knows what they don't know and who knows both kids and adolescents, since if I remember correctly dd is on the cusp. (Also keep in mind that if this uptick is recent, it may be partially hormonal. That may not change the treatment protocol, but it's important to have in mind.)

FranticFrummie

Tue, May 05 2015, 11:13 am

Scrabble123 wrote:

A few years ago when DD started therapy, I took a parenting class at the same time, to learn how to help manage her anxiety. Your advice is exactly what they told me in class, and I do use it every day.

DD is very self aware, and she says things like "I want it to stop, but it's my anxiety brain talking right now."

At the moment I'm having her do journaling and art therapy, and we discuss it afterwards. It seems to help her feel better in the moment, but when the next trigger comes up, she's back to square one.

I think I'll take Chani8's advice and try some Valerian. I really don't want her on SSRIs because I take them, and I know how awful it is if you miss a dose, or try to taper down too fast if you're going to only do a short course.

I take Buspar for anxiety, and it's non addictive and non sedating, so if you miss a dose or want to stop you won't have withdrawal. The thing is, I don't know if it is approved for children yet.

I do believe that a lot of this is hormonal, but at the same time that doesn't mean that she doesn't need some extra help to get through it.

chani8

Tue, May 05 2015, 11:18 am

I went to a reputable doctor of natural medicine and he knew very little about the different brain types. I've had even less luck with neurologists. I recommend reading a Dr Amen book so you see how complicated the brain is, how there are different brain types, and how it can be hit or miss with meds or herbs because we can't see inside the brain. Dr Amen uses SPECT studies, similar to an MRI, for his patients, so that he can see inside the brain, but he only has a handful of clinics in the US, and he charges a fortune. Anyway, I agree with amother that if you can find a good doctor, that would be a real gift from Hashem, I'm just pessimistic that it's even possible, and recommend doing your own online research, if you have a head for that. If not, at least read a Dr Amen book if you can.

FranticFrummie

Tue, May 05 2015, 11:24 am

chani8 wrote:

I have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, so I am quite familiar with SPECT scans (even though I can't afford one for myself.)

I'll definitely look into the Dr. Amen books.

amother

Teal

Tue, May 05 2015, 1:42 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

. I really don't want her on SSRIs because I take them, and I know how awful it is if you miss a dose, or try to taper down too fast if you're going to only do a short course.

.

I take 40mg of generic prozac and it's done wonders for my anxiety. FWIW, The doctor originally suggested zoloft, but I mentioned that I would occasionally miss a dose. She suggested I do Prozac for that reason. I have not had problems with missed doses making me miserable, etc.... I would definetly bring this up with DDs psychiatrist.

Really, prozac has been amazing for me. Note that I DO NOT have symptoms of depression, just anxiety. I think everyone should take it!!! Smile

just kidding.

amother

Lilac

Tue, May 05 2015, 6:54 pm

Scrabble123 wrote:

This is interesting,can you tell me what the therapist suggested you say. My child suffers from anxiety too.

FranticFrummie

Wed, May 06 2015, 12:22 am

amother wrote:

This is interesting,can you tell me what the therapist suggested you say. My child suffers from anxiety too.

The classes that DD and I took (separately) are based on this book http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.....98950

I believe that most Children's Hospitals offer this series of workshops. The book is great on it's own, but it really helps when you're in a group with a therapist and other parents, and you can get lots of different perspectives and insight. It was covered by Medicare, too.