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Putting a 9 year old on zoloft
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 3:11 am
Can anyone please share this experience with zoloft for a child? For OCD and anxiety.
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amother
Slateblue


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 4:15 am
It is a very big deal to go on a SSRI for adults, let alone little children. This should be seen an an absolute last resort after you have exhausted everything else. get the best therapist, read up on what you can do at home. dedicate yourself to his "project" for as long as you can, even if it means cutting back at work or pulling him from school. you need to be completely invested in his recovery with every natural solution you can find. SSRIs have side effects and are notoriously hard to get off of. Should not be taken lightly.
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amother
Coffee


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 6:44 am
My kids are doing great on zoloft, with no obvious side effects. They take it for anxiety and it makes a really big difference in their day to day living.
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amother
Chocolate


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 7:04 am
Have you looked into pans/pandas at all? It is likely the most common cause of anxiety and ocd in children. I am in touch with a lot of parents of children with pandas and unfortunately there are stories every day of children who were misdiagnosed with psych diagnoses and placed on a cocktail of psychotropic drugs when their issues could have been, (and eventually were), easily and safely resolved *at the root* with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. My own child's debilitating anxiety and ocd (and a host of other behavioral issues) nearly disappeared within a week of treating chronic strep. If you are not able to see a pandas specialist now, at the very least can you ask your pediatrician for a month's worth of antibiotics, put your child on fever-dose motrin around the clock for 2 weeks, and see if you see a difference? Good luck!

ETA: Not sure what that hug is about :-/
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amother
Bisque


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 7:44 am
amother wrote:
It is a very big deal to go on a SSRI for adults, let alone little children. This should be seen an an absolute last resort after you have exhausted everything else. get the best therapist, read up on what you can do at home. dedicate yourself to his "project" for as long as you can, even if it means cutting back at work or pulling him from school. you need to be completely invested in his recovery with every natural solution you can find. SSRIs have side effects and are notoriously hard to get off of. Should not be taken lightly.


Whilst I agree it shouldn't be taken lightly, I think this is dangerous advice and includes misinformation.

Of course it shouldn't be taken without the proper guidance of a psychiatrist, but if the experts in the field deem it important, do not heed the advice of amothers. The fallout of untreated depression can be far worse than any potential side effects (which are minimal and it isn't considered an addictive drug either).
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Aylat




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 7:49 am
amother wrote:
It is a very big deal to go on a SSRI for adults, let alone little children. This should be seen an an absolute last resort after you have exhausted everything else. get the best therapist, read up on what you can do at home. dedicate yourself to his "project" for as long as you can, even if it means cutting back at work or pulling him from school. you need to be completely invested in his recovery with every natural solution you can find. SSRIs have side effects and are notoriously hard to get off of. Should not be taken lightly.


1) Not true. SSRIs are often first treatment of choice for moderate to severe depression and can be very effective.

2) AIUI there is little dependency risk with SSRIs.
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amother
Mustard


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 8:09 am
I was on Zoloft as an adult pp for 6 months. The only side effect I remember is it keeping me awake, so give it in the morning and not at night.
I eventually went off because it was making me feel too numb and apathetic, at the 6 month point. But I guess I was also ready to manage without it. It definently helped me collect myself and think straighter and stop crying.

On the topic of young kids on meds- my 5 yr old started Respidal a few months ago. Ofcourse this isn't a decision to make lightly (She is mild special needs) and it has helped her enough so therapy can have a better impact and she is less moody, sad, and out of control.

I am a very natural minded person, home birth style... But I'll do anything to help my kids. But it's only one peice, a lot of therapies, with excellent therapist, are really the key. The meds is to help her be more a 'Keili' for the therapy to work bh
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 8:34 am
OP, I am going to assume that you are an above intelligent parent, and that you have a top doctor. I am sure that you have ruled out everything else, and this is what you and your doctor have agreed is the best course for your child.

With regular monitoring (monthly) and supportive therapy, IYH your child should be fine.

The risk of taking an SSRI, especially a pediatric dose, is much smaller than the risk of something that could turn out to be very disfunctional behavior.

Please let your child know that there may be side effects like insomnia at first, but if he sticks with it, it will get better. Have him take his meds as early in the morning as possible.

Untreated anxiety and depression, as well as OCD, can have devastating effects on a pre-adolescent. I know, because my DD is going through the same thing right now. Feel free to PM me for more details.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 8:38 am
Have you looked into milder meds? Buspar, for example?
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amother
Salmon


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 8:45 am
amother wrote:
Have you looked into milder meds? Buspar, for example?


If the psychiatrist suggested this, why question? Each med treats different things. And why do you, a layman, think Buspar is milder?
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amother
Rose


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 8:50 am
amother wrote:
If the psychiatrist suggested this, why question? Each med treats different things. And why do you, a layman, think Buspar is milder?

Tonssss of research, years of personal experience, speaking to lots of doctors. I might get bashed for saying this, but there are non-medical reasons doctors push SSRIs over Buspar.

You can look up the side effects and potential risks for each medication yourself, and let me know what you think.

ETA re: each med treating different things, Buspar is an anxiety med which is exactly the condition we are discussing here.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 8:55 am
Buspar is great for anxiety, but does nothing for depression or OCD.

I take it in combination with Zoloft, and the two are not interchangeable.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 9:00 am
FranticFrummie wrote:
Buspar is great for anxiety, but does nothing for depression or OCD.

I take it in combination with Zoloft, and the two are not interchangeable.

The OP didn't mention depression, but anxiety and depression are usually two sides of the same condition. In my case, depression is managed with Buspar.

I'm not saying not to go on Zoloft. I'm just saying it makes sense to work one's way up, starting with the less dramatic options. We are talking about a 9 year old child here.

SSRIs carry an initial risk of suicidal ideation and behavior, especially in children. That is not something that I would take lightly.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 9:04 am
amother wrote:
The OP didn't mention depression, but anxiety and depression are usually two sides of the same condition. In my case, depression is managed with Buspar.

I'm not saying not to go on Zoloft. I'm just saying it makes sense to work one's way up, starting with the less dramatic options. We are talking about a 9 year old child here.

SSRIs carry an initial risk of suicidal ideation and behavior, especially in children. That is not something that I would take lightly.


I agree, and that is something that she should definitely ask the doctor about.
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amother
Bisque


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 9:05 am
amother wrote:
The OP didn't mention depression, but anxiety and depression are usually two sides of the same condition. In my case, depression is managed with Buspar.

I'm not saying not to go on Zoloft. I'm just saying it makes sense to work one's way up, starting with the less dramatic options. We are talking about a 9 year old child here.

SSRIs carry an initial risk of suicidal ideation and behavior, especially in children. That is not something that I would take lightly.


It's not as simple as you're making out. Different treatment options are suggested for different types of OCD (which is what OP mentioned), anxiety and the varying ranges of depression. And depending on the case. Often it gets changed if they don't feel it is having enough effect. It doesn't usually go by just choosing a 'less dramatic' option that someone else successfully used.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 9:14 am
amother wrote:
It's not as simple as you're making out. Different treatment options are suggested for different types of OCD, anxiety and the varying ranges of depression. And depending on the case. Often it gets changed if they don't feel it is having enough effect. It doesn't usually go by just choosing a 'less dramatic' option that someone else successfully used.

Of course it gets changed. Did you read what I wrote?

They change it if it's not effective enough. So why on earth would anyone want to choose the more harmful option to start with?

As I said, doctors push SSRIs because they are more well known. Buspar is a small, little-known drug from a no-name manufacturer that's been around for years longer than SSRIs with comparatively few ill effects. SSRIs are marketed much more heavily. You have to speak up to get the doctor to consider alternatives. I was the one who suggested the idea to my doctor initially, after a terrible experience with SSRIs that I would prefer not to have gone through.
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shiaeisen




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 7:55 pm
Exactly what type of anxiety symptoms is a nine yr old showing?
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amother
Firebrick


 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 8:09 pm
shiaeisen wrote:
Exactly what type of anxiety symptoms is a nine yr old showing?


Are you going to offer a differential diagnosis?
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greengrapes




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 27 2018, 8:19 pm
My son is on zoloft and risperdole. Hes stll difficult to be around but wayyyy better than he used to be. With children I would only go to a top dr. If you trust your dr dont listen to what anybody else sais. They might have good intentions but dont know your child like you and your Dr do.
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amother
Pewter


 

Post Thu, Jun 28 2018, 4:26 am
Ocd symptoms going on for about a year and a half tried two therapists. They did cbt and exposure therapy. Did not help much. She is becoming more and more distressed, telling me that the ocd is getting worse. She became moody and very reactive. She gets up most nights during the night, doctor diagnosed restless leg syndrome. Was going to try the vitamin route, but the amount of stuff recommended made her vomit. So at this point we went to a psychiatric nurse practitioner that 2 of the top doctors at our clinic recommended and she prescribed Zoloft. She said it will help all areas and is the best med for ocd. At this point we want her to have some relief!
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