Re: When do you medicate???

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/25/2006 3:04:03 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

akdelgado@... writes:

How " disabled " does a kid have to be to medicate them? On good

days, I'm proud that we're (he's) making it through without meds...on a

bad day, I think that we should try it. How do I know what to do???

Kris -

In my opinion, deciding to medicate is a very personal decision. We based

our decision to medicate our daughter when it became a quality of life issue,

not only for her, but for the entire family.

School starting up could be a whole new set of issues with which to deal.

Getting by at home with people who understand is one thing - being in school

with other kids & teachers who are uninformed & don't understand is quite

another.

Personally, if my child were doing ok on a day-to-day basis & the OCD

symptoms weren't interfering with him/her living their life, I don't think I

would

put my kid on meds. However, if ridicule & teasing & embarrassment, etc.,

cause further stress for the child & the situation starts to worsen, I would

definitely consider meds. They aren't for everyone & you need to make that

decision with your husband & your child's doctor.

I can only speak for myself & when it got to a point where my daughter

couldn't shower or go to the bathroom without me there physically helping her,

we

decided it WAS most definitely a quality of life issue & we looked into

medication. My daughter is 15yrs, diagnosed in Dec'05 and has been on Prozac

(now

50mg per day) since the end of January. The meds started at 10mg/day &

gradually increased every month or so to 50mg per day. Prozac has been a

Godsend

for us. My daughter now is able to function on a daily basis on her own.

She still has some issues, but we're hoping to work through those with

therapy. One day I hope to ween her off Prozac - but first she needs to learn

how

to deal with OCD on her own through therapy & we're not at that point as yet.

Good luck to you & your boy.

LT

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/25/2006 3:47:31 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

lbbo@... writes:

It took us FOREVER with his therapist to just get to the behavioral part of

his treatment because she wanted him to do deep breathing and relaxation

tecniques. (Which, he still wont use) Are we to the point of medication yet,

anyone?

Hi. I'm with you on the kid who won't use the relaxation techniques. My

daughter won't do it either.

One point that might be helpful for you & Kris is that you might be amazed

at how well your kids do in school. My daughter has mastered getting through

the school day without having any problems with compulsions. It's the peer

pressure thing at work - they really don't want anyone to see them doing these

things, so they become quite adept at hiding them or controlling them when

they need to. Sometimes that makes life a little more difficult at home, as

they tend to " let loose " when the get home & feel safe.

Again, I say it's a quality of life decision. There are a lot of quirky

things we're able to live with.... everyone has to draw their own line. I

think

that no child should be made to suffer through some of these symptoms & the

harassment at school from other kids who witness it, if they can be helped by

medication. That's my opinion.... each person needs to draw that line for

themselves -- what can we/my child live with & what can't we live with?

LT

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I am new to the group and your son sounds like mine. He is 6 years old and also

some sounds he hears characters make are intrusive for my son. He saw a

commercial for the chef boy ar de with the tin man in it and something sparked

his OCD. He now will not watch certain channells that it is on, like nick. or

will he go to the movies with us for fear they will run the ad before the movie.

My sons main problem is germs though. We were diagnosed last year and they have

not recommended any meds yet. I am concerned because school starts soon and I am

afraid it will such a hardship for him. It took us FOREVER with his therapist to

just get to the behavioral part of his treatment because she wanted him to do

deep breathing and relaxation tecniques. (Which, he still wont use) Are we to

the point of medication yet, anyone? Let me know

When do you medicate???

Hi,

My 7 yr old son has OCD. He was diagnosed 1 yr ago. He has one

ingrained ritual that is situational, and not terribly bothersome. The

others, tend to build, peak and subside over an 8 week period. For

example, for about two months, he wouldn't close his hands. But, it

subsided. Now, he's suddenly smelling his fingers after touching most

things. I'm bummed that it just started because school starts for him

tomorrow. But, I'm sure that it will subside too eventually. Mostly, he

seems bothered by " intrusive thoughts " ... of phrases running though his

mind. He heard a cartoon character say in a strange voice, " the Earth

is doomed " and so all day yesterday, he was muttering this under his

breath. We have good days and bad...good weeks and bad

weeks...How " disabled " does a kid have to be to medicate them? On good

days, I'm proud that we're (he's) making it through without meds...on a

bad day, I think that we should try it. How do I know what to do???

Thanks,

Kris

[Guest guest]

We decided to medicate when it started taking over his life - we have only been

on medication for about 4 months and still trying different doses etc to get it

" right " ...... my son has a thing over anything he perceives has " YUCK " he was

vomiting many times a day because something was a " Yuck " and life at home was

unbearable for not just him but for all of us. His OCD not only controlled him

but all of us and that was when we knew we had to do something . He couldn't

cope with people sitting in his chair, friends/sister on his bed because it was

all " yuck " and I would have to clean/disinfect everything etc..... He is nearly

11 up until then with a few changes we could deal with the OCD.

That proberly doesn't really answer your question but in my opinion when a child

is having difficulty functioning in every day life because of his OCD then maybe

it is time to think meds......

Good luck Jackie (New Zealand)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/25/2006 9:11:13 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

autumn71A@... writes:

glad to hear others contolling themselves in school - as the school

psych said it can't be OCD if she's controlling it at times!

Eileen

Sounds like the school psych needs meds ;-)

LT

[Guest guest]

I imagine none of us want to hear that they need meds - I feel SO LUCKY

the more I read on here - maybe we caught it early, maybe the prayers

worked , maybe the exposure - I believe all 3 - however - I know I'd

be distraught and wouldn't even know where to begin meds wise - but I

say if you can handle it and fight through - there may be a light not

so far away - hang in

Eileen

Quoting jtlt@...:

>

> In a message dated 7/25/2006 3:47:31 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

> lbbo@... writes:

>

> It took us FOREVER with his therapist to just get to the behavioral part of

> his treatment because she wanted him to do deep breathing and relaxation

> tecniques. (Which, he still wont use) Are we to the point of

> medication yet,

> anyone?

>

>

>

>

> Hi. I'm with you on the kid who won't use the relaxation techniques. My

> daughter won't do it either.

>

> One point that might be helpful for you & Kris is that you might be amazed

> at how well your kids do in school. My daughter has mastered

> getting through

> the school day without having any problems with compulsions. It's the peer

> pressure thing at work - they really don't want anyone to see them

> doing these

> things, so they become quite adept at hiding them or controlling them when

> they need to. Sometimes that makes life a little more difficult at home, as

> they tend to " let loose " when the get home & feel safe.

>

> Again, I say it's a quality of life decision. There are a lot of quirky

> things we're able to live with.... everyone has to draw their own

> line. I think

> that no child should be made to suffer through some of these symptoms & the

> harassment at school from other kids who witness it, if they can be

> helped by

> medication. That's my opinion.... each person needs to draw that line for

> themselves -- what can we/my child live with & what can't we live with?

> LT

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

glad to hear others contolling themselves in school - as the school

psych said it can't be OCD if she's controlling it at times!

Quoting jtlt@...:

>

> In a message dated 7/25/2006 3:47:31 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

> lbbo@... writes:

>

> It took us FOREVER with his therapist to just get to the behavioral part of

> his treatment because she wanted him to do deep breathing and relaxation

> tecniques. (Which, he still wont use) Are we to the point of

> medication yet,

> anyone?

>

>

>

>

> Hi. I'm with you on the kid who won't use the relaxation techniques. My

> daughter won't do it either.

>

> One point that might be helpful for you & Kris is that you might be amazed

> at how well your kids do in school. My daughter has mastered

> getting through

> the school day without having any problems with compulsions. It's the peer

> pressure thing at work - they really don't want anyone to see them

> doing these

> things, so they become quite adept at hiding them or controlling them when

> they need to. Sometimes that makes life a little more difficult at home, as

> they tend to " let loose " when the get home & feel safe.

>

> Again, I say it's a quality of life decision. There are a lot of quirky

> things we're able to live with.... everyone has to draw their own

> line. I think

> that no child should be made to suffer through some of these symptoms & the

> harassment at school from other kids who witness it, if they can be

> helped by

> medication. That's my opinion.... each person needs to draw that line for

> themselves -- what can we/my child live with & what can't we live with?

> LT

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Kris,

Medication can be a difficult choice sometimes. " When " to medicate?

Usually if someone isn't able to function or their life (and/or

family's) is being disrupted/interfered with, they can't go about

their daily routine/OCD is just taking over....

It differs with each individual I guess, but I imagine it's harder if

things don't seem " quite that bad " and your child isn't complaining

much. Have you asked your son about it, would he like to try a

medicine that *might* help?

Medication doesn't cure OCD, but can certainly help. I'm sure you've

read here the ups/downs some parents go through trying to find *the*

medication that works well, no bad side effects, etc. We were lucky

with my son in that the first we tried did fine (whew!). We tried

Celexa (liquid, he can't swallow pills) and it did well for him but

others can have the opposite experience with it.

Actually he took Celexa for 2 years, 9th and 10th grades. He was

doing well, felt he could handle OCD without medication - wanted to

try to anyway - so we weaned him off by the end of that May. I had

read that OCD usually returns in a few months after stopping

medication. And that THERAPY (which he hasn't had a therapist, just

me/mom!) is the best treatment for winning against OCD and hopefully

for many, maybe being off medication. Well, sure enough, OCD came

creeping back a few months later. He still doesn't want to go back

on medication so he's trying to manage on his own. Now he did go

thru some bad times this year but things NOW are manageable.

Well - I've no real answer for you but I think that *you will know*

when medication is needed. Have you had a chance to look for an

experienced therapist? We had no luck around here, at least one

close enough to where we live.

>

> Hi,

> My 7 yr old son has OCD. He was diagnosed 1 yr ago. He has one

> ingrained ritual that is situational, and not terribly bothersome.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/26/2006 8:35:03 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

autumn71A@... writes:

what is the 504 exactly -as opposed to the IEP ( that I'm

familiar with from working years ago) I've just verbally let her needs

be known and will have constant communication to see if/what are

interfering in the classroom this year??? do you think that's enough -

if they're willing?

Eileen -

I'm leaving this question up to the rest of the folks on the board, as we

haven't gotten into any issues with our dd at school as yet, so we have no

experience with either 504s or IEPs. One thing is for sure (even with a child

who doesn't have any type of disorder), you're right to stay on top of the

school. Question everything & be involved with everything.

Especially question times when you're not receiving any communication from

the teachers or others involved with your child. That's usually when you'll

find something wrong that hasn't been brought to your attention. If a period

of time goes by & we don't see any type of communication from our kids'

teachers, we shoot off an email & ask " hey, how is my daughter/son doing in

your

class? Are they keeping up? Are they participating? " You will be surprised

how many times issues come back that no one has thought to mention!

LT

[Guest guest]

LOL LT ! I was thinking she got her degree in a cracker jack box! -

It's not like she's even just a therapist - she must have specialized

in kids if hope so

to all - what is the 504 exactly -as opposed to the IEP ( that I'm

familiar with from working years ago) I've just verbally let her needs

be known and will have constant communication to see if/what are

interfering in the classroom this year??? do you think that's enough -

if they're willing?

Eileen

Quoting jtlt@...:

>

> In a message dated 7/25/2006 9:11:13 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,

> autumn71A@... writes:

>

> glad to hear others contolling themselves in school - as the school

> psych said it can't be OCD if she's controlling it at times!

>

>

> Eileen

>

> Sounds like the school psych needs meds ;-)

> LT

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

thanks LT - I feel like we wasted her entire 1st grade that way! I kept

asking for communication and was just ignored or it was brief and would

stop - this was before the OCD - I was taken a bit more seriously when

I mentioned the OCD but we really do have to be their advocates!!!

Here's hoping for a good 2nd grade!

Eileen

Quoting jtlt@...:

>

> In a message dated 7/26/2006 8:35:03 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

> autumn71A@... writes:

>

> what is the 504 exactly -as opposed to the IEP ( that I'm

> familiar with from working years ago) I've just verbally let her needs

> be known and will have constant communication to see if/what are

> interfering in the classroom this year??? do you think that's enough -

> if they're willing?

>

>

>

> Eileen -

>

> I'm leaving this question up to the rest of the folks on the board, as we

> haven't gotten into any issues with our dd at school as yet, so we have no

> experience with either 504s or IEPs. One thing is for sure (even

> with a child

> who doesn't have any type of disorder), you're right to stay on top of the

> school. Question everything & be involved with everything.

>

> Especially question times when you're not receiving any communication from

> the teachers or others involved with your child. That's usually when you'll

> find something wrong that hasn't been brought to your attention. If

> a period

> of time goes by & we don't see any type of communication from our kids'

> teachers, we shoot off an email & ask " hey, how is my daughter/son

> doing in your

> class? Are they keeping up? Are they participating? " You will be

> surprised

> how many times issues come back that no one has thought to mention!

> LT

>

>

>