SSRI's

[Guest guest]

Gretchen,

Is your child on the protocol? Kathy -NNY

[Guest guest]

Hi Gretchen,

My sons are 8 and 7. They have never been able to do over 5mg/day of Prozac,

and we have to use the liquid form...the generics seem to make them too

hyper/stimmy. When we give them more, they get way too tense. :c(

Liane Gentry Skye

<A HREF= " http://talkingwithpictures.com/ " >Talking With Pictures</A>

" nonverbal " does not have to mean " unable to communicate "

[Guest guest]

Anita,

I have been experiencing the exact same problems on the prozac with

behaviors. My son, Tyler has also been on all of the other SSRI's with no

success. I see positives at home but major defiance in school. The other

day they put him on time out 2 times every hour. It's very interesting to

hear that your experiencing the same thing.

Diane

(also in NJ)

ssri's

> Since there's been a lot of talk on the subject lately, I thought I'd

> share our experince. If anyone has any input, it is welcome since we

> are very distressed and stressed about to do.

>

> My son who is 6 1/2 has been on the protocol for 2 1/2 years.

> He has been on Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft and now Prozac. Prozac has had

> the most benefit. After the last increase of Prozac to 10 mg. in

> November he has had a tremendous increase in language skills, motor

> skills, thinking ability and socialization is getting better. At the

> same time, at school, he started to become very defiant on and off.

> He was also defiant at home, but we treated it behaviorally and it

> lessened there to happening little to none. So we thought it wasn't

> being delt with properly at school. Things escalated at school where

> he started to have awful outbursts of screaming, spitting and one

> time he bit his aide. Instead of treating him with firmness at

> school, they would just remove him from the room and take him for

> walks to settle down. They were saying things to him that were making

> him feel very bad about himself. So we chose to take him out of

> school and get home tutoring until we and the child study team

> figures out what do better. We took our son to a psychologist who

> determined that he was angry and sad by the weining away of his aide

> and that grownups at school were making him feel like he was bad. But

> still it seems as though his reactions are a bit too extreme. Prior

> to these latest outbursts we questioned DR. Goldberg as to whether or

> not the Prozac could be causing the defiance. He as well as us

> thought that since we were able to stop it at home that it may not be

> the Prozac. Anyway right now we are not feeling so sure that it is

> not the Prozac. Our son has also exhibited the same defiance,

> screaming and spitting at home 2 times in the past week. These

> events have been precipitated by him being very emotionally upset by

> particular situations that are related to an incident at school. It

> takes awile to calm him down. With firmness he does calm down. But

> when he becomes this way he seems like a different child. We feel

> very ambivalent since there are some very good effects from this

> dosage of Prozac, but if the negative effects are due to it then we

> need to make a change. We will speak to Dr. G about it.

>

> Sorry for the long story.

>

> Does anyone have any thoughts?

> Thanks for any input.

>

> Anita from NJ

>

>

>

> Responsibility for the content of this message lies strictly with

> the original author, and is not necessarily endorsed by or the

> opinion of the Research Institute.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I have the same thing woth my fifteen year old who is well behaved at home and

defiant on school (on Prozac, too)

Re: ssri's

Anita,

I have been experiencing the exact same problems on the prozac with

behaviors. My son, Tyler has also been on all of the other SSRI's with no

success. I see positives at home but major defiance in school. The other

day they put him on time out 2 times every hour. It's very interesting to

hear that your experiencing the same thing.

Diane

(also in NJ)

[Guest guest]

Judy,

>> There is also tryptophan. I was also using it with great success

when it was taken off the market. I'm happy to hear it is

available, but I think only by perscription in the US.

5-HTP is available over the counter. It's a metabolite of tryptophan,

precursor of serotonin.

-

[Guest guest]

Funny subject to come up today. England as of today has banned all

SSRIs except Prozac for use in children. Prozac is recommended

against using. They will now be focusing investigations into adult

use. The drugs will likely be taken off the market in a matter of

time anyway. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3306327.stm

For getting off SSRIs, the most important thing to remember is that

you must taper slowly off of them. That means to make small

reductions in dosage, hold until you stablize from the withdrawal

affects before making another taper. The most helpful thing is to

address hypoglycemia and eat very low carb, high protein and fats.

Atkin's diet addresses those kinds of problems. I think Ann

talks about hypoglycemia as a common problem withdrawing from SSRIs

but I don't think she understands insulin problems anywhere near as

well as Atkins and the best way to eat to fix the problems. SSRI

drugs are actually reversing the effects of eating too many

carbohydrates. People tend to eat even more carbs while on them

which is why carb cravings and weight gain are common. The whole

process makes insulin problems worse which you find out when you try

to get off of them. The drugs slow metabolism down, can cause

hypothyroidism so it is very difficult (next to impossible) to

change to a ketogenic metabolism while you are on them but eating as

such will drastically help the withdrawal effects. Once off, if you

do not have hypothyroid or other hormonal problems, you should be

able to get into ketolysis which may help fix damage the drugs did

while you took them.

Empowerplus is a good multivitamin but it is expensive. You can

read the ingredients and do it much cheaper. Glutathione maybe

helpful but if you follow Atkins, he will recommend avocado daily

which is high in glutathione. You will also be eating the nutrients

to produce glutathione. Inisotal, 5-HTP (tryptophan), B-6 and B-12

are others many find helpful but they are in eggs - eat lots of them

and you get a lot more than just those for way less money. Many use

amino acids but if you are eating mainly animal products, you will

be getting amino acids. Those people usually are not into eating

meat. NT's bone broth soups are helpful in detoxing the body.

> Hey Cowpoke! I wrote this once and I think I lost the message, so

> if there is two posts...sorry!

> I am going to answer your questions about SSRI's as best as I

> can.

> > Hi, not sure what Bi polar refers to could you elaborate ?

> Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a

> brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood,

> energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and

> downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder

> are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or

> school performance, and even suicide. But there is good news:

> bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can

> lead full and productive lives. (taken from www.truehope.com)

> > I'm take Celexa which is for SSRI (seratonin)stuff is this

related?

> SSRI accually stands for " Selective Serotonin Reuptake

Inhibitors "

> and is a class of drugs of which Celexa is one. I am also on

Celexa

> and it is extreamly hard to get off of. If you want to get off of

a

> SSRI, here is my plan, and I have studied it out extensivly.

First,

> look at the websight www.truehope.com. It is a nonprofit company

> and the sight has tons of information. They have a suppliment

called

> empowerplus that I think is absolutly amazing. I personally know

of

> 3 people with ADD that it has helped, another person with severe

> migrains, and one with MS...gone Empowerplus is accually for

> central nervous system disorders.

> The other place I would go to is

> http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html. Here is an exerpt from

> the websight. " Dr. also has an hour and a half long audio

> tape/CD, " Help! I Can't Get Off My Antidepressant!, " which

explains

> the safest withdrawal methods from these antidepressants and how

to

> rebuild the body and brain after the use of these drugs. She has

> spent the last thirteen years working with patients coming off of

> these antidepressants. That experience has helped her to know much

> about the serious and very dangerous withdrawal effects and how to

> avoid those in coming down off the drugs.

> For more information on materials by Dr. call 800-280-0730 "

> or the websight http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html

> A couple of things you might want to know about both of these

> programs. I don't buy into all the fear that Ann stirs in

her

> book and websight. I'm sure it is somewhat true, but I don't

choose

> to live in fear....which is funny because I went on the drugs

> because of a horrible anxiety/panic disorder. As far as Truehope

> goes (empowerplus's company), they take you off the drugs way to

> fast...at least for me, which is why I recommend Ann 's tape

to

> use in combination.

> There is also tryptophan. I was also using it with great

success

> when it was taken off the market. I'm happy to hear it is

> available, but I think only by perscription in the US. I tried to

> get it from Canada, but it is very pricy...it used to be dirt

> cheap...thank you FDA and the drug companies.

> > Are there any natural methods to controlling SSRI's ?

> See above stuff and be sure and eat nutrient dense REAL food.

Heidi

> also recommend getting off gluten contianing grains (like wheat

and

> rye) and maybe milk products as well.

> Dr. Mike Marasco is also a good resoarse.

> ONE MORE THING, I truely wish message boards would have a spell

> check, Bad spellers of the world, Untie!!!!!

> Good luck, Judy

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Judy Nielsen " <jjmorgan6@i...>

wrote:

> There is also tryptophan. I was also using it with great success

> when it was taken off the market. I'm happy to hear it is

> available, but I think only by perscription in the US. I tried to

> get it from Canada, but it is very pricy...it used to be dirt

> cheap...thank you FDA and the drug companies.

-----You no longer need a prescription for tryptophan! I work in a health food

store in S. Cal., and we sell it on our shelves, now! I believe this is a very

recent change. However, it IS very expensive...

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the heads up about Tryptophan, ! HTP-5 didn't

work for me. You're a gem! Judy

[Guest guest]

Wow ! Thank you for your information. I have tried many times

to go off and it has been Hell! Oh ya, according to the drug

companies, they aren't " addictive " ...I guess I would like to know

what " their " term for addictive is!!! You give me hope that someday

I'll be able to be drug free again. About children on SSRI's. My

dear friend just started giving her 5 yr old son Zoloft. He was

doing really well on empowerplus, but it was too hard to get him to

take it and be consistant. Sad. Good for England for taking a

stand! Judy

--- In , " " <mhysmith@e...>

wrote:

> Funny subject to come up today. England as of today has banned

all

> SSRIs except Prozac for use in children. Prozac is recommended

> against using. They will now be focusing investigations into

adult

> use. The drugs will likely be taken off the market in a matter of

> time anyway. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3306327.stm

>

> For getting off SSRIs, the most important thing to remember is

that

> you must taper slowly off of them. That means to make small

> reductions in dosage, hold until you stablize from the withdrawal

> affects before making another taper. The most helpful thing is to

> address hypoglycemia and eat very low carb, high protein and

fats.

> Atkin's diet addresses those kinds of problems. I think Ann

> talks about hypoglycemia as a common problem withdrawing from

SSRIs

> but I don't think she understands insulin problems anywhere near

as

> well as Atkins and the best way to eat to fix the problems. SSRI

> drugs are actually reversing the effects of eating too many

> carbohydrates. People tend to eat even more carbs while on them

> which is why carb cravings and weight gain are common. The whole

> process makes insulin problems worse which you find out when you

try

> to get off of them. The drugs slow metabolism down, can cause

> hypothyroidism so it is very difficult (next to impossible) to

> change to a ketogenic metabolism while you are on them but eating

as

> such will drastically help the withdrawal effects. Once off, if

you

> do not have hypothyroid or other hormonal problems, you should be

> able to get into ketolysis which may help fix damage the drugs did

> while you took them.

>

> Empowerplus is a good multivitamin but it is expensive. You can

> read the ingredients and do it much cheaper. Glutathione maybe

> helpful but if you follow Atkins, he will recommend avocado daily

> which is high in glutathione. You will also be eating the

nutrients

> to produce glutathione. Inisotal, 5-HTP (tryptophan), B-6 and B-12

> are others many find helpful but they are in eggs - eat lots of

them

> and you get a lot more than just those for way less money. Many

use

> amino acids but if you are eating mainly animal products, you will

> be getting amino acids. Those people usually are not into eating

> meat. NT's bone broth soups are helpful in detoxing the body.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dr G's position is to reduce drug levels to ultimately none as soon as

appropriate. SSRI's are not used in the same way as when for depression etc.

They are principally used for their blood perfusion (and sometimes

anti-inflammatory) properties and stimulating neuron activity. Reducing the

med does not make the pathway go away once built, so gains should be

maintained. I know of recovered children off meds altogether and some on

small doses of only one med, etc

Dr G orders vital organ function tests every 6 weeks or so to monitor.

SSRI's

Hi Listmates - For those on SSRI's, what is the typical course? Has anyone

come off it and maintained the gains? What is Dr. G's position on long term

use of these drugs? Isn't there concern about having a child on one of

these

drugs long term with no credible research to indicate future problems

associated

with it? Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I have written before regarding SSRI's and was once again hoping for some

advice. My son has been on three different SSRI's over the past two months.

This last one seems to be better then the others, however with the good we are

seeing regression in other areas. For example he is radio taking more then

he ever has. I am not sure if this is due to increased speech or the SSRI.

We also have had trouble with pooping in the potty the last two weeks. At

almost 5 years old I thought this part was over. I was wondering if anyone

could fill me in on what recovery means to them? At this point the wind has

really gone out of my sails. I don't even know how to plan for my son's

future.

Some days he seems like it will be fine and others not so much. I know I

have asked this before however, I will ask a different way. How old is to old

for a real success with Dr. Goldberg's protocal? At almost 5 am I just

looking at a healthier boy. That in itself I realize is a good thing. I just

am

so tired and don't want to get my hopes up for more then what is realistic.

I am not saying I want to stop I just want to be prepaired.

Any thoughts would be wonderful.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

We're pretty much in the same boat. My son turned 5 in April. An SSRI

dosage change or a stomach bug triggered the same problem with not pooping

in the potty. Our son seems to enjoying smearing it around in the carpet.

Anyway, it can be really discouraging. I know what you mean by " one day

things look like they'll be fine, then the next no so much. " This is

exactly how I feel. But then, I look back at where my son was 2 years ago

when we started. He was so frustrated. He screamed a lot of the time

because he didn't have the language to tell me. During the first five

years, children have the largest development spurt of their lives and

instead of falling further behind or even just keeping up the same gap, he

has somewhat closed the gap. Now that he is five and his peers' language

and social development will level out somewhat, this is when our kids can

really catch up. Don't give up hope. If you think it is possible, your son

will feed off of that. He'll want to make you proud. He just needs someone

to believe in him. Yes, we need to love and accept our kids in the moment,

but you must always believe. I'd rather aim too high and be a little

disappointed then aim too low and wonder if I short-changed my kid. Our

kids are real troopers and they want to do their best. We just need to

encourage that and love them through it all. Keep high hopes . If

you don't, who will?

With Encouragement and High Regard (for all of us moms and dads),

April

[Guest guest]

,

I'm curious, in what specific areas have SSRI's helped?

The neurologist did say we could start extremely low.

She felt even the lowest possible (like 1/4 of the prescribed

amount) would benefit. I'm still very hesitant...

Thanks,

On Jul 1, 2005, at 3:37 AM, meljackmom wrote:

>

> We have learned that SSRIs can truly be your friend. Dr G

> prescribes very low doses...not a dose that is typically prescribed

> for depression because our kids are not depressed! So we start a

> very low dose, she if the med and the kid are a good match and

> increase slowly, watching for all positive and negative reactions.

> Maybe your neurologist would be willing to take this appraoch.

> Bets of luck

>

>

[Guest guest]

Here is what I recall:

better motor planning....was able to get on a bike and ride one

day...no practicing to get him there he did it

more " brightness " encompassing: alertness/awareness of

environment/eye contact and conversation

acts like he feels better-I always mistook his lethargy for illness,

like a viral thing, until our last prozac increase gave him energy!

HTh

>

> >

> > We have learned that SSRIs can truly be your friend. Dr G

> > prescribes very low doses...not a dose that is typically

prescribed

> > for depression because our kids are not depressed! So we start a

> > very low dose, she if the med and the kid are a good match and

> > increase slowly, watching for all positive and negative

reactions.

> > Maybe your neurologist would be willing to take this appraoch.

> > Bets of luck

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/6/2005 8:30:17 AM Central Standard Time,

base2@... writes:

<<The bigger concern I have is with memory, processing

and language (I'm not sure any med will help with these!).>>

Actually, Paxil helped my son with all these things. He says it " quiets " his

brain -- which tends to have thoughts constantly racing -- so he can

concentrate on what he's supposed to be listening to. He's been able to follow

and

more actively participate in more complex conversations and discussions since

starting Paxil.

Gaylen

[Guest guest]

Thanks ,

I probably wouldn't know what it would help unless we

decide to try it.

My son does have some of those issues you've mentioned.

The bigger concern I have is with memory, processing

and language (I'm not sure any med will help with these!).

But it might be worth a trial.

How long did it take before you noticed a difference?

I think with Lexapro I read 3-4 weeks.

On Jul 5, 2005, at 5:34 AM, meljackmom wrote:

> Here is what I recall:

>

> better motor planning....was able to get on a bike and ride one

> day...no practicing to get him there he did it

>

> more " brightness " encompassing: alertness/awareness of

> environment/eye contact and conversation

>

> acts like he feels better-I always mistook his lethargy for illness,

> like a viral thing, until our last prozac increase gave him energy!

>

> HTh

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I always know on Day 10 of an SSRI change if it was a good thing.

Best of luck

[Guest guest]

Thanks Gaylen for sharing your experience. My son seems

to have slow processing -- particularly with language. He's

very high functioning and doesn't have an autism diagnosis,

but has always shared many autism traits (sensory integration

dysfunction, tactile defensiveness). One big problem he

has is difficulty remembering words, defining objects. He has

extremely low rapid automatic naming (or RAN) and a great

deal of difficulty with word recall. For example he's 11 and

yesterday he went to a summer Electronics camp and afterward

when I asked him what he learned he struggled to pull up the

new words and definitions to explain it while other kids nearby

quickly chimed in. For some reason he had a particularly hard

time remembering the word solder and I'd ask him throughout

the day, what did he did again and he had a difficult time retrieving

the word soldering even though he had said it maybe 30 minutes

earlier. He is dyslexic so that does add to the difficulty.

So I don't know if his brain is noisy or that he has thoughts racing.

(However, maybe he does and doesn't even realize it!).

He does have visual-spatial processing strengths (like chess, Legos,

and playing piano). In fact, I think his auditory processing of sound

may be good because he can figure out and write down the music

for something he hears, but processing of language seems difficult.

We did try Adderall to help with processing speed and language

(not attention -- he doesn't seem to have attentional issues) and

it did help somewhat to make him talkative and speak more

quickly. But there were negative consequences too. It made

him very irritable in the evenings and I think it may have triggered

his recent OCD-like symptoms (i.e. sound sensitivity to chewing

and breathing) and made him a little hyperfocused (things he

does well he did VERY well).

On Jul 6, 2005, at 8:50 AM, Googahly@... wrote:

> In a message dated 7/6/2005 8:30:17 AM Central Standard Time,

> base2@... writes:

> <<The bigger concern I have is with memory, processing

> and language (I'm not sure any med will help with these!).>>

>

> Actually, Paxil helped my son with all these things. He says it

> " quiets " his

> brain -- which tends to have thoughts constantly racing -- so he can

> concentrate on what he's supposed to be listening to. He's been able

> to follow and

> more actively participate in more complex conversations and

> discussions since

> starting Paxil.

> Gaylen

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Barb,

At one time, the CMTA had listed Zoloft on their medications alert

list due to the increased effect of sleepiness. Now, here's the drug

*interraction* warning from their site: (remember, this is ONLY a

interraction warning - meaning if you are taking cold medications)

http://www.charcot-marie-tooth.org/med_alert.php

Drug Interaction Warning

The November/December 1995 NAMI Advocate warned of a potentially

fatal drug interaction. It involves selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitor antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and Luvox.

Apparently, a drug interaction between these antidepressants and

dextromethorphan and/or pseudoephedrine, found in over-the-counter

cold remedies, can cause excessive serotonergic activity. Signs of

this " serotonin syndrome " include changes in mental status,

hypertension, restlessness, myoclonus (sudden muscle contraction),

hyperreflexia (accentuated reflexes), diaphoresis (profuse

perspiration), shivering and tremor.

A more current medications alert (Fall 2005) list is at

http://www.hnf-cure.org/html/cmtrx.php and it DOES list Zoloft. This

list was compiled by doctors at Washington University, and I would

advise you to be careful about Zoloft and the *sedation* effect it

has. Sometimes if someone is *sedated* it can be easier to loose

balance and fall. Best to show this list to your doctor, discuss your

medication needs, and maybe discuss alternatives.

~ Gretchen

[Guest guest]

Barb,

I have been on Paxil and Celexa without any problems.

[Guest guest]

Sounds like your asking for words of encouragement, so here it goes. My son

started his SSRI with Goldberg at age 4. It was one of the best improvements we

saw. I am also a specialist in childhood disorders, so it might help if you

understand how SSRI's work. SSRI's help with low serotonin levels in the brain,

which most likely your child has. So the way I thought about it was like this,

if my child has low calcium levels, I give him calcium. If my child has high

cholesterol, I take away high cholesterol food. We as parents do what is in the

best interest of our child. If you feel like this is in the best interest of

your child, please accept it, feel more optimistic about it, and make peace with

your decision. If the SSRI doesn't work out for your son, then you simply stop

giving it to him. If it works, awesome. Dr. G is so great, as I am sure you

already know, at monitoring any adverse side affects. Your son is in the best

hands possible to monitor side affects. Lastly, the whole suicidal thing is an

extremely rare side affect and ,two, that type of side affect only occurs, if it

does at all, in their teen years.

God Bless,

Juarez, M.S., Marriage and Family Therapist

>From: Cheryl Lowrance <c.lowrance@...>

>Date: 2007/04/05 Thu PM 08:21:51 CDT

>

>Subject: ssri's

>

>Okay, everyone, we are at that time. Dr. G has finally gotten us on

>an ssri and I'm pretty nervous about it. I need to hear some

>positive things about this to settle my nerves! This is the part of

>the protocol where I just can't seem to get 100% comfortable. It's

>not that I feel it's the wrong thing, it's just the stigma that's

>attached that's killing me. The idea of putting a 3 yo on zoloft is

>just hard to wrap my head around. And then you hear all the stories

>of how anti-depressants make kids suicidal and I'm back to worrying

>like mad. I'm doing it but I need some encouragement! The pharmacy

>was closed today so I have to get it tomorrow so now I have one more

>day of feeling a bunch of anxiety. I think I'll feel better once I

>start but until then I just keep dreading it. Help!

>

>Cheryl

>

>

Sincerely,

Juarez

[Guest guest]

Thanks, . It did help me feel better.

Cheryl

On Apr 5, 2007, at 6:35 PM, wrote:

> Hi Cheryl -

>

> I experienced the suicidal effect from starting Paxil

> in my mid-20s before the connection was acknowledged.

> I started at the dose generally recommended, and Dr G

> told me (years later when I brought up the experience)

> that starting at a 1/4 of the dose I had been given

> and moving slowly up would likely have prevented that.

> Also, he tends to start kids on SSRIs later in the

> protocol (although if no protocol is available he

> still recommends starting them if a local provider

> will do so) because I guess it gives a head start

> using other meds to cool some of the inflammation in

> the brain before you start using an SSRI to get more

> blood flow going.

>

> Likely the suicidal thing is a result of forcing too

> much blood flow too soon in highly inflamed areas of

> the brain and the child/teen reacts severely, not to

> mention that the inflammation is still already there

> so who knows if in these kids, it's backing up into

> the basal ganglia areas etc and highly activating

> those areas, and then obsessive negative and intrusive

> thoughts emerge in teens that can't recognize from

> experience that these aren't appropriate brain

> patterns and thoughts. Just my personal hypothesis

> from having experienced that as well as being very

> experienced w/PANDAS/OCD.

>

> The other wonderful potential behind SSRIs... subtle

> immune modulation - tons of abstracts in the files

> showing how serotonin affects the immune system and

> vice versa. Tons of info on neuro-protective

> benefits. Before and after NeuroSPECTS on the effects

> of SSRI treatment... Serotonin in the gut, and on and

> on. There's so many reasons to support it's use under

> the neuroimmune paradigm. But it can be a very rough

> experience. For us, we hit it great early on with

> Paxil, tried a few others and got a gist of the

> negatives other people have experienced, went back to

> Paxil, tweaked it with Tenex, and saw very little

> negative and really felt like there were some

> positives. It's not aweful for everyone, but it is

> the most likely med to bring on some chaos lol.

>

> BTW, SSRIs have a taboo attached, but my son's new

> neurologist apparently uses them in several

> neurological disorders including tics and such ...

> don't know his point of view yet, but most of his

> patients on SSRIs were sent there by their

> pediatricians because the ped wants a specialist to be

> the one to rx it. But yea, it's thought of as

> negatively as ritalin, but there is such a huge

> difference. I understand feeling embarrassed about

> it, and I tended to keep it to myself for the most

> part, but eventually I stopped feeling the need to be

> discreet about it.

>

> I had to put a 2 yr old and almost 4 yr old on it lol.

> I fretted for over 2 years (prior to and during the

> protocol) about them, and when it arrived, it was

> basically such a non-event (except celexa - that

> sucked) that I wish I had not wasted so much energy

> thinking about it. Of course, those who had bad

> experiences would feel quite different than that. But

> we just can't anticipate what hasn't happened yet.

>

> How have the other things helped so far? I would

> choose to use that as my guide for expectations. Just

> my suggestions to try to help you feel better.

>

> HTH-

>

>

> --- Cheryl Lowrance <c.lowrance@...> wrote:

>

> > Okay, everyone, we are at that time. Dr. G has

> > finally gotten us on

> > an ssri and I'm pretty nervous about it. I need to

> > hear some

> > positive things about this to settle my nerves!

> > This is the part of

> > the protocol where I just can't seem to get 100%

> > comfortable. It's

> > not that I feel it's the wrong thing, it's just the

> > stigma that's

> > attached that's killing me. The idea of putting a 3

> > yo on zoloft is

> > just hard to wrap my head around. And then you hear

> > all the stories

> > of how anti-depressants make kids suicidal and I'm

> > back to worrying

> > like mad. I'm doing it but I need some

> > encouragement! The pharmacy

> > was closed today so I have to get it tomorrow so now

> > I have one more

> > day of feeling a bunch of anxiety. I think I'll feel

> > better once I

> > start but until then I just keep dreading it. Help!

> >

> > Cheryl

> >

> >

>

> __________________________________________________________

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>

>

[Guest guest]

This was the part of the protocol I had the most difficulty with as well.

However, it was the part that had the most dramatic, beneficial effect for my

son. What helped me feel more comfortable was reading about seratonin and the

temporal lobe. By understanding the enormous number of things seratonin is

involved in, and seeing how many of these were challenges my son faced, I was

able to understand the need for a SSRI.

Gaylen

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

Gaylen and ,

Yes, I definitely needed some encouragement. I knew it wasn't right

to not try, I just had a lot of anxiety over it. I've gotten past it

thanks to the encouraging words and simply jumping in with both

feet. I never intended to *not* do it, I just wanted to feel better

about it. And I have to say, I do. This morning was his first full

dose and I have to say, I am seeing good results. This morning when

he got out of bed he was so bright and clear! I thought he was

pretty clear before when we started the valtrex and nizoral but it

was *nothing* compared to this! It was striking how different he

looked. And every day he seems to say something new and he's using

larger sentences, I'm seeing some the echolalia dissipate and actual

answers to more questions. The other day I asked him if he wanted to

eat his sandwich and he " no, I want crackers " ! Clear as day! I

couldn't believe it! I expected to hear " no sandwich " or him repeat

the question. And he's doing this more and more every day. We are

slowly (or maybe quickly is the better word?) moving forward with

language. I'm very pleased and I'm definitely thankful that we

haven't needed to go through a huge ordeal trying to find the right

one to start with! We've been very lucky with everything so far -

with the exception of the big goof the pharmacy made. I have to call

the office tomorrow to update them on the situation and I'm actually

pretty excited to see how he wakes up in the morning. I'm hoping to

have good news all around to report to . And he was potty

trained over spring break!! Yesterday he even started just going to

the potty on his own without me asking or having to take him in

there. If he could've gotten his pants and underwear up on his own I

would never have known! He would've been pretty annoyed at my

constant asking him if he needs to potty or taking him in there and

making him potty!

Thanks to everyone for helping me get through this. I really needed

the positive support.

Cheryl

[Guest guest]

I'm so sorry I typed ! My neighbor called while I was in the

middle of typing (named !). I meant ...

On Apr 12, 2007, at 11:41 PM, Cheryl Lowrance wrote:

> Gaylen and ,

>

> Yes, I definitely needed some encouragement. I knew it wasn't right

> to not try, I just had a lot of anxiety over it. I've gotten past it

> thanks to the encouraging words and simply jumping in with both

> feet. I never intended to *not* do it, I just wanted to feel better

> about it. And I have to say, I do. This morning was his first full

> dose and I have to say, I am seeing good results. This morning when

> he got out of bed he was so bright and clear! I thought he was

> pretty clear before when we started the valtrex and nizoral but it

> was *nothing* compared to this! It was striking how different he

> looked. And every day he seems to say something new and he's using

> larger sentences, I'm seeing some the echolalia dissipate and actual

> answers to more questions. The other day I asked him if he wanted to

> eat his sandwich and he " no, I want crackers " ! Clear as day! I

> couldn't believe it! I expected to hear " no sandwich " or him repeat

> the question. And he's doing this more and more every day. We are

> slowly (or maybe quickly is the better word?) moving forward with

> language. I'm very pleased and I'm definitely thankful that we

> haven't needed to go through a huge ordeal trying to find the right

> one to start with! We've been very lucky with everything so far -

> with the exception of the big goof the pharmacy made. I have to call

> the office tomorrow to update them on the situation and I'm actually

> pretty excited to see how he wakes up in the morning. I'm hoping to

> have good news all around to report to . And he was potty

> trained over spring break!! Yesterday he even started just going to

> the potty on his own without me asking or having to take him in

> there. If he could've gotten his pants and underwear up on his own I

> would never have known! He would've been pretty annoyed at my

> constant asking him if he needs to potty or taking him in there and

> making him potty!

>

> Thanks to everyone for helping me get through this. I really needed

> the positive support.

>

> Cheryl

>

>

>