Re: Drugging your child ...

[Guest guest]

Hi, Esther. Your questions about giving children medications are good. My

youngest daughter, , has always had OCD symptoms. She cried a lot as an

infant and could not be separated from me until she was about four. She had

trouble sleeping and difficulty with the potty. By the time she entered school,

she was better but still not quite where she needed to be. In second grade,

she broke her wrist which caused the OCD to flare. She became like her old

two-year-old self and would scream and tantrum for hours at a time while begging

me to help her. When the doctor said it was OCD and prescribed medication, I

couldn't wait to shove that first pill down her throat. Unlike many of the

folks online, took to meds immediately and has taken the same meds for

two years. We did start her on Paxil and that did stop working after about nine

months but her switch to Luvox was smooth and easy. She now functions like a

regular kid and is able to interact with classmates and attends school

happily on her own. She also sleeps at night and recently, at ten, spent four

days

at my mom and dad's house. I wish I had been able to medicate her sooner. I

have OCD myself and spent a very unhappy childhood struggling with my

monsters. I feel so fortunate to know what is wrong with my kids and that I

have a

way to treat them. Good luck--it's a tough thing to decide. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

I am new to this. I registered 2x because I didn't think I did it right. I am

reading all these emails and it's comforting to hear we're not alone. My son

is 12 and has ocd and add. We're having trouble gettting the right combo of

meds. Now he's on concerta and prozac 30 mg. The stimulants for the ADD make the

ocd worse. Straterra didn't work so well. It's so hard to know what to do and

the doctors don't know everything. From reading these posts it sounds like

other kids are on combinations to address the ocd. Which is best? If prozac

doesn't work we're trying Luvox. What's hard beside my child suffering is other

people don't understand and give advice like be tougher on him. Force him to go

to school when he's panicked. It is draining and scary. The emotional roller

coaster is difficult for everyone in the family. How do you guys decide who wo

email with or do you just right to the general mailbox? Thanks Marcy

[Guest guest]

Judy, I couldn't agree with you more. My standard answer to folks who

question my decision to medicate is " if my kid had diabetes, would you question

my

decision to treat her with insuline? " Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

Kathy,

Thanks so much for your reply. I'll have to ask my son about the tics and see

if he can tell what's behind it. This medication issue is huge. Should we be

on more prozac or should we try luvox. I'm going to give the prozac the 12

weeks to see. Thanks for the support. We're so proud of him for getting through

the week. I could cry with relief. Thanks,Marcy