Re: Medications? To Kathy R.

[Guest guest]

Kathy, that is interesting that you brought that up...I have had this

debate in my mind for quite some time...My 8 year old is on 25mg of

Zoloft. She has been doing so for a little over a year. She had a very

sudden onset (suspected PANDAS) over 2 years ago. Her symptoms were bad

thoughts. She was treated for her strep at that time and her symptoms

went away. Months later her symptoms came back, as suddenly, but not

quite as bad (thoughts not quite as frequent). At that time our doctor

put her on Zoloft and her symptoms went away. I have often wondered

though whether or not it was the Zoloft that helped the thoughts go

away, because I realize now, 25 mg is a pretty low dosage. I struggle

like all of us with treating our children with meds, but if I know that

the meds are truly helping the OCD, I have no problem with my daughter

taking them.

I have had this discussion with different doctors, whether I should try

taking my daughter off the Zoloft. She has not had any bad thoughts for

over a year, although she is a pretty anxious child, she seems to be

doing just fine. Just within the last month, her psych. and I decided

to increase her Straterra intake (because of her growth over the last

year) and take her off the Zoloft. Even the psych said I did not even

need to " wean " her off the Zoloft because it was such a low dosage (we

took her off " cold turkey). Well within 2 days of the med changes my

daughter was having really bad stomachaches and nausea. After 8 days of

the stomach problems arising, we brought her back to her original meds

of 25mg of Zoloft and 25mg of Straterra (vs no Zoloft and 50mg of

Straterra). I just assumed that the stomach issues were related to the

med changes, and didn't feel like it was worth the med change right now.

Her stomach was better for about a week and now even back on her

original dosage, she is having stomachaches and nausea again. Sooooo,

now I am thinking maybe she has the stomach problems because of her

anxieties (a lot of things going on at school). So, 1 month ago I

wanted her off the Zoloft, and now I am wondering if the Zoloft should

be increased to help her anxieties. Am I all over the place or what?

Anyway, I completely agree with what you are saying, that if our

children are going to be taking the meds, the absolutely should be on

the right dosage. How do I know that my daughter needs an increase?

Are there questions I should be asking myself or her?

Thanks for your ear Kathy!

Re: Medications?

Listers: One thing I noticed in the posts listing kids' SSRI doses is

that

many are taking sub-therapeutic doses, amounts too low to be expected to

effectively treat OCD. In a couple of instances, the doses were lower

even

than those recommended to treat depression. It's known that SSRIs need

to

be dosed higher to reduce OCD symptoms, even in children. Unlike some

other

types of medication, SSRIs are not dosed by age, weight or height, and

childhood OCD is not a junior version of the adult disorder. Though it

is

true that kids' reactions to these meds is individual, and sometimes

people

have the best effect at a very low or otherwise out of range dose, it

seems

unlikely to me that so many kids whose parents are on this list fall

into

this category.

If anyone's child is still experiencing significant and impairing OCD

symptoms despite taking an SSRI, you might consider that their dose

needs to

be raised into the range that has been shown to be effective against

OCD.

Some doctors may be overcautious when prescribing an SSRI for a child.

This

may be more of a problem when the doctor is not a child psychiatrist or

child pharmacologist (a pediatrician for example.) Starting with a low

dose, and increasing it very gradually to the target dose, is an

effective

way to avoid side effects of SSRIs. SSRIs available in liquid form make

it

easy to do this. The dose can be raised as little as one drop at a

time.

A reliable book that gives therapeutic ranges for various psychiatric

meds

and disorders in kids is " Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications

for

Kids " by Wilens (I believe that is the author's name.) Another good and

handy source of information is the pharmacist who fills your child's

prescription. Of course the prescribing doctor should be willing and

able

to answer any questions regarding meds and doses suggested for your

child.

My child, 11 in early January, takes Zoloft 150 mg/day for OCD. Side

effects initially were activation, sleep disturbance, and increased

appetite

which waned over time. She has taken this dose for over 4 years now.

For

three of those four years she also took 10 mg/day Paxil to augment the

Zoloft. For three years she also took Risperdal in doses ranging from

..25

mg/day to 1 mg/day for tics and impulsivity. Side effects, which

continued,

were drowsiness and increased appetite, though my daughter did not

experience inappropriate weight gain.

None of us likes having to give our kids these meds, yet if that

decision

has been made, IMO it makes sense to give enough of the medication to

provide relief of symptoms. Otherwise you are taking whatever risks and

enduring whatever side effects come with giving the medication, but your

child is not getting the full potential benefit.

My 2 cents,

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

> Anyway we can get a poll on what kind of meds are being used for what

age

> child and for what symptoms? I question the medication one of my kids

is

> on.

Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed

at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner,

Ph.D., ( http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are

Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye,

Kathy Mac, Gail Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues

or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... .

[Guest guest]

Kathy, that is interesting that you brought that up...I have had this

debate in my mind for quite some time...My 8 year old is on 25mg of

Zoloft. She has been doing so for a little over a year. She had a very

sudden onset (suspected PANDAS) over 2 years ago. Her symptoms were bad

thoughts. She was treated for her strep at that time and her symptoms

went away. Months later her symptoms came back, as suddenly, but not

quite as bad (thoughts not quite as frequent). At that time our doctor

put her on Zoloft and her symptoms went away. I have often wondered

though whether or not it was the Zoloft that helped the thoughts go

away, because I realize now, 25 mg is a pretty low dosage. I struggle

like all of us with treating our children with meds, but if I know that

the meds are truly helping the OCD, I have no problem with my daughter

taking them.

I have had this discussion with different doctors, whether I should try

taking my daughter off the Zoloft. She has not had any bad thoughts for

over a year, although she is a pretty anxious child, she seems to be

doing just fine. Just within the last month, her psych. and I decided

to increase her Straterra intake (because of her growth over the last

year) and take her off the Zoloft. Even the psych said I did not even

need to " wean " her off the Zoloft because it was such a low dosage (we

took her off " cold turkey). Well within 2 days of the med changes my

daughter was having really bad stomachaches and nausea. After 8 days of

the stomach problems arising, we brought her back to her original meds

of 25mg of Zoloft and 25mg of Straterra (vs no Zoloft and 50mg of

Straterra). I just assumed that the stomach issues were related to the

med changes, and didn't feel like it was worth the med change right now.

Her stomach was better for about a week and now even back on her

original dosage, she is having stomachaches and nausea again. Sooooo,

now I am thinking maybe she has the stomach problems because of her

anxieties (a lot of things going on at school). So, 1 month ago I

wanted her off the Zoloft, and now I am wondering if the Zoloft should

be increased to help her anxieties. Am I all over the place or what?

Anyway, I completely agree with what you are saying, that if our

children are going to be taking the meds, the absolutely should be on

the right dosage. How do I know that my daughter needs an increase?

Are there questions I should be asking myself or her?

Thanks for your ear Kathy!

Re: Medications?

Listers: One thing I noticed in the posts listing kids' SSRI doses is

that

many are taking sub-therapeutic doses, amounts too low to be expected to

effectively treat OCD. In a couple of instances, the doses were lower

even

than those recommended to treat depression. It's known that SSRIs need

to

be dosed higher to reduce OCD symptoms, even in children. Unlike some

other

types of medication, SSRIs are not dosed by age, weight or height, and

childhood OCD is not a junior version of the adult disorder. Though it

is

true that kids' reactions to these meds is individual, and sometimes

people

have the best effect at a very low or otherwise out of range dose, it

seems

unlikely to me that so many kids whose parents are on this list fall

into

this category.

If anyone's child is still experiencing significant and impairing OCD

symptoms despite taking an SSRI, you might consider that their dose

needs to

be raised into the range that has been shown to be effective against

OCD.

Some doctors may be overcautious when prescribing an SSRI for a child.

This

may be more of a problem when the doctor is not a child psychiatrist or

child pharmacologist (a pediatrician for example.) Starting with a low

dose, and increasing it very gradually to the target dose, is an

effective

way to avoid side effects of SSRIs. SSRIs available in liquid form make

it

easy to do this. The dose can be raised as little as one drop at a

time.

A reliable book that gives therapeutic ranges for various psychiatric

meds

and disorders in kids is " Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications

for

Kids " by Wilens (I believe that is the author's name.) Another good and

handy source of information is the pharmacist who fills your child's

prescription. Of course the prescribing doctor should be willing and

able

to answer any questions regarding meds and doses suggested for your

child.

My child, 11 in early January, takes Zoloft 150 mg/day for OCD. Side

effects initially were activation, sleep disturbance, and increased

appetite

which waned over time. She has taken this dose for over 4 years now.

For

three of those four years she also took 10 mg/day Paxil to augment the

Zoloft. For three years she also took Risperdal in doses ranging from

..25

mg/day to 1 mg/day for tics and impulsivity. Side effects, which

continued,

were drowsiness and increased appetite, though my daughter did not

experience inappropriate weight gain.

None of us likes having to give our kids these meds, yet if that

decision

has been made, IMO it makes sense to give enough of the medication to

provide relief of symptoms. Otherwise you are taking whatever risks and

enduring whatever side effects come with giving the medication, but your

child is not getting the full potential benefit.

My 2 cents,

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

> Anyway we can get a poll on what kind of meds are being used for what

age

> child and for what symptoms? I question the medication one of my kids

is

> on.

Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed

at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner,

Ph.D., ( http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are

Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye,

Kathy Mac, Gail Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues

or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... .

[Guest guest]

Kathy, that is interesting that you brought that up...I have had this

debate in my mind for quite some time...My 8 year old is on 25mg of

Zoloft. She has been doing so for a little over a year. She had a very

sudden onset (suspected PANDAS) over 2 years ago. Her symptoms were bad

thoughts. She was treated for her strep at that time and her symptoms

went away. Months later her symptoms came back, as suddenly, but not

quite as bad (thoughts not quite as frequent). At that time our doctor

put her on Zoloft and her symptoms went away. I have often wondered

though whether or not it was the Zoloft that helped the thoughts go

away, because I realize now, 25 mg is a pretty low dosage. I struggle

like all of us with treating our children with meds, but if I know that

the meds are truly helping the OCD, I have no problem with my daughter

taking them.

I have had this discussion with different doctors, whether I should try

taking my daughter off the Zoloft. She has not had any bad thoughts for

over a year, although she is a pretty anxious child, she seems to be

doing just fine. Just within the last month, her psych. and I decided

to increase her Straterra intake (because of her growth over the last

year) and take her off the Zoloft. Even the psych said I did not even

need to " wean " her off the Zoloft because it was such a low dosage (we

took her off " cold turkey). Well within 2 days of the med changes my

daughter was having really bad stomachaches and nausea. After 8 days of

the stomach problems arising, we brought her back to her original meds

of 25mg of Zoloft and 25mg of Straterra (vs no Zoloft and 50mg of

Straterra). I just assumed that the stomach issues were related to the

med changes, and didn't feel like it was worth the med change right now.

Her stomach was better for about a week and now even back on her

original dosage, she is having stomachaches and nausea again. Sooooo,

now I am thinking maybe she has the stomach problems because of her

anxieties (a lot of things going on at school). So, 1 month ago I

wanted her off the Zoloft, and now I am wondering if the Zoloft should

be increased to help her anxieties. Am I all over the place or what?

Anyway, I completely agree with what you are saying, that if our

children are going to be taking the meds, the absolutely should be on

the right dosage. How do I know that my daughter needs an increase?

Are there questions I should be asking myself or her?

Thanks for your ear Kathy!

Re: Medications?

Listers: One thing I noticed in the posts listing kids' SSRI doses is

that

many are taking sub-therapeutic doses, amounts too low to be expected to

effectively treat OCD. In a couple of instances, the doses were lower

even

than those recommended to treat depression. It's known that SSRIs need

to

be dosed higher to reduce OCD symptoms, even in children. Unlike some

other

types of medication, SSRIs are not dosed by age, weight or height, and

childhood OCD is not a junior version of the adult disorder. Though it

is

true that kids' reactions to these meds is individual, and sometimes

people

have the best effect at a very low or otherwise out of range dose, it

seems

unlikely to me that so many kids whose parents are on this list fall

into

this category.

If anyone's child is still experiencing significant and impairing OCD

symptoms despite taking an SSRI, you might consider that their dose

needs to

be raised into the range that has been shown to be effective against

OCD.

Some doctors may be overcautious when prescribing an SSRI for a child.

This

may be more of a problem when the doctor is not a child psychiatrist or

child pharmacologist (a pediatrician for example.) Starting with a low

dose, and increasing it very gradually to the target dose, is an

effective

way to avoid side effects of SSRIs. SSRIs available in liquid form make

it

easy to do this. The dose can be raised as little as one drop at a

time.

A reliable book that gives therapeutic ranges for various psychiatric

meds

and disorders in kids is " Straight Talk about Psychiatric Medications

for

Kids " by Wilens (I believe that is the author's name.) Another good and

handy source of information is the pharmacist who fills your child's

prescription. Of course the prescribing doctor should be willing and

able

to answer any questions regarding meds and doses suggested for your

child.

My child, 11 in early January, takes Zoloft 150 mg/day for OCD. Side

effects initially were activation, sleep disturbance, and increased

appetite

which waned over time. She has taken this dose for over 4 years now.

For

three of those four years she also took 10 mg/day Paxil to augment the

Zoloft. For three years she also took Risperdal in doses ranging from

..25

mg/day to 1 mg/day for tics and impulsivity. Side effects, which

continued,

were drowsiness and increased appetite, though my daughter did not

experience inappropriate weight gain.

None of us likes having to give our kids these meds, yet if that

decision

has been made, IMO it makes sense to give enough of the medication to

provide relief of symptoms. Otherwise you are taking whatever risks and

enduring whatever side effects come with giving the medication, but your

child is not getting the full potential benefit.

My 2 cents,

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

> Anyway we can get a poll on what kind of meds are being used for what

age

> child and for what symptoms? I question the medication one of my kids

is

> on.

Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be accessed

at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto Wagner,

Ph.D., ( http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators are

Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye,

Kathy Mac, Gail Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription issues

or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

louisharkins@... , louisharkins@... ,

louisharkins@... .

[Guest guest]

I know this was addressed to Kathy, hope you don't mind my " butting

in " ...

My daughter is on 20mg of Zoloft, and yet both her pediatrician and

the pharmacist have made it pretty clear to me that we do NOT want to

stop cold turkey and I need to make sure my prescription doesn't

lapse. Whether they are being overly cautious or not I don't know,

but I'm not taking any chances!

nna.

NY

> Kathy, that is interesting that you brought that up...I have had

this

> debate in my mind for quite some time...My 8 year old is on 25mg of

> Zoloft. She has been doing so for a little over a year. She had a

very

> sudden onset (suspected PANDAS) over 2 years ago. Her symptoms

were bad

> thoughts. She was treated for her strep at that time and her

symptoms

> went away. Months later her symptoms came back, as suddenly, but

not

> quite as bad (thoughts not quite as frequent). At that time our

doctor

> put her on Zoloft and her symptoms went away. I have often wondered

> though whether or not it was the Zoloft that helped the thoughts go

> away, because I realize now, 25 mg is a pretty low dosage. I

struggle

> like all of us with treating our children with meds, but if I know

that

> the meds are truly helping the OCD, I have no problem with my

daughter

> taking them.

>

> I have had this discussion with different doctors, whether I should

try

> taking my daughter off the Zoloft. She has not had any bad

thoughts for

> over a year, although she is a pretty anxious child, she seems to be

> doing just fine. Just within the last month, her psych. and I

decided

> to increase her Straterra intake (because of her growth over the

last

> year) and take her off the Zoloft. Even the psych said I did not

even

> need to " wean " her off the Zoloft because it was such a low dosage

(we

> took her off " cold turkey). Well within 2 days of the med changes

my

> daughter was having really bad stomachaches and nausea. After 8

days of

> the stomach problems arising, we brought her back to her original

meds

> of 25mg of Zoloft and 25mg of Straterra (vs no Zoloft and 50mg of

> Straterra). I just assumed that the stomach issues were related to

the

> med changes, and didn't feel like it was worth the med change right

now.

> Her stomach was better for about a week and now even back on her

> original dosage, she is having stomachaches and nausea again.

Sooooo,

> now I am thinking maybe she has the stomach problems because of her

> anxieties (a lot of things going on at school). So, 1 month ago I

> wanted her off the Zoloft, and now I am wondering if the Zoloft

should

> be increased to help her anxieties. Am I all over the place or

what?

>

> Anyway, I completely agree with what you are saying, that if our

> children are going to be taking the meds, the absolutely should be

on

> the right dosage. How do I know that my daughter needs an increase?

> Are there questions I should be asking myself or her?

>

> Thanks for your ear Kathy!

>

>

> Re: Medications?

>

>

> Listers: One thing I noticed in the posts listing kids' SSRI doses

is

> that

> many are taking sub-therapeutic doses, amounts too low to be

expected to

> effectively treat OCD. In a couple of instances, the doses were

lower

> even

> than those recommended to treat depression. It's known that SSRIs

need

> to

> be dosed higher to reduce OCD symptoms, even in children. Unlike

some

> other

> types of medication, SSRIs are not dosed by age, weight or height,

and

> childhood OCD is not a junior version of the adult disorder.

Though it

> is

> true that kids' reactions to these meds is individual, and sometimes

> people

> have the best effect at a very low or otherwise out of range dose,

it

> seems

> unlikely to me that so many kids whose parents are on this list fall

> into

> this category.

>

> If anyone's child is still experiencing significant and impairing

OCD

> symptoms despite taking an SSRI, you might consider that their dose

> needs to

> be raised into the range that has been shown to be effective against

> OCD.

> Some doctors may be overcautious when prescribing an SSRI for a

child.

> This

> may be more of a problem when the doctor is not a child

psychiatrist or

> child pharmacologist (a pediatrician for example.) Starting with a

low

> dose, and increasing it very gradually to the target dose, is an

> effective

> way to avoid side effects of SSRIs. SSRIs available in liquid form

make

> it

> easy to do this. The dose can be raised as little as one drop at a

> time.

>

> A reliable book that gives therapeutic ranges for various

psychiatric

> meds

> and disorders in kids is " Straight Talk about Psychiatric

Medications

> for

> Kids " by Wilens (I believe that is the author's name.) Another

good and

> handy source of information is the pharmacist who fills your child's

> prescription. Of course the prescribing doctor should be willing

and

> able

> to answer any questions regarding meds and doses suggested for your

> child.

>

> My child, 11 in early January, takes Zoloft 150 mg/day for OCD.

Side

> effects initially were activation, sleep disturbance, and increased

> appetite

> which waned over time. She has taken this dose for over 4 years

now.

> For

> three of those four years she also took 10 mg/day Paxil to augment

the

> Zoloft. For three years she also took Risperdal in doses ranging

from

> .25

> mg/day to 1 mg/day for tics and impulsivity. Side effects, which

> continued,

> were drowsiness and increased appetite, though my daughter did not

> experience inappropriate weight gain.

>

> None of us likes having to give our kids these meds, yet if that

> decision

> has been made, IMO it makes sense to give enough of the medication

to

> provide relief of symptoms. Otherwise you are taking whatever

risks and

> enduring whatever side effects come with giving the medication, but

your

> child is not getting the full potential benefit.

>

> My 2 cents,

> Kathy R. in Indiana

>

> ----- Original Message -----

> From: " adair " <adair@t...>

>

> > Anyway we can get a poll on what kind of meds are being used for

what

> age

> > child and for what symptoms? I question the medication one of my

kids

> is

> > on.

>

>

>

>

> Our list archives, bookmarks, files, and chat feature may be

accessed

> at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group// .

> Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D., Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.(

> http://www.worrywisekids.org ), Dan Geller, M.D.,Aureen Pinto

Wagner,

> Ph.D., ( http://www.lighthouse-press.com ). Our list moderators

are

> Birkhan, Castle, Fowler, Kathy Hammes, Joye,

> Kathy Mac, Gail Pesses, and Kathy . Subscription

issues

> or suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list owner, at

> louisharkins@y... , louisharkins@h... ,

> louisharkins@g... .

>

>

>