Severe OCD

[Guest guest]

Hi . My son is 11 and has very severe ocd. At his worst point

he was so bad that he did compulsions almost non stop from the

moment he woke up to when he fell asleep. We could hardly talk to

him or touch him because it interupted his compulsions and made him

very angry. He could not do school work and had a really hard time

just trying to leave the house. He was very angry all the time and

wanted to die. His doctor put him on prozac and moved the dosage up

to 30 mgs quite quickly. After about a week his anger came down and

we were able to talk to him and touch him again. The ocd was still

very bad though. It took 3 months and up to 50 mg of prozac to get

him to the point of being able to function reasonably and attend

school full days. He still has a long ways to go with therapy. Any

extra anxiety makes his ocd worse,but he's now a happy child that

wants to live and is getting good marks in school. We don't have

anything like an ocd institute anywhere near where we live so I

can't help you there, but just wanted to let you know that you're

not alone. I know how heart breaking it is to watch your child

suffer. I will pray your child gets relief soon. -- In

, " mrsflowermom " <mrsflowermom@c...>

wrote:

> I don't know where to start, I'm so upset. Our son (15) was dx

with OCD in Jan. and ever since then, we've been trying to find the

right combo of meds and therapy, without much success. We finally

sought out one of the finest OCD specialists in the state and in

between hurricanes (we live in Indian River County, the strike zone

for the last two) have been traveling 2 hours each way for intensive

therapy (ERP and CBT). This has resulted in a little progress,

although it has been not running according to the 6 day/week

schedule because of the interruptions. However, apparently, the

psychologist feels that our son is very seriously OCD (he labled it

severe and " life derailing " ) and would like us to search out more

intense therapy through programs such as the OCD Institute in Boston

or Menninger in Houston. He's not washing his hands of the whole

thing but just thought he would benefit greatly from one of these

programs.

>

> Now that we have this news, I'm contemplating what to do, along

with my husband. Out health insurance does not cover mental

disorders so we would have to take out a loan to pay for this and we

have a family business that we would not be able to leave to attend

any of these programs on an ongoing basis with our son. I guess

my question is, does anyone have experience with these long-term

treatment (in-house) programs? If so, was it worth it? Also, has

anyone had a severely disabled child with OCD and, if so, what did

you do? Thanks for any responses.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi . My son is 11 and has very severe ocd. At his worst point

he was so bad that he did compulsions almost non stop from the

moment he woke up to when he fell asleep. We could hardly talk to

him or touch him because it interupted his compulsions and made him

very angry. He could not do school work and had a really hard time

just trying to leave the house. He was very angry all the time and

wanted to die. His doctor put him on prozac and moved the dosage up

to 30 mgs quite quickly. After about a week his anger came down and

we were able to talk to him and touch him again. The ocd was still

very bad though. It took 3 months and up to 50 mg of prozac to get

him to the point of being able to function reasonably and attend

school full days. He still has a long ways to go with therapy. Any

extra anxiety makes his ocd worse,but he's now a happy child that

wants to live and is getting good marks in school. We don't have

anything like an ocd institute anywhere near where we live so I

can't help you there, but just wanted to let you know that you're

not alone. I know how heart breaking it is to watch your child

suffer. I will pray your child gets relief soon. -- In

, " mrsflowermom " <mrsflowermom@c...>

wrote:

> I don't know where to start, I'm so upset. Our son (15) was dx

with OCD in Jan. and ever since then, we've been trying to find the

right combo of meds and therapy, without much success. We finally

sought out one of the finest OCD specialists in the state and in

between hurricanes (we live in Indian River County, the strike zone

for the last two) have been traveling 2 hours each way for intensive

therapy (ERP and CBT). This has resulted in a little progress,

although it has been not running according to the 6 day/week

schedule because of the interruptions. However, apparently, the

psychologist feels that our son is very seriously OCD (he labled it

severe and " life derailing " ) and would like us to search out more

intense therapy through programs such as the OCD Institute in Boston

or Menninger in Houston. He's not washing his hands of the whole

thing but just thought he would benefit greatly from one of these

programs.

>

> Now that we have this news, I'm contemplating what to do, along

with my husband. Out health insurance does not cover mental

disorders so we would have to take out a loan to pay for this and we

have a family business that we would not be able to leave to attend

any of these programs on an ongoing basis with our son. I guess

my question is, does anyone have experience with these long-term

treatment (in-house) programs? If so, was it worth it? Also, has

anyone had a severely disabled child with OCD and, if so, what did

you do? Thanks for any responses.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi . My son is 11 and has very severe ocd. At his worst point

he was so bad that he did compulsions almost non stop from the

moment he woke up to when he fell asleep. We could hardly talk to

him or touch him because it interupted his compulsions and made him

very angry. He could not do school work and had a really hard time

just trying to leave the house. He was very angry all the time and

wanted to die. His doctor put him on prozac and moved the dosage up

to 30 mgs quite quickly. After about a week his anger came down and

we were able to talk to him and touch him again. The ocd was still

very bad though. It took 3 months and up to 50 mg of prozac to get

him to the point of being able to function reasonably and attend

school full days. He still has a long ways to go with therapy. Any

extra anxiety makes his ocd worse,but he's now a happy child that

wants to live and is getting good marks in school. We don't have

anything like an ocd institute anywhere near where we live so I

can't help you there, but just wanted to let you know that you're

not alone. I know how heart breaking it is to watch your child

suffer. I will pray your child gets relief soon. -- In

, " mrsflowermom " <mrsflowermom@c...>

wrote:

> I don't know where to start, I'm so upset. Our son (15) was dx

with OCD in Jan. and ever since then, we've been trying to find the

right combo of meds and therapy, without much success. We finally

sought out one of the finest OCD specialists in the state and in

between hurricanes (we live in Indian River County, the strike zone

for the last two) have been traveling 2 hours each way for intensive

therapy (ERP and CBT). This has resulted in a little progress,

although it has been not running according to the 6 day/week

schedule because of the interruptions. However, apparently, the

psychologist feels that our son is very seriously OCD (he labled it

severe and " life derailing " ) and would like us to search out more

intense therapy through programs such as the OCD Institute in Boston

or Menninger in Houston. He's not washing his hands of the whole

thing but just thought he would benefit greatly from one of these

programs.

>

> Now that we have this news, I'm contemplating what to do, along

with my husband. Out health insurance does not cover mental

disorders so we would have to take out a loan to pay for this and we

have a family business that we would not be able to leave to attend

any of these programs on an ongoing basis with our son. I guess

my question is, does anyone have experience with these long-term

treatment (in-house) programs? If so, was it worth it? Also, has

anyone had a severely disabled child with OCD and, if so, what did

you do? Thanks for any responses.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I've read from adults that attended really good things about the

OCDI, and have heard of and read of Menninger, I'm sure it's great

too.

What all meds (or med combinations) have you tried? It's so hard to

find the right med (or combination) for some individuals. Have they

just not had much effect or have side effects been to much....?

I hope someone can point you to perhaps some hospital program in your

state that might could treat him there. I know it can be difficult

to find someone who really knows OCD, but sometimes there's a

place/someone that we just haven't heard of yet! Hope that's the

case for your son!

> I don't know where to start, I'm so upset. Our son (15) was dx

with OCD in Jan. and ever since then, we've been trying to find the

right combo of meds and therapy, without much success. We finally

sought out one of the finest OCD specialists in the state and in

between hurricanes (we live in Indian River County, the strike zone

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I've read from adults that attended really good things about the

OCDI, and have heard of and read of Menninger, I'm sure it's great

too.

What all meds (or med combinations) have you tried? It's so hard to

find the right med (or combination) for some individuals. Have they

just not had much effect or have side effects been to much....?

I hope someone can point you to perhaps some hospital program in your

state that might could treat him there. I know it can be difficult

to find someone who really knows OCD, but sometimes there's a

place/someone that we just haven't heard of yet! Hope that's the

case for your son!

> I don't know where to start, I'm so upset. Our son (15) was dx

with OCD in Jan. and ever since then, we've been trying to find the

right combo of meds and therapy, without much success. We finally

sought out one of the finest OCD specialists in the state and in

between hurricanes (we live in Indian River County, the strike zone

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I've read from adults that attended really good things about the

OCDI, and have heard of and read of Menninger, I'm sure it's great

too.

What all meds (or med combinations) have you tried? It's so hard to

find the right med (or combination) for some individuals. Have they

just not had much effect or have side effects been to much....?

I hope someone can point you to perhaps some hospital program in your

state that might could treat him there. I know it can be difficult

to find someone who really knows OCD, but sometimes there's a

place/someone that we just haven't heard of yet! Hope that's the

case for your son!

> I don't know where to start, I'm so upset. Our son (15) was dx

with OCD in Jan. and ever since then, we've been trying to find the

right combo of meds and therapy, without much success. We finally

sought out one of the finest OCD specialists in the state and in

between hurricanes (we live in Indian River County, the strike zone

[Guest guest]

Hi, . I'm so sorry that your family is suffering so much. I am not a

medication expert but you posted that your son has been taking 50 mg. of Luvox a

day. This seems very low to me. I have one daughter who started taking 100

mg. of Luvox a day when she was eight! She is on the same dose now and does

not even weigh 80 pounds. She also takes .25 mg of Risperdal a day. Hannah,

my older daughter, takes 300 mg. of Luvox a day with 15 mg. of Abilify. I

realize that doses really vary from person to person and that it isn't

necessarily

a persons age or weight that matters but that seems like a low dose to me,

especially if you are looking into residential treatment for him. Have higher

doses been tried? Just some thoughts. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

Hi, . I'm so sorry that your family is suffering so much. I am not a

medication expert but you posted that your son has been taking 50 mg. of Luvox a

day. This seems very low to me. I have one daughter who started taking 100

mg. of Luvox a day when she was eight! She is on the same dose now and does

not even weigh 80 pounds. She also takes .25 mg of Risperdal a day. Hannah,

my older daughter, takes 300 mg. of Luvox a day with 15 mg. of Abilify. I

realize that doses really vary from person to person and that it isn't

necessarily

a persons age or weight that matters but that seems like a low dose to me,

especially if you are looking into residential treatment for him. Have higher

doses been tried? Just some thoughts. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

Hi, . I'm so sorry that your family is suffering so much. I am not a

medication expert but you posted that your son has been taking 50 mg. of Luvox a

day. This seems very low to me. I have one daughter who started taking 100

mg. of Luvox a day when she was eight! She is on the same dose now and does

not even weigh 80 pounds. She also takes .25 mg of Risperdal a day. Hannah,

my older daughter, takes 300 mg. of Luvox a day with 15 mg. of Abilify. I

realize that doses really vary from person to person and that it isn't

necessarily

a persons age or weight that matters but that seems like a low dose to me,

especially if you are looking into residential treatment for him. Have higher

doses been tried? Just some thoughts. Kelley in NV

[Guest guest]

Hi

I haven't posted lately but everyone here pretty much knows the story with

my daughter, . She has both ADHD, OCD, and is intellectually gifted.

ANYWAY.......

I just had to respond to you and see if I can offer a suggestion for help

since your ins. does not cover this. First off, does your son have an IEP at

school? If he does, this will be easier....if not...you should request that your

school give him an assessment. This will help him if the OCD is interfearing

with school in any way.....which I'm sure it is. Second, ask the school for

an AB3632 assessment. After the assessment, they find he qualifies.....they

will give him (at the school's expense) therapy. Some schools have " in-house "

therapy as well....where the therapist will work with your child at school

for a hour a week too. I'm learning so much of what is available out there that

I never knew existed 2 years ago when my daughter's problems started. At

that time she was going to a school where no one wanted to be bothered helping

and they were pushing to remove her from the school to rid themselves of the

problem cause I wasn't " going away " like they wanted me to. Lucky for us (my

daughter especially) we moved to another city and are now at the BEST school.

It's a public school but unlike the other school, these people REALLY care

about helping. They've offered SO MANY services to my daughter that I never

even knew existed. They are so wonderful!

And for my " old friends here.... just got here first report card this

year......and OMG....what a difference this school has made! She went from D's

and F's at the old school and now she got 2 A's!!!!....one B, one C and one

F. And she's really working hard at getting rid of that last F. So being at

the right school and having the right people really care make such a

difference. Yes, there are still issues we're working on....like her cutting

herself....but at least we have help.

/CA

[Guest guest]

Hi

I haven't posted lately but everyone here pretty much knows the story with

my daughter, . She has both ADHD, OCD, and is intellectually gifted.

ANYWAY.......

I just had to respond to you and see if I can offer a suggestion for help

since your ins. does not cover this. First off, does your son have an IEP at

school? If he does, this will be easier....if not...you should request that your

school give him an assessment. This will help him if the OCD is interfearing

with school in any way.....which I'm sure it is. Second, ask the school for

an AB3632 assessment. After the assessment, they find he qualifies.....they

will give him (at the school's expense) therapy. Some schools have " in-house "

therapy as well....where the therapist will work with your child at school

for a hour a week too. I'm learning so much of what is available out there that

I never knew existed 2 years ago when my daughter's problems started. At

that time she was going to a school where no one wanted to be bothered helping

and they were pushing to remove her from the school to rid themselves of the

problem cause I wasn't " going away " like they wanted me to. Lucky for us (my

daughter especially) we moved to another city and are now at the BEST school.

It's a public school but unlike the other school, these people REALLY care

about helping. They've offered SO MANY services to my daughter that I never

even knew existed. They are so wonderful!

And for my " old friends here.... just got here first report card this

year......and OMG....what a difference this school has made! She went from D's

and F's at the old school and now she got 2 A's!!!!....one B, one C and one

F. And she's really working hard at getting rid of that last F. So being at

the right school and having the right people really care make such a

difference. Yes, there are still issues we're working on....like her cutting

herself....but at least we have help.

/CA

[Guest guest]

Hi

I haven't posted lately but everyone here pretty much knows the story with

my daughter, . She has both ADHD, OCD, and is intellectually gifted.

ANYWAY.......

I just had to respond to you and see if I can offer a suggestion for help

since your ins. does not cover this. First off, does your son have an IEP at

school? If he does, this will be easier....if not...you should request that your

school give him an assessment. This will help him if the OCD is interfearing

with school in any way.....which I'm sure it is. Second, ask the school for

an AB3632 assessment. After the assessment, they find he qualifies.....they

will give him (at the school's expense) therapy. Some schools have " in-house "

therapy as well....where the therapist will work with your child at school

for a hour a week too. I'm learning so much of what is available out there that

I never knew existed 2 years ago when my daughter's problems started. At

that time she was going to a school where no one wanted to be bothered helping

and they were pushing to remove her from the school to rid themselves of the

problem cause I wasn't " going away " like they wanted me to. Lucky for us (my

daughter especially) we moved to another city and are now at the BEST school.

It's a public school but unlike the other school, these people REALLY care

about helping. They've offered SO MANY services to my daughter that I never

even knew existed. They are so wonderful!

And for my " old friends here.... just got here first report card this

year......and OMG....what a difference this school has made! She went from D's

and F's at the old school and now she got 2 A's!!!!....one B, one C and one

F. And she's really working hard at getting rid of that last F. So being at

the right school and having the right people really care make such a

difference. Yes, there are still issues we're working on....like her cutting

herself....but at least we have help.

/CA

[Guest guest]

Actually, I found out today that the OCDI only takes 17 yrs and up so they gave

me a reference for the Hospital in WI. I spoke with a man there and the

program sound excellent! But, we'd have to stay there for a month or 2 in a

motel off and on while our son was there. I'm not sure how that would work,

although at this point am willing to go to any lengths to get him better if

that's what it requires. Hubby may not feel the same way, tho...

As far as meds, he has been on 50 mg. Luvox/day along with 10 mg. Buspar until

just the last few weeks when we introduced Risperdal out of desperation because

he wasn't getting any better. The ERP/CBT in Ft. Lauderdale (the " experts " ) is

helping. The Risperdal helped tremendously for the first 10 days and then the

effect went away dramatically, overnight in fact. So, we upped it to 1.0 mg.

and we haven't seen any improvement thus far. His history with meds is that

they really work for the first week or two and then don't help much after that.

I'm really confused at this point because I thought Risperdal would be the key

with such a drastic change that we saw the first week. It was amazing, many

less compulsions and he was back to being our " normal " kid. You could see that

he was enjoying himself for the first time in months and then, suddenly, it was

gone. Luvox helps him with the bad thoughts, he says, but he still has many

obsesssions and compulsions. I didn't think his Buspar was doing much until we

started running out during one of the hurricanes and he became very anxious

without it. If anybody knows about the hospital in WI, I would love to hear

about their experience. I thought I read something about it in one or two posts

before.

What all meds (or med combinations) have you tried? It's so hard to

find the right med (or combination) for some individuals. Have they

just not had much effect or have side effects been to much....?

I hope someone can point you to perhaps some hospital program in your

state that might could treat him there. I know it can be difficult

to find someone who really knows OCD, but sometimes there's a

place/someone that we just haven't heard of yet!

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., Aureen Pinto

Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. 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]

Actually, I found out today that the OCDI only takes 17 yrs and up so they gave

me a reference for the Hospital in WI. I spoke with a man there and the

program sound excellent! But, we'd have to stay there for a month or 2 in a

motel off and on while our son was there. I'm not sure how that would work,

although at this point am willing to go to any lengths to get him better if

that's what it requires. Hubby may not feel the same way, tho...

As far as meds, he has been on 50 mg. Luvox/day along with 10 mg. Buspar until

just the last few weeks when we introduced Risperdal out of desperation because

he wasn't getting any better. The ERP/CBT in Ft. Lauderdale (the " experts " ) is

helping. The Risperdal helped tremendously for the first 10 days and then the

effect went away dramatically, overnight in fact. So, we upped it to 1.0 mg.

and we haven't seen any improvement thus far. His history with meds is that

they really work for the first week or two and then don't help much after that.

I'm really confused at this point because I thought Risperdal would be the key

with such a drastic change that we saw the first week. It was amazing, many

less compulsions and he was back to being our " normal " kid. You could see that

he was enjoying himself for the first time in months and then, suddenly, it was

gone. Luvox helps him with the bad thoughts, he says, but he still has many

obsesssions and compulsions. I didn't think his Buspar was doing much until we

started running out during one of the hurricanes and he became very anxious

without it. If anybody knows about the hospital in WI, I would love to hear

about their experience. I thought I read something about it in one or two posts

before.

What all meds (or med combinations) have you tried? It's so hard to

find the right med (or combination) for some individuals. Have they

just not had much effect or have side effects been to much....?

I hope someone can point you to perhaps some hospital program in your

state that might could treat him there. I know it can be difficult

to find someone who really knows OCD, but sometimes there's a

place/someone that we just haven't heard of yet!

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., Aureen Pinto

Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. 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]

Actually, I found out today that the OCDI only takes 17 yrs and up so they gave

me a reference for the Hospital in WI. I spoke with a man there and the

program sound excellent! But, we'd have to stay there for a month or 2 in a

motel off and on while our son was there. I'm not sure how that would work,

although at this point am willing to go to any lengths to get him better if

that's what it requires. Hubby may not feel the same way, tho...

As far as meds, he has been on 50 mg. Luvox/day along with 10 mg. Buspar until

just the last few weeks when we introduced Risperdal out of desperation because

he wasn't getting any better. The ERP/CBT in Ft. Lauderdale (the " experts " ) is

helping. The Risperdal helped tremendously for the first 10 days and then the

effect went away dramatically, overnight in fact. So, we upped it to 1.0 mg.

and we haven't seen any improvement thus far. His history with meds is that

they really work for the first week or two and then don't help much after that.

I'm really confused at this point because I thought Risperdal would be the key

with such a drastic change that we saw the first week. It was amazing, many

less compulsions and he was back to being our " normal " kid. You could see that

he was enjoying himself for the first time in months and then, suddenly, it was

gone. Luvox helps him with the bad thoughts, he says, but he still has many

obsesssions and compulsions. I didn't think his Buspar was doing much until we

started running out during one of the hurricanes and he became very anxious

without it. If anybody knows about the hospital in WI, I would love to hear

about their experience. I thought I read something about it in one or two posts

before.

What all meds (or med combinations) have you tried? It's so hard to

find the right med (or combination) for some individuals. Have they

just not had much effect or have side effects been to much....?

I hope someone can point you to perhaps some hospital program in your

state that might could treat him there. I know it can be difficult

to find someone who really knows OCD, but sometimes there's a

place/someone that we just haven't heard of yet!

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., Aureen Pinto

Wagner, Ph.D., and Dan Geller, M.D. 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]

Hi,

I think we have all been where you are now at some time. I was not

all that long ago. The medicine taht did the tick for us was

lexapro. OCD requires a higher dose of meds than regular anxiety -

significantly higher at times.

Does your son see a pediatric psychiatrist? I would really recommend

a specialist in children. They have the most experience with this.

I also would recommend calling some OCD foundation and try to find

specialists in your area. I did that and they gave me great info. I

found great books and I found this support group. And I got the

courage to change therapists to a specialist in OCD. Our daughter is

doing tons better. The OCD is still there and we continue to work on

it, but life is manageable and not as stressful as I know it can

become.

I read somewhere that if you don't notice a better change in 3 -4

months of therapy, it might be the wrong therapist.

Good luck. It will get better!

[Guest guest]

Hi Kelley,

The dose of 50 mg was decided upon after we tried 100 mg and he had a lot of

behavioral side effects - hyper, agitation, etc. That's when the Buspar was

introduced to augment instead of Risperdal because we were opposed to Risperdal

at that time for the inherent side effects. However, now we're ready to use

Risperdal as so many on this board as well as others we have talked to have used

it with a lot of success. We haven't tried any other SSRIs which may be a

possibility. How do you switch from one to the other? Do you just replace one

with the other? Our pediatric psych. is very conservative with meds and I think

this is one reason why we haven't had much variation and trials with others. I

appreciate your input and food for thought.

you posted that your son has been taking 50 mg. of Luvox a

day. This seems very low to me. I have one daughter who started taking 100

mg. of Luvox a day when she was eight! She is on the same dose now and does

not even weigh 80 pounds. She also takes .25 mg of Risperdal a day. Hannah,

my older daughter, takes 300 mg. of Luvox a day with 15 mg. of Abilify. I

realize that doses really vary from person to person and that it isn't

necessarily

a persons age or weight that matters but that seems like a low dose to me,

especially if you are looking into residential treatment for him. Have higher

doses been tried? Just some thoughts. Kelley in NV

[

[Guest guest]

Hi Kelley,

The dose of 50 mg was decided upon after we tried 100 mg and he had a lot of

behavioral side effects - hyper, agitation, etc. That's when the Buspar was

introduced to augment instead of Risperdal because we were opposed to Risperdal

at that time for the inherent side effects. However, now we're ready to use

Risperdal as so many on this board as well as others we have talked to have used

it with a lot of success. We haven't tried any other SSRIs which may be a

possibility. How do you switch from one to the other? Do you just replace one

with the other? Our pediatric psych. is very conservative with meds and I think

this is one reason why we haven't had much variation and trials with others. I

appreciate your input and food for thought.

you posted that your son has been taking 50 mg. of Luvox a

day. This seems very low to me. I have one daughter who started taking 100

mg. of Luvox a day when she was eight! She is on the same dose now and does

not even weigh 80 pounds. She also takes .25 mg of Risperdal a day. Hannah,

my older daughter, takes 300 mg. of Luvox a day with 15 mg. of Abilify. I

realize that doses really vary from person to person and that it isn't

necessarily

a persons age or weight that matters but that seems like a low dose to me,

especially if you are looking into residential treatment for him. Have higher

doses been tried? Just some thoughts. Kelley in NV

[

[Guest guest]

Hi Kelley,

The dose of 50 mg was decided upon after we tried 100 mg and he had a lot of

behavioral side effects - hyper, agitation, etc. That's when the Buspar was

introduced to augment instead of Risperdal because we were opposed to Risperdal

at that time for the inherent side effects. However, now we're ready to use

Risperdal as so many on this board as well as others we have talked to have used

it with a lot of success. We haven't tried any other SSRIs which may be a

possibility. How do you switch from one to the other? Do you just replace one

with the other? Our pediatric psych. is very conservative with meds and I think

this is one reason why we haven't had much variation and trials with others. I

appreciate your input and food for thought.

you posted that your son has been taking 50 mg. of Luvox a

day. This seems very low to me. I have one daughter who started taking 100

mg. of Luvox a day when she was eight! She is on the same dose now and does

not even weigh 80 pounds. She also takes .25 mg of Risperdal a day. Hannah,

my older daughter, takes 300 mg. of Luvox a day with 15 mg. of Abilify. I

realize that doses really vary from person to person and that it isn't

necessarily

a persons age or weight that matters but that seems like a low dose to me,

especially if you are looking into residential treatment for him. Have higher

doses been tried? Just some thoughts. Kelley in NV

[

[Guest guest]

,

Thank you for all the helpful info you've been able to find and I admire your

strength and courage in such a dire time for you and your family. You are an

inspiration to me. Actually, we homeschool our son so I have no access to these

benefits. I am so happy for you, tho, that your daughter is coming along so

well. It sounds like you've found a great environment for her to thrive in!

Thanks again.

Re: Severe OCD

Hi

I haven't posted lately but everyone here pretty much knows the story with

my daughter, . She has both ADHD, OCD, and is intellectually gifted.

ANYWAY.......

I just had to respond to you and see if I can offer a suggestion for help

since your ins. does not cover this. First off, does your son have an IEP at

school? If he does, this will be easier....if not...you should request that

your

school give him an assessment. This will help him if the OCD is interfearing

with school in any way.....which I'm sure it is. Second, ask the school for

an AB3632 assessment. After the assessment, they find he qualifies.....they

will give him (at the school's expense) therapy. Some schools have " in-house "

therapy as well....where the therapist will work with your child at school

for a hour a week too. I'm learning so much of what is available out there

that

I never knew existed 2 years ago when my daughter's problems started. At

that time she was going to a school where no one wanted to be bothered

helping

and they were pushing to remove her from the school to rid themselves of the

problem cause I wasn't " going away " like they wanted me to. Lucky for us (my

daughter especially) we moved to another city and are now at the BEST school.

It's a public school but unlike the other school, these people REALLY care

about helping. They've offered SO MANY services to my daughter that I never

even knew existed. They are so wonderful!

And for my " old friends here.... just got here first report card this

year......and OMG....what a difference this school has made! She went from D's

and F's at the old school and now she got 2 A's!!!!....one B, one C and one

F. And she's really working hard at getting rid of that last F. So being at

the right school and having the right people really care make such a

difference. Yes, there are still issues we're working on....like her cutting

herself....but at least we have help.

/CA

[Guest guest]

,

Thank you for all the helpful info you've been able to find and I admire your

strength and courage in such a dire time for you and your family. You are an

inspiration to me. Actually, we homeschool our son so I have no access to these

benefits. I am so happy for you, tho, that your daughter is coming along so

well. It sounds like you've found a great environment for her to thrive in!

Thanks again.

Re: Severe OCD

Hi

I haven't posted lately but everyone here pretty much knows the story with

my daughter, . She has both ADHD, OCD, and is intellectually gifted.

ANYWAY.......

I just had to respond to you and see if I can offer a suggestion for help

since your ins. does not cover this. First off, does your son have an IEP at

school? If he does, this will be easier....if not...you should request that

your

school give him an assessment. This will help him if the OCD is interfearing

with school in any way.....which I'm sure it is. Second, ask the school for

an AB3632 assessment. After the assessment, they find he qualifies.....they

will give him (at the school's expense) therapy. Some schools have " in-house "

therapy as well....where the therapist will work with your child at school

for a hour a week too. I'm learning so much of what is available out there

that

I never knew existed 2 years ago when my daughter's problems started. At

that time she was going to a school where no one wanted to be bothered

helping

and they were pushing to remove her from the school to rid themselves of the

problem cause I wasn't " going away " like they wanted me to. Lucky for us (my

daughter especially) we moved to another city and are now at the BEST school.

It's a public school but unlike the other school, these people REALLY care

about helping. They've offered SO MANY services to my daughter that I never

even knew existed. They are so wonderful!

And for my " old friends here.... just got here first report card this

year......and OMG....what a difference this school has made! She went from D's

and F's at the old school and now she got 2 A's!!!!....one B, one C and one

F. And she's really working hard at getting rid of that last F. So being at

the right school and having the right people really care make such a

difference. Yes, there are still issues we're working on....like her cutting

herself....but at least we have help.

/CA

[Guest guest]

,

Thank you for all the helpful info you've been able to find and I admire your

strength and courage in such a dire time for you and your family. You are an

inspiration to me. Actually, we homeschool our son so I have no access to these

benefits. I am so happy for you, tho, that your daughter is coming along so

well. It sounds like you've found a great environment for her to thrive in!

Thanks again.

Re: Severe OCD

Hi

I haven't posted lately but everyone here pretty much knows the story with

my daughter, . She has both ADHD, OCD, and is intellectually gifted.

ANYWAY.......

I just had to respond to you and see if I can offer a suggestion for help

since your ins. does not cover this. First off, does your son have an IEP at

school? If he does, this will be easier....if not...you should request that

your

school give him an assessment. This will help him if the OCD is interfearing

with school in any way.....which I'm sure it is. Second, ask the school for

an AB3632 assessment. After the assessment, they find he qualifies.....they

will give him (at the school's expense) therapy. Some schools have " in-house "

therapy as well....where the therapist will work with your child at school

for a hour a week too. I'm learning so much of what is available out there

that

I never knew existed 2 years ago when my daughter's problems started. At

that time she was going to a school where no one wanted to be bothered

helping

and they were pushing to remove her from the school to rid themselves of the

problem cause I wasn't " going away " like they wanted me to. Lucky for us (my

daughter especially) we moved to another city and are now at the BEST school.

It's a public school but unlike the other school, these people REALLY care

about helping. They've offered SO MANY services to my daughter that I never

even knew existed. They are so wonderful!

And for my " old friends here.... just got here first report card this

year......and OMG....what a difference this school has made! She went from D's

and F's at the old school and now she got 2 A's!!!!....one B, one C and one

F. And she's really working hard at getting rid of that last F. So being at

the right school and having the right people really care make such a

difference. Yes, there are still issues we're working on....like her cutting

herself....but at least we have help.

/CA

[Guest guest]

I truly understand how you feel. Our daughter has been in the hospital since

April came back in June and went back in July. She has been put on different

meds and we have seen some improvement this last month. However, she is on 150

Effexor RX and 15 mg Zyprexa. She has gained 20 pounds in about three months

before she had Risperdal but was to sleeping for the 2mg she should have been

taking and was switched on Zyprexa.

Three weeks ago the doctor decided to lower the Zyprexa to 10mg because of the

weight concern. However she has had severe meltdowns for the last two weeks and

we started the Zyprexa again 2 days ago. She comes home on the weekend and

tonight she had a severe meltdown saying she wanted to die and couldn't take it

anymore. We gave her the Zyprexa and Ativan (anxiety pills). It took 45 minutes

before she calmed herself. She also has severe OCD and is only 13 will be 14 in

nov. She has a twin sister that was just diagnosted with depression since she

started school in September. We are going through hell. However, since the

improvement was there before we lowered the Zyprexa I am hoping that in about a

week or two she will be better. The doctor had planned a slow gradual plan to

get her home and wanted her to go 1 hour a day at school. We will have to see

how it goes. The doctor has suggested we do a test called psychoneurologic to

know which part of the brain that she has the hardest

time with so they can give her the right intervention.

If any of you that has children with severe ocd please send message. I haven't

done so the last three months since I did not want to discourage anybody.

However, I feel better when someone who is going through the same ordeal post. I

feel that I am not alone.

May you all be looked after by angels!

[Guest guest]

I truly understand how you feel. Our daughter has been in the hospital since

April came back in June and went back in July. She has been put on different

meds and we have seen some improvement this last month. However, she is on 150

Effexor RX and 15 mg Zyprexa. She has gained 20 pounds in about three months

before she had Risperdal but was to sleeping for the 2mg she should have been

taking and was switched on Zyprexa.

Three weeks ago the doctor decided to lower the Zyprexa to 10mg because of the

weight concern. However she has had severe meltdowns for the last two weeks and

we started the Zyprexa again 2 days ago. She comes home on the weekend and

tonight she had a severe meltdown saying she wanted to die and couldn't take it

anymore. We gave her the Zyprexa and Ativan (anxiety pills). It took 45 minutes

before she calmed herself. She also has severe OCD and is only 13 will be 14 in

nov. She has a twin sister that was just diagnosted with depression since she

started school in September. We are going through hell. However, since the

improvement was there before we lowered the Zyprexa I am hoping that in about a

week or two she will be better. The doctor had planned a slow gradual plan to

get her home and wanted her to go 1 hour a day at school. We will have to see

how it goes. The doctor has suggested we do a test called psychoneurologic to

know which part of the brain that she has the hardest

time with so they can give her the right intervention.

If any of you that has children with severe ocd please send message. I haven't

done so the last three months since I did not want to discourage anybody.

However, I feel better when someone who is going through the same ordeal post. I

feel that I am not alone.

May you all be looked after by angels!

[Guest guest]

I truly understand how you feel. Our daughter has been in the hospital since

April came back in June and went back in July. She has been put on different

meds and we have seen some improvement this last month. However, she is on 150

Effexor RX and 15 mg Zyprexa. She has gained 20 pounds in about three months

before she had Risperdal but was to sleeping for the 2mg she should have been

taking and was switched on Zyprexa.

Three weeks ago the doctor decided to lower the Zyprexa to 10mg because of the

weight concern. However she has had severe meltdowns for the last two weeks and

we started the Zyprexa again 2 days ago. She comes home on the weekend and

tonight she had a severe meltdown saying she wanted to die and couldn't take it

anymore. We gave her the Zyprexa and Ativan (anxiety pills). It took 45 minutes

before she calmed herself. She also has severe OCD and is only 13 will be 14 in

nov. She has a twin sister that was just diagnosted with depression since she

started school in September. We are going through hell. However, since the

improvement was there before we lowered the Zyprexa I am hoping that in about a

week or two she will be better. The doctor had planned a slow gradual plan to

get her home and wanted her to go 1 hour a day at school. We will have to see

how it goes. The doctor has suggested we do a test called psychoneurologic to

know which part of the brain that she has the hardest

time with so they can give her the right intervention.

If any of you that has children with severe ocd please send message. I haven't

done so the last three months since I did not want to discourage anybody.

However, I feel better when someone who is going through the same ordeal post. I

feel that I am not alone.

May you all be looked after by angels!