zoloft

[Guest guest]

Hi I have a too.my daughter is on zoloft 50mg once a day. I see no

real change . was given Zoloft to help curb inappropreate behavior

around her cycle. she has been on it for two months. i will give it another

month and if I see no real change I will ask the doctor if there is something

else take.

Deb

ds2400 wrote:

's doctor wants to start her on Zoloft 25 mg. for agitation

and sleep problems. Any thoughts or experiences with this med? Prozac

helped incredibly with expressive speech but she almost completely quit

sleeping.

diane ('s Mom)

Debbie Townley

[Guest guest]

Diane,

About 15% of people experience nausea and vomiting while on Zoloft,

particularly at the beginning, so I would watch for that in

. It's a pretty low dose, though. It should help with

sleeping, since drowsiness is a very common side effect. I'd be very

careful about it's long-term use, however.

> 's doctor wants to start her on Zoloft 25 mg. for agitation

> and sleep problems. Any thoughts or experiences with this med? Prozac

> helped incredibly with expressive speech but she almost completely

> quit

> sleeping.

>

> diane ('s Mom)

>

[Guest guest]

Would this be because of the suicide risk in children (long term use)?

Diane ('s Mom)

Re: Zoloft

Diane,

About 15% of people experience nausea and vomiting while on Zoloft,

particularly at the beginning, so I would watch for that in

. It's a pretty low dose, though. It should help with

sleeping, since drowsiness is a very common side effect. I'd be very

careful about it's long-term use, however.

> 's doctor wants to start her on Zoloft 25 mg. for agitation

> and sleep problems. Any thoughts or experiences with this med? Prozac

> helped incredibly with expressive speech but she almost completely

> quit

> sleeping.

>

> diane ('s Mom)

>

Autism_in_Girls-subscribe

------------------------

Autism_in_Girls-unsubscribe

[Guest guest]

I would be careful giving Zoloft to a child. I know a few different teens

who commited suicide while taking Zoloft.

>

>Reply-To: Autism_in_Girls

>To: Autism_in_Girls

>Subject: Zoloft

>Date: Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:53:21 -0000

>

>'s doctor wants to start her on Zoloft 25 mg. for agitation

>and sleep problems. Any thoughts or experiences with this med? Prozac

>helped incredibly with expressive speech but she almost completely quit

>sleeping.

>

>diane ('s Mom)

>

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[Guest guest]

Well, I wasn't thinking of that actually, but that does make some

nervous. I just worry when there are no long-term studies, and none

at all in children. The long-term serotonin effects are one factor

and also the recently discovered neurogenesis effects by Zoloft and

other SSRI's on the hippocampus in the brain. Children's brains are

developing and reorganizing at a very high rate and it's not a good

idea to interfere with any of these processes for extended periods of

time.

> Would this be because of the suicide risk in children (long term use)?

>

> Diane ('s Mom)

>

> Re: Zoloft

>

>

> Diane,

>

> About 15% of people experience nausea and vomiting while on Zoloft,

> particularly at the beginning, so I would watch for that in

> . It's a pretty low dose, though. It should help with

> sleeping, since drowsiness is a very common side effect. I'd be very

> careful about it's long-term use, however.

>

>

>

>

>

>> 's doctor wants to start her on Zoloft 25 mg. for agitation

>> and sleep problems. Any thoughts or experiences with this med?

>> Prozac

>> helped incredibly with expressive speech but she almost completely

>> quit

>> sleeping.

>>

>> diane ('s Mom)

>>

>

[Guest guest]

My husband is on Zoloft and it is working very well for him. I don't

have any idea what his dosage is or anything like that. He's had a lot

fewer side effects from Zoloft than he had from previous meds (Paxil,

Lexapro, and Effexor-that was the WORST!)

Amnesty

> 's doctor wants to start her on Zoloft 25 mg. for

agitation

> and sleep problems. Any thoughts or experiences with this med? Prozac

> helped incredibly with expressive speech but she almost completely quit

> sleeping.

>

> diane ('s Mom)

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Debbie Townley

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks , I'll research into the areas you talked about if it looks

like she's even going to be able to tolerate this stuff.

Diane ('s Mom)

Re: Zoloft

>

>

> Diane,

>

> About 15% of people experience nausea and vomiting while on Zoloft,

> particularly at the beginning, so I would watch for that in

> . It's a pretty low dose, though. It should help with

> sleeping, since drowsiness is a very common side effect. I'd be very

> careful about it's long-term use, however.

>

>

>

>

>

>> 's doctor wants to start her on Zoloft 25 mg. for agitation

>> and sleep problems. Any thoughts or experiences with this med?

>> Prozac

>> helped incredibly with expressive speech but she almost completely

>> quit

>> sleeping.

>>

>> diane ('s Mom)

>>

>

Autism_in_Girls-subscribe

------------------------

Autism_in_Girls-unsubscribe

[Guest guest]

Have you looked into 5-HTP and B vitamins or Espon salt baths?

The only FDA approved antidepressant for children is Prozac. I would be

very careful about giving your child any other antidepressant; especially

Zoloft. A friend of mines son checked himself into the hospital for

depression and was prescribed Zoloft. A week later he committed suicide.

My brother's best friend was prescribed Zoloft and a month later she also

took her own life.

> >

> >

> >

> >> 's doctor wants to start her on Zoloft 25 mg. for agitation

> >> and sleep problems. Any thoughts or experiences with this med?

> >> Prozac

> >> helped incredibly with expressive speech but she almost completely

> >> quit

> >> sleeping.

> >>

> >> diane ('s Mom)

> >>

> >

>

>

>

>

>Autism_in_Girls-subscribe

>------------------------

>Autism_in_Girls-unsubscribe

>

[Guest guest]

Allie has taken zoloft for about 2 yrs, it helped her SIGNIFICANTLY. I

think the problem with these drugs is that they only help a specific

chemical imbalance & they are going to do nothing at best, be horrid

at worst for everyone else. At least that's my theory. It's just too

strange how it can help some people so much and be horribly suicidal

for others.

As for sleeping, I think time of day and dosage has a lot to do with

it. Allie slept better, but we found giving it to her in the evening

helps the best. Also, kids & adults with autism can be very sensitive

to meds. She might do better with 12.5 mg than the full 25. My thought

is to always start out very small and increase dosage only if needed.

Allie started out with Paxil, we went to zoloft after a couple of yrs,

then did zoloft for 2 yrs, weaned off the last 6 mos of that 2 yrs,

then nothing for 6 mos, now back to paxil. She just can't seem to

function without it.

HTH,

Debi

-

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I wanted to chime in on the med. issue because our daughter

(8yrs) has been having head-banging episodes lately. One incident

lasted for 5 hours, banging her head vigorously for about 5 mins, every

15 mins or so.

After a 3hr wait at the ER, and a few tests. 1) head CT to see if she

busted any blood vessels with the head banging, 2) X-ray to see if

there were any foreign bodies (magnets, polly pockets) Both were clear.

We made an appointment for a Psychiatrist at the local Childrens

Hospital. Our main reason for this is to get a medicine that can

sedate her when she " goes off " . He mentioned Vestril as a

benzodiazipine that has light seditative effects.

We're still investigating and considering it.

Mark

[Guest guest]

Mark,

Fortunately, Vistaril is not a benzodiazepine like Valium, Xanax and

Ativan. It's essentially a sedating antihistamine. If you are

considering this only for it's sedating properties and only when she

is having an episode, why not just give her some Benadryl and save

yourself the money and hassle of a prescription?

It sounds to me like she is seeking intense sensory input. Do you

have her in any kind of sensory integration therapy? There are many

underlying causes of head-banging, and uncovering this could provide

relief for both you and your daughter.

> Hi,

> I wanted to chime in on the med. issue because our daughter

> (8yrs) has been having head-banging episodes lately. One incident

> lasted for 5 hours, banging her head vigorously for about 5 mins,

> every

> 15 mins or so.

>

> After a 3hr wait at the ER, and a few tests. 1) head CT to see if

> she

> busted any blood vessels with the head banging, 2) X-ray to see if

> there were any foreign bodies (magnets, polly pockets) Both were

> clear.

>

> We made an appointment for a Psychiatrist at the local Childrens

> Hospital. Our main reason for this is to get a medicine that can

> sedate her when she " goes off " . He mentioned Vestril as a

> benzodiazipine that has light seditative effects.

>

> We're still investigating and considering it.

>

> Mark

[Guest guest]

Head banging often occurs from pain, like a headache. Try some Tylenol

or Motrin...if it helps, you can be pretty sure she had some pain

somewhere, and then work from there to try and figure out what was

causing it. I've seen kids head bang because of headaches, eye strain,

UTIs, ear infections, upset stomachs...they can't tell you, either

because they don't have the words, or because they don't know exactly

where it hurts (most ASD kids have body perception problems, so they

can't locate the exact source of the pain). So it takes a bit of

detective work.

Amnesty

>

> > Hi,

> > I wanted to chime in on the med. issue because our daughter

> > (8yrs) has been having head-banging episodes lately. One incident

> > lasted for 5 hours, banging her head vigorously for about 5 mins,

> > every

> > 15 mins or so.

> >

> > After a 3hr wait at the ER, and a few tests. 1) head CT to see if

> > she

> > busted any blood vessels with the head banging, 2) X-ray to see if

> > there were any foreign bodies (magnets, polly pockets) Both were

> > clear.

> >

> > We made an appointment for a Psychiatrist at the local Childrens

> > Hospital. Our main reason for this is to get a medicine that can

> > sedate her when she " goes off " . He mentioned Vestril as a

> > benzodiazipine that has light seditative effects.

> >

> > We're still investigating and considering it.

> >

> > Mark

>

[Guest guest]

Mark, I also recommend investigating the pain issue. I've heard so

many with autism say they did this because their head hurt, their guts

were in pain, or they were so frustrated they didn't know what to do.

I heard of one kid doing it because her parents were arguing & of

course it came back about her having autism, she felt responsible for

their misery. I apologize for not remembering, does she have digestive

troubles? If so, that might be the problem.

HTH, I know it's about as frustrating for you as her.

Debi

[Guest guest]

Mark, I also recommend investigating the pain issue. I've heard so

many with autism say they did this because their head hurt, their guts

were in pain, or they were so frustrated they didn't know what to do.

I heard of one kid doing it because her parents were arguing & of

course it came back about her having autism, she felt responsible for

their misery. I apologize for not remembering, does she have digestive

troubles? If so, that might be the problem.

HTH, I know it's about as frustrating for you as her.

Debi

[Guest guest]

Thank you all so much for your comments.

is in therapy of all kinds all day long with my wife as her

therapist (speech, occupational, sensory integration, and General

Education). Normally, my wife can redirect when she's starting

to bang her head, and she doesn't normally do this often. The

frequency does increase when she's battling a virus or cold.

doesn't have the Gut trouble so many of the autistics out there

suffer from. already is taking Benedryl liquid before bed each

night because of allergies. Vistaril was suggested because it works

quickly and it can be given on an " as needed " basis.

Eye strain may be something for us to dig deeper on because has

been squinting (sort of like a tick) and also covering her left eye.

At times she appears to be gouging at her eye.

Our Primary doc doesn't think needs to see a neurologist, nor

will she request an EEG or MRI of Em's noodle. Her last workup was

when she was 3, EEG and MRI didn't show anything remarkable. I think

we should do a long term EEG and see if the kid is having seizures or

even certain brain wave patterns prior to the head banging.

Thanks again.

Mark

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you all so much for your comments.

is in therapy of all kinds all day long with my wife as her

therapist (speech, occupational, sensory integration, and General

Education). Normally, my wife can redirect when she's starting

to bang her head, and she doesn't normally do this often. The

frequency does increase when she's battling a virus or cold.

doesn't have the Gut trouble so many of the autistics out there

suffer from. already is taking Benedryl liquid before bed each

night because of allergies. Vistaril was suggested because it works

quickly and it can be given on an " as needed " basis.

Eye strain may be something for us to dig deeper on because has

been squinting (sort of like a tick) and also covering her left eye.

At times she appears to be gouging at her eye.

Our Primary doc doesn't think needs to see a neurologist, nor

will she request an EEG or MRI of Em's noodle. Her last workup was

when she was 3, EEG and MRI didn't show anything remarkable. I think

we should do a long term EEG and see if the kid is having seizures or

even certain brain wave patterns prior to the head banging.

Thanks again.

Mark

>

[Guest guest]

Please be careful when prescribing medication to children. The use of SSRIs

(prozac,

zoloft, paxil, etc.) have been used frequently with children with autism. They

tend to be a

good medication for many with high anxiety, irritability, and mild OCD.

However, some

doctors are very quick to use medication because they are not aware of other

possible

tools to use. As a psychologist, I always recommend looking in three main areas

when

there is problem behavior.

1. Medical: Standard medical issues as well as dietary and digestive.

2. Sensory: Most children with ASD have very fragile nervous systems and need

sensory

input to help calm and organize them.

3. Functional Behavior Assessment: Most importantly, keep close eye on what is

occurring just prior to the head banging. Where is she at, what is going on,

who is she

with, what time it is, are there demands placed on her, etc? Try to identify

triggers for the

behavior and what function is the behavior providing. Behavior is

communication. Try to

establish what she is communicating with the behavior. From there, then you can

support

her in learning a replacement behavior that is more adaptive.

Medication can be a very important tool, but should only be given with the above

three

have shown to be ineffective, or at least only in conjunction with them.

Bill

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Please be careful when prescribing medication to children. The use of SSRIs

(prozac,

zoloft, paxil, etc.) have been used frequently with children with autism. They

tend to be a

good medication for many with high anxiety, irritability, and mild OCD.

However, some

doctors are very quick to use medication because they are not aware of other

possible

tools to use. As a psychologist, I always recommend looking in three main areas

when

there is problem behavior.

1. Medical: Standard medical issues as well as dietary and digestive.

2. Sensory: Most children with ASD have very fragile nervous systems and need

sensory

input to help calm and organize them.

3. Functional Behavior Assessment: Most importantly, keep close eye on what is

occurring just prior to the head banging. Where is she at, what is going on,

who is she

with, what time it is, are there demands placed on her, etc? Try to identify

triggers for the

behavior and what function is the behavior providing. Behavior is

communication. Try to

establish what she is communicating with the behavior. From there, then you can

support

her in learning a replacement behavior that is more adaptive.

Medication can be a very important tool, but should only be given with the above

three

have shown to be ineffective, or at least only in conjunction with them.

Bill

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Mark,

It makes me so angry when doctors don't listen to the parents. Our first

pediatrician kept telling me nothing was wrong with my daughter and her

delays were " all within the range of normal " . She belittled me and made me

feel like a stupid over anxious parent. She also missed my daughter's

asthma, telling me some kids are just loud breathers. Needless to say, we

now have a diagnosis of autism and mild CP and we lost out on 2 1/2 years of

interventions.

My lesson from this, if a doctor won't listen to you, switch doctors. Even

the new practice, which I love, has limitations. Their knowledge is

general. For the asthma, I started seeing a pulmonologist, and we got

things under control. Always go to the specialist if you suspect there is a

real problem. A good doctor should want to help you get your questions

answered and shouldn't make you feel stupid in the process.

To this end, have you considered a developmental pediatrician? Are there

any in your area? We also see an integrative medicine specialist who is

wonderful in helping with dietary measures. I would also look into a

developmental optometrist. If you think your daughter needs further testing

(I don't know how long it's been) I would absolutely insist on it. If your

doctor won't hear of it, don't stop until you find a doctor that will

support you.

Best of luck!

>

>Reply-To: Autism_in_Girls

>To: Autism_in_Girls

>Subject: Re: Zoloft

>Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2007 06:08:54 -0000

>

>Thank you all so much for your comments.

> is in therapy of all kinds all day long with my wife as her

>therapist (speech, occupational, sensory integration, and General

>Education). Normally, my wife can redirect when she's starting

>to bang her head, and she doesn't normally do this often. The

>frequency does increase when she's battling a virus or cold.

>

> doesn't have the Gut trouble so many of the autistics out there

>suffer from. already is taking Benedryl liquid before bed each

>night because of allergies. Vistaril was suggested because it works

>quickly and it can be given on an " as needed " basis.

>

>Eye strain may be something for us to dig deeper on because has

>been squinting (sort of like a tick) and also covering her left eye.

>At times she appears to be gouging at her eye.

>

>Our Primary doc doesn't think needs to see a neurologist, nor

>will she request an EEG or MRI of Em's noodle. Her last workup was

>when she was 3, EEG and MRI didn't show anything remarkable. I think

>we should do a long term EEG and see if the kid is having seizures or

>even certain brain wave patterns prior to the head banging.

>

>

>Thanks again.

>Mark

>

>

>

> >

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

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01

[Guest guest]

Mark,

It makes me so angry when doctors don't listen to the parents. Our first

pediatrician kept telling me nothing was wrong with my daughter and her

delays were " all within the range of normal " . She belittled me and made me

feel like a stupid over anxious parent. She also missed my daughter's

asthma, telling me some kids are just loud breathers. Needless to say, we

now have a diagnosis of autism and mild CP and we lost out on 2 1/2 years of

interventions.

My lesson from this, if a doctor won't listen to you, switch doctors. Even

the new practice, which I love, has limitations. Their knowledge is

general. For the asthma, I started seeing a pulmonologist, and we got

things under control. Always go to the specialist if you suspect there is a

real problem. A good doctor should want to help you get your questions

answered and shouldn't make you feel stupid in the process.

To this end, have you considered a developmental pediatrician? Are there

any in your area? We also see an integrative medicine specialist who is

wonderful in helping with dietary measures. I would also look into a

developmental optometrist. If you think your daughter needs further testing

(I don't know how long it's been) I would absolutely insist on it. If your

doctor won't hear of it, don't stop until you find a doctor that will

support you.

Best of luck!

>

>Reply-To: Autism_in_Girls

>To: Autism_in_Girls

>Subject: Re: Zoloft

>Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2007 06:08:54 -0000

>

>Thank you all so much for your comments.

> is in therapy of all kinds all day long with my wife as her

>therapist (speech, occupational, sensory integration, and General

>Education). Normally, my wife can redirect when she's starting

>to bang her head, and she doesn't normally do this often. The

>frequency does increase when she's battling a virus or cold.

>

> doesn't have the Gut trouble so many of the autistics out there

>suffer from. already is taking Benedryl liquid before bed each

>night because of allergies. Vistaril was suggested because it works

>quickly and it can be given on an " as needed " basis.

>

>Eye strain may be something for us to dig deeper on because has

>been squinting (sort of like a tick) and also covering her left eye.

>At times she appears to be gouging at her eye.

>

>Our Primary doc doesn't think needs to see a neurologist, nor

>will she request an EEG or MRI of Em's noodle. Her last workup was

>when she was 3, EEG and MRI didn't show anything remarkable. I think

>we should do a long term EEG and see if the kid is having seizures or

>even certain brain wave patterns prior to the head banging.

>

>

>Thanks again.

>Mark

>

>

>

> >

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

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01

[Guest guest]

Mark, you ever consider vision therapy?

Debi

[Guest guest]

Mark, you ever consider vision therapy?

Debi

[Guest guest]

Debi,

About vision therapy, we looked at the information, but determined that

didn't have the visual processing problems that those therapies

were helping with. One of the " therapies " my wife was using at the

time was a game of hop-scotch where she would get talkiing by

having her jump on the numbers as she said them. This movement was

instrumental in getting to use speech. She still cannot

communicate normally, but she can use short sentences to get her point

across.

has been seen by the vision specialist at the Children's

Hospital, and she determined that was seeing well, and was

processing the images correctly.

That was a year and a half ago. I may revisit that doctor to be

assured there isn't something else going on. Perhaps her recent Head-

baning has damaged something.

Our other daughter has Amblyopia/Strabismis known as " lazy eye " where

oneye turns in. Her symptoms came on suddenly, and I've been watching

emily closely in this regard, and haven't seen her eye wander at all.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

Mark

>

> Mark, you ever consider vision therapy?

>

> Debi

>

[Guest guest]

Bill,

Excellent advice. We have been at this for quite awhile now (over

5yrs). We've been able to identify the trigger in every other

situation accept this latest rash of episodes. There are always

irritations that cause her to " amp-up " as we call it, where she will

escalate her vocalizations in volume and frequency. An example of

that would be a low drone of a conversation that is occuring nearby

that she cannot " tune-out " . Also, the standard cent lighting,

fan noise, Car tires on the road in the rain, wind whistling past an

open car window...the usual.

We will NOT be throwing meds at this issue. We are only considering

it as an option to have on hand in case this situation occurs again.

Probably leaning toward Adivan. We already use Benedryl for alergies

and it helps her to go to bed at night, but it would not work fast

enough to be effective in the out of control head banging episode.

Thanks again, and its wonderful for you to contribute your expertise

to this group.

Regards,

Mark

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

,

We too had lost time in our early diagnosis of our daughter. My wife

first suggested that we evaluate for Autism because she was

unresponsive when we called her name this was about 13-15 months.

Her speech was delayed, but being a 2nd child we weren't too

concerned about that because we knew she could speak because she had

used words early on, they just became fewer and further between.

We kicked that Doc to the curb, as they say, and went to the Waismann

Center in Madison, WI for an assessment. We waited over 6 months and

filled out countless pages of questionaires. At the end of the day,

we had our diagnosis PDD-NOS that was when was 3, she is now 8

1/2 years.

We, my wife, has largely educated ourselves in the treatments and

therapies, and My wife has done all of her therapy at home everyday

all by herself. I handle the heavy lifting, meaning I take her for

her outdoor activities, turn taking at the playground and gross motor

skills and balance activities.

I'm so amazed at how well is doing and the fact that she is

such a happy kid. The Psychiatrist we just took her too, wrote in

his evaluation that " what the mother has accomplished is amazing " .

Thanks for your comments and keep fighting.

Regards,

Mark

> > >

> >

> >

>

> _________________________________________________________________

> Find what you need at prices you'll love. Compare products and save

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