Paige Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Has anyone used meds for treating primarily school related anxiety? My DD is practically non functional with her math anxiety. She knows the math and can do it if I talk her through it, but she ends up crying every day because she gets too scared. I have to reassure her over every step or she shuts down. Things like what number comes before or next (adding/subtracting by 1) will frequently paralyze her. She's in 3rd grade and able to multiply and add all numbers, so adding or taking away 1 shouldn't be an issue. She's just always afraid she's going to be wrong. She's been tested and the Dr thinks it is anxiety and not an intelligence issue. I took her in to be evaluated for LDs and the Dr said there may be a small LD involved but that it doesn't come up as the main factor. She also has problems with routine household activities like showering (afraid of noise, water, soap bubbles), going to the restroom in public (doesn't want anyone to know or to have to ask), talking to people (shyness), and basic ability to make decisions (fear of making wrong one in just about any situation means she freezes and does nothing), but the main impact the anxiety is having on her life is an inability to function in school and learn. Math makes her the most anxious, but she also has issues with spelling, writing, and reading. Usually it involves her crying and saying she can't do something but when pressed to perform she will either get it correct or is easily able to correct it without much help, or she just completely shuts down and is unable to do anything reasonable. This is why she is homeschooled and it wasn't any better or worse in PS. The Dr who evaluated her can't medicate so I'd have to ask for a referral. I'm not sure if it is something we should do or not. On the one hand, she is definitely suffering and not really functional if any kind of problem comes up. On the other hand, I hate medicating and I hate having to see another Dr regularly, and other than her schoolwork, we can work with her other problem areas without too much tears every day. If you did use meds for anxiety, was it something you could or think you will be able to quit using in the future? I was thinking maybe she could take something for a couple of months so she can see success and see that she is good at it and then she may not be anxious about that anymore if we stop the meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 My son took Celexa for anxiety for about 6 months when he was 10yo. It really helped him. Weaning him off the meds was a bit rocky but after about two months things were much improved. I do think he learned how to deal with stress differently while on the meds and that it carried over afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 She also has problems with routine household activities like showering (afraid of noise, water, soap bubbles), going to the restroom in public (doesn't want anyone to know or to have to ask), talking to people (shyness), and basic ability to make decisions (fear of making wrong one in just about any situation means she freezes and does nothing... My 8 year old was like all of the above quoted and is a mixed of SPD, SM and perfectionism (though we have not done an official evaluation). He has improved with age but still avoids public restrooms and its really hard to get him to bath. For anxiety medications, I was not allowed by my doctors since young to go on them. The possiblity of me developing an intolerance/immunity was too high in my case. I did had one time Xanax as a teenager twice due to anxiety attacks. I was advise to take B Complex supplements daily for stress though. My opinion would be to get a referral and understand what your options are. Anxiety medications are tricky in that there is no one size fits all either. Asking for a referral and consultation does not oblige you to medicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I wonder if beta blockers would work? They're used for performance-related anxiety for musicians/actors and the like, and I think are able to be used more situationally than something like Xanax or Lexapro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Oh, my goodness, RUN, don't walk and get her some meds! That sounds awful for both of you. I swore up and down I was never going to medicate my children, but then my five year old started having panic attacks every time we left the room and was unable to learn, socialize, or sleep. It was truly the best parenting decision we've ever made. The difference it made was phenomenal and impacted every area of her life. If it was JUST math, then that might be one thing, but what you're describing is pretty pervasive. To be honest, I had no idea how much of an impact my dd's anxiety was having on a bunch of related things. The medication allowed her so much more freedom in how she developed, and it also helped her get past having a self-image defined by being scared of everything. It allowed her to learn to coping skills. And, if it's not working, you can take her off it. I might look into therapy and OT also, but seriously, it made such an incredible impact on all of our lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Thank you! I thought people would think it was crazy to medicate for math anxiety. I'll see what the doctor thinks when we go next. She really is getting better on her own in a lot of ways. When she was a toddler and preschooler she was much worse and would cry if anyone looked at her and spent story time at the library with her face on the floor and her hands over her head so nobody could see her. Now, she is still shy with adults but can talk to them if she has to and she can make friends easily with other kids. She even auditioned for and was in a community play recently. The social anxiety is so much better but her anxiety over decisions and super low pain/discomfort tolerance are our biggest struggles. Today, she erased a whole page of perfect answers because she heard me going over a different page with her sister and thought hers were wrong. Then she cried because she was wrong about being wrong and couldn't even get being wrong right! :crying: I tried to have her take a break and calm down but that just made her more upset because she feels like taking a break means she has failed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 That level of perfectionism and fear of being wrong is almost ocd-ish. And definitely crippling. That's some serious, hard core anxiety. I vote for meds and counseling, if possible. But what helped me was realizing it was not a life or death decision. Can always go off of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geodob Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Paige, the question is whether the anxiety is the cause or the symptom? Specifically a symptom of Perfectionism as a Disorder? For example, when she erased the whole page of perfect answers, did she do this because she thought the answers might not be perfect? Where she then becomes anxious about them not being perfect. So that while the meds might reduce her anxiety. Will she still erase the perfect answers, just in case one is wrong? On the other hand, if she reduced the expectations on herself, and accepted that getting some answers wrong is okay? Would she then feel anxious? Where the meds might just reduce it from a fear of doing something wrong, to thinking she will do something wrong? I found an article that discusses this: http://www.adavic.org.au/PG-articles-perfectionism-anxiety-.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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