I've finally decided to go the medication route (anxiety/OCD).. Question...

[Misty]

What would the drug of choice be for a 12yo girl with anxiety, OCD, and maybe some depression? Her appt. is Monday and I would like to be prepared to say no to certain drugs that are questionable or have too many side effects, etc. I would like to go with an SSRI, but what would the best choice be? And why? What should we stay away from?

[krystal70]

Not sure if this drug is approved for children but I take Celexa for my slight OCD and Anxiety. I am not taking it for depression even though it is a drug for depression. I take a very low dose and have had no problems with the meds. No odd side effects and I feel much more stable on it. Like I said though...not sure about it for a child but you could look into it.

 

HTH, Krystal

[Ottakee]

What type of doctor are you seeing? I would highly suggest a pediatric psychiatrist or other specialist that has a lot of experience with meds in girls this age.

 

The right med can be very personal and therefore varies from person to person but a top notch doctor will have an idea of the best 1 or 2 to try.

 

I would also suggest (if you have not already done this) to get a thyroid panel done as thyroid can play a role in this and is often overlooked for kids her age.

 

The Omega 3s are also very helpful. We used http://www.omegabrite.com for years but now are using Country Life Omega 3 mood with very good luck (and less cost).

[krystal70]

I completely agree with the poster above me! Very important to find someone well versed in peds and these types of medications.

:iagree:

[EKS]

My son also took Celexa for anxiety when he was 10. It worked well for the anxiety (or it seemed to from my perspective) but weaning off it was horrific.

[HeidiD]

What type of doctor are you seeing? I would highly suggest a pediatric psychiatrist or other specialist that has a lot of experience with meds in girls this age.

 

The right med can be very personal and therefore varies from person to person but a top notch doctor will have an idea of the best 1 or 2 to try.

 

I would also suggest (if you have not already done this) to get a thyroid panel done as thyroid can play a role in this and is often overlooked for kids her age.

 

The Omega 3s are also very helpful. We used www.omegabrite.com for years but now are using Country Life Omega 3 mood with very good luck (and less cost).

 

 

Excellent advice, Ottakee.

 

My 12 yo daughter has been on Luvox (SSRI) and Clonidine (for hyperactivity) for 6+ years. She is on a moderate dosage of both, with no side effects. This has turned out to be the ideal combination for her. Trial and error with other doctors and other meds before we found a pediatric psychiatrist who is an autism expert had mixed, and sometimes very bad results/side effects.

[Misty]

We are seeing a child psychiatrist, but I have no idea how knowledgable she is or how long she has been practicing or what types of patients she is used to seeing. We sat on a waiting list for another psychiatrist for months and never did get in. I finally called our insurance and asked them to cover a doctor who was not on their list. They are going to, but we sort of had to settle with whatever they gave us. I pray that we mesh well with her and she isn't quick to judge, or worse, tell me I need to put her in school (ugh). We've had some doozy doctors in the past! This will be our first time seeing a psychiatrist and requesting meds. We've only seen psychologists in the past.

 

Thanks for the medication and supplement suggestions. I will look into them.

[ValkyrieMom]

At 12 you have to be very careful of how a girl will internalize this. "I'm damaged goods/This is my IDENTITY now..." etc. This can set her up for very rough teen years. If it were my daughter I would fight tooth and nail to do everything I can (even though you probably already feel like you have, leave no stone unturned...) before settling on meds.

 

Dr Laura likes to say "Meds put the dragon in the dungeon, but the Dragon is STILL THERE." You are going to need a psychologist anyway, better to just *start* with one.

 

I know people for whom meds have worked--for divorce, job loss, etc. But I have yet to meet the OCD person who isn't still taking them 10 years later. Really. OCD is not a "life event" that passes, it is a state of being of sorts.

 

I have friends with this, I was married to a man with OCD...this is a bad road to go down. Terms "OCD" and "Depression" have a very wide spectrum and are too loosely used these days, IMHO. Besides, OCD and Depression are almost always results of SOMETHING ELSE. It's the SOMETHING ELSE you need to get to before settling on labels-for-life. And no, Meds don't always "help get you there". More often than not it becomes a crutch--as a pp said Getting off the meds can be worse!

 

Is this is a psychologist you are taking her to or a family doctor? The local university has supervised grad students that will do it for free. Call the Psych Department. They are always looking for hours to put in for their doctorate degree, and again, it's supervised.

 

Sorry to be so blunt, I have dealt with this and I would spare anybody the pain, especially from one mommy to another. :grouphug:

[Ottakee]

How did the appointment go? I agree that meds should not be the first option in many cases but in some cases, meds are needed.

 

You also have to weigh the quality of life the child has now with the quality of life that they can have with the meds.

[Laurie4b]

At 12 you have to be very careful of how a girl will internalize this. "I'm damaged goods/This is my IDENTITY now..." etc. This can set her up for very rough teen years. If it were my daughter I would fight tooth and nail to do everything I can (even though you probably already feel like you have, leave no stone unturned...) before settling on meds.

 

Dr Laura likes to say "Meds put the dragon in the dungeon, but the Dragon is STILL THERE." You are going to need a psychologist anyway, better to just *start* with one.

 

I know people for whom meds have worked--for divorce, job loss, etc. But I have yet to meet the OCD person who isn't still taking them 10 years later. Really. OCD is not a "life event" that passes, it is a state of being of sorts.

 

I have friends with this, I was married to a man with OCD...this is a bad road to go down. Terms "OCD" and "Depression" have a very wide spectrum and are too loosely used these days, IMHO. Besides, OCD and Depression are almost always results of SOMETHING ELSE. It's the SOMETHING ELSE you need to get to before settling on labels-for-life. And no, Meds don't always "help get you there". More often than not it becomes a crutch--as a pp said Getting off the meds can be worse!

 

Is this is a psychologist you are taking her to or a family doctor? The local university has supervised grad students that will do it for free. Call the Psych Department. They are always looking for hours to put in for their doctorate degree, and again, it's supervised.

 

Sorry to be so blunt, I have dealt with this and I would spare anybody the pain, especially from one mommy to another. :grouphug:

 

OCD and depression can often be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches a client strategies to manage the physiological stuff going on; however, it doesn't change it, just helps the person cope. Some people's symptoms are so severe they also need medication. OCD is not a situational diagnosis; it is also not something that is caused by "something else" that a psychologist needs to "get to." That is erroneous information. It is a lifelong issue, so it follows that a person who has OCD and needs meds will always need the meds. There is strong evidence that OCD is physical and there is evidence that links some childhood onset of OCD with strep that went to the brain.

[Misty]

At 12 you have to be very careful of how a girl will internalize this. "I'm damaged goods/This is my IDENTITY now..." etc. This can set her up for very rough teen years. If it were my daughter I would fight tooth and nail to do everything I can (even though you probably already feel like you have, leave no stone unturned...) before settling on meds.

 

She has been battling OCD for years. She has been to several doctors. She is not receptive to therapy at this time. My hope is that she will be more receptive after starting the meds.

 

Dr Laura likes to say "Meds put the dragon in the dungeon, but the Dragon is STILL THERE." You are going to need a psychologist anyway, better to just *start* with one..

 

We've already done that. She's seen several psychologists, a neuropsychologist, and a pediatric neurologist.

 

I have friends with this, I was married to a man with OCD...this is a bad road to go down. Terms "OCD" and "Depression" have a very wide spectrum and are too loosely used these days, IMHO. Besides, OCD and Depression are almost always results of SOMETHING ELSE. It's the SOMETHING ELSE you need to get to before settling on labels-for-life. And no, Meds don't always "help get you there". More often than not it becomes a crutch--as a pp said Getting off the meds can be worse!..

 

I have OCD myself and I have three daughters with diagnosed OCD. Believe me, I have done my homework on OCD. I have done so much research over the years. OCD is considered a neurobahavioral disorder. It has a very strong biological component, which basically means it's a "no fault" disorder. There isn't anything that a psychologist needs to "get to". There is no "something else" with OCD (unless the child has PANDAS, which is a whole nother thing, but my kids do not have PANDAS). I agree that a psychologist is helpful for OCD, but they are helpful with implementing therapy. Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Exposure and Response Prevention is the therapy of choice, but I have yet to find a psychologist in our area who will do this with children. One psychologist told us she needed medication because her case was severe. And as for the depression... My daughter also has Asperger's Syndrome. Kids with Asperger's are very susceptible to depression, meaning it comes easy to them. Kids with Asperger's also have bi-polarish behavior. People can be depressed without anything really "causing" the depression. There is what they call "situational depression" but there is also depression that just comes from a chemical imbalance or just having a brain that is wired differently.

 

And I'm just a tad confused as to why you think medication is "labeling" the child. Most people consider the diagnosis itself to be the "label". Believe me, I was anti-meds for years. I NEVER thought I would ever medicate my child for anything. But until you have a child who has this, you cannot possibly know what it's like. My child is suffering and she is excited about the meds. She cannot wait to get relief. She hates all the things she has to do. It's embarrassing for her and it interferes with her quality of life.

 

Is this is a psychologist you are taking her to or a family doctor? The local university has supervised grad students that will do it for free. Call the Psych Department. They are always looking for hours to put in for their doctorate degree, and again, it's supervised.

 

We have excellent insurance that pays 100% of all our medical bills. And no it's not a psychologist. Only a psychiatrist can prescribe meds.

 

Sorry to be so blunt, I have dealt with this and I would spare anybody the pain, especially from one mommy to another. :grouphug:

 

You've dealt with this? When was your child diagnosed and what therapies has she been through? Please share.

[Misty]

How did the appointment go? I agree that meds should not be the first option in many cases but in some cases, meds are needed.

 

You also have to weigh the quality of life the child has now with the quality of life that they can have with the meds.

 

We LOVED the doctor. The best we've been to yet! I was very pleased. She prescribed Zoloft and we are going back next week to talk about any side effects, etc.

[Ottakee]

Great. I hope it goes well for you. My daughter's friend has been on meds for years for OCD (I think Zoloft but not sure) and honestly, I never even saw any OCD with her on the meds---and being a mom of special needs kids with a degree is special ed I usually pick up on those things. It has worked very well for her without side effects.

 

Keep us posted.

 

We LOVED the doctor. The best we've been to yet! I was very pleased. She prescribed Zoloft and we are going back next week to talk about any side effects, etc.