LenasMommy07 Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I'm feeling a bit conflicted at the moment.. My daughter has several special needs and is only five years old. Currently she is in counseling and the counselor is highly recommending that I put her on medications for her obsessive complusive and anxiety symptoms. Have any of you put your child on meds this young? She just seems so young.. But the therapist seems to think her symptoms right now are getting in the way of her making real progress in all of her therapies.. I was just curious if anyone has been in a similar situation and did it help to use meds? She is already using supplements: Artic Cod Liver Oil, Multi-Vitamin and Melatonin.. Thanks in advance! ~ Elizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I'm feeling a bit conflicted at the moment.. My daughter has several special needs and is only five years old. Currently she is in counseling and the counselor is highly recommending that I put her on medications for her obsessive complusive and anxiety symptoms. Have any of you put your child on meds this young? She just seems so young.. But the therapist seems to think her symptoms right now are getting in the way of her making real progress in all of her therapies.. I was just curious if anyone has been in a similar situation and did it help to use meds? She is already using supplements: Artic Cod Liver Oil, Multi-Vitamin and Melatonin.. Thanks in advance! ~ Elizabeth Have you seen the studies linked here from Misty? http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=328958&highlight=dha+to+epa&page=2 It is possible that the brand of fish oil you are using is not giving you any results! The 1.2:1 EPA: DHA has shown good results for kids ages 5 and up. Fish oil does not work for everyone of course, but just wondering! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Yes, I have. I had DS5 on meds for his ADHD. I cried when I realized how much they helped and how much I had missed seeing my little boy be happy. That being said, I did take him off when he came home and we kept him off the meds for a year and a half before his symptoms got to be too much to handle again. I have also waited with DD (mood disorder). It is definitely a decision each family has to make for themselves. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleBears Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 :grouphug:I recommend Biology of Behavior CDs by Dianne Craft. It is a nutritional program that may help. It may not be a solution but couldn't hurt to try if first before going to the meds. I also agree w/pp. The quality of supplements makes all the difference. http://www.diannecraft.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 Yes my dd5 went on meds for severe ADHD. Was an extremely tough decision but it's been well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I was an attachment parent: nursed till 3.5, coslept, etc. I was SO not into medicating children. But on the advice of both the ped and the developmental pediatrician, we put her on medication for anxiety (celexa) when she was five. It was possibly the best parenting decision we've made. We had not even realized the extent to which her anxiety was affecting different aspects of her life. We had thought she might be on the spectrum, but when we started the anxiety meds, she started playing interactively with other kids. She had never been afraid of kids or socialization per se, but the anxiety was affecting it. It was affecting so much of her life. She's on a tiny dose, but within a month it made a huge difference. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I picked up this book from the library after I saw it recommended here: Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Kenneth Bock I have just started reading it but I would recommend you trying to get your hands on it before making your decision. My library system has three copies and I am in Canada so you should be able to find it in the US. I am not against meds but especially with young children, I would try to find other solutions before going that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I started my dd on ADHD meds at 3.5 yrs. it was a very had decision but it has helped dd so much. She is actually able to learn and play things she couldn't do then. It also unmasked things that are not part of the ADHD that need to be treated. We don't ask should I medicate with other diseases we just do it why is mental illness one where we worry so much...especially if we have already tried other things and it is still a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 He was an adult when he started, but I have seen my cousin who has Asperger's been so helped by anti-anxiety medicine. It makes me in favor of trying it. He cannot help that he has anxiety. He does not want to have anxiety. It is just what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I found a therapist who wanted to try going very slow and different methods first when meds were recommended. Not one of my DS's docs had a problem with that. It has worked but we are going at this very slow. My nephew did the same thing but he was on meds for ocd and anxiety. He improved so much and they are so happy. Nephew's therapist had him in therapy 2x a week on the meds and then slowly decreased the meds as he was learning to deal. It made a massive difference in his life. Ask the therapist what her plan is long term with the meds. That might help you decide. What does her other doctors think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 I was very against meds. My ds has tried risperdal twice and ritalin once. He's allergic to both, so he's not on anything. Give it a try. It could be the best thing ever and you'll know it was the right choice, or it may not be good but at least you'll know you tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 I keep saying IF I HAD KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW, WE WOULD HAVE STARTED HER ON MEDS AT 18 MONTHS---YES, 18 MONTHS. We tried all sorts of things before med and once did a med wash just to make sure we needed them---therapy, OT, PT, speech, gluten and dairy free, True Hope, neurofeedback, etc. and on and on. Meds have made such a HUGE HUGE difference for my daughter that I wish we would have pushed more for the specialists way back when---and she actually did start seeing a psychiatrist before her 3rd birthday (virutally unheard of, esp. 13+ years ago). Now, my daughter does have bipolar and I am not advocating meds first, but honestly, there is a time and place for proper meds under the close supervision of someone very experienced in using them in young children. It can be life changing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I had Zoloft recommended to me when my ds was 5--and i was very anti-meds. My ds just turned 9 and started Zoloft in the past month---I will honestly say that if I knew then what I know now, I would have tried the Zoloft when he was 5. I've even been pretty anti-meds on these forums....but the results I've seen in the past month make me want to take it all back. maybe some kids have different reactions than others---what works for one may not work for another kid...but how would you know without trying? We do continue with our supplements etc. I think meds may be effective combined with the other more natural alternatives. In fact I wouldn't do meds alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Meds have made such a HUGE HUGE difference for my daughter that I wish we would have pushed more for the specialists way back when---and she actually did start seeing a psychiatrist before her 3rd birthday (virutally unheard of, esp. 13+ years ago) :iagree: My son has been on fluoxetine (Prozac) since he was 2. We have three older children without special needs. Medication was *not* our first choice. For us, like most parents here, medication was the thing we choose when we'd exhausted all other options. After extensive testing and a hospital stay for our little guy, our neurologist finally recommended that we try medication. It was our magic bullet, and completely changed all of our lives. We took him off of the medication for an 9 month period last year, and all of his symptoms came back with a vengeance. We ended up putting him back on the meds. He has a pretty complex set of issues (a brain cyst and hypopituitarianism), but we can deal with those much more readily with the OCD and anxiety blunted. Our hope is that as he matures and develops more language, we'll be able to transition into other mental health therapies that will help him cope as he gets older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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