OCD medications for teens?

[Joker]

Does anyone here have experience with this? We really wanted to avoid medications but youngest is starting to have trouble even eating due to worry about it being dirty/contaminated. Her therapist thinks medication for a few months to break the cycle of her anxiety would help.

 

Any recommendations for medications for young people? Any medications you think we should avoid? Any ideas would be helpful. TIA!

 

ETA: It's not an eating disorder. She also had difficulty in using a bathroom hand towel, using regular dishes (only wants disposable only she uses), etc. It's a cleanliness issue but since it is now affecting her eating it's become more serious.

[MyLittleBears]

We try to do natural whenever possible. Of coarse, that all depends on severity. We have seen very good results with a calcium magnesium supplement and cod liver oil. One of my boys has OCD tendencies but they have greatly diminished using this.

 

You may want to  corss-post on the learning challenges board. They may be more voices there.

 

 

 

ETA: Sometimes too much caffeine can aggravate anxiety. I know it does for me.

Edited June 14, 2016 by MyLittleBears

[MercyA]

nm

Edited June 17, 2016 by MercyA

[8circles]

Zoloft. Pm with questions.

[maize]

Have you tried NAC yet? That is what our behavioral pediatrician had ds10 take for OCD symptoms. I would try that before anythinf else (it is an amino acid supplement) because it is one of the few things that has shown clinical benefits for OCD.

[wapiti]

Another vote for NAC or a NAC/inositol combo, though I might add a smitch of a good b-complex if you do the inositol.  (Inositol made my kid feel fuzzy, which is why I would think about adding b vitamins.  We are way beyond all that, but that's a long story.  If your child has any issues with methylation, the immune system, or infections like strep, those are additional angles I would strongly recommend considering.)

[Cynful]

:iagree:  with Wapiti.  I'd try it first and wish we did.  My son is on Zoloft.  From research, sometimes high doses are needed for OCD.  It's rough for them and us, as parents, to watch them go through this.  It's affected our entire family.

[Joker]

How long did it take for you to notice a difference with the natural stuff? We have a psychiatrist appointment in less than a month and I would like to try that first.

[wapiti]

There is another poster who has had better luck with NAC and hopefully she will pipe in.

 

A few studies:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4423164/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26931055

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26374743

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16374600

 

For unrelated reasons, I'm hoping to keep ds on NAC for a long time, though we keep getting interrupted with other medical stuff we are working on.

Edited June 14, 2016 by wapiti

[Joker]

There aren't any other issues. She's been ridiculously healthy in all other aspects for years. She does have a small airway but grew out of those issues around 10. She does test abnormal in regards to thyroid blood work but the specialists thinks she is just one who always will as there are no symptoms.

[Joker]

So, writing out my last post caused me to Google OCD and thyroid disorders. There was a lot that popped up. Does anyone here know anything about any connection?

[wapiti]

I don't know anything about a connection other than the vague possibility of an immune/autoimmune issue underlying both.  Poking around a bit in my usual discussion board, I saw reference to Hashimoto's Encephalopathy.  Veering into autoimmune encephalitis is probably even more cutting edge and controversial than the general pandas stuff.

[East Coast Sue]

Try NAC. Start with a low dose (500mg or 600mg, depends on which brand you select). Then increase up to 1500-1800mg, maybe even higher dose for some kids. Our child's dr firmly believes this is beneficial for OCD issues.

[MyLittleBears]

How long did it take for you to notice a difference with the natural stuff? We have a psychiatrist appointment in less than a month and I would like to try that first.

 

 

It generally takes longer than doctor prescribed meds. About 3 month although it can be quicker. Your best bet is going through a naturopathic doctor. We like the book 100 natural remedies for your child by Dr. Skowron for a cheaper option.  I have to say though we saw a difference in our ds within the first two weeks.

 

 

ETA: we also had amazing results in this particular child with Diane Craft's Biology of Behavior program. He had an underlying yeast overgrowth problem (this can cause major depression) from a year of antibiotic use. It was reeking havoc on his nervous system. treatment for 3 months with a probiotic and grapefruit seed extract regimen cleared his yeast problem and brought his gut back to health. After that we were able to treat the OCD.

Edited June 14, 2016 by MyLittleBears

[MercyA]

nm 

 

Edited June 15, 2016 by MercyA

[TechWife]

You should take her to a psychiatrist and follow his/her recommendations. 

[Ottakee]

I am pro meds when needed.

 

That said, I agree with checking out her TSH. Should be 0.3-3.0. my dd is on thyroid meds and has been since she was 7.

 

We also find that 1000mg of EPA (not just total fish oil) helps to "grease" her system and smooth things out.

 

Even with both of those we still use meds.

[Joker]

The last time her TSH was tested was two years ago. It was 0.23 then.

[sbgrace]

I posted a thread a while back with my experiences with NAC and my son. He's a full responder. It takes a while, though, to see response. Specifically, some people take a full 9 weeks on full dose, or 13 weeks total, to see response with NAC.

 

Here it is http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/444394-effective-natural-treatment-for-ocd-perhaps-other-conditions/

My son takes 1200 mg twice a day (2400 mg total). The newer studies in pediatrics do 900 mg 3 x's a day (2700 mg total). It's more expensive last time I checked to get 900 mg vs. 600 mg pills. The lower dose works here. I assume, though, there is a reason they changed it to 3 x's a day in the follow up studies. In all cases, they work up to that dose. I used the pediatric studies to plan our work up in dosing.

 

I have a friend whose son did respond to NAC, but not enough. He still takes NAC but he also takes Zoloft. He is taking a pretty small dose compared to typical for OCD. She thinks that is because the NAC takes the edge off. Her daughter, very mild compared, is doing well with inositol.

 

My point is that's it's safe to try natural stuff first, but it's not a fast fix and it's not going to fix everyone.

 

My son's friend is doing really well with the Zoloft.

 

I would medicate, including Zoloft or similar SSRI drugs, if her life is being impacted to that degree. I am not a fan of Paxil--it's hard to come off of in my experience. Prozac was what they were going to prescribe for my son. That ones stays in the system a longer time. As far as OCD symptom management, all the SSRI's work similarly. Certain ones may work better for certain people though. 

 

I'm really sorry. I wish there was a cure for OCD.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2016 by sbgrace

[MercyA]

The last time her TSH was tested was two years ago. It was 0.23 then.

 

Okay, I was expecting you to say that it was high, indicating hypothyroidism. I would personally consider .23 on the low end of normal. I'm not a doctor, but I wouldn't expect that particular TSH level to be related to OCD.

[rwilk]

FWIW, I don't have experience with a teen.  But I started OCD medication in my early 20s, and I credit it for a lot of positive changes in my life.  I will say that the initial side effects were intense (it was like an out of body experience for a few days), but it helped me so much.

 

I'd talk through everything with her psychiatrist.  Mine also recommended NAC on the side. All in all, it stopped the cycle of thoughts/obsessions.  

 

Good luck.  I may erase this later so please don't quote.