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[sheryl]

My dd is taking bipolar med. She has not been diagnosed with bipolar...she goes in for psych evals next month.

 

Do any of you have dc with bipolar...or any other condition that mimicks bi-polar.

 

Please help me put this in perspective.

 

Her dr/nurse said that some of her issues (she has controlled epilepsy) might be due to horomonal changes...she's turning 10 next month and pre-puberty.

 

And, they said that some of these conditions can be outgrown IF child is diagnosed early enough and starts on meds EARLY enough and on a REGULAR basis. They said add is this way, but I don't think they said that about bi-polar.

 

Anyone out there to offer advice to this Mom who is extremely overwhelmed right now??? THanks. Sheryl <><

[AnnetteW]

I would be very careful with giving psychiatric medication to a child. If you are not extremely confident with the expert you are dealing with, I would ask for referrals and find someone you have confidence in and has had success with treating others with a similar conditions to your dd.

 

HTH,

Annette

[Twinmom]

I have a DD about the same age as yours who has problems with extreme anxiety, which can mimic bipolar. Some say she has bipolar, but most who deal with her say no. In any case, she's a mess right now going through puberty. I've just been told to put her on Depakote to help her keep her moods stable. We've been told the same things as you about treating her early, then she may no longer have troubles in adulthood. As a therapist myself, I do believe this is true. Childhood tx is critical in order to prevent the development of personality disorders and other more long term conditions. Whether or not you can prevent the development of full blown ADD or bipolar is up for debate, but early tx is definitely a great preventative. Chemical imbalances are sometimes able to correct themselves in childhood while the body is still developing. Some are permanent, most are not.

 

Mood disorders are, in most cases, best viewed as part of a continuum or even as a grouping where each has overlapping symptoms into another. For example, my DD got her feelings hurt yesterday when a friend didn't want to play with her. She had a fit, crying and hollering and insisting that I call the mom IMMEDIATELY to find out what was wrong. She slapped me on the arm at one point. Is that bipolar, a panic/anxiety attack, a social phobia, or normal pubescent behavior? It can have aspects of all those things. Whether or not we treat the more extreme side of the spectrum (ie, bipolar) should be determined by the frequency, severity and extent of those symptoms. Do we need to label it as bipolar at her early age? Well, it sure may look like it and she may need a mood stabilizer now, but she may not need it forever if we tx her now before her personality and patterns of behavior are set.

 

Sure would be easier if we could just do a blood test and say definitively whether she has x, y or z disorder! Since we can't, we have to use our best judgement. Here at our house, we've personally decided that the risk of the meds is worth taking because it gives our DD the chance to experience a normal life early on before her personality is set...and it gives us the chance to be a normal family while she is still developing.

 

I'm thinking this through myself at this point, so forgive the ramblings! It's hard to make these decisions as a mom, isn't it?

Edited April 7, 2009 by Twinmom

[Ottakee]

My 13 dd has bipolar and has been on meds since she was 3. She also has seizures.

 

A positive is that some seizure meds (Tegretol, Lamictal, and Depakote) can also double as mood stabilizers. They might not be enough but it can be a start.

 

I know there is the theory about early treatment and it does make sense. I have heard it likened to diabetes. If you catch it very early, eat right, take the right meds, insulin, etc. then it is easier to control long term with less problems than if you allow it to go on and on, not take the meds/insulin, etc.

 

http://www.bpkids.org/site/DocServer/treatment_guidelines.pdf is a good document (but a few years old so Lamictal is much more widely used and proven safer now). This will explain a great deal about the various meds, how to chose which med, side effects, using combinations of meds, etc.

 

Bipolar is scary but properly managed, they can lead normal lives. I think one KEY (esp. if this really is bipolar) is to make SURE the meds are taken as prescribed. The biggest downfall for adults with bipolar is that they cycle, get on meds, the meds work, they then decide they don't need the meds, go off the meds, start cycling again, etc. That makes the bipolar harder to treat than if you treat it right and stay on the meds that work.

 

This is my own little soapbox.:glare: