Advice required for my 14yr old nephew reactions to anxiety medications

[bec_smile]

My nephew has struggled with anxiety all his life in a mild form. He has just turned 14. For the last few months he hit rock bottom crying and was very sad. Getting him to school was a battle. They took him to counsellor Dr and psychologist he was prescribed one medication and was not working so a few weeks later he switched to another medication.
This did not seem to help. He was starting to act completely out of character. He went from a boy who was she reserved and good at school to getting 6 warnings in one day. His care factor was 0. He was saying strange things and acting weird. He stole someone's assignment and presented it to the class. This was completely out of character. He went online and purchased a lot of items with no remorse.
They said the antidepressant may be too strong for him so suggested mood stabilizer one dose was given I think then he was super aggressive and mad ended up in hospital but did not stay as by the time drs got to see him he would have been asleep
They decided to stop all meds to try and start with a clean slate took him home and morning was ok but afternoon was full of abuse
He has become verbally abusive and physically abusive and throwing things. He is not at school and wants to go but is in no state to go, he is wired one minute and reasonably calm the next
We r praying this is not permanent
We just want our boy back
Any advice would be appreciated
We r desperate

[james1]

Hi bec,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It sounds really difficult and confusing, because his character seems to have changed so much in the last few months.

If he stopped the medication recently, withdrawal effects can often present afterwards, and they could be causing him to be very irritable. In my own experience, medication side effects have lasted weeks on end sometimes and can be really quite bad. But if you do find one that works, the side effects will start to reduce and the benefits can be seen afterwards.

Do you mind if I ask if he is still seeing a counsellor? Given his age, there'd be a lot of social pressures as well and the combination of that and the medication side effects could be something the counsellor would know more about, and be able to help you with.

I hope you feel comfortable replying here. There's a wealth of knowledge here for not only people with mental health issues, but also for carers as well.

And before I forget - depending on your relationship with him, it could be helpful if he was made aware that BeyondBlue's support line is anonymous and they also speak to younger people as well. He may feel more comfortable starting by talking to them instead of someone closer to him.

James

[geoff]

hello Bec, you have said it in a nutshell ' he is wired one minute and reasonably calm the next', and although I'm not a doctor this indicates that he may have BPD, but his doctor will have to diagnose him and then prescribe him with the correct medication, otherwise these highs and lows won't be able to be controlled to the best of their ability.
I know that you have taken him to a doctor but perhaps you could try another one, so if click onto 'Get Support' at the top of this page and scroll down until you see 'Find a Professional' then you maybe lucky to get someone who understands his condition, because these doctors are aligned to BB and deal with mental illness.
I'm not saying that they will help him, but at least he has to try them before any judgement can be made, and if they do happen to work then his life will be more manageable, not only for him but for you as well. Geoff.