Medication for Kids?

Zhamay · ‎24-10-2015

Does anyone have children on medication? My 9 year old daughter has general anxiety, social anxiety and some sensory processing delays. She seems to be getting more and more anxious as her problems build up and I would like to try her on medication in the hope that she will open up to her psychologist and occupational therapist so that their treatment is effective. Her GP has referred her to a psychiatrist but we don't have an appointment yet and I don't expect one until next year. I would like to hear from anyone who has experience with this as I understand there are concerns with children taking antidepressant medication. I am worried that if we don't try this her problems are going to get much worse and I am very concerned for my little girl.

white knight · ‎24-10-2015

Hi Zhamay, welcome

I'd return to your GP to see if medication can be issued especially to tie your daughter over until next year.

You sound like a wonderful mum.

Tony WK

Sophie_M · ‎28-10-2015

Hi Zhamay, you sound like a really caring and thoughtful mother. You have linked your daughter into health professionals to get her support, and you are continuing to explore what else you can do to help her to manage her anxiety.

When it comes to medication for children you are right, there are some specific guidelines provided to medical practitioners for the prescription of antidepressants or anti anxiety medications so it is important to get the right advice. All medication comes with possible side effects, so it comes back to the need for you, in collaboration with your daughters treating doctor, to weigh up the possible risks and benefits of medication. It might also be useful to talk with the psychologist and occupational therapist about their sense of how your daughter is progressing at present. Learning to manage anxiety is something that can take time so their feedback can help you to determine whether your daughter is progressing in a way that they would expect for a girl of her age. Perhaps you could also talk with them about what expectations you should have of therapy over the coming months?

The decision about medication is one for you to continue to talk about with your doctor - or perhaps they could suggest another psychiatrist who you might be able to see sooner? In these discussion ensure you ask plenty of questions so you can also make an informed decision for your daughter; things like what are the possible side effects, what is the evidence for this particular medication, why would you pick this one over another for my daughter, how do I monitor my daughter? If you decide on beginning medication then ensure you also have a review period with the doctor so that you can both come in and talk about how it is going.

We understand Zhamay that you are very concerned for your little girl and that you want the best for her. Learning to cope with anxiety can take some time so try your best to understand what you can expect over the coming months from treatment, spend lots of quality time with your daughter encouraging her to use her new strategies where you can, continue to talk openly with each other about what is going on, and importantly keep having fun together. We would also encourage you to take some time to look after yourself in this process too.It can be exhausting when you are worried about your daughter so ensure your week has some time in it that involves you doing something quiet, peaceful or that you enjoy.

Please also come back and chat to us here on the forums. We are here to listen, support and do our best to care for each other. Take care

Zhamay · ‎06-11-2015

Thank you so much Tony and Sophie! I was having some internet problems when I posted this and didn't realise that it had gone through until I just got an email this morning notifying me I had responses.

I should tell you that I also have anxiety and depression, untreated for 36 years! I have now been on medication for about three months and it is the best thing I have ever done. While I have still had a few "down" moments and have been quite anxious lately (we are selling our house at the moment so my anxiety levels are very high), I am much calmer and happier in general. I have social anxiety and one of the main things I have noticed since taking medication is that I am more relaxed in social settings, which is great after a lifetime of going stiff and feeling flustered in large groups, parties, meetings etc.

Also, my 6 year old son has severe social anxiety, with associated selective mutism. He responded very well to psychological treatment and after a few months of "sliding in" with myself and his school teacher, he ended up talking to everybody in his class by the end of kindergarten, after not uttering a single word to anybody at school for the first 2-3 terms. He is much better now and thriving in his class but still gets very anxious at sporting events, parties etc.

My father also has a very strong history with severe depression and alcoholism and possibly bipolar. I really am not sure of his diagnoses.

My daughter has not responded as well to psychological treatment as we'd hoped. My husband and I have done "emotion coaching" classes through our psychologist, who treats me as well as my girl. At the moment, I am just taking all the pressure off her and letting her know that she is loved. It is not ideal because it means that I have to do a lot of things for her such as brushing her hair, tying her shoelaces, lying next to her while she goes to sleep and then having her burst into our bedroom at 1:00am and having her crawl into the bed between us. But if I don't do these things for her, she has a panic attack as soon as I even bring them up, and I think the risk of her anxiety increasing is far worse than the risk of her not being able to tie her shoelaces at age 9! She also has severe social anxiety and is struggling to make friends at her rather large school (she does have about 7 very close friends from school as well as outside school, so we know she can make friends and wants to). She is seeing her psychiatrist on 27 January.

Soozette · ‎24-09-2016

Hi Zhamay,

I've just stumbled across your post from last year and was wondering how your daughter is going? Did you end up having any success with the psychiatrist, and did you need to put her on medication for her anxiety?

We're going through something very similar at the moment and I'm think medication may be needed for my son, who is 10 years old. He's been missing school, sports and friends' parties etc as his anxiety has become so bad lately. I'm at my wit's end, as I'm sure you'd understand!

I'd love to hear from you and find out what's worked since your last post. I hope your daughter is coping better now, and that you're all in a happier, more relaxed place.

Zhamay · ‎26-09-2016

Hi Soozette

our daughter is going really well now. We did end up getting a referral to a psychiatrist who put her on medication. It has worked absolute wonders. While she does still have the odd tantrum or anxious moment, they are nowhere near as severe as they used to be, and resolve much quicker. This time last year she was having "meltdowns" several times a day and a bad one could last for hours. The other day she got angry at me because I told her to get off the computer. She stormed off, called me a stupid butt, but then 5 minutes later she was happy again. That would never have happened before! She is also much more confident socially now, too. She has joined the debating team and her teacher is amazed at her progress.

We still see her psychologist but don't need to as regularly anymore. We have found that all the things that her psychologist told her before seem to have sunk in now. She seems to be a lot more emotionally mature.

We don't have any ongoing side effects. Initially she was very sick - nausea, headaches, lethargy. It was very hard to watch. But she got over that after about a week or so and it has been smooth sailing ever since.

I would definitely recommend you discuss this option with your GP. I think it could be a huge help for him.

I hope everything goes well for him. Keep me updated!

Soozette · ‎24-10-2016

Thanks for the update Zhamay. I'm so glad to hear your daughter is doing better!

We're seeing a psychiatrist tomorrow, after trying to persist with CBT and not seeing much improvement - if any. I'm really hoping this psych can help us and possibly prescribe something to calm him down for a while. He needs a break from this constant worry, and hopefully he'll then be able to take in the psychologist's advice as your daughter did.

I'll let you know how we go.

Thanks again for letting me know how your daughter's going - I'm very happy for you. 🙂