Children and anxiety meds

hi dawnald I am with you on this one. When my son started first grade he was bored silly as he already knew all the work so he was fidgety and right away there was this push to get him on Adh medications . we decided not to do that at all, we took him to a child psychologist who said he did not have that attention deficit stuff at all, he was completely normal but tested two grades ahead of his first grade class so we got a grant and put him in a private school for gifted children and he was just fine.No fidgeting,no nothing, he was doing very well. So I am against all these meds for kids, too many side effects to suit me. He did very well in school and grew up to be a fine intelligent man.good luck. God bless.

How bad is her anxiety? Is she having panic attacks consistently enough to warrant it? If so, feed her bananas every day and other things high in potassium. A potassium deficiency can cause panic attacks. I used to have them daily and for long periods of time; it was a potassium deficiency. Please be careful with the naturopath as they may prescribe some weird herbs that can do more harm than good. Studies are showing that many natural methods do not work. Barring any diet related problems of course. Try to find independent studies on any herbs and treatments the naturopath may want to give. Check your local library to get on their computer system and look for scientific studies regarding these things. I was a student of psychology, and one of my instructors worked as a child psychologist and with another child psychologist who has written papers on these medications and children. Not medicating or diagnosing children until they are 18 is a rule they are trying to get passed. Children have hormonal surges, even as young as 5 can have hormonal changes, and of course one does not want to diagnose a teenager because of the hormonal changes in their bodies that cause them to act much differently than a rational person. If there is no danger to the child, for example cutting would be dangerous then you need to do something about it and more than likely medications may help. Is your daughter seeing a behavioral therapist? There are many different types of therapists, and I rather like the behavioral therapist. I hope you can get through this preferably without meds.

Hi Dawn. I don't like the idea of a 14 year old using such medicines. I don't know of either of the two mentioned, but I'm sure there would be alternatives. Dearra is at an age when she is changing in every way possible: physically and especially emotionally. Anxiety is part of the teenage life and many NEED help to get through these challenging years, but I do not think medication is the way to go. Dearra has the best medicine of all: a caring, understanding mother who is a friend and with whom she can confide, but she possibly needs other help as well. A GOOD naturopath (there are not so good ones) might suggest certain foods and the elimination of other foods and might also prescribe herbal helps. Depending on Dearra's attitude towards the idea, a behavioural consultant could help, but COULD make Dearra feel worse about herself. As her mother - and her friend - YOU are the best one to ascertain her needs and I have every confidence you will make the right decisions.

Crap! Not Zoloft, I'm allergic to that stuff. It gave me hallucinations. It's an anti depressant that works on the chemical/electrical signals to the brain and untangles them. Try her on St John's Wort...an herb but check the side effects first. It's an anti anxiety treatment, a relaxant that helps you sleep and all.

I dont think children should be put on medication at such a young age. How young is the child ? There are other alternatives. Like just having a healthy lifestyle.

Hi Dawn, When i worked with teen moms in washington dc two years ago, one of the teen moms use zoloft. it calms her down and lessen her having bad moods and "attitudes". she was able to manage and control herself. it was helpful i may say. i am one of their primary counselors and is administering the intake of meds.

Not with children with Zoloft, but with spouse and also with the elderly. It is one of the fastest anti depressants to build to a therapeutic level and also to leave the system when discontinued. It is considered one of the milder meds. Paxil, I do not trust. My son took it for awhile his senior year. So, of the two, I feel Zoloft would be the better choice. What about folic acid or b-complex vitamins?

Hi Dawn! I'm not also very comfortable with the idea of giving children some meds as early as now. I don't know the age of your daughter though, but it seems like giving them meds now might result to dependency on it. Not sure about the effect. I guess I am more into the behavioral approach. Try to seek the help of behavioral and developmental doctors and they might be able to help you how to address the matter. She could have some behavioral therapies and learn techniques such as like guided imagery, relaxation training, progressive desensitization etc. She can also have Cognitive-Behavioral therapy. This kind of therapy addresses the underlying "automatic" thoughts and feelings that result from thoughts. CBT is based on The idea that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors and not external things like people, place, situation and events. The benefit of this therapy is that we can change the way we think to feel or act after. For the moment your support is badly needed by her. Make her feel secure all the time, don't lose her trust coz this is very crucial. As her mother you are her source of security. Goodluck Dawn and I hope your daughter will feel much better. :)

I don't have any experience but I would recommend the natural alternatives method or at least researching to find your best option. Of course you are her mother so you will be able to feel what's right when you find it. I don't really blame you for being uneasy about those medications. There are some pretty bad side effects out there that you have to watch out for.