22 replies to this topic

[alexmum2]

Has any one's child een on this anti depressent drug if so how long for and what were the effects,did it help with the problems they were having; any info would be helpful as CAMHS have suggested that my son should go on this medication.

[isme]

Hiya,
My husband has been on this for several years.
It takes a long time to get into anyones system - about 6 weeks and there are many side effects.
I run a forum for people and their carers/family/loved ones with depression and mental health illness and on there we have seen many people on this medication, admittedly not many children, but at least then you can talk to people on it and see the good things and the bad things about it.
Its the same with any anti d. Side effects should last no longer than 2 weeks. If they do go back and see your gp it may be that the doseage needs to be altered or a new drug needs to be tried.
The link to the forum (should you want to) is www.dealingwithdepression.co.uk

HTH

[Karen A]

Hiya,
My husband has been on this for several years.
It takes a long time to get into anyones system - about 6 weeks and there are many side effects.
I run a forum for people and their carers/family/loved ones with depression and mental health illness and on there we have seen many people on this medication, admittedly not many children, but at least then you can talk to people on it and see the good things and the bad things about it.
Its the same with any anti d. Side effects should last no longer than 2 weeks. If they do go back and see your gp it may be that the doseage needs to be altered or a new drug needs to be tried.
The link to the forum (should you want to) is www.dealingwithdepression.co.uk

HTH

Hi.I think it is medication that is used fairly commonly for adults.I have certainly nursed several patients that were prescribed it.
However different recommendations on prescribing apply to under 18s.Also some medications can be prescribed for under 18s but with limits regarding age.So for example some over the counter medications should not be used for under 12s.
Medication that is widely prescribed for adults can in some cases not be used with under 18s at all.I think it may not be a good idea to attempt to obtain information that applies to adults such as side effects etc and transfer it to children or teenagers.The age difference is I think too significant and could be confusing. Karen.

[alexmum2]

Thanks isme I'll have a look at the web site, not sure if i want my child on medication, seems to me all they want to do is releive the syptoms but not address the the courseof the syptoms with is not fitting in at school.

[Karen A]

Thanks isme I'll have a look at the web site, not sure if i want my child on medication, seems to me all they want to do is releive the syptoms but not address the the courseof the syptoms with is not fitting in at school.

Hi.I am not sure what the difficulties are at school.However if your son is anxious about school then antidepressants may not help anyway.Although they may help reduce anxiety they are mainly for depression I think.
Have CAMHS offered an alternative such as talking therapy like CBT ?
If not it might be worth asking them if you think it might help.
CBT and other talking therapies are now suggested as first line treatments for depression in the latest giudelines for adults.
Young Minds is very good regarding mental health issues for children and teenagers.I will find a link.It may be woth looking at the advice they give regarding anxiety and depression.Karen.

[Karen A]

http://www.youngminds.org.uk/
This is the young minds web site.

[Karen A]

http://www.rcpsych.a...oungpeople.aspx
Some of these leaflets produced by the Royal College of Psychiatrists may be useful too.

You could also phone Young Minds.The helpline is very good.

[Mumble]

Thanks isme I'll have a look at the web site, not sure if i want my child on medication, seems to me all they want to do is relieve the symptoms but not address the the cause of the symptoms which is not fitting in at school.

That's the key issue and you're right to raise it - what you don't want is to be masking an issue which you then have to deal with in a heightened form months or years later if/when he come off medication.

However, if the symptoms are very severe, medication may help in that it takes the 'edge' off and allows him to engage with therapy to deal with the underlying issues in a way he may not have been able to engage if he was experiencing extreme anxiety/depression. It is also worth noting, as Karen raised, what they are treating - anti-depressives can be used to treat acute anxiety but they have to be taken in quite high doses.

It would be worth asking those who have suggested medication what their intentions are, if they are offering therapy alongside, and how long they expect treatment to last. What does your son think to medication?

[Karen A]

Hi.I have double checked the information regarding Fluoxetine specifically now.Although it is an anti-depressant it is also used to treat anxiety.So it may help if your son is anxious as well as depressed.However whether the treatment is for anxiety or depression I would still agree with Mumble and with the other comments in my earlier post.Karen.

[Stella63]

Hi

OJ has been on fluoxetine for about 18 mths - he has just turned 13 now. The suggestion was made by the CAHMS psychiatrist who was also part of the Tourettes team at St Georges hospital and she also did a second dx of Aspergers - she was the ONLY decent CAHMS person we ever saw and she didn't stay there very long. She recommended the Prozac for OJ's anxiety and OCD and I have to say he has had no side effects and I notice if he doesn't take it for a few days - he gets louder and less in control of himself.

But an interesting point from Mumble that it can work along side therapy like CBT - we are in the situation where OJ refuses to see his CAHMs psychiatrist because he is absolutely useless, so he is getting no input from the professionals! Its actually quite frightening that these 'professionals' make recommendations for our kids and then basically sit back and do nothing. Last time I took OJ to see the man it was because he was traumatised by the behaviour and actions of his older brother - CAHMS guy was horrified, said he would put OJ on an art therapy course (talking through art) or something like that rather than 1to1 counseling - guess what - nothing has happened!!!

Sorry, got a bit carried away there!!!

Stella x

[Diane]

My daughter was on fluoxetine for a while. She also had sessions at CAMHS as she lst the plot abit having to live with our DS who is AS. It made the difference for her and abled her to go to counselling . If it had not been for the fluoxetine she would I believe co me to har,m. she had mild side effects for two weeks but was then ok.

[lbj]

It's Prozac (generic name for).

janine

[smiley1590]

i was on prozac meds when first diagnosed at 14 years old! as i spiralled into a deep and dangerous depression and MH dropped alot during this time pyschtrist at CAMHS prescribed me it! i wasn't right for me didn't feel it worked alot for me! but could really help your son see more clearer in his life! and get MH in focus i still suffer with depression and anxiety i on different meds now for it only for depression i take at night to help me sleep as suffer from insomia! i take meds cause can't function and cope with everyday life i self-harm and get suicidal with my depression! i don't take anything for my anxiety which i did see my pyschtrist soon from adult MH team but don't really feel get anywhere with him! feel like banging my head off a wall! (not literally that is!) he annoys me and frustrates me alot!

hope it works for your son!
take care
XKX

CBT i was put in for too soon but CAMHS after assessment and diagnoses! (social anx disorder,AS!) but may be worth researching into as treatment alongisde anti-depress meds as don't work on there own norm need somthing else there 2!

hope CAMHS told you off side effects that go with it!

[smiley1590]

i was on prozac when 14 when official diagnosed at spralled into deep dark place what know now as depression CAMHS suggested it to me! -my chold pyschtrist at the time! i scared myself and i was afraid of myself and how i felt prozac didn't work for me! but might work for your son! i now still have depression and anxiety im on anti depressants now but diffrent ones for helping me sleep for insomia! i find ones i'm on now helps me more! i'm on high dose now! i worked up on dosage on prozac came off them as wasn't for me! have u talked over side effects and why they feel your son would maybe benefit from anti-depressants! they take couple of weeks get into sleep and make feel bit doppey for couple of days of starting them (drowsy!) so be prepared and if not sure talk it through with MH professional you can trust and feel safe and secure! do you think meds would help your son? what would he need meds for? depression,anxiety? suicidal thoughts self-harm? like some others on here said maybe CBT would work nicely alongside anti-depressants meds as meds on normally work better with other work too! maybe ask CAMHS for this! they can provide this service behavioural therapy! it hard work and effort but worth it even though i was put in too soon after official diagnoses (social anxiety disorder,AS!)

hope it works for your son even though didn't for me! good luck with everything!

take care
XKX

[alexmum2]

Many thanks for everyone's reply's I will take on board what every one has said and deffinatly ask what ohter theropies they are going to offer in conjunction with this medication and what they hope it will do for my son.

[alexmum2]

Many thanks for everyone's reply's I will take on board what every one has said and deffinatly ask what ohter theropies they are going to offer in conjunction with this medication and what they hope it will do for my son.

[Louisa]

Hi

My daughter has been on Fluoxetine (Prozac) for just on a year now. Her diagnosis is social phobia, high anxieties & depression but she has lots of Asperger’s traits and is out of mainstream school.

She was nearly 13, nearly 14 when a locum Physciatrist at CAMHS suggested that she try Fluoxetine, but I and the rest of the family were not too happy about it, feeling that it was just masking her symptoms (I don’t feel she has real depression anyway). He told us that he had a daughter around the same age, and if it was his daughter with the same problems, he would not hesitate to treat her with it

He also told us that suicidal thoughts could be increased whilst on this drug but this is very rare. Anyway I still wasn’t convinced and said I would think about it.

CAMHS then got a new Physciatrist who again said he felt it would benefit my daughter (although I am convinced he didn’t read her notes and just agreed with what the last guy said). She has seen him 3 times since & he never remembers her but tries to pretend to and when asked admits he doesn’t have time to read the notes.

Anyway L went on Prozac and it took about two months to have any effect. She has not had any significant side effects but she has been sleeping more than she used to and often feels sick (apart from the usual anxiety sickness).

Prior to taking this medication she was unable to go into shops but now can. It has also helped her to be able to attend her school (a school for pupils that can’t handle mainstream school but there are only about 6 pupils there at any one time) but she couldn’t do this previously.

So in summary, this medication is definitely no miracle cure; our daughter still cannot socialise & sometimes can’t attend even this school but it has helped her a little and family can see the difference in he confidence levels.

Whilst she has been on Fluoxetine, she has been having weekly sessions with the psychologist at CAMHS and has done a bit of CBT but this has been unhelpful as she is so rigid in her negativity and thinking.

So in summary, I don’t think it is anything to be afraid of, and it may be worth trying for you son. Good luck and let us know how he gets on.

xx

[alexmum2]

Louisa very interesting what you have said, and I'm very please you have told me this because it prepaires me for what may or could happen oon taking this medication.; i'd just like to mention we had another visit today with CAMHS and they have now suggested that my son have a cat scan to make sure that there are no underlying organic reasons why he is hearing voices and seeing things; before they prescribe the medication ; I must admit this was a bit worrying; I seriously feel that all this is due to stress as my son says he only started to her this person and see them when he started secondary school. i keep you informed. Thanks again xx

[Karen A]

Louisa very interesting what you have said, and I'm very please you have told me this because it prepaires me for what may or could happen oon taking this medication.; i'd just like to mention we had another visit today with CAMHS and they have now suggested that my son have a cat scan to make sure that there are no underlying organic reasons why he is hearing voices and seeing things; before they prescribe the medication ; I must admit this was a bit worrying; I seriously feel that all this is due to stress as my son says he only started to her this person and see them when he started secondary school. i keep you informed. Thanks again xx

Hi alexmum.
If your son is reporting hearing voices and seeing things and this is a new thing I think it is worth following CAMHS suggestion regarding the CAT scan and checking that there are no other underlying causes of the change.I can understand that it is a worrying time for you.
Although the hearing voices and seeing things could be related to stress if they are new then they may not be ASD related.There are other mental health difficulties that are not related to ASD at all that may first develop during adolescence.So I think it might be worth ruling them out if only for your own peace of mind.
I am not an expert at all.However the hearing voices and seeing things does make things more complicated.It sounds a good idea to not start on fluoxetine without CAMHS being sure that there are no organic reasons for the depression.Karen.

[alexmum2]

Hi

OJ has been on fluoxetine for about 18 mths - he has just turned 13 now. The suggestion was made by the CAHMS psychiatrist who was also part of the Tourettes team at St Georges hospital and she also did a second dx of Aspergers - she was the ONLY decent CAHMS person we ever saw and she didn't stay there very long. She recommended the Prozac for OJ's anxiety and OCD and I have to say he has had no side effects and I notice if he doesn't take it for a few days - he gets louder and less in control of himself.

But an interesting point from Mumble that it can work along side therapy like CBT - we are in the situation where OJ refuses to see his CAHMs psychiatrist because he is absolutely useless, so he is getting no input from the professionals! Its actually quite frightening that these 'professionals' make recommendations for our kids and then basically sit back and do nothing. Last time I took OJ to see the man it was because he was traumatised by the behaviour and actions of his older brother - CAHMS guy was horrified, said he would put OJ on an art therapy course (talking through art) or something like that rather than 1to1 counseling - guess what - nothing has happened!!!

Sorry, got a bit carried away there!!!

Stella x

Hi Stella Know what you mean ; I was asked by my son's school to request support from Cognative behavioural therapist's throught CAMHs but when i mentioned this by phone call to psychiatrist after a recent visit he said he didn't know what i was on about and that they don't provide that kind of thing; but i know that they do because of what i have read on this site and by what my son's school have said ;makes you wonder what is going on, I feel it must have something to do with funding. PS get carried away as much as you like I do. Alexmum2 x

[flyingladybird]

there are quite a few links on google, utube or books about drug use on children with ASD/mental health issues.
peter breggin (psych & Author) is well known.
prozac on children, long-term use may cause a lot of isssus, the drug will change the way brain works. withdrawal has been known to be quite nasty, may cause psychosis on adults though I appreciate people need something if so desperate.

[Tally]

When something is so widely used as Prozac, there are bound to be some people suffering unusual reactions. The same is true of Aspirin. It doesn't mean it doesn't have a role.

[BillyX]

Well spank me ...... I took fluoxetine for depression, side effects were queeziness and headaches ..... AND... I had never associated the seeing things (I saw people) and hearing voices with the drug, however I have just realised that I did not see things or hear voices before or after I stopped. I am Autistic adult.
The medication did not agree with me and certainly didn`t lift my mood. I am quite surprised to find it being prescribed for anxiety, these days there are better prescriptions. See your GP on that.