to medicate or not?

[bonbons]

Hi, pleased to say that my 15 year old daughter settled in well at her new school and has been there a few months now. We have noticed big changes already in her behaviour, and her general attitude to education . She has an excellent TA who has managed to nudge her into lessons which would have previously sent her running for the hills, and indeed, in the first 3 weeks or so there, thats exactly what she did! ( well morrisons to be precise!). That has stopped and she is beginning to understand that staff are there to help her to manage her anxieties more appropriately and is willing to work with them now, however, at her recent 8 week review, it was suggested that anti anxiety medication should be discussed with camhs ( she currently only has melatonin for her sleep problems). This is not something I am entirely comfortable with and my initial thoughts on the matter were ' absolutely not, lets carry on with what we're doing', but equally, I don't to deprive her of something that could make all the difference? Watching her struggle to the point of almost pulling her hair out on occasions, when she has to make a decision for example, is really tough! What experience do other parents have of this dilemma? what types of medication are usually prescribed and did it help any of you guys, and are there any drawbacks ie side effects,reliance, withdrawal symptoms etc? Any advice would be appreciated!

[KKaren]

Hi, pleased to say that my 15 year old daughter settled in well at her new school and has been there a few months now. We have noticed big changes already in her behaviour, and her general attitude to education . She has an excellent TA who has managed to nudge her into lessons which would have previously sent her running for the hills, and indeed, in the first 3 weeks or so there, thats exactly what she did! ( well morrisons to be precise!). That has stopped and she is beginning to understand that staff are there to help her to manage her anxieties more appropriately and is willing to work with them now, however, at her recent 8 week review, it was suggested that anti anxiety medication should be discussed with camhs ( she currently only has melatonin for her sleep problems). This is not something I am entirely comfortable with and my initial thoughts on the matter were ' absolutely not, lets carry on with what we're doing', but equally, I don't to deprive her of something that could make all the difference? Watching her struggle to the point of almost pulling her hair out on occasions, when she has to make a decision for example, is really tough! What experience do other parents have of this dilemma? what types of medication are usually prescribed and did it help any of you guys, and are there any drawbacks ie side effects,reliance, withdrawal symptoms etc? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

 

Hi There

 

 

My son 13 suffers with extreme anxiety - I found sertraline was helpful took away a lot of worries of course not all but it did help him. Hope you get sorted.

 

k

[smiley1590]

with anxiety depression social anx etc obsessive thoughts - parexotine helped me loads ease the load off my world my shoulders i felt sigh of relief i felt so 'different' freerer magic meds was best meds i ever been put on thinking about going back on them as stopped taking them without docs knowing ages ago but feel may need a input to lift me up again as 'slipping down' falling off the edge ....

[Tally]

Hi bonbons,

 

Personally I would not have suggested medication at this stage. If she's only been there a few months and is already making massive improvements, I think I would want to give her chance to settle a bit more and also see if the anxiety management techniques offered by the staff are going to be effective, ie. can she eventually use them on her own without prompting from staff?

 

The most common medications used for anxiety are the SSRI antidepressants like sertraline, paroxetine or prozac. Don't be put off if antidepressants are suggested, they are used to treat a wide variety of conditions other than depression, including anxiety, OCD and eating disorders. Side effects tend to be mild, and pass after a couple of weeks. Some people need to try a couple of different ones before they find one that works well and doesn't cause side effects.

 

Whilst medications can lift some of the symptoms, they do not teach long-term coping skills that your daughter could continue to use after the treatment is finished. Even if medication is used, your daughter will still need support with learning coping skills. There is definitely a role for medication in many cases though. Sometimes the medication can lift severe anxiety to a point where the person is able to face the anxiety-making situations at all - you need to do this to try out coping skills.

 

I wouldn't rule medication out, but it does seem a bit hasty to be suggesting them when she's already progressing so well. Don't be afraid to discuss it with CAMHS. They are not going to force-feed your daughter prozac just because you tell them the school suggested medication could help. They should be able to answer any questions you have and help you come to the right decision. At 15, your daughter probably needs to be involved in the decision as well and may have questions of her own.