Need luck on new medication

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
difficult child is trying Prozac/fluoxetine. The psychiatrist insisted that it was chemically dissimilar enough from Zoloft that he wouldn't get the awful reactions he got last time.
She instructed us to dissolve a 20 mg tablet into about 8 oz. of cranberry juice, and have him sip some every day, to get the medication into his system. She said the cranberry juice had a good pH so the medication will stay fresh up to 10 days.
The goal is to actually take a 20 mg tablet.
He is on winter break right now so this is a good time to try new medications ... he won't miss any school this way!
I suggested Imprimamine, Seroquel, and Risperdal but she did not want to try them yet. She still thinks difficult child has mild depression and anxiety from his Asperger's issues and that the others are more for bipolar. She also said that imprimamine is a pain in the neck because of the constant monitoring and blood draws.
Not much I can do at this point but live through the experience.

If difficult child is going to have a reaction, I think I will notice it by this weekend. Wish us luck!
 

jal

Member
Good luck Terry! Fluoxetine was a g*dsend for us. difficult child has Aspergers too and nothing has ever worked. It honestly has been a miracle. We had a ppt on Monday and difficult child's made HUGE strides in his work and it all has been pointed back to the start of that medication. Major strides at home too!
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
Well, hmmm. I have never heard of that one?
We did the juice with the Ativan liquid that we used in the past. But we only held it for an evening.

I would make sure and stir it really well. I would be a bit scared of knowing how much he was getting in a *sip*?
Did the psychiatrist say it was OK if he drank a bunch?
Or maybe take a teaspoon and give him sips?

Well I guess if you like this psychiatrist and you trust her then you will do this?
I would like always keep notes etc.
I used Zoloft and Prozac and I liked Zoloft better.
But everyone if different. Just remember you may see some negatives before the positives.
Sometimes while the medication is trying to balance out and the body is trying to adjust... well we all get a little wonky with some medications.
I have found when I freak out and think about pulling a medication too soon with K, if I give it a few more days it a lot of times will level out.


Of course I am not talking about serious side affects, you know.
Or when they are not getting better.

I hope this helps him. And you ! :)
 

smallworld

Moderator
Terry, Prozac comes in various doses below 20 mg that would make it possible to start at a low dose and work up. In fact, it comes in a liquid version that allows one to start as low as 2 mg. The way the psychiatrist is recommending your son start Prozac doesn't make sense AT ALL. He will have varying amounts of the medication in his blood stream every day, which could lead to mood swings not related to a mood disorder. Can you revisit the dosing issue with the psychiatrist before you start administering Prozac?
 

klmno

Active Member
If difficult child is going to have a reaction, I think I will notice it by this weekend

Not necessarily- my son was on 10mg per day and I didn't notice any change at all for 6 weeks, then my son was completely himself again, suddenly and drasticly. I don't know if it was the prozac or if difficult child had been manic and the cycle stopped on it's own, and the prozac was not doing anything. But, prozac is a slower acting medication. Anyway, a year later difficult child's prozac was doubled to 20mg and in 10 days the sd called me and said he was out of control. I didn't know about mania then so I left difficult child on the 20mg and 3 days later, he went on his 1 1/2 hr crime spree.

Good luck with this one- it might help determine some things ultimately.
 

smallworld

Moderator
Also wanted to add: Zoloft and Prozac are different, but they're both SSRIs.
My son had a bad reaction to both.

My understanding is that Celexa and Lexapro are "calmer" SSRIs than Zoloft and Prozac.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
I should be measuring it.
I will measure it in the a.m. for sure. And I shake it really hard.
But she insisted it didn't come in smaller doses. I will call the pharmacy. One of the reasons we pay pharmaceutical companies so much $ is because their doses are exact.
I don't personally care if I bite a fiorocet in half when I have a headache, and get slightly more or less, but Prozac with-difficult child is a diff story.

Anyway, he's fine right now.
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
I know I started on a smaller dose. Last summer. I can't remember what exactly.
Oh yeah, they take awhile, even the Zoloft took me 4 weeks to see anything.
 

jal

Member
My difficult child who is 6 swallows a 10mg capsule. In about 7 days we saw a change in him and it's continued to be that way. He takes it once in the am.
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
Sadly only the AP's seem to to take affect quickly.
There may be others but off of the top of my head, oh, the Benzos act quickly also.
 

totoro

Mom? What's a difficult child?
I think you can see affects with some of them. I saw affects on Zoloft, but the full affects took about a month and then the tweaking took longer.
I hope you see affects sooner. You never know like JAL said.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Maybe the psychiatrist just doesn't want to be bothered and is trying to snow you?

I'd seriously be looking for a new mental healthcare provider. Sorry.
 

klmno

Active Member
I'd seriously be looking for a new mental healthcare provider.

Between this situation and the fact that there have been other concerns you've expressed, I totally second this suggestion.
 

Janna

New Member
Sorry, but the psychiatrist's an idiot.

HAHA and I thought you were softspoken, SW! I'm sorry, that cracked me UP!

Not like *I* would ever say anything like that....

Terry, I'm so unfamiliar with any of them. psychiatrist's first words at the Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) Monday (after spewing off all the APs) was "what about Zoloft". AD's, for my kid, they scare me. BUT, I've heard of kiddos doing well on Prozac - so I've got my legs, toes, fingers and arms crossed and I'll say the "please work quickly" prayer for you, my friend.
 
N

Nomad

Guest
A friend of mine has a "child"...adult now (adopted :confused:) who was prescribed this medication when she was an "older" teen. It was helpful.
Problem is...when she became an adult, she refused to take it and she's had many significant problems since then. The weird thing...she wont retake it. It is sad.

My difficult child took a small dosage of this for awhile and it also helped her. Actually...her dosage varied from low to moderate during the month. Premenstrually...she took a more normal dosage for a few days. Then she/we would lower it to the low dosage for the remainder of the month. It was a little complicated. In her case, Lamictal has been better medication overall.

Can't recall exactly...but it seems to me that it took at least a few weeks to build up in her system.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Good luck, but be watchful, Terry! I had bad reactions to both Prozac and Zoloft, and both reactions were VERY bad. The only difference was that on the Prozac it took a few months before the reaction happened and on Zoloft it only took two weeks. But both medications were really bad for me, so it can happen. Not trying to be pessimistic, just realistic. I'm personally not a big fan of SSRIs for most kids. They can be tricky because a kid can be doing really well and then suddenly flip out (or an adult) and you didn't really see it coming.
On a last note, my teen daughter took Celexa and it made her a nervous wreck as did Prozac. All the SSRIs have that capability. Yet Paxil has saved my life. Go figger.
 
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