So Tell Me About The Uncommon medications

[Momslittleangels]

Janna: I know this is a long shot, but have you ever given Dylan one of those energy drinks? I know someone who has ADHD and isn't on medications (long story), but when he drinks an energy drink, it calms him down. I guess the caffeine punch they have helps counteract the ADHD, like the amphetimines do...

Not sure if this is a good idea or not, but thought I would mention it, since it is something you can buy anytime without a prescription. Good luck!

 

[Janna]

Ya know, Smallworld, I'm so tired of doctors LOL!

He might have Bipolar. Who the hell knows? You know what I've been through since I came here with Dylan. He's Bipolar. Then I take him somewhere else, and they remove it LMAO!

It's a friggin' 3 ring circus, the whole nine yards of it. The entire psychiatric field is a joke, and the more doctors we see, and the more nurses that have no clue I talk to, and the more "professionals" I meet, I could tell em all to stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

The current Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) psychiatrist added Mood Disorder, not otherwise specified to his diagnosis LOL! Even though weeks ago he said nope, no mood disorders hahaha. Whateverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I have to wonder if these psychiatrists even KNOW what Bipolar in kids really, truly looks like. Know what? I have a feeling they really don't.

"It's mania".

Well, how do you know, exactly? So, psychiatrist says nope, it's not mania, but my son now cannot fall asleep, is talking a bazillion miles a second, and is on the move 23 out of 24 hours a day.

But, noooooooooooooooooooooooo, he's not BiPolar (BP) LOL!

Ugh....scr*w em.

I'll research the Tegretol, Sara. Dylan was on it, once, a very long time ago. It's another one of those quickie ones that I dont recall the effect from.

But, thx for the medication insight. And no, MLA, no energy drinks. LOL!

 

[smallworld]

Janna, I think I posted this a couple of weeks back, but you may not have seen it. My son J has been in a day treatment program at a local psychiatric hospital since mid-December. He is being observed 6.5 hours a day. On the third day of the program, his attending psychiatrist said J was experiencing mania. The psychiatrist was seeing mania in two ways: decreased need for sleep (which is a hallmark sx of mania) and a smirk that appears subconsciously when J is being defiant. I have to say husband and I were surpised at the attending psychiatrist's pronouncement. J's outside psychiatrist had just told us the month before that he thought J was suffering from an atypical depression that didn't respond to traditional medications. He said he didn't think J had BiPolar (BP) because he never saw mania in J.

I don't totally "blame" our outside psychiatrist for not seeing the mania because he meets with J an hour weekly and most of the time J isn't particularly cooperative. Although J hasn't been all that cooperative at the day treatment program either, he is being observed closely by psychiatric staff day in and day out. And they're able to evaluate sx that would go unnoticed by lay people like school officials and husband and me. In addition, J's attending psychiatrist at the day treatment program has lots of experience with kids with significant mood disorders and is reputed to be one of the best psychopharmacologists in the Difficult Child metro area.

This is all my long way of saying that I do think it matters how closely your difficult child is being observed (and certainly Dylan in an Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) has 24/7 evaluation) and how skilled a psychiatrist you're working with. While formal diagnosis of BiPolar (BP) doesn't matter, it helps to know whether you're dealing with straight ADHD, unipolar depression or a mood disorder along the BiPolar (BP) spectrum. Clearly, the medications for ADHD and unipolar depression can make the child with BiPolar (BP) much, much worse. That's where many kids get into trouble with medications, and that's where a differential diagnosis really makes a difference.

Janna, I can understand your frustration. I do hope you get some answers soon.

 

[Steely]

Boy, it is hard! My difficult child, 17, has been on many, many medications, in many, many different combinations. I think that there are some I would never put him back on, just because there were dramatic side effects - and others - maybe I would try again because in retrospect, maybe there was not enough time on the medication to make the best decision.

It does sound like your difficult child, in my humble opinion, is not suffering so much from ADD, but from some sort of mood disorder. But, you know, I am just speaking from personal experience - and am obviously not there or a doctor.

For my son, it has been a road of many trials........last May he was in phosph and we tried the current medication combo, and it seems to have been the best overall. His mood is moderately controlled, maybe 2/3rds of the time - and he has no side effects, that I can see, which has not been the case for years. (No lethargy, weight gain, etc.) Not perfect, but better.
I think the mood stab is key, for us it was Lithium. Then we added Lamictal, and the Clonidine............and finally when the mood was somewhat stable, we had to address the depression and anxiety with Paxil. Of course, every body is different, and I cannot recommend one or the other - I just know it took us many, many trials and errors to find something that worked even 2/3rds of the time.

Keep up the good work, and just continue to be open minded about all of of the possibilities.
Hugs.

 

[cathyw1970]

NOt sure if this is going on with your son. However with my difficult child Justin who is BiPolar (BP),adhd,odd. Stimulant drugs do not work on him. Or even drugs that can act like stimulants such as klonodine. In fact they made him manic. He was literally bouncing off the walls. Some info I learned here years ago is in some cases children with BiPolar (BP) and adhd, even on a mood stablizer, still can't treat the adhd. I hope for your sake that's not the case because I'm here to tell you, it makes it very hard. Justin's was a little different, he became aggressive and very impulsive. Justin started out on depakote and risperdal and that worked until he was 12 even tho the adhd had to remain untreated. He is now on abilify, tenex, lamictal. The tenex is suppose to help some with the adhd however I have never seen a change in that part. Guess what I'm trying to say is even when the bipolar is under control our hands are still full due to the adhd. Justin will sometimes go days without sleeping even with a sleep medication, can't sit still, is always pacing and omg never shuts his mouth. I sooooooooo feel your frustation.

Cathy

 

[smallworld]

Cathy, if your son goes days without sleeping, that is a symptom of mania, not ADHD. Some kids need two mood stabilizers plus an atypical antipsychotic to get full symptom relief of BiPolar (BP). Can you get in to see your son's psychiatrist to discuss discontinuing Tenex (since it's not doing anything) and adding a second mood stabizer?

 

[cathyw1970]

Smallworld, here is the thing. We can't add new medications to difficult child at home he has to be hospitalized and medicaid is refusing. The last time we tried adding a new medication it was geodon and he set fire to our bathroom. So psychiatrist will not give a new medication unless in hospital.

 

[gcvmom]

Cathy -- FWIW, my difficult child 2 (mood disorder-not otherwise specified and ADHD) got MUCH worse on Tenex. His psychiatrist gave it to him after he was on Daytrana and Abilify and the Abilify wasn't working and he was needing more and more Daytrana. We dropped the Abilify and after adding the Tenex, he went off the deep end with his manic symptoms -- major obsessing, nuclear meltdowns, CONSTANT talking, flight of ideas, the whole sha-bang. When we stopped the Tenex, even though he was still on the Daytrana, the symptoms got better, although did not completely go away. The pharmacist and the therapist had never heard of anyone reacting that way on Tenex (gee, that made me feel SO much better!) I mention our experience because of your comment that the Tenex doesn't seem to be helping, and it's very possible that it's not, so why bother with it? Just my 2 cents -- and welcome back to the board!

 

[totoro]

We did horrible on Tenex also... lots of anger and agitation... hated it!!!