Looking for suggestions on what others have tried for their preteen daughters who suffer from extreme ADHD and have psychotic tendendancies. We have tried Risperdal, Concerta, Strattera and Vyvanex. All seem to increase the psychosis and paranoia. In addiction, extreme anger and agitation is also noted.
Has anyone tried any natural/homeopathic treatments hey would recommend?
I don't know the answer to your question from my own experience. Is your daughter also on a medication to reduce the psychotic tendencies alone?
At this time, she is not on any meds. We tried Vyvanase starting this past Sunday and as of yesterday, decided to take her off due to side effects. When not on anything, she is extremely hyperactive, but so far, all meds she has tried for ADHD don’t work for her. She does have bipolar and schizophrenia in her birth family. Getting desperate! Next week, we are going to try some homeopathic tests with her therapist.
I had one preteen on Biphentin which worked well for her for a couple of years (no psychotic tendancies though...). The other was on Adderall. Both had a terrible time on Vyvanse. They claimed they felt isolated in their own world and intolerant of noise and annoyances. My son is on Risperdal and beginning Vyvanse (with my reservations) in a few days. The only other med the psychiatrist mentioned was Intuniv. (guanfacine). That's the extent of my experience...
Feeling desperate might be part of what you go through for awhile. Try to stay in touch with how your daughter is feeling and keep channels of communication open and supportive. You are going to get this worked out together.
Does your daughter have a psychiatrist prescribing her meds? Med trials can take awhile, often several weeks to observe results. If a medication seems utterly wrong to you, the doctor has to know. Most doctors respect the fact that parents have to trust gut feelings based on their own experience with their child. However, a psychiatrist has the benefit of working with many different patients of different ages and many various disorders and medications over time.
Bipolar illness alone can have psychotic features. Has your doctor discussed it with you?
Our daughter has been on Vyvanse for 2 years. It was tough at 1st to deal with some of the side effects. But most if not all go away within the 1st month. The biggest ones are loss of appetite & insomnia. Both we keep on top of. Nausea can be an issue, but can be managed. The benefits our daughter receives out weigh the side effects at this time. We will be going in for a revaluation of her meds this coming Monday (for the last 2 months her symptoms have increased … mood swings, anger management issues, anxiety, etc). We’re hoping it’s just her body no longer absorbing all of the medication. Thus just an increase in the dosage may be needed. What I love about our daughters’ doctor as he has a balanced view of her adhd. He has always told us the goal is to use the medications as a tool to helping manage her symptoms. But not to allow the medication to sedate her so much she is no longer herself. I agree with ArtFish, doctors have experience with how long it takes for you as the parent & the doctor to know if a medication will work effectively. Every child responds differently to medication dosages & side effects. Even with medication it can be a daily struggle to help our daughter manage her symptoms. Side note I saw a program on PBS about ‘Hug Therapy’ (I’m not sure if it’s called that) I hold/hug her when she starts to get anxious/upset. She is not affectionate by nature, but I try to hold her for 5 to 10 minutes. Most of the time the majority of her symptoms seem to melt away as if whatever upset her never happened (then I can usually reason with her). If I can I will stop whatever I am doing to do it, because in the end it’s worth nipping a meltdown (for the most part) in the bud.
Thank you Everyone! Missy- how old is your daughter?
Today, we trying the lowest dose of Intuive possible. 1mg
Thank you, Art. She does not have a psychiatrist at this time because eveRyone I have called or met with is either not accepting new patients or not willing to take on a case as complex as hers. She is adopted and has been living with us for almost 2 years now. She was previously adopted for a total of 6 years and then let go. Her 2 primary care givers at this time are her pediatrician and her therapist who has extensive experience in adoption and children who have experienced some of the same things as her. The therapist also practices homeopathic medicine and is very well educated in various schoolings, so I do trust him. I was just given a name of another psychiatrist to call yesterday, so will be calling him on Monday.
She’s really a great kid and I love her dearly! We just have to keep trying!
Feeling desperate might be part of what you go through for awhile. Try to stay in touch with how your daughter is feeling and keep channels of communication open and supportive. You are going to get this worked out together.
Does your daughter have a psychiatrist prescribing her meds? Med trials can take awhile, often several weeks to observe results. If a medication seems utterly wrong to you, the doctor has to know. Most doctors respect the fact that parents have to trust gut feelings based on their own experience with their child. However, a psychiatrist has the benefit of working with many different patients of different ages and many various disorders and medications over time.
Bipolar illness alone can have psychotic features. Has your doctor discussed it with you?
Amy our daughter is 10 (she will be 11 in September).
Amy said:
Thank you Everyone! Missy- how old is your daughter?
Today, we trying the lowest dose of Intuive possible. 1mg
Amy, I'm glad you have another number to call. I'm sure you will keep trying! Amazing people struggle with all kinds of disorders and those with family support appreciate having reliable people to stand by them. Young people have turbulent years and distinguishing what can be helped by meds is a work in progress. It might take lots of work but you know you have a wonderful daughter. You have our support!
Amy - I forgot in the past we have tried essential oils. I haven’t used them lately, but I did notice that they had a calming effect when we did. At night I would put drops into a diffuser in order to help our daughter to sleep better. Then I would put a couple of drops in the palm of her hands before school, so she could smell/breathe the oils throughout the day. We used ‘Single Oils’ - Wild Orange, Lavender, Melissa, Lemon, Lemongrass, ‘Blended Oils’ - Citrus Bliss, Balance, Serenity.