Does anyone here have a child who is being treated with SSRIs, or other serotonin modulating drugs, as a treatment for ADHD?
My son has tried so many meds, and all of the stimulants lead to anxiety (he also has generalized anxiety disorder). We are so frustrated, and our pediatrician is considering starting him on SSRIs, but is hesitant because it is not her specialty. Trying to see a pediatric psychiatrist here is almost immposible.
I am just wondering if anyone has any thoughts…
It is very hard without a pediatric psychiatrist. We are fortunate here in Israel that the health care system works so well. Access to specialists is easy and inexpensive. I have Aspergers, and at least 2 of my three grandsons have Aspergers, ADHD, and sensory issues. One of the grandsons is only 4 and is on Ritalin currently and has been on other drugs previously that caused more problems than they helped. The Ritalin is supposed to be a short term thing to help him learn to modulate and focus. He and his brother are in a wonderful school that is geared to kids with these issues. Their language and social skills have improved a great deal in the last year or two. The elder now 6, may be mainstreamed into a regular school this year with a teachers aide present to assist with his adaptation.
I take Ritalin and I am taking Lyrica to modulate nerve pain from a chronic form of Guillain Barre disease. The reason I bring this up is one of the off book uses for Lyrica is to treat generalized anxiety disorder. I can tell you one thing for sure, Lyrica certainly has made me significantly more mellow and unfortunately also caused me some weight gain as well. Anyway you might want to investigate Lyrica as a possibility for the GAD.
BTW: Is there any chance your son is also Aspergers? His behavior might be linked to frustration stemming from the challenges of Asperger’s.
Hi Saba. He just went through a full psychoeducational assessment and they do not believe he has Aspergers or any form of autism. Our complicating issues are a family history of bipolar disorder. Both the psychologist and pediatrician feel that given his profile he will likely develop bipolar as well. This is why we are discussing SSRIs as a possible treatment at this time, but there is not a lot of studies using them for ADHD in kids as young as 8, and there is a serious possibility for side effects. Their poor little brains are just so sensitive and you don’t want to mess around in there unelss you know what you are doing. We have seen a pediatric psychiatrist in the past year, but he does not seem to come to the table with any thing other than what the pediatrician is saying, and there is no one to get a second opinion from.
Yes yours is a very different situation. I wish you, your son and family well and hope you find the right people to help you. We have been fortunate in that regard thank God.