My son was dx’ed BP!

OMG!  I'm happy that you finally have an answer.  I, of course, only know too well the road you have ahead of you.  Did the doc say what med he is starting your son on?  Just know that it can take a while to figure out the right dosages.  We've been working on Depakote since August 1, and I think DD has finally reached therapeutic levels (we'll know after her blood draw next Tuesday).

You and your son are in my thoughts.

I can't believe it!

i to have a child that is bipolar..dillons doctor finally dx it last saturday..his exact words were.."sadly dillon is one of many that has early onset bipolar".. he said even with dillons age he is 99 % sure dillon is bipolar..i  beleive dillon was born with bipolar i beleive if you are dx with bipolar then you were born with it in the 1st place.. i truly wish you luck.. take it from someone who knows, stop giving him adhd meds.. dillon was placed on adderal and he flipped out then on ritilin and he flipped out on that too..he was on bipolar meds in the 1st place and the doctor wanted to control his adhd..BIG  mistake.ever since he was given adhd meds he hasn't been the same. and his bipolar meds don't seem to work anymore..good luck and remember your not alone...YOU HAVE US.

I am also glad your son has finally been diagnosed. We have bipolar in my family and the difference I see in them from before diagnosis and after the began treatment is amazing.

I hope it works as well for both of your kids, Sheri M and momoftwoboyz.

[QUOTE=sheri.m]i to have a child that is bipolar..dillons doctor finally dx it last saturday..his exact words were.."sadly dillon is one of many that has early onset bipolar".. he said even with dillons age he is 99 % sure dillon is bipolar..i  beleive dillon was born with bipolar i beleive if you are dx with bipolar then you were born with it in the 1st place..   i truly wish you luck.. take it from someone who knows, stop giving him adhd meds.. dillon was placed on adderal and he flipped out then on ritilin and he flipped out on that too..he was on bipolar meds in the 1st place and the doctor wanted to control his adhd..BIG  mistake.ever since he was given adhd meds he hasn't been the same. and his bipolar meds don't seem to work anymore..good luck and remember your not alone...YOU HAVE US.[/QUOTE]

SheriM.  When you say 'FLIPPED OUT' can you be more specific?  Thank you.

Also, momoftwoboys...my prayers are with you and your family...I know it's a relief to finally get a dx to confirm what you've been seeing and experiencing, but yet it's also something you wished weren't true.  I too would like to extend a:

I am sending your way.  I know how devastating this disease is and how severely it affects the family on every level.  At least you now know for sure what you are dealing with and can work at getting it under control before he gets any older.  I wish you and your family all the best.  Susan

[QUOTE=sheri.m]i to have a child that is bipolar..dillons doctor finally dx it last saturday..his exact words were.."sadly dillon is one of many that has early onset bipolar".. he said even with dillons age he is 99 % sure dillon is bipolar..i  beleive dillon was born with bipolar i beleive if you are dx with bipolar then you were born with it in the 1st place..   i truly wish you luck.. take it from someone who knows, stop giving him adhd meds.. dillon was placed on adderal and he flipped out then on ritilin and he flipped out on that too..he was on bipolar meds in the 1st place and the doctor wanted to control his adhd..BIG  mistake.ever since he was given adhd meds he hasn't been the same. and his bipolar meds don't seem to work anymore..good luck and remember your not alone...YOU HAVE US.[/QUOTE]

SheriM.  When you say 'FLIPPED OUT' can you be more specific?  Thank you.

Also, momoftwoboys...my prayers are with you and your family...I know it's a relief to finally get a dx to confirm what you've been seeing and experiencing, but yet it's also something you wished weren't true.  I too would like to extend a:

For all you newbies out there, welcome!  FYI, if your child has a reaction like sheri.m's son, there is a very good chance your child doesn't have ADHD.  Get a second or third opinion about what's really going on with your child so you can get the proper interventions.

gotta second what smallmom just said b/c some of us learned this the really hard way!

momof - so glad you got the dx and can know start working on the whole problem - best wishes to you - while I gotta say I dont want the dx I think it has to be a relief to know what you are dealing with. I hope to find out soon too.

Oh, I misunderstood -- I thought the psychiatrist was the one who wouldn't prescribe.  I agree, a ped shouldn't prescribe BP meds.  Our ped is the same way; he won't prescribe SSRIs or BP meds.  He insisted we find a pdoc to diagnose and prescribe meds for my daughter who has a mood disorder.  I think it's awesome that the ped called you from vacation.

Hope you get this squared away soon.

WHY won't they prescribe meds?  With a dx of bipolar, I think that's irresponsible.

so a psych dx him but won't write  meds for him? i'm confused.. .sorry..

Psychologist, not psychiatrist.  Psychologists aren't medical doctors and can't prescribe meds.

Momoftwoboyz, what about the psychiatrist who helped with the dx?  Why won't he write the rx?

Psychologist, not psychiatrist.  Psychologists aren't medical doctors and can't prescribe meds.

Momoftwoboyz, what about the psychiatrist who helped with the dx?  Why won't he write the rx?

Boo, hoo!

And believe me, you really do need a psychiatrist who will check in all the time when you're dealing with these meds.  Our pdoc sees our daughter weekly for therapy and DH and me every other week to discuss how she's doing.

Actually, psycologists are not supposed to diagnose eithier. At least that's what I heard. I would also want another opinion simply because ADHD. bipolar and high functioning autism all mimic each other and you really do need an evaluation every so often. My son was on bp meds for three years and he didn't need it---he didn't have bipolar. It was an easy mistake to make--autistic kids are very "odd" and are often mistaken as mentally ill. I would want to see a NeuroPsych. Now if bipolar is running thru the family tree, that makes the dx. more credible. It is very hereditary. Any mood disorders or substance abuse in the family are definitely red flags for bipolar. Sadly, however, many kids are misdiagnosed because it is so hard to tell one dx. from another and a Psycologist doesn't have the extra training to know. A NeuroPsych has extra training in Neurology and a CHild Psychiatrist is a medical doctor (often lacking skill in neurological problems, but pretty good with psychiatric problems). Confusing, I know.

[QUOTE=momoftwoboyz]No small, it is respectable, it is the pediatrician, he doesn't know what he is doing so he is going to let someone handle it that does! He just earned some major brownie points from me because #1 he won't perscribe and admits he doesn't know what he is doing, and #2 he just called me from VACATION to talk to me about what is going on!!![/QUOTE]

wow - he sounds like a keeper! With all we read about docs this sounds like a good one!

Sorry you have to wait but good luck!

Mom of two boyz

PSM is just letting you know of her experience.  It seems as though alot of people on this site, have been wrongly diagnosed......Take my son for example....we started on stims for ADHD.....rebound effect was horrible, behavior got worse.....Come to find out.....we took our boy to a shrink......Doc can't say for sure, but, is treating him for Anxiety/depression ADHD/ODD with trileptal and a low dose stimulant.....Who knows for sure if he is bi-polar, the shrink won't give him that diagnosis because he is too young, he hasn't had alot of the bad, alerting mania that you can see in full blown bi-polar. If the trileptal keeps things at bay, then so be it. If we find out later, it is something more.....we will deal with and educate my son at a age that is approriate.

I was just going to let you know that Trileptal is a 2nd line mood stabilizer.  It does not stabilize as fast as 1st line treatments.  But, it has fewer side effects and is one of the safest meds out there, for children who are not showing all the signs of pediatric bi-polar.  Dr. Pappolos, the Bi-polar web sight, says I would feel comfortable using Trileptal in pediatric patients if I was unsure of mood disorders in families. 

So just except PSM concerns.....as a mother....who has gone thru this issue....she is just looking out for you.....

God bless you and your little one......I don't mean to sound mean and I know this is a very trying time for you and your family. 

May god speed with your meds your little angle needs.....

PSM0904,

I am so glad you are on this site......I think the shrink is the best place for this mom to receive a more accurate diagnosis.

My sister in law is a Physcologist Doc of Autism, in Idaho....

She told me my son, probably wouldn't respond to the mood stabilizer....she didn't think he had anxiety or depression. Just ADHD...ODD.... 

Well look who is doing great today....She saw him in August and almost fell on the floor, she said, she had no idea he could be so good and have such a positive attitude.

Mom of two boys,

I think you should know this just for a little education and a heads up.

Trileptal is a 2nd class stabilizer, like I said, before it doesn't have a lot of side effects...no weight gain, no blood check, rare liver problems if any....maybe a little drop in salt levels in the body you can drink a extra glass of milk or gatorade a day, if the child sweats alot playing football, or baseball etc.

1st line mood stabilizer Depakote, for children would probably be the next....at risk for more side effects....not sure because, we are not using this.

Ones I would not use on a child is Lamictal, (Something like that) Tegrotal(Something like that) The risk of Steve Johnson Syndrome is to devastating for me to even let a child be on these.  Steve Johnson Syndrome is when your body gets a rash, and then blisters, face, buttocks, body coverage....It can attack your major organs and burn them.  I know of a child who died in 3 days from this disease he was 14 years old....he was diagnosed as being a for sure bi-polar child. Adults can handle these drugs better......you want to start with the safest med for your child. The 14 year old I am speaking about was on Trileptal, Depakote, and then Lamictal...you do your research this is not fun and games....I want you to be aware of this.....

God bless you and your family 

LIVEADHD~

[QUOTE=momoftwoboyz] It was our psychologist that has been following him and testing him for several months now. [/QUOTE]

Then Smallmom wrote...

[quote]Momoftwoboyz, what about the psychiatrist who helped with the dx? [/quote]

and Momoftwoboys replied....

[quote]The psychiatrist has a waiting list until december for meds management with kids.[/quote]

I believe I have my story straight.

[QUOTE=momoftwoboyz]Yep you do.[/QUOTE]

 Thanks

Psm....

I'm curious to know why your opinion of the dx turned so quickly...You went from "you knew it was BP b/c a BPer can spot it".........

[quote]I remember reading your post and thinking "bipolar." Easy to spot it when you have it![/quote]

to.......

[quote] I would also want another opinion simply because ADHD. bipolar and high functioning autism all mimic each other ......... Sadly, however, many kids are misdiagnosed because it is so hard to tell one dx.[/quote]

 I have to assume it is b/c the dx came from a psychologist.  But the psychologist had been working with and testing this child for "months"...and was working with a psychiatrist.

If BP was so easy for YOU to spot in this child, why the flip flop?

Well, I can only say, that I am not the smartest....here....Tater is....., [/QUOTE]

Not at all....just observate....one needs to be very observate when you've got 27 teenagers in a room together.

I agree with almost everything you said, but my question to you was why do you think this mom needs another eval when you, yourself, saw this kid as a pretty clear cut case of BP just as the psychologist/psychiatrist dx'd?

Haven't you said that you think BP cases need a psychiatrist? A psych was on this case and helped dx.

Personally, I don't trust anyone to dx except a GOOD neuropsych b/c my own son has been mis-dx'd by MDs, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and child psychiatrists.

But, it was a child psychiatrist that dx'd Apergers after a 30 minute meeting and it was the psychologist working with her that took me a side and said..."I don't think so...go get another opinion".  AS was ruled out.

Momoftwoboys and Sheri, I haven't been on the Parents section of this site very much lately (been goofing off in "the basement"  LOL!), so I just saw where you two are both dealing with the diagnosis now.  Just wanted to tell you both I wish you the very best in treating this with the right medications.  It's been a long road, I'm sure.  Hugs to you both.

1sassymama,

Welcome!  If your daughter is having severe mood swings and her meds don't make a difference, you should have her evaluated by a good child psychiatrist who treats kids with mood disorders to rule in or out bipolar disorder.  Check out the website www.bpkids.org.  See if the shoe fits.  If you don't get satisfaction with a psychiatrist, have her evaluated by a neuropsychologist, who can assess for many childhood disorders, including but not limited to ADHD.  Good luck!

Well, I can only say, that I am not the smartest....here....Tater is.....,

But enough of that:

Mom of two boys, I still think you need treatment for your son, sooner then December. But, who knows maybe you are one of those moms that can deal with anything.  (Moms of steel), I just know it was the most nerve racking crap, insane issues, that any mom should have to put up with.....things just get better when you have the right meds for the whole family.

God bless you

Mom of two boys,

I am so happy that you share my feelings on this.  I don't even want to say anything else, because I know how hard this is.  But the shrink, (I hate spelling psychiatrist), is the best in our state.  This is the last thing I will tell you, I promise you that.

Whatever the medicine your little one goes on, you want to use the lowest dose mood stabilizer, until you see good results, you never want to wear out a mood stabilizer in children, and then have to use the ones that are harsher for children, meaning Lamictal, tetgotal, Not sure on the spelling....so you hang in there you sound like a little fighter.  You go get'em.......Mom of two boys....

Tater,

I believe the mom was working with the pediatrician and saw a psychologist, and the psychologist was the one that made the DX for the little boy.....Correct me if I am wrong there Tater....You know your stuff.  

The only thing I can suggest to Mom of two boys, is try to get the child in for his med treatment with a pyschiatrist as soon as possible.  Our pediatrician wrote a alarming letter to pyschiatrist 4 hours away, and all over the state to get a pyschiatrist to take the case.  The psychiatrist we see, only see's the most alarming cases in the state.  So it can be done, she had to mention our insurance to them in the letter, we got a call back in 2 days saying they found a doctor that would except us. 

God works in ways that nobody would think.

Mom of two boys you stay on those doctors, so they can help your little angle.

God bless you, and I wish you the best of luck.