Was your son shy before meds? How old is your son?
My son is on concerta and guanfacine. He is turning 10. I know that in school he is quiet in class and the teacher really has to push him to share. My son has told me he doesn't want to give the wrong answer.
I would NOT give my child paxel. I know everyone is different, however, he is a child. My sister-in-law had a horrible time with it. And she is an adult.
Do you find your child depressed?
My daughter has coexisitng anxiety. She has taken a couple of different antidepressants with success and no side effects,although suffers terribley from side effects from stimulants. We are currently using Despiramine to try to manage both (ADHD/anxiety) with one med. She is having NO side effects and this med is generally not peescribed to children either. Her physician is a pediatric psychopharmocoligst and he has always been up front with us as to potential side effects. If I call him with a concern he has been right on with whether ot not it is something that will subside and if not we stop the med. All medication has side effects (including over the counter things, Tylenol, cold medicine....etc). Every person handles medications differently also. Please educate yourslef and discuss with your doctor so you can make the best infomred decision. All of this is about treating symptoms with little/no side effects to give your child the best treatment out there for that individual.Do you think his meds may be bringing on anxiety?
A lot of times once the child is correctly diagnosed and taking the CORRECT medication, it brings out the childs true colors, true personality. That is where co-existing conditions come out. My son's adhd is so severe, especially the HHHHHH and impulsivity, we never noticed his anxiety.
He takes guanfacine that helps relax him.
You need to make sure the diagnosis is correct and the current med for that condition is also correct, as well as the dosage. The you can add for any other co-existing condition. It is quite common with adhd'ers to have co-exlisting conditins. The % is up there.
The only co-existing condition that needs to be treated before you can treat adhd is bipolar. ADHD meds make bipolar WORSE. Once you medicate the bipolar, then you can go back and ADD meds for the adhd.
Ask his doctor about anxiety as well a guanfacine. It is very calming for a lot of folks here.
Hang in there, we are here for you!!
Beth
My son is seeing a psychiatrists for his medications and she said she has had alot of succes with this medication. I just called the doctor with my concerns and the nurse called back and said all medications have side effects. I am not sure what to do. I know that when his school has plays or anything he just stands there and does not sing along with the kids.What kind of doc is managing your son's meds? I am only asking because when you get to these types of meds, you want a doc well versed in med managment for the different co-existing conditions. Many pediatricians are not as good as psychiatrists at med management.
I would tell the doc that you are not comfortable with this med and discuss his reasons for using this med and how often he has used it in kids. Because it is not approved for kids he is using it off label and must be using it based on his experience with other patients. Ask what to expect, how to titrate up, how long before results and what side effects to watch for. You are a partner in your child's care and the doc needs to properly prepare you for this.
This is such an individual decision. Do not feel pressured to decide until you think about it. I chose to use antidepressants with my daughter and am glad I did, but that was our choice for our situation.[QUOTE=ohiomom73]My son has ADHD and is on Concerta and Clonidine. Recently he is acting very shy and will not talk in public at all. His teachers are concerned about this because he will not participate in class. His doctor put him on Paxel and I have not yet given it to him because I am scared to from everything I have heard about it. Does anyone have any experience with thier child on this drug? Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Ohiomom!
I don't have children, but I did take Paxil when I was 20 for Panic Disorder. It helped me a lot and I did not have bad side effects. I know that many people say they have a hard time coming OFF Paxil, but I didn't. I don't know what the actual statistics are concerning Paxil and increased suicidal thoughts in children.
It may help you if you knew specifically WHY your doc wanted to try this drug. If the doc thinks your son has anxiety now, it could help. But he is taking Clonidine and I would think that would help his anxiety. It is OK to question your doctor in order to make a decision that you are comfortable with.
I was afraid to try Wellbutrin for my ADHD because I was sure that I would be that 1 person in 1000 that has a seizure. Nope. Just fine. The doc IS right that "all meds have side effects" but that is sort of an insensitive way to explain it to you. I completely understand why you are unsure of what to do. If you get enough information that you decide to go ahead with the Paxil, just take it day by day and try not to be terrified about what may or may not happen. Remember that if Paxil was such a horrible drug, docs wouldn't be using it. And take all the negative feedback you may find about it on the internet with a grain of salt. Isn't it "if you have a great experience you will tell one friend, but if you have a bad one you will tell 10"? People post negative things about meds more than positive because they want to make sure other people know about what might happen if they take them.
In the end you have to decide what you think is best for your child. There is no right or wrong answer.
Good luck! Hang in there!
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