Stimulants, AntiDepressants AntiPsychotic

If your child is ADHD, you can sometimes get away with not medicating and trying supplements, etc.  When you start dealing with bipolar or a schizoaffective disorder, you must medicate.  ADHD is not a progressive disease.  As a matter of fact, with maturity, many people learn to cope with their symptoms.  Bipolar and schizoaffective disorders tend to be progressive.  Major episodes really tend to cause progression.  The professionals believe that if you catch the disorders early enough and treat them, that you can prevent or slow progression of the disease.

Although she had been suffering undiagnosed her entire life, my oldest daughter, 25, fell into a major depressive episode following the birth of her son.  At first it was moderate and she could function fairly well.  However, the longer it went on without treatment, the worse she got.  She was about to lose her job because of the severity of the depression.  She was delusional, hearing voices, seeing shadows, etc.  She could not concentrate and her movement was extremely retarded.  I got her into MHMR and they put her on ADs (she didn't tell them about the voices and stuff).  The AD's gave her insomnia so she quit taking them.  One day, someone gave her some speed.  She went to work and had a great day.  Her boss told her that she didn't know what the difference was, but whatever, keep it up.  This led to about 10 months of meth use, which did nothing but worsen her condition even more in the long run.  She ended up quitting her job and then went through 3 more in the next 5 months.  At her last job, I got a call from her boss (a friend of mine) who told me that she was very concerned.  When she told me some of what she was doing and saying, it became painfully evident that she was in serious trouble and out of touch with reality and was suicidal.  She was even planning her suicide, which was proven by the suicide notes she wrote to her son and I.  I then was able to get her hospitalized as she was considered a danger to herself.  They put her on Paxil.  She began to come out of depression and they sent her home after two weeks.  However, within a couple of weeks, the paxil had thrown her into a manic episode.  Finally, she was dx'd bipolar in January and was given abilify in addition to her Paxil.  While greatly improved, she is still not 100% stable and they are still tweaking meds.  The biggest thing is that she is different emotionally.  Let me see if I can explain.  These people at times seem mature way beyond their years and at other times, less mature than their years.  What really seemed to happen is that her lower maturity level seems reduced.  Instead of ranging between say 30 and 18, she now seems to range between about 30 and 15.  I have been told that this happens and that without medication to hopefully prevent another major episode, she will likely have another one and more damage will be caused.  I'm sure the meth contributed to her deterioration but it was the disease itself that led to the meth use.  It really scares me and I know how it can end up in the more severe cases.  My husband has an aunt that also suffers.  She finally got to the point that she was not taking care of herself and was a danger to herself, even with meds.  They finally had to put her in a nursing home.

nettalyn, the voices don't just go away.  The voices also say that he is suffering from something more than just ADHD.  People with ADHD do NOT hear voices.  Voices are usually associated with bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia.  He needs to see a psychiatrist as soon as possible.  I really hate to hear that he is taking a stimulant and an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer.  A good psychiatrist would not do this because stimulants and ADs have been well documented to cause an increase in aggression, rages, and suicidal thoughts & behaviors.    It can even take a while.  I heard of one child that had been taking them for about a year and a half before he became suicidal.  An antipsychotic seems like an appropriate move.  Also, you must be weaned off AD's very slowly so do not just stop giving him the prozac.

I know it seems like alot of medication but unfortunately, sometimes it just takes it.  I have one child that is on 3 (abilify, depakote and seraquel) and another that is on 4 (abilify, trileptal, paxil and wellbutrin).  It can also take a long time to find just the right mix and dosages of the medications.  The way our pdoc works is that he starts with one med.  He works with that for a while to see if stability can be achieved.  If there are still unresolved symptoms, he will then add another and watch that for results.  This goes on until you achieve stability.

I do not mean this as a dx.  Only a qualified child psychiatrist or neurologist can make a proper dx.  Here is a link to an excellent website:

www.bpkids.org

Good Luck!

Nettalyn, have you personally researched the diagnoses that the doctors have diagnosed him with and the medications that he is on?

I have to agree with atworkbutsleepi.....this really sounds more like bipolar and/or a psychosis dx....I would definitely see the best specialist you can find before adding more meds!!

I am reading up on everything right now.  I have read that sometimes methylphenidate (COncerta, Ritalin, etc) can cause some psychotic side effects  but his psychiatrist thought that the onset of the psychosis was too far from the start of the COncerta.  Since he his covered by his fathers's insurance as well as mine, I am taking him in for full re-evaluation of EVERYTHING... starting with a pediatrician, getting refereals to specialists, etc.  The psychiatrist indicated that his psychosis may be a stressed induced problem, but I am reading up on bi-polar and schizophrenia as well since the hi & lows could be form those conditions.  I realize that the psychosis is definately beyond ADHD; that is managed with the use of the Concerta, but am trying to get enough knowledge to manage his care; help sort out if he has one condition or three separate ones.  He has been on Risperdal for about 4 days and says the voices are more muffled, so that good.  I just hope adn pray this is a short term problem and not a long term one, but I am preparing for the long haul on everything.  Thanks to everyone who responded, I needed the support

[QUOTE=Cindy]

Nettalyn, have you personally researched the diagnoses that the doctors have diagnosed him with and the medications that he is on?

I am reading up on everything right now.  I have read that sometimes methylphenidate (COncerta, Ritalin, etc) can cause some psychotic side effects  but his psychiatrist thought that the onset of the psychosis was too far from the start of the COncerta.  Since he his covered by his fathers's insurance as well as mine, I am taking him in for full re-evaluation of EVERYTHING... starting with a pediatrician, getting refereals to specialists, etc.  The psychiatrist indicated that his psychosis may be a stressed induced problem, but I am reading up on bi-polar and schizophrenia as well since the hi & lows could be form those conditions.  I realize that the psychosis is definately beyond ADHD; that is managed with the use of the Concerta, but am trying to get enough knowledge to manage his care; help sort out if he has one condition or three separate ones.  He has been on Risperdal for about 4 days and says the voices are more muffled, so that good.  I just hope adn pray this is a short term problem and not a long term one, but I am preparing for the long haul on everything.  Thanks to everyone who responded, I needed the support

Good for you!!! You are totally going in the right direction!!!