I love my doctor, she's been my PCP since Goober was an infant, and she's great about open communication. She also knows me well enough to know I'm not medicating for convenience, so that's super helpful.
It's mostly just so odd, because he had this problem (though to a lesser degree) two years ago until I put him on a higher dose of ADHD meds, but no real problems last year, when he was off the meds. That's why I'm thinking it's not ADHD, or at least not mainly ADHD, because it's not a consistent problem. It's very much stress related from what I can tell.
I'm wondering if part of the changes have to do with development too. Our brains change as we grow and maybe he didn't really need anything last year. As to the stress ... man. That's a toughie. As tough as it can be to cope with stress as an adult, I think it's even harder for kids. Some kids just get stressed and anxious and how do you help them learn to deal with it? I just can't imagine. Good luck. And I'm glad to hear you're doctor is a good one.
My nephew is diagnosed ADHD, and it helped actually to pinpoint a misdiagnosis (we think, anyway) in me and my father, where they thought we were bipolar
( ... )
Now that he's older, I'm hoping he'll be able to help us out with his diagnosis and treatment. In the past it was just a a lot of me going, 'I don't know! Just look at him!' But now he;ll be able to talk to the doctor and actually tell her a little bit about what's going on in there. And luckily my doctor is great - she always pays attention to what my kids are saying (and not saying) to her.
My poor kid hit the genetic lottery: mental issues on all sides, with the extremes of bipolar from me. As for the roller coaster, I think that's very true: Goob will go from literally pulling his hair stressed to giggling within an hour, whereas my mood tops and lows tend to last a good three-five days.
I'm actually wondering if maybe I can't get him on something for both ADHD as well as depression. I don't want to end up giving the kid 9 pills a day or anything, but hopefully there's a combo out there for him.
I can tell a big change in my moods when I'm eating right vs junk. There's a couple blogs I follow that are gluten free, casein free diets for ADHD kids. It might be something to play with. Let me know if you want linkies.
If the ADHD meds worked, maybe they will again, in combo with a SSRI?
My daughter is going to be the one that takes after me in the mental health department, I think. She's moody and takes things to heart.
Because of Goober's weight issues in the past - he can't keep weight on to save his life, mostly due to the ADHD meds - I'm always really careful to monitor what he eats. We eat at home most nights, and a largely vegetarian diet, and while sugar's not off the table entirely, I keep track of how much and when. Both kids usually get a little debbie type thing for lunch, and half a can of soda each with dinner, and that's pretty much it for extra sugars.
Yeah, I'm hoping there's a combo out there of ADHD/SSRI that will level him out and lower his stress but help him with focusing as well.
A quicky google. I'm thinking most SSRI use in kids is off-label, so you may have to work with it. I know a kid that was on Adderall and Celexa and it kept her in control, but she didn't have anxiety issues.
Goob was on adderall for a bit but he lost too much weight. He did really well on Concerta two years ago, so we'll probably start there. I've seen a lot of people do the ADD med/anxiety med combo, so that's what I'm going to ask for. With goob's history of anxiety problems - poor kid gave himself an ulcer when he was seven! - I think the doctor will be receptive to that route. Thanks!
People have covered a lot of info already but I just wanted to point out that bipolar disorder and ADHD often go together, which makes it hard to tease apart which symptoms are due to what, how to treat, etc. It's... definitely a challenge... Good luck to you & the Goob!
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I love my doctor, she's been my PCP since Goober was an infant, and she's great about open communication. She also knows me well enough to know I'm not medicating for convenience, so that's super helpful.
It's mostly just so odd, because he had this problem (though to a lesser degree) two years ago until I put him on a higher dose of ADHD meds, but no real problems last year, when he was off the meds. That's why I'm thinking it's not ADHD, or at least not mainly ADHD, because it's not a consistent problem. It's very much stress related from what I can tell.
Thanks!
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My poor kid hit the genetic lottery: mental issues on all sides, with the extremes of bipolar from me. As for the roller coaster, I think that's very true: Goob will go from literally pulling his hair stressed to giggling within an hour, whereas my mood tops and lows tend to last a good three-five days.
I'm actually wondering if maybe I can't get him on something for both ADHD as well as depression. I don't want to end up giving the kid 9 pills a day or anything, but hopefully there's a combo out there for him.
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If the ADHD meds worked, maybe they will again, in combo with a SSRI?
My daughter is going to be the one that takes after me in the mental health department, I think. She's moody and takes things to heart.
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Yeah, I'm hoping there's a combo out there of ADHD/SSRI that will level him out and lower his stress but help him with focusing as well.
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http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/36/10/14-a
A quicky google. I'm thinking most SSRI use in kids is off-label, so you may have to work with it. I know a kid that was on Adderall and Celexa and it kept her in control, but she didn't have anxiety issues.
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