Is your tween/teen on antidepressants? (Updated)

[gretchenindisguise]

Yes. She’s been on them for 2+ years. It took some trial and error but she’s been on her current one for over a year now and she’s really doing great. I honestly can’t imagine life without them.

[circa1978]

gretchenindisguise, if you don't mind me asking, what does she take?

[cjcouple]

My son was on Fluoxetine (Prozac) but not for depression. It was anxiety

I just wanted to share, he had no negative side effects. I'm glad we made the choice to try them.

I hope it helps your son. ❤️

[gretchenindisguise]

Mar 27, 2023 19:54:37 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

gretchenindisguise, if you don't mind me asking, what does she take?

Started on prozac. Worked ok, but eventually had SI, so decided to switch.

Went to lexapro. Also worked ok. She gained 20-30 lbs on her tiny frame so that wasn’t fantastic but would have dealt with it if it worked better.

Now on zoloft and it’s been great - its really good for the perseverative negative self talk and perfectionism. We’ve upped the dose a few times and we could probably walk it back down a bit, but I’m scared to rock the boat.

She also takes ritalin for her adhd.

[katfco]

Yes, plus a few other meds. She’s been on them for 2.5 years and they’ve been a literal lifesaver along with therapy. She started on escitalopram and is now on citalopram. I’m on that also; it seems to work well for people in my family.

[devonpow]

My 11 year old is on Zoloft, but for anxiety. Anxiety and depression can be so intertwined both is symptoms and treatment. For us we have been very lucky so far and his medication has been pretty effective with no side effects - we went through a process of gradually upping his dosage until we reached a level where he was meeting most of the goals we had laid out at the beginning of the process, and he’s stayed at that level for a while now.

[wanderlustmom]

Yes our 18 year old has been on Lexapro a little over a year for anxiety and some depression. We lucked out and the first he tried was the right one. He needed to up the dosage to 10 from 5 and then we saw symptom relief. We tried that one because it’s what his pediatrician recommended and it works for my sister. Then a month later, I took it (5 was enough for me). I stopped after a year and no plans for my son to stop as college is next year and change is hard for him. He has not had any crying spells in a year and he doesn’t put himself down as much. It makes him sleepy so he takes it at night
ETA: I stopped Lexapro b/c of weight gain, DS has not had that issue at all and he eats and eats and eats. It’s also great to see him so hungry. When his anxiety was bad, he would lose his appetite and have sleep issues

[underwaterrhymes]

We started our 10-year old on Lexapro today but for anxiety.

[jlt19]

My almost 13 yo was just dx with panic disorder w/o agoraphobia and mood disorder last week. The psychiatrist also mentioned ODD, which I never would have suspected. We started her on a low dose of Zoloft, per my “suggestion”. She said that sometimes when a parent does well on a certain medication, the same will work for the kid too.

It’s not even been two weeks so I can’t say if it’s helping, but it hasn’t been negative, so there’s that.

I’m really sorry. The age sucks, the world sucks, and everything just sucks.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Lucy took prozac for two months but didn't like how she felt. now she's taking zoloft, just an intro dose right now and already feeling better

[circa1978]

I think it's interesting how many people mention doing well on the same meds as their kids. I took Prozac for 12+ years but I take Zoloft now and it's so.much.better. Those are the only two I've ever tried though.

[styme46]

My oldest (17 now) was on Prozac after a suicide attempt 4 years ago. It was the best thing we could've done. It's been a very long, hard journey but we found the right therapist and they have since weaned off the Prozac.

Hugs to you guys. Parenting is hard and navigating a depressed teen is really hard. You are great parents. ❤️

[circa1978]

I do think he has significant anxiety and if you would have asked me before today, I would have said that was his primary problem. But IDK. We've been so isolated due to COVID, his school is so small, his grandpa just died. I'm a fucking mess and I want to be able to support him but maybe I just make it worse. I'm scared and IDK what to do.

[wanderlustmom]

I also wanted to add, seeing our son struggle (his was on and off) was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through as a parent and I’m a therapist. Thinking of you and here for you. We need to talk about mental health more. There is a lot of anxiety in both of our families and DS really struggled accepting it. He still doesn’t talk about it much, that’s okay. He resisted meds for a long time and I’m so glad he was open to trying. I know he will thank us later. For now, I’m just grateful every day we aren’t where we were a year ago

[styme46]

circa1978, feel free to PM me if you want. We've been through a lot...anxiety, depression, gender/sexuality exploration, personality disorders, eating disorders... that started around 12.

Hugs, mama.

[goldengirlz]

Yes, my 12-year old has been on Lexapro for about six months. They LOVE it.

(This is not a plug for Lexapro in particular but just the experience of being treated for fairly serious anxiety.)

They’re also in therapy, CBT and DBT.

[Patsy Baloney]

My 10YO started Zoloft last year. It has been a good tool in our arsenal and helps her feel more in control and less a victim of her own brain. Coupled with regular visits to her school counselor and therapist, she’s reached a pretty level place. We still have hiccups, but it’s better.

[chilerellanos]

Yes. My 17 yo is on lexapro and has been since she was 13ish. She might have started on Zoloft actually, but she’s been on lexapro for a few years. For both anxiety and depression.

She’s also in pretty intensive therapy.

[katfco]

circa1978 a lot of people here know my daughter’s story, so feel free to PM me. It’s such a hard age, and it’s heartbreaking seeing your child struggle and not knowing if you’re doing and saying the right things.

[raleighnc]

Mar 27, 2023 20:29:59 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

I think it's interesting how many people mention doing well on the same meds as their kids. I took Prozac for 12+ years but I take Zoloft now and it's so.much.better. Those are the only two I've ever tried though.

My daughter's psychiatrist said that there is usually a genetic component to what meds are most effective (and for the Neuro issue itself), so she suggested starting with Lexapro because it works for me. I just started meds for ADHD and my doctor prescribed methylphenidate because it works so well for my girls.

[raleighnc]

Mar 27, 2023 20:32:24 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

It's really stressful and overwhelming, but just try to do the next right thing. Which you are doing - you're getting him assessed. No one can expect you to know all the answers or be able to fix everything right now. The doctors and hopefully therapists will help you through it. Don't be afraid to try different options - you can always stop or change.

If it makes you feel any less alone, something like 30% of kids with ADHD also have a comorbidity like anxiety or depression. It makes it more challenging to treat, but there are many more options now than even 10 years ago. And treating them younger can head off a lot of issues as they go through teenage years and young adulthood when you have less influence.

My daughter started Lexapro around age 11 (and was already in therapy for anxiety and treated for ADHD), and one positive outcome is that her adjustment to middle school and post-covid was a lot easier with the meds and therapy than some of her neurotypical friends.

[circa1978]

raleighnc, that does make it a little better. One of the things he struggles with is why things have to be so HARD for him. It's not fair and I'm not here to tell him it is. It fucking is not. But we are also trying to normalize that so many people struggle and what is this idea of perfection he's holding himself up to? It literally does not exist? 🤷‍♀️

[katb]

My DD3 started taking Lexapro in beginning 8th grade so around 13/14. After about 2 months, she turned to me and told me I wish we could have done this sooner - Her 7th grade and first part of 8th grade was such a struggle for many reasons. I know I did what I though best but I wish I had opened my mind sooner to meds to help - as I know (and have said way before this) I wouldn't hesitate to medicate any other medical condition if needed - diabetes, cancer, asthma, etc...

4 years later, she isn't taking anything but did swith to Prozac after 2 years and was on that for about a year. With counseling and other coping skills, she doesn't need the meds at this time. However, if she does, I wouldn't hesitate to encourage her to get back on them

[DarcyLongfellow]

Yes. DD1 started zoloft in 3rd grade for anxiety. In 6th grade she started having more problems with depression, plus a lot of other issues (including covid isolation), and she switched to Prozac. She also has OCD, which high doses of Prozac can help with.

Deciding to put her on an SSRI was the best decision we could have made for her.

Hugs to you and your baby. I'm happy to answer any questions.

[lolalolalola]

DD is on Cipralex and has been for a few years. It’s been life changing. She still has anxiety but it’s loads better.

[shauni27]

circa1978, I just wanted to send hugs. I am so sorry you find yourself in this situation. Best of luck as you navigate through this.

[raleighnc]

Mar 27, 2023 21:25:32 GMT -5 circa1978 said:

raleighnc, that does make it a little better. One of the things he struggles with is why things have to be so HARD for him. It's not fair and I'm not here to tell him it is. It fucking is not. But we are also trying to normalize that so many people struggle and what is this idea of perfection he's holding himself up to? It literally does not exist? 🤷‍♀️

I think everyone with any chronic health issue has to go through a grieving process for whatever idea of "normal" they had. DD did tell me that she has decided that everyone is struggling with something and more people could benefit from counseling/social-emotional learning/etc. So I think she has come to some sort of peace with the "why me" question. She definitely felt the unfairness for a very long time.

I don't know what you have in your area, but DD did do a group therapy class focused on coping skills for anxiety. You could look into mindfulness as well. DD also really likes learning about the neurochemistry and brain differences in anxiety and ADHD.

[calamity]

I really think that my son would benefit from Prozac but he doesn't want to take medication. It's hard to know how much is moody/irritable teenager or depression/anxiety.

[circa1978]

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences. Today's challenge is connecting with someone who can assess him. His pediatrician suggested going to a mental health ER as the best way to see a psychiatrist quickly in our area and that seems traumatic/possibly excessive. We had an appointment in a few weeks with a psychologist who is supposed to call today but obviously he can't prescribe. How did you go about getting Rx?

[chilerellanos]

With my oldest two we did go to an ER because they were making self harming statements, and they were both admitted inpatient to get started.

My third, I just went to her doctor and said she needs on something and she prescribed it.

We live in a more rural area, so maybe our pediatricians are more comfortable prescribing because trying to get even a regular psychiatrist, much less a pediatric psychiatrist in our area is very challenging.