16 Yr Old in Depression and Put on New Meds...

I thought this was the medicine they have been talking about on TV that is known for causing depression in teens and younger. Try just googling the word Zyprexa, and look into the other websites that come up related to the word. There may be some kind of blogs or something that will give you some personal experiences with it.

H.,
Go to http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/hp.asp This website is a lifesaver for me, I am a medical transcriptionist and this website can answer most of your medication questions. Read carefully though, there are different types of Zyprexa! Good luck! -H.-

you can go to www.PDRHealth.com it is one of the many resource websites that we used at a hospital i worked at before we moved here. they have dang near everything on there from over the counter, script, & herbal meds. plus diseases, illnesses, things of that nature. good luck, & God bless.

I read all of the advice you have gotten and I think you have received a lot of great advice and suggestions. My two cents worth...if you feel uncomfotable with what you see then go with your 6th sense (motherly instinct) and call your doctor. Explain to him what you see and how you feel and take it from there. Ask if you can do this in a more gradual process and see what he has to say about the medication he is on. Sometimes we just need to give the meds some time to work, but you are the best source of information to your doctor. Good Luck to you and your family

Hey H.,

I would do some research on this medication and ask your psychatrist if they are prescribing zyprexa "off lable." I am not sure what the age levels are, but several years ago, it was only used off lable for children. Zyprexa has been involved in several law suits related to the development of diabetes and poor blood sugar regualtion. It is not usually the first line of medications presecribed for garden variety depression, and is used more often as an anti psychotic/ anti agression/ mood regulator (a mood disorder is entirely different from depression) This is my memory from when our autsitc daughter was on this briefly for agression. We could see the weight come on her body as she gained it, and she began to urinate huge amounts because her blood sugar went wacko, it also did not help her with aggresive behaviors. It was not a good drug for her.

I would be darn sure that you know what the symptoms are that this drug is supposed to be targeting, that you understand what disorder the symptoms are for the disorder he is dianosed with, and make sure that their is not a better choice. Do you trust the person who is prescribing for your son? Don't ever be afraid to ask a million questions and refuse to leave until you have all the answers you need.

M.

I would ask my pharmacy to give me a read out on the side effects, ect. They usually supply 1 with our new scripts and when doses are upped.

Some meds can make you sleepy. To give it a fair chance, have him take it late in the day, maybe a few hours before bedtime, then he sleeps good, and starts the day without being freshly medicated with a drowsy medicine. Also, I would not jump from the 2.5 straight to the 10 mgs. I would do it more gradule (sp). Do 5 mgs for 2 weeks, then up it if you feel like it still needs to be upped, but by 2.5 incriments.

Just a suggestion...

good luck & God Bless,

A.

my brother has taken that for many years. it does have side effects life sleepiness and weight gain as others have mention. the jump from 2.5mg to 10mg is alot!! why did the doc increase it so much at once? usually these types of meds are increased slowly to find the right dosage (and also to allow the body to get used to it). I highly recommend calling to speak with your (your son's) doc. ask all the questions you have. ask what side effects you should expect. the doc (or their nurse) should take as much time as you need to answer questions. if not, maybe find a new doc(?). psych meds can be pretty serious and you should only have them prescribed by someone you really trust and someone willing to explain them to you so you fully understand.

HI H., My son took Zyprexa...It worked for the mood swings..BUT it but 30 lbs on him...When he was on 10mg for almost a year it seemd to stop working. My son lives with Autism, I just hate for your son to put on alot of weight. Now that my son has been off of it for almost a year he has lost the weight but it was a battle. I hope this helps alittle. Just thought I would put my 2 cents worth in. Have a great day!

B.

H.,
I take 6 mg of Zyprexa have been for 5 years now. Being sleepy is one of the side affects. You need to encourage him to get up and get moving or he could sleep all day and night. (I know teenagers do that anyway) I go to work everyday and I am invovled in outside activities. A good website is: www.zyprexa.com.

I don't know anything about the med. However, if he is extremely tired and sleepy during the day, have him try taking the meds before bed time. That helped me a great deal.

Is your son bipolar? Because that is the most common reason it's prescribed. It's got an antipsychotic in it. Are you sure that he really needs something so heavy duty??

Hello H. If I were you I would definitely check out the medication on the net and maybe then talk to the Dr.. I looked it up on Google and it sounds like pretty strong stuff.
My grandson is also batteling depression now too and they have him on Pristiq, he must have needed it because in just a few days he is like a total different person. I realize that no two people are the same so it may not make a difference in your son. My grandson is also on a anxiety med and that has helped him tremendously. I should say my granson is 26 yr.old and there might make a difference in age but I wouldn't think so. There are so many kinds of med. for depression so if this doesn't work for him the Dr. can try something else. My prayers are with you because you really hate to see your son so misserable. K.