Toddler My Son - Anoka, MN

As a provisionally licensed mental health practitioner...I would not let a general MD prescribes psychotropic meds for my kids. I would take them to a therapist who specializes in 1.)PTSD and 2.) Working with Children. Find someone who has a few years of experience in these two areas. At that point...I would definitely discuss the doctor's thoughts as well as your concerns to discern if a referral to a Psychiatrist is needed. There is a huge difference between a psych MD and a pediatric MD in regards to their knowledge of mental health conditions and the most appropriate medications and dosages for a child that age. This is just my opinion! Good Luck!

My son got help with OCD and anxiety through the Alexander Center in Eden Prairie. They are a mental-health and behavioral disorder clinic for children only. They worked wonders for my child without the use of medication. He is now well-adjusted and is very self-aware and knows how to come to us for help and knows how to help himself. He, too, was 8 when we went through the therapy. We saw Dr. Dan Barron, who was very nice. Their phone # is ###-###-####. Good luck.

I take celexa. I know i'm an adult so i can't speak to it for an 8 year old-but as far as the drug itself goes it's a pretty "low' version of an anti-dep, anxiety drug, (they often prescribe it to woman suffering from severe pms). I take a very low dose-20 mg. I've been taking it for about 7 years.

The downside as with all of these types of drugs is they take a few weeks to work, but when they do 'presto'..but stopping taking them works the same way, (although I'm taking it for depression so maybe that's different).

If you do decide to use it-get it filled at target or walmart in generic form...$4/month!

I am sorry to hear about your struggles with your son. I can't imagine how heart breaking it is for you to watch your son go through this. We have not had experience regarding a child with Celexa however I was on it for several years while pregnant and breast feeding. I never had any issues with it. I was told by my doctor it is one with very little side effects and just a mild medicine in general. If anything, I got a little sleepy so I took it at night before I went to bed. Also, my children have not had any side effects, that I know of, from me taking it during pregnancy (and breastfeeding). I never had any problems after weening off the meds after 7 years as I learned to cope with depression on my own (I went to counseling for several years and surrounded myself with positive, loving people who encouraged me). Good Luck! You will be in my prayers today as I think about you and your decision.

You may want to try ERMD. http://www.emdr.com/ If you would like a referral to a local practitioner, let me know.

C.,
Having panic attacks myself as a young person, I found the best "medicine" was knowing I was not alone in the feelings I was experiencing and taking the "scare" out of the experience. I felt that I was doing certain things or eating certain foods that caused my heart to race, made my head ache, and caused sortness of breath. It "felt" to me like I was going to die. Of couse I did not and eventually I learned this was happening due to my fear and lonliness and when I had any small symptom or strange "feeling" I would say to myself, "here it goes again...am I going to die this time" and I would throw myself into these panic attack symptoms and I would cry and run and make it worse.
One day I read something that showed me other people had these symptoms and I was not crazy! I saw a councelor and learned to "talk myself out of it". I would say out loud, "I am not going to die. It is only going to last a few seconds or minutes. My breathing is slowing down, my heart is slowing down, my head will not "pop" off". Sometimes writing down how I felt helped some. I was in college and away from family and didn't have close friends then. I believe if I could have been held or hugged by a loved one it would have been great.
I did take short term meds only to get through "bad" time periods 1-2 weeks then stopped. Today some meds are very mild. Research and ask for ones with low side effects and ones that can be stopped or only taken as needed.
My suggestion is be patient and help your child get through these times with lots of ove and hugs and allow him to talk about his feelings. And best of all try to find a support group on-line or in your area where he can meet other kids just like him that are experiencing what he is and see that he is not alone and feeling he has to control his own healing.

C., our son is 10 and was diagnosed with OCD last fall.He takes a generic form of Zoloft and it seems to help him. After the death of my father in-law whom happened to be our sons buddy and a person he truly loved and looked up to our son changed a little . Our son was not depressed but started worrying to excess about everyone else dying and became obsessive about other things like home work and the way other people eat. We also did not want to use "drugs" but that and therapy have been a wonderful thing. When he takes his meds our son is just as happy and well adjusted as the next kid and you would have no clue he takes zoloft. We watch our son to make sure he is getting enough to eat and encourage him to be out in the fresh air. His blood work is monitored by our MD annualy to make sure he is safe from any side effects. You just have to decide if the benefits outway the side effects of him not being on something. We really struggled with this but our boy is happier now. Good Luck . SAHM of 4. 10,7,4,2

I would find a good counselor for him first. Medicating him may be the easiest solution but he needs to deal with whatever situation caused the PTS. He is afraid and needs to know that he is in a safe place. There are alot of herbal remedies that can help St John's Wort will balance out emotion and mental ups and downs. I am not a certifies herbalist but I have been studying herbal remedies for years. I am not sure of the dosage for a child. If there is not a certified herbalist in your area you should be able to find the information on line. You could also look for a Doctor of Holistic Medicine.
You might also want to look into Martial Arts training for him. Martial Arts will help him to gain confidence and self esteem.

C. - My father suffered a stroke last September and he found himself sitting outside of his home calling for help for over an hour. He too suffered from post tramatic stress syndrome as you can imagine. He also suffered from complete adrenael exhaustion.

I took him to a chiropractor in Eagan who specializes in neurology. He developed a process to deal with post tramactic stress. It took a while but he no longer has panic attacks and he didn't add any prescription drugs to his life. So no additional side affects to deal with.

If you would like to know more, feel free to email me.

D.