A couple of good websites to learn more are;
www.DRUGS.com ,
www.webmd.com and
www.medicalnewstoday.com .
I have some experience with these forms of medications as well as antidepressants/ antianxiety meds for my children who had or still have some forms of ADD/ADHD and even anxiety as well as from what myself and exwife went through. When I write in upper case letters, I'm not yelling at you, lol, I only want to make the point clear to you. I am NOT a physician or a professional in the medical field, so PLEASE, WHATEVER I SAY, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND GET SECOND AND EVEN THIRD OPINIONS WHEN LOOKING INTO ANY FORM OF TREATMENT FOR YOUR CHILD. Some medications on the market are new and their side effects can be very broad, many times the FDA and other researchers do not even know the long term effects at the time, it may take many years to learn what the effects can be, such as was the case with those antianflamitories that actually worked to control muscle spasms and swelling, but much later on (years) after the FDA approved these drugs, some people suffered ulsers, stomach bleeding and heart problems. There are meds that are proven to work wonders in SOME people, but everyone is different, and other meds can be very dangerous, especially if the physician has misdiagnosed bipolar for depression or other conditions a person is experiencing. As with ALL medications, especially for these forms of illnesses, you need to be very careful with. For children and teens, this is critical! These meds can take days or even weeks for them to begin to show positive effects if the condition was diagnosed correctly in the first place. Lets face it, we are dealing with the human brain, the most highly developed and even more complex organ and computer that God in His infinate wisdom had designed. Now, for my experiences, five years ago, I was a well trained automotive technician, healthy, active and working on a military career, I have three girls, (today 9, 15 and 18), I was married and had a great job, until one day, at work, setting up the lift for a vehicle, I developed a herniation of my low back, I needed a one vertebrate level laminectamy, I scheduled that surgery, I couldn't stop working because I had a family to support and my employer was not sympathetic to my injury to place me on light duty in the office until I could heal. Here's the kicker, on a hot morning 28 days before my surgery, I was removing a tire from a car, (knowing of my back problem) my chronic practical joking coworker thought it would be funny to see how high I could jump by throwing ice water on my upper back while I was supporting a tire and favoring my right leg. Once the water hit me, the natural instict is to hyperextend every muscle in your body. Well, that exacerbated my low back, but now, my neck went out, because I was already trying to protect the low back. I herniated a disk in my low neck now. After a loud confrontation with my coworker and much pain and numbness, he apologized and swore he would stop the practicle jokes. I went to my doctor, but didn't file an injury claim for fear of getting him into trouble. He was in his mid twenties, just married and just bought a home. So, I thought he learned by all this and thought about what he could lose if an injury suit was filed. I sucked it up, forgave him and just went to the doctors as planned. I had xrays that night, but the back was worse than the neck, so I kept my surgery appointment for the following month and would have to wait for treatment for the neck until the back healed. The next morning, I should have just stayed home and rested, because it changed my life forever, but, I have a family to feed. Again, the morning was hot and I was in pain, my coworker was working on a car, I squatted down facing a work bench to stretch my back, as I extended my arms to hold the bench, I brought my head to my knees, this same idiot must have a bad case of ADD/ADHD/BIPOLAR, he must have been abused by his father as a child, who knows, but he didn't learn from last night, he snuck up behind me with an air ratchet (you know those loud air operated tool in auto shops?) and stuck it to my behind and activated the tool. Well, not being in the best position for this, I jumped, twisted and pop pop pop went my neck and back. That was my last day I was able to work since. I suffered a three level nasty herniation of the neck and back. Angry, p-ssed and wanting to level this jerk, I couldn't, I hurt bad! I spent the next month on my back, filed a workers comp complaint (I should have filed a personal injury suit and had him arrested for assault, but I didn't), I had my low back surgery (little did I know I was refered to a neurosurgeon who thought he was God and nothing could go wrong with his work), But, My low back felt well enough to go on light duty after 13 days after a 1 level laminectamy (BIG MISTAKE). The surgeon should have kept me out for at least a month, but now my employer was playing games, disputing my claim, lying to the doctors, his insurance company and workers compensation. I had no income if I didn't work. I worried that I wouldn't be able to feed my family and would lose my health insurance. He even begged me to lie to comp and change my story. He basically demanded it. I wouldn't, because he ignored my complaints about my coworker and who would pay my bills and feed my kids? When I returned to work after my surgery, I took over the office, I gave the mechanic a car to work on, he got mad and had an attitude, a dead car had been towed in just before and was dropped in front of the one he was to service in thew parking lot. I told him to roll the dead car and I would guide him, I faced away towards the intersection to watch for oncoming traffic and pedestrians, he grabbed the steering wheel and rolled the car, I said "thats far enough," but, no reply, and the car kept rolling down the driveway toward the busy intersection, he left the car to roll and hopped in the other car and drove it into the bays. Natural instict told me to turn quickly, hop on my left leg and try to step on the brakes before it his someone. Well, thats what I did but I fell into the car while trying to step on the pedal. That was it for me, I was out of commission for good. That ruined my low back that was just healing. I've been out of work for good. Next, after more films and MRI's, my neck was most unbearable, but once again, the self appointed lord of neurosurgeons said I needed two levels fused in my neck, this required screws and a plate with bone graft from my hip. Two years later I found it was three levels, THE THIRD NEVER DONE. Something didn't feel right for the next two years, something was grinding and binding, but according to this god the surgeon, that was impossible! He said it was all in my head. He diagnosed me with "CASE NEUROSIS," a diagnosis he used to describe a patient that is only looking to sue someone merely by keeping notes during my visit and to keep track of how I felt on medications and the things he stated to me so I wouldn't forget later on. He stopped pain meds abruptly, wouldn't see or treat me until he refered me to a psychiatrist (of who never called me back for an appointment after ten calls). Twenty days of withdrawls and so much pain and anxiety and now anger because of the negligent way I was being treated by him, I got mad and called workers comp and my attorney. When the doctor's office was contacted, the doctor stated he couldn't figure out why I was refered to this particular psychiatrist and now sent me to another. In pain, no meds, no treatments, I sat in this shrinks office an hour and fifteen minute before being seen meanwhile watching them reach into the cabinets to hand out sample meds like candy to patients. Keep in mind, drug companies weekly come in and offer free samples and I'm sure the doctor gets a kickback for writting those scripts. Again, a lot of these meds are new to the market. After ten minutes of questions with the shrink, he diagnosed me with depression and anxiety, filled a brown bag with meds and sent me on my way. Well, if I didn't take these, it would look to the insurance company and comp that I was not following doctors orders, I had no choice! I took them as prescribed and my God, I was praying He would take me to his kingdom. I had vivid nightmares, severe tremors, I was cranky, I was even seeing things that were not there. I stopped them immediately, which is even worse if you've been on the med for a while. What do they do, they put me on another, then another and another. His diagnosis still, depression! By now, I was not depressed, I WAS P-SSSSED OFF
! Sure I had anxiety, who wouldn't? Through all this, I had lost my health, my career, my job, my health insurance, and now I was loosing my wife, she couldn't take this. Who could blame her? She ended up with my so called best friend. By now, I demanded another neurosurgeon for another opinion and I thank God almighty for him. He found three pedicle screws in my neck sheared off and the plate hanging by one screw. I needed emergancy surgery, but they couldn't refuse the vertebrates that had the broken screw studs, there's no room for new screws and he couldn't take them out either, so he fused the level that was never done. Next, he had to fix all the screw ups the other doctor did to my back by him not doing the three levels I originally needed. The new surgeon saved me and to him and God I thank that I can walk today. The next hit I took was a sheriff at my door with divorce papers. That really did me in, but the worst of all of this, my girls were affected badly and my ex and my ex friend were telling them lies about me. Now I was alone, all alone and it killed me not to be able to kiss my daughters goodnight and tuck them in. NOW I HAD DEPRESSION! Once again, more meds and more side effects, each med had it's own effect. I learned that many antidepressants and others alike do not do well for us if the diagnosis is incorrect or there are multiple psycological conditions, and they virtually kill any chance of a sexual life and when we are in the heat and sun, severe dehydration can most likely occur, my friend's wife learned this the hard way when she passed out on the beach with her two little girls helplessly looking on. I was put on so many meds it wasn't funny, Trileptal, Seroquel, Celexa, Effexor, Nueontin, Wellbutrin and a list more. On top of these for severe pain, Oxycontin & Percocet. All these until we found my 30 year old nephew dead from multiple drug toxicity, he suffered an aneurysm in the intestines and bled internally. Your heart and blood pressure is another thing that needs to be closely monitored during treatment, my pressure shot through the roof. I DON'T CARE WHAT THE DOCTORS OR PHARMACISTS TELL US, some generic meds are not exactly the same as the brand name. True, if a generic brand comes out of the same batch during manufacturing process as the brand, and you tollerate that medication well, theres usually no problem, but when multiple companies make the generic, there are dies and fillers that the brand does not have, many pills not even coated. I tollerated Percocet well and it worked well, but when I was given the generic, I broke out in rashes, got bad cramps and it didn't seem to work for pain. The same can be said for all the other generics I took. Over the last five years, I developed sleep apnea because of the pain and numbness, and also from all the pressure. I was placed on 100mg of Seroquel to help me sleep. The doctor's statement of side effects, "its a wonder drug," but it can also kill you, well, it hasn't killed me yet after two years, but I have had severe panic attacks, tremors, sweats and stomach problems, in plain language, I lost my stomach contents when my script ran out and the insurance company denied coverage for one reason or another, it's always good to have emergency samples handy when this problem arises or if your physician falls off the earth and fails to call back. And it has become common place these days where I myself and millions of others feel our children are over medicated instead of getting to the root causes of the problems they suffer from. So, what do we do? Try it or not? My doctor told me I could split a tablet in half if I'd like, but I later found out that there is a reason there is a line down the middle of some tablets and others don't. That line I learned is for splitting, we're not supposed to with the ones without lines, those mostly are "time release tablets" and for good reason. OXYCONTIN has a bad rap I feel from my experience and self research, it is a TIME RELEASE drug and NEVER meant to be split in half! This is where so many have died from it because of the rapid release of the drug into the body especially in large doses. In the past, my daughters were placed on Ritalin, Celexa and other drugs to control their mild tics and anxiety, but I am greatful to God we got them off those, and that they either got better, out grew the illness or better control of themselves. My feeling and experience is, if the CORRECT DIAGNOSIS IS MADE, some of these meds can be life changing for the better, but also can be very dangerous. You need to monitor the kids for suicidal thoughts as was the case in one of my children trying to cut herself of the arm. At that point, the child needs to be hospitalized and treated, but as was the case for us, it caused more harm than good and the methods they used to treat her were not the best, you need to find the right hospital and the right doctors which is very difficult. It was only until she got a bit older, more mature, got away from friends of negative influences and the pressure of her life in our home eased did things get much better for her. I'm happy to say she and my other daughters are so much better enjoying life today and mainly because, no matter what, Daddy and Mommy love them unconditionally and better understand through educating ourselves in what they are going through and also for Dad to understand that I am not a girl, I do not experience what a girl goes through (other than pulling my hair out sometimes and screaming into my pillow, lol), but I never give up on them and will never leave them. As parents, we need to step back, take a deep breath, and try to place ourselves in the child's shoes, and if possible, remember what OUR childhood was like so we can better understand. We can't control the school systems, but we can go to meetings and offer our imput. Just remember, the kid is not in control, you are, and if the kid is OUT OF CONTROL, YOU NEED TO BE IN CONTROL. My ex took Zoloft for years, and it helped, but it also has its affects, she was always snapping and had hypoglycemia on top of it, so even a proper diet and keeping our sugars in check can help. Just, if anything, get another opinion for you're child, they deserve it, doctors are human too and can make mistakes and misdiagnose medical conditions, DO YOUR HOMEWORK! And lastly, love them, love them, love them no matter what! Again, I'm not a doctor and do not diagnose myself or anyone else, I only tell of my experience, so read and study and study and read, and by all means, have patience and understanding. Sorry about my poor spelling, another sign that I'm not a PHD. I wish you all the very best with your child and keep your hopes up, with proper treatment, love, patience and understanding, I'm confident the child will get better. Have fun at Disney all!
