Use of Zoloft for Anxiety in my Aspie

[C&G'sMama]

To all:

Some of you know me from the Behavior Challange Thread. I have an 8yo son with Asperger's Syndrome. He has been having a lot of anxiety as of late that manifests itself in the form of perseveration, OCD and big anger problems. We have done everything short of medication but we feel the time is right. So we called the Doctor and they are suggesting a low dose of Zoloft. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

I myself have been taking Prozac for many years. I resisted taking it but quite frankly it is one of the best things I've done for myself. But I'm an adult. My concern with the Zoloft are reports of it attributing to agression in some cases, since that's one of his issues to begin with, I don't know if it's a good idea. We will talk more to the Doctor.

I welcome comments from everyone whether you are pro-meds or anti-meds. I'm trying to get as much information as possible.

TIA

 

[bookwormde]

I think you already know my thought on drugs, A good tool for critical situations for the short term, but not something you want to do in the long term unless every other support is maximized.

That said zoloft is about as benign as it gets, but remember none of these drugs have been labeled for children.

 

[C&G'sMama]

I think you already know my thought on drugs, A good tool for critical situations for the short term, but not something you want to do in the long term unless every other support is maximized.

That said zoloft is about as benign as it gets, but remember none of these drugs have been labeled for children.

Thanks Bookwormde. I do know how you feel and I hope you know I respect you and your opinion. And you made me feel better about Zoloft. We have tried everything. DP is having a much harder time with this than I am as she feels like she's failed him. Because I have some of the same issues as he does and know what it's like to have a flash temper, I'm more open to the idea. But at the same time, as you said, none of these drugs have been labeled for kids and as an adult my chemistry is more settled and as an adult my brain is more settled.

But, we so worry about his behavior as he gets older and bigger. The thought is the Zoloft to take the edge off the anxiety and to continue to work with him on the social stuff with the hopes it will be come easier for him. And we don't see this as a forever solution.

So again thank you.

 

[krisnme]

My DS(19) started zoloft 6-7 yrs ago for many of the same issues and it has been very successful for him. we have had no perceptible side effects. I have tried twice to wean him off with bad results and a return of his behaviors. I would never say that medication is right for every child, I just know that it was right for my child. Good luck

 

[kirstenb1]

Our younger dd has ASD. However it's her older sister who takes Zoloft for anxiety. She's 13. She had a horrible school year last year. She takes Concerta for attention issues. I had no idea our older dd had such bad anxiety. She asked us to find someone to help her. So we took her to a therapist, and she told us our daughter had "extreme anxiety". She said it's a chemical issue, and no amount of therapy was going to cure it. She did give dd some coping strategies, but recommended meds. So dd takes Zoloft and another pill to help her sleep (I can look that one up if you need), and Concerta in the morning before school.

It has made a huge difference. She's a much more balanced, happy child. Our younger dd is only 6. She has always seemed really anxious to me. So far she doesn't take any meds, but I could totally see her needing anxiety meds, especially as social and academic pressures increase.


PS, almost forgot----the therapist said that kids with anxiety issues often wind up dx'd with ADD, but the underlying problem is sometimes driven by the anxiety. So if you can fix that, the attention improves. I haven't tried taking her off the Concerta yet, but will let her decide if she wants to try. I'm not suggesting your son has attention issues, but wanted to let you know we've had different things going on with dd for several years, and it's hard to drill down and figure out what's really going on.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My DS w/Asperger's started taking Zoloft when he was 9. It really does take the edge off the anxiety. He's been up and down with the dosage over the past few years but now, at age 16, he's on a low dose of 50 mg. per day. I still see a moderate amount of anxiety in him (always wanting to know our plans for the day, what's coming next, is grandpa OK, will I be able to get to his school is we have an earthquake, etc.). There used to be a lot more perseverating, but it has declined. I haven't seen any side-effects and my son seems to handle the medication very well.