New Meds for DS's
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive July-December 2003:
New Meds for DS's
As I've probably told y'all....my two adopted DS's have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. We just started with a new psych doctor, and we were very impressed with him. He feels that the ADHD dx on the older one is totally wrong. He said that it's too much of a catch-all dx.
He has put Shawn on Lithium, and Mike on Depakote. He took Shawn's Adderal XR and Remeron away. Mike is on Zoloft, Risperdal, and now Depakote.
The Lithium has to be titrated up to the full dose gradually, and they both have to have blood work in two weeks.
We're really hoping that this will turn the corner, especially for Shawn. It's been a rough road, behavior wise, for him, since he came to us a year ago. He had so many placements, that he never had any continuity in his care.
We're really praying that this makes a difference.Mike has always been very affectionate, and has assimilated into our family very well. The only thing that I've noticed on the Depakote, is that he doesn't talk so loud, which is a blessing! We're hoping that the lithium will make Shawn's moods less eratic.He also suffers from attachment disorder.
Any nurses or pharmacists out there to give me any pointers? I used to be a pharmacy tech, but didn't know too much about these drugs. I know that lithium suppresses the thyroid, so the doc has ordered TSH, T4 and T3 levels.Depakote is also prescribed for seizure disorders.
I probably should have posted this under Special Needs. Sorry.
No apologies necessary, Hol. This is parenting topic! No personal experience but I hope this new doctor and meds for the boys work out well. I may be asking more questions about bipolar disorder.
My friends oldest adopted child has a child with bi polar. Sorry I don't know much. I think he takes several other medicines too.
He is hospitalized for a week to a month several times a year when they change the medicine.
He is 18 now and they have him in a sleep away school so he can concentrate on getting his high school diploma. (Darn teenage hormones!) He is a big six foot six man now! They are trying to find a place to give him a trade next.
Hope they adjusts to the medicine.
Hol, my dad is a pharmacist/pharmacologist and used to work in a pediatric psychiatric hospital. I'll forward your post on to him and see what he has to say. It may be a couple of days because he's very busy and slow to respond to emails 
Thanks, Pam! That would be a great HELP! I have to say, that, I think I see a brightening in Shawn's mood, on the lithium. On the advise of our therapist, I just bought the book, "The Bipolar Child". It's very informative, and lists some very creative people from history who were bipolar, among them, Abraham Lincoln. I know that President Lincoln DID suffer terrible bouts of depression.
Feonad- yes, preparing these kids for a future of gainful employment is a challenge.They already have the disadvantage of coming from an abusive background, and the upheaval of being removed from their birth family, multiple placements, etc. Then they have to deal with a physiological condition (an imbalance of brain chemicals), that is hereditary in nature. Shawn is very gifted, academically, especially in math and science. Ironically, I have been trying to guide him toward a career as a pharmacist. I have a lot of respect for them, having worked with so many fine ones. Their knowledge is INCREDIBLE! They also make fantastic money. We have a very fine college of pharmacy at our state university, which is only twenty minutes from the house.
Mike is sensitive, and artistic. He likes to work with his hands, but is not too much for academic work. Our high school also has a great trade school, and he thinks that he'd like to study carpentry next year. (Grade ten). Right now, he is in an alternative school that addresses his psychiatric and social needs.
They have greatly enriched our lives, and are the recipients of the love that we felt that we wanted to give to someone. Losing Dan, our bio DS, left a tremendous void in our hearts.
Didn't mean to go off on a tangent. Sorry.
Holly, my 9yo ds was tenativly diagnosed bipolar about 1 1/2 weeks ago, and formally diagnosed today. His pdoc perscribed Depakote first but we had to take him off it after 2 day because it made him extreamly hyper (NOT the effect we wanted! lol). He's now on lithium and had lab tests last week. His level is .9 which pdoc says is good. Anyway, he takes 750mg a day (450 in am, 300 in pm) and his behavior has improved SO much! He's much calmer and although he still is "set off" easily, he gets over things much quicker that he used to. He still has his moments, but they are fewer and further between. His teacher and I emailed each other probably a half a dozen times today. lol He had a good day in school, though. He's going through the testing for an IEP. They tried to tell me last week he may not qualify because he's smart and can get good grades. That's WHEN he decides he wants to finish his work and turn it in. He's in 5th grade. He's also ADHD (dx 4 1/2 years ago). Pdoc says we have to treat bipolar first and then if there's still a need we'll treat the ADHD. Here's a website that's been a great place to get support and info for me.
http://www.bpkids.org/
They've been great. Another thing I'm having to deal with is educating the school. They don't have a clue what this disorder is all about and it's SO frustrating. Ds's progress report said "needs to work of controlling behavior" Hello??? What does he think we're working on? GGGRRR I don't know how much this answered your question, but know you're not alone. {{{{Hugs}}}}
I just wrote a whole post and lost it.
Please be careful with the Risperdol. It has some nasty, irreversible side effects. It can cause shakes, tics and cognitive delays, and they can be permanent. My daughter's birth sister is going through this right now, and her life will never be the same. I asked our neurologist about the drug. He said that a few years ago they thought it was a wonder drug, but now they know the reality. There are many law suits around it. I'm just telling you this because most people aren't told, and I'd hate for you to find out when it's too late.
I did a google search for the sister's family, and came up with lots of stuff on it.
Cat and Marcia- THANKS SO MUCH!! It's so comforting to have a place to come for love and advice in a non-judgmental way.
We are really optimistic about the new dx, and drugs for both. Shawn REALLY needs help. We're putting a lot of hope in the Lithium. In Mike's case, he's been on Risperdal for about nine months, now. So far, so good. In fact, I was AFRAID that the new doc would take it away. I intend to ask him about the side effects, tho. The Depakote was added to help with impulsivity.He would react badly to teasing at school. We also had a problem with shop-lifting. (Something I NEVER thought I could deal with. Never a problem with my bio kids). He would steal an item, then feel instantly guilty, (a good thing), then we'd have to go back to the store and make restitution.I guess a lot of bipolar people are into "instant gratification". The drug is supposed to counteract that. Thanks again, dear friends. You're the best. PS Mike had a real bad motor tic (involuntary head movement) when he first came to me. He had been tested for Tourette's, but it came back negative. It was determined that it was probably from the abuse that he suffered. The Risperdal took it completely away.
Good luck with everything Sorry, no experience with any of those drugs here.
My mom took zoloft for depression and didn't have any problems with it. That's about the only thing I'm familiar with on your list.
Hi Hol. I have an 8 year old son that was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about a year ago now. He is currently on 250mg of Depakote and most recently 18mg of Concerta (replacing the adderol that he had been taking up until this time). As far as any pointers with the meds, the only one I can offer any advice on that is on your list is the depakote. The only thing I didn't see already mentioned, is that my son needs to go in every other month for blood work since he is on the depakote. Apparently the depakote has been known to cause liver damage - so he needs the blood work to check his levels constantly....more preventive I suppose than anything else. I'm not sure if your son is already going for any sort of regular blood work, but it may be something to ask about if your doctor hasn't already discussed it with you.
Your son Shawn sounds very similar to my son Matthew. A lot of the problems you had mentioned in your posts are soooooo familiar to me. My son also had a lot of difficutly in school - with peers in general really. He also would react badly to "teasing"...more often than not in a violent manner  He actually just returned to the public school system last week (this school year) after being out of school for almost a year (a temporary probationary expulsion of sorts - although I can't say I blame the school at all...things were very out of hand for awhile and Matt was quite a threat to both others and himself.) Stealing has been a pretty consistent issue with Matt as well He's very impulsive, believes himself to be "invincible" of sorts and sometimes has difficulty deciphering between reality and fantasy. The other huge problem that we have with Matt is his rages...unfortunately these prove to be very destructive - to himself and his surroundings. We are still searching for the right "help" for Matt at this point - basically right now it's a combination of meds, counseling, diet, behavior modification and a lot of prayers.
Oh and an afterthought here....wanted to go back to something else you had mentioned med related - in my experience, the depakote did help with the impulsive behavior to an extent...but the adderol/now concerta was necessary for the violence/rages/destructive/outburst sort of behaviors - in Matt's case it wasn't any one med that helped so much as it was a combination of meds..yet we are still trying to figure out the perfect combo/dose for him ;)
I hope that you are able to figure out what works best for your two boys. You sound like you are very devoted to making this as easy and copeable as possible for these two - I admire you for that! Too often in parental support meetings and through the dr.s office when I have had the opportunity to speak with other parents of bipolar children the mood seems very pessimistic or to the point of giving up - it's so very refreshing to see another with such an optomistic outlook! ;)
|
Members
