Kids and Medication?? not to sure about this one...

[Adrienne]

Hello... well i will cut to the chase...
I have a child who is on medication.
My son and I have been on an amazing life journey together and for periods of time not together...
well when he came home to live with me again Three years ago... he was very angry and violent and simply put I couldn't cope with this at the time and took him in to see DR's and they put him on medication to help with his behaviour and anxiety....
However, after about nearly two years of this...i have become uncomfortable with this Idea of him being on meds... It simply feels wrong.. and i don't think it is helping him...
(i was always uncomfortable, but didn't know what else to do, and well the Dr's apparently did.) I actually feel it may be hindering him in expressing feelings/feeling feelings/healing.

well now amongst soul searching and stuff... I wonder if children on medication is more a coping tool for the adults...
As in 'why do i have to change when i can point my finger at the "problem" and then medicate the "problem"?'
I say this... but i say this cuz my son has been a huge mirror of me... and has taught me so much...

On this note... it could be taken many ways... however.. it has been what it has been and is what it is, till it isn't...LOL
My son has been on risperidone...0.5 MG and 10MG of prozac....
the first was meant for sleep and to help with the violence...
the second with anxiety.
he has been off of the risperidone for 5 days... and apparently grampa forgot to give him his prozac while visiting... I am gonna wait now till his appointment and see how he does... i don't think the doses are too high to let him be off of them
well tonight he expressed feelings and emotions that i was glad to hear about.. cuz he freakin shared...
and i have also posted about the health issues he has been creating/having over the last four to five months... repressed emotions???? although i am also aware of attention seeking behaviour.... , i was the queen of it...
I guess my fears and my frustrations are in doing whats best for him... drugs or no drugs that is the question?
just looking for feed back
i already know what i am going to do, but am wondering if anyone has any experience with this... or knows of any articles on this type of thing... Just putting it out there too, cuz our kids are being Medicated to much.
Adrienne

[Flattlander]

meds

I have a daughter for whom medication was recommended. However, she will not take any medication, so there really is no dilema here. I was talking to a therapist who works with the children of mothers or fathers who are addicted to drugs. She has to decide if the children are okay to stay with their parents or if they need to be put in a different environment and we got on the subject of medication. She is not a doctor, however she still has some training in that area. She is not a big fan of medication and feels that medication is often the first solution provided for a child that is having behavioral problems. She also said that she feels most of the children don't actually need the medication. Apparanlty most medications of this nature will increase the amount of dopamine or seratonin production, or decrease the rate at which they break down, or something like that. She feels that a person should have their levels tested first to see if they actually have low levels, or trouble absorbing or whatever. I know my daughter was never tested in that way and yet they keep trying to push the meds on her. I know that sometimes antidepressants can be used to help a person through a rough patch and get them back on their feet. It's a temproray solution to be used in conjuction with therepy, to teach the person other ways to cope. IMO it shouldn't be a long term thing. IMO these types of meds should only be used in extreme cases and for emergencies (ie the person will hurt themself or others). I am also not a big fan because most of these meds should be reduced slowly, like weaning the person when they come off the med. Stopping cold turkey has really bad affects on the person. And unless a kid takes them consistenly, they might not be safe. The med they wanted my daughter to take will make symptoms much worse if she stops it without supervision. I know her well enough to know that if she changes her mind, that's exactly what she will do. Hope that helps.

Here is a book I recommend to all parents: "Have a New Kid by Friday" by Dr. Kevin Leman. (A really excellent book).

Stacey