Prozac for 10 yr old depression/anxiety

[countrygirl1498]

I picked up a prescription for Prozac for my 10 yr old son.  He sees a councelor regularly and we just started with a psychiatrist for meds.  He was seeing an RN for meds prior to that.  He has tried Lexipro, Stratera and Abilify all of which we didn't like.  He was crying all the time and didn't know why, panicing/couldn't get him to go to school, etc.  The symtoms that were were treating esculated x10.  It got really bad so I weaned him off everything.  He clearly needs something for his depression & anxiety I know that, I'm so afraid to start the Prozac. Has anyone had their child on Prozac, what was the outcome good or bad.  I want to have as much knowledge as possible before he starts.  Don't worry about scaring me.  I hope to get some good news too. Thanks

[kimtournois]

I am going through the same thing with my Ten year old he is saying awful things and hurting others at school they want to put him on Prozac and I have been hearing awful things, I am not going to do it. Let me know how you made out please and what you are doing now? Thank you Countrygirl1498.
Kim

[countrygirl1498]

Thanks for your input. I'm still weighing the thought of putting him on Prozac.  He is in therapy so I think I'll discuss it a bit more with the therapist and then the psychiatrist.  I obviously don't feel comforable with it right now so I think I'll hold off for now anyway.

[Paxiled]

I think you have it backwards -- drugs can only help so much, it's therapy that is a cure if there is a cure.  It's also well recognized that most childhood anxiety is of a different nature than the chronic anxiety that affects adults.  These meds were never tested on children nor approved for children, so are used off-label.  I'd do anything to avoid meds for adults, and even more so for children.  Have you tested for all food sensitivities - the worst are wheat and dairy -- hormonal problems, blood sugar, some traumatic event that might have happened, presence of heavy metals or other contamination in your area, I mean, the possibilities on a forming brain and body are endless.  Try anything else first to find a cure, since drugs only mitigate symptoms and don't address causes.  The drugs aren't going anywhere, they can also be resorted to if absolutely necessary.  Good luck.

[anacyde]

Has he had any traditional therapy, without drugs?  Those drugs chemically restructure the brain, and for a child, they should be an absolute last resort.  I'd find a new doctor and proceed from there.

[countrygirl1498]

Thank you for your input.  I was never a fan of meds; it took me a long time to agree to it. My son is suffering and it's very hard to watch. He's been seeing a councelor for about a year now.  She specializes in anxiety, she also works @ a school/councelor. She recommended meds for his anxiety/depression. The psychiatrist is in the same office as her which is nice. Signs of anx/depr came about in 4th grade, excessive visits to the nurse/stomache aches. There is no doubt at all in my mind that he has these two disorders, doesn't surprise me both run huge in my family. I feel as if he was hardwired with these crappy disorders. I am definately hesitant starting the Prozac, I'm so afraid, but the same token do I deny my son the chance of feeling better, something we can't seem to control on our own.  Therapy can only help so much.  This is definately weighing heavy on my mind.  I'm hoping some people come forward and tell me of their experiences having a child on Prozac. I know every child is different and responds different to meds but it would be great to have that support, especially if he has side effects.  That can be very stressful!   Thank you for listening!

[nursegirl6572]

I'm so sorry you're going through this with your son.  What has he been diagnosed with?

I personally do not agree with giving these kinds of meds to children who are so young.  Often times, the meds work in opposite ways in young children, sometimes making the issues worse.  What other methods have you used to help treat his issues?  Obviously therapy...what kind of therapy, and how long did he go to sessions?  Have you tried any kind of behavioral modification techniques (if there are behavioral issues)?   Is his school involved?  What kind of evaluations has he had?  When did his issues start?

Whatever you do, be SURE the doctor overseeing his medications is a child/adolescent psychiatrist, that is crucial.  A psych that isn't a specialist would not be appropriate, as adults react to these meds completely differently, plus there are so many developmental considerations.

I know this is not probably what you want to hear, but my personal opinion is...for one, children are very difficult to diagnose with adult psych conditions, many p-docs are adamant that young children shouldn't be "labelled" with any one disorder or another (with the exception of disorders more commonly sen in children, like ADHD, etc), let alone treated with meds.  If it were my 10 year old, I would not agree to giving ANY psych meds.

I wish you the very best, please keep us updated okay??