zoloft for children

[lex513]

My daughter has been suffering with severe panic/anxiety disorder since she was about 7 years old.
Over the years it has gotten worse.  She has been going to a social worker for the past 4 years.  They are working with congnative behavioral therapy and it has helped her tremendously.   About 3 months ago her panic and anxiety seem to be gettting worse.  We do not know of any cause for this.  She landed in the hospital twice in one week recently due to the panic attack.  I took her to a psychiatrist and he put her on Zoloft.  She has only been on it for about a week and has lost most of her appitite.   I know she needs something to help control these attacks. I been against medicine for the past couple of years.  She is just 17 years old but I fear without the medicine she will get worse.  Is there a medicine that is bettter for young adults than the other meds. She is continuing with therapy also.

[tina0214]

hello, i am sorry to hear that she is going through these terrible attacks. I must say i am 25 now and have been having attacks since i was 17, at her age my doc put me on zoloft, and i also tried lexapro. Sometimes medications help and sometimes they dont. Everyone reacts differently. i know that answer ***** :-(  i also have been trying everything but medication to help me cope, i go for walks, i go to counceling. i still have a prescription for zoloft which i havent started yet because i am so determined to control this on my own... Its a daily struggle but maybe one thing tht would help her, is knowing shes not alone, talking to people who go through what she does. I hope she feels better soon!

[mammo]

I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter having to deal with this at such a young age.  We cannot recommend any medications because we're not qualified to do this, so you may want to seek a second opinion on this with another doctor.  Even as adults we all react differently to these types of medications, so it's would be wrong to even suggest one over another.  I am against drugs in young people, but you have to weigh the pros and cons, her quality of life on medication, and off.  If it were me I would do whatever helped my daughter get through this difficult time, and have a normal life.  You'll probably get mixed opinions on this, so I would follow her doctor's advice on what is best.  Good luck to you both, I know it's a difficult decision for you.  Take care...