8 year old Bipolar son on Zoloft

[kmomofthree]

I have an 8 year old son that has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  He was recently hospitalized (for the 3rd time) for threatening to kill himself, and refusing to go to school ( he would become violent with the staff at the school when they would try to make him stay and would threaten to kill himself there as well).  He is on 25mg of Zoloft at bedtime and 2mg of Risperdal twice a day.  I actually have two questions,
1. Is Zoloft safe for children his age? I read an article about a 12 year old killing his grandparents after having Zoloft added to his medications. This greatly concerns me because of course I want my family to be safe.

2. Should I try to find another psychologist for my son? The doctor that took care of my son at the hospital believes that this last hospitalization was due to an anxiety disorder and that his normal psychologist possibly could have prevented this last hospitalization if he had paid more attention to the symptoms my son has been exhibiting for quite awhile ( refusing to go to school, seemingly constant fatigue, and migraine headaches.

Thank you so much for your time!

[jdtm]

Please note the above name - Dr_BS_MD.  I doubt very much if this person is a medical doctor (also note the medical spelling error).

[IDbow]

First, psychologists are not physicians and cannot prescribe medication. Psychiatrists are and can..
Second, the medications given, Zoloft, is an antidepressant drug. The Risperdal is an antipsicotic drug. Both drugs are NOT recommended as a suitable treatment for bipolar disorders. Lithium carbonate it the ideal treatment!

The brain in prepubescent children is wired differently than adults, thus these medication, instead of helping, can actually worsen the prognosis.

[Annemarie2254]

Hello - I read this entry and i am in a very similar situation with my 8 yr old son. He had sudden onset anxiety last September at the beginning of the school year and we put him on Zoloft, which made things exponentially worse on a high dose (25 mg). He is on 12.5 not but lately it seems like it's not working anymore. We had him tested and they said he is showing signs of early onset BP but I am so scared to put him on a mood stabilizer, esp because most are not recommended for children under 12. Our psych suggested 1mg of Ambilify but I've read so many horrible things about side effects in kids. But we need help. Any advice u have would be greatly appreciated. Thank u!

[Sandman2]

Any chance he also has ADHD, ADD, or Sensory Processing Disorder?  All, of these can cause high anxiety and BP symptoms.  If they are not treated (and especially if they are the root cause), the anxiety will not get better.  In fact, if he does have ADHD and is only treated with a seratonin medication, it can make things worse.

[benjimom]

Until things clear maybe you should be seeing the psychologist more for support during this time.  Also, is your son seeing a child psychiatrist?  This has to be a difficult time for you and your family.

[Sandman2]

    Zoloft, as almost any drug, can have bad consequences.  The 12 year old you referred to was probably an extreme case (since it was added to his other medications). But it is certainly a good idea to Google it and read all about it.  
   In my opinion a good psychologist would be seeing your son at least once a month, and would be doing more then just giving meds.  Wait.  I don't think (could be wrong here) that a psychologist can prescribe meds.  Where is the prescription coming from?  Which leads to my next point.  Yes, I would look for a pediatric psychiatrist.

[jdtm]

I can't really answer your questions but I'll state what I do know.  I belong to a support group for teachers and parents of children suffering from anxiety.  Zoloft is one of the SSRI medications used for the treatment of anxiety.  A few of the children in our group have used this medication and did well on it.  The Risperdal is an anti-psychotic drug and is not used in anxiety issues (so I assume this is for the Bi-polar aspect of this illness) and so I am not overly familar with that medication.

As for your second question - the symptoms you mentioned could have been the result of very severe anxiety but the "violent" part is upsetting and not common to anxiety issues.  Nonetheless, if you are questioning your psychologist, then I would consider seeking another opinion - perhaps from a child neurologist or child psychiatrist.  Have you posted this question on the Expert Forum - perhaps the Anxiety or Mental Health forums?  Hopefully someone else will be able to offer more information ....