my 8 yr old is changing before my eyes

[umka12345]

Hi,Doctor. I feel really frustrated and scared myself of what is happening to my 8 yr old son.  Until before the school started(3yrs ago) he was normal, happy, laughing kid and I was proud of him. Since he went to school, he started having major problems like reluctant to do classwork and homework, "forgetting" to bring his homework home majority of times. In the kindergarten his behavior was good. Starting the 1st grade, for me to take  him to school has become a struggle: he complains of stomach aches, headaches, not feeling well, and i basically drag him to school, trying to convince him. He was diagnosed 1yr ago with ADD, but Ritalin made him jittery and I stopped it.  Recently, doc prescribed him Prozac, but I don't see any difference). He wets his bed, grinding his teeth, He is afraid of getting sick(since he had bad coughs in the winter,) or getting diarrhea(since he had bad stomach virus), When I tell him not to do certain things, he starts crying, shaking, heart rate goes up or he is hiding under the bed. Believe me, he is surrounded with so much love, care, he lives in a good house and a family. Last year he was not promoted to go to 2nd grade and had to repeat it again. This year, he was given test and not only graduated 1st grade but skipped the 2nd grade and going to the  3rd grade. He is very smart, asking too many questions, worries about any little thing. The kids tease him, he says offensive things to other kids, having hard time making friends.What is wrong with him? Please tell me your opinion. thank you.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your son should see a child psychiatrist. There are a number of possible choices for medication, so I won't speculate about that. Most likely the psychiatrist would turn to one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as the ones you listed (though probably not Paxil). In addition to Zoloft (sertraline), citalopram and fluoxetine are possibilities. Anxiety disorders are very treatable, with a combination of medication and cognitive-behavioral treatment.

[umka12345]

Wow. That was a quick response. Thank you for responding so fast. that means you care about people.You mentioned prescribing doctor.Honestly, we saw a Psychiatrist  doctor couple of times and that is it, I lost faith in him. What  options should i consider when I ask a doctor about a treatment? Is hypochondria and anxiety treatable? what medicine would You prescribe? Zoloft, paxil? thank you in advance

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Your son is displaying symptoms of an anxiety disorder. The plan to prescribe Prozac was certainly sensible, but use of such medication often involves a period of time to establish a maintenance dose (and perhaps even switching to a different medication). There are alternatives to the stimulant medications in the treatment of ADHD, and you should discuss the optios with the prescribing doctor. In addition, he would benefit from a social skills group to help him learn more successful ways of interacting with peers.