Anxiety and Prozac

[karen82574]

Hi,

My 12-year old was prescribed Prozac for her anxiety.  She fears she will have nausea and vomiting during school and it makes her anxious ALL DAY.  We tried reading books about other tweens with anxiety, meditation, school pass for the guidance counselor when anxiety starts and talking with two counselors who taught her deep breathing.  We then resorted to Prozac when her pediatrician saw our attempts.  She's only on day 6 of it, but the stomach aches this is causing are unbearable to her, causing her more anxiety.  As her mom, I don't know what to do.  She's not eating, withdrawing from friends and becoming a hermit.  Please help.

[anxiety860]

The Prozac definitely helped me! I can't recall the dosage I was... I believe it was 10mg?  I was on it for a solid 2-3 years. Slowly got off of it when I was 15. 15-20 I wasn't on it. And about 21-24 my anxiety creeped back up (all health anxiety) so I am back on it now! But at the age of 12 it sure did help me. As a 12 year old I was terrible at taking medication, so my mom had to make sure I took it every morning.

[karen82574]

Thank you all for these valuable comments, they're like gold to me!  I'm thankful that you called it a name "emetophobia", because I was able to google it and found some great literature.  I found a system sold online called "Emetophobia Recovery System" and purchased it for her.  It was $97 and the jury is still out whether or not it will work, but I feel better that we're being proactive with this.  It's a downloadable mp3 that she started listening to, and they have exercises that encourage her to write her fears and work through them.  It's only effective if the person takes it seriously, and I'm not sure about her.  We still saw her therapist tonight, and we'll continue with her Prozac and deep breathing, but it was nice to have this option, and if it works, $97 may have been the best $$ ever spent!  

[Rosebudfrita]

I suffered from the same exact thing as your daughter!! I never knew there was actually a name for it "emetophobia" thanks nurse girl!
Anyways I went through this when I was 15 and in highschool it almost prevented me from graduating because I had so much anxiety about it and would miss school. I realized it all stems from the fear of being embarrassed.  I never actually got sick in front of anyone and 20 years later it has surfaced again. So I'm in therapy and trying some meds. ... We will see

I wish you and your daughter we'll and I know she will get through this.  In my opinion it stems from fear and anxiety and those are the real issues to tackle.

Keep us posted...

[nursegirl6572]

It's great that you had such a similar experience to share!  You will be able to help the OP tremendously!  How long were you on the Prozac, and did it eventually help?

[anxiety860]

I agree with nursegirl 100% I was prescribed Prozac for the first time when I was 12 also! Anyways my mom would take me to see a specialist and he was the one that prescribed the Prozac not my child hood doctor. I also had a fear of throwing up when I was that young. One time I actually made myself throw up to get over the fear when I was 12 years old. Oddly helped me. Note - I am definitely not advising your daughter to do that. Anyways,  the child psychiatrist I saw was GREAT. My mom wasnt sure how she felt about putting me on medication at age 12. The doctor felt Prozac was the safest drug for me to be on at that age.

[nursegirl6572]

So sorry to hear of the issues your daughter is having.

What kind of doctor prescribed the Prozac?  

Medicating young people with these kinds of meds is very tricky.  When it is decided by the parent(s) and doctor that a medication is the next step, it should be managed by a child/adolescent psychiatrist, because there are many special considerations.

It sounds like your daughter may be suffering from emetophobia (literally "fear of vomiting"), and yes, the side effects are fueling her anxiety, understandably.  How long was she in therapy?  To be honest, therapy (preferably CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy) is going to be the BEST way to address this fear.  She needs to learn how to retrain her thinking and reacting.  Medications CAN be a helpful tool in addition to the therapeutic process, but a child as young as her, I would leave medication as a very very last resort, after intense therapy has been consistently attempted for a while.

If she's not being seen by a specialist like I mentioned above, please ask for a referral to one ASAP, so you can discuss the concerns with a doctor better versed in treating children and teens.  

Please keep in touch, let us know how she's doing.  I hope she finds some relief soon!