Psychiatric Medication for a Young Child

We had to start medication with our son at three due to severe ADHD. He was a danger to others and us (to the point of drawing blood), and was kicked out of preschool. We tried working with a child psychologist and then a behavioral therapist first, and also took ADHD parenting classes. We exhausted it all before even considering medication at a young age, but he was completely out of control. There was no quality of life in our house and our son was only getting negative feedback because he was so unbalanced.

At three, we were extremely cautious with medication and so was Kaiser. We agonized over the decision, but were told our son's case was extreme and given that he was such a danger to others, it was recommended. We had to be reassured repeatedly we weren't just horrible at parenting. The psychiatrist put him on Tenex and Clonidine first, neither of which did anything. Those were considered the safest, mildest options, though, so we went with them.

At four, our son got to try real ADHD medication. Day one of Ritalin was a "Wow!" day. We got to see our real son. He had the same personality, same spunk, same everything, without the aggression, hyperactivity, impulsivity and lack of focus.

Medication completely transformed our son's world. He went from being labeled a "bad kid" in preschool and having one friend to fitting in in school and having a bunch of friends. People don't know he has ADHD when his medication is active. We still have very rough patches when his medication isn't active and that's where our ongoing work with the behavioral therapist helps (We also belong to CHADD and went to their annual conference, and read ADDitude to stay on top of the latest strategies). Our son is 10 now and still has severe ADHD-combined type, but he made honor roll throughout fourth grade this year. Without medication, our son wouldn't be functional in school, let alone earning top-notch grades.

Medication isn't a cure-all by any means, but it helps with this horrendous medical condition. I wouldn't wish ADHD on my worst enemy. I'm incredibly glad we made the leap of faith and gave medication a try. It's been a roller coaster keeping the medication on track, because as kids grow, it stops working and dosages and brands have to be switched. Still worth all of the agonizing to give our son a normal life.

ETA: Reading a previous post of yours makes me think your son has ADHD? If that's the case, feel free to PM me anytime. I've been at this seven years now.

My son was diagnosed with early onset bipolar disorder when he was almost 5. Before that he would have such violent rages where he would kick punch bit, I needed stitches a few times. He would say he was going to jump through the window. I've had to sit on him to try and restain him. As gamma g said the word "no" is like the worst word to him. It would flip his lid to such extremes. Then the next min he would be fine. When the dr who diagnosed him suggested meds it was a heartbreaking decision. But we had to think of the long run. In the last 3 years my son has had to be hospitalized, but I know with out meds he wouldn't be functional. He's been on zyprexa, depokote, Wellbutrin, and is currently on seriquil and triliptol. If you have any other questions feel free to message me

Psychiatric meds are no minor undertaking for any kid. It seems like you are asking the right questions. When/if you decide to medicate you should be sure to ask the doctor, How long before we see some sort of change/benefit? Some meds act almost immediately, others might take weeks. What are common side effects, appetite?, sleep disturbance?, constipation? sometimes these can be serious and can compromise any benefit you might see. Also, how long might this medicine be needed? Is it long-term or short term? How often should he/she be seen by a doctor to monitor progress/dosage etc. What kinds of behavioral strategies can we implement to support the medication? Organization systems, consistent routines, rewards, consequences, exercise, limits to "screen time". If you're in the bay area Parents Helping Parents www.php.com has a support group for families dealing with "mood disorders" and also have an active support group for families dealing with ADD/ADHD issues.

Hi there, I know you asked to hear from people whose children were on medication for behavioural issues, but I thought I'd answer anyway. I'm not trying to judge or talk you out of medicating, by the way, as I have no idea what your situation is or how old your child is, but I thought my story might be worth something to you...

A year and a half ago we moved to California from the only home my son had ever known in Washington. He was not quite five years old at the time. Anyway, shortly after we moved, we began to have serious behavioural issues with him, to the point at which I stopped going on playdates and trying to make new friends because he told everyone that he hated them or thought they were boring or whatever. I was mortified and people didn't know what to say in return. And he was having full-blown tantrums as well, kicking and screaming and being rude to us, etc. I also had two two-year old boys at the time to contend with and a lot of the playdates were with kids around their age as I couldn't find any groups of older kids. Anyway, it went from really bad to worse and I was at my wits end. I started reading books about kids with anxiety, etc., and it soon became apparent that he was depressed and anxious because of the move. He's a bit of a anxious child anyway, but this was beyond what we had ever experienced. Anyway, we tried therapy for a while, but even the therapist said that at his young age (he's six now), it is really difficult for them to get a child to talk about his or her feelings and so not much can be done with therapy. Our therapist suggested we seek help from an Occupational Therapist. Fortunately I have a friend who's an OT and she was willing to diagnose him with some signs of sensory processing disorder. Although he is unusual in that he has symptoms of SPD that require structure and others that require us to constantly switch up his routine because he gets bored quickly. In any case, she recently recommended a book for us to read - Kids in the Syndrome Mix, by Martin L. Kutscher. I think it probably covers our situation, because our son shows signs of anxiety, depression, but also SPD, but doesn't fit into any clear-cut category. She and the therapist recommend that we go to an OT to equip or son with the coping skills necessary to dissuade him from having tantrums or being rude to people, etc. We've been very fortunate that his Kindergarten teacher has been willing to try various things with us as well. She has seen a great improvement in his behavior (though we are coming up to the end of school and because he doesn't transition well, he's behaving badly again) and has employed such techniques as a special sticker chart to help him meet his behavioural goals, time outs to allow him to practice special breathing exercises and she allows him to come to school with a stress ball that he squeezes when he feels angry or anxious about something. We will also be seeking OT sessions this fall when we get our finances in order (these are apparently not generally covered by insurance, unless you have Kaiser). Our hope is that we can equip him with enough coping skills that he will outgrow these behavioural issues in time. We have also chosen not to label him SPD through the school as I'm not sure that would be helpful to us at this point as he mostly does well in the class.

Anyway, as I said, I have no idea of your situation, but that was ours for what it's worth. Good luck with everything and I hope it all works out well in the end.

My granddaughter is Autistic and need to be put on meds because of violoent outbreaks. The meds caused her to start her periods at 9.5 yrs, her skin breaks out in pimples. Because she is developmentally disabled and doesn't understand about her periods or sex my daughter has her on the pill.
This is a 10 yr old girl who wears a 38C bra and has periods. She's also a blue eyed blond and pretty so protecting her from predators is important.