i had been given ativan (lorazepam) as well as klonidin (clonazepam) for an as needed drug for my 8 yr old. we switched to klonipin after realizing that ativan wasnt effecting her at all. now, we realize that klonipin has no effect either. we dont want to give her drugs that arent working. they were prescribed for her such that if she is freaking out, we could give them. they dont work!! does anyone have knowledge of a med that might help, along the lines of the other two? any help is welcome!!

she has been diagnosed as many things but none seem to fit/stick. bipolar, adhd, and odd. she is currently on lithium and is weaning off of zyprexa.

Have you tried seeing what happens with her when you take her off everything? Could some of the drugs be reacting off the others, creating new problems?



I saw a great special on Frontline about kids who were on medication. I'm sure you've done lots of research on it, but a lot of the parents in the special seemed to take their doctor's word for it, and had them on a wide variety of meds.



How long has she been on medications?

i have done a ton of research for sure. i dont take docs word for anything. i think the diff meds have caused some problems that werent there before, but i cannot be sure. she has been on a variety of meds since late december 2008. that was when she was first hospitalized after smashing her bedroom window with her fist and breaking through the wall that adjoins her and her twins room. hate hate hate hate kill kill kill--all frequent in threats from her. we need something for when she is out of control, which lately is at bedtime which requires 1-1.5 hr pin down sessions split between my husband and i. psych is supposed to call back soon (i am sure as soon as i walk out the door to get my son!!lol) and i will ask her then. just wondered if anyone had any ideas.

thanks so much for your reply!

If she is having problems mostly at bed time, maybe a sleep aid would be a better alternative? My brother Mitchell was diagnosed with AHDH and a few other things. He was given a medication that helped him stay calm during the day, and then a sleep aid that was given 30 minutes before bed. He wasn't always given the sleep aid, and my mom and dad had a ton of trouble getting him to bed at night. Once he began taking the sleeping pills, most of the bed time problems went away.



I was diagnosed with depression (which I understand is a lot different from being bi-polar) and was on just a ridiculous amount of drugs. I took a pill in the morning which was an upper, then mid day to mellow, and then one before bed to sleep. After awhile the pills stopped working and the sleeping pills began to make me hallucinate. I think switching the drugs up a little bit, maybe getting rid of some of them and slowly adding new ones might help in your situation.



I'd definately talk to your doctor about sleeping pills, or some sort of downer for around bed time to help her calm down so she can get to bed without being pinned.

I firmly do not believe that an 8 year old child should be on such intense drugs. I'd advise seeking alternative help.. Because I could definitely see how these medications could be worstening things as opposed to helping. An 8 year old is no where near full development. I wish you the best of luck/

me neither, but when the paths you have been down and alll the alternative treatment you have sought out, well, you need to keep everyone safe, ya know?



fritemare--that is kind of what we are doing--its just been a big nightmare especially for my poor girl. a sleep aid is what i will ask the psych for as we cannot continue on like this.

^^I definately think it will offer some relief in the household. Just make sure you switch the sleep aid around once she starts to become immune to its effects. It might not be an every night thing either. Hopefully she'll start sleeping on her own without the pinning.

she sleeps fine--once she gets calm. when she is threatening everything and everyone under the sun and spitting venom at us, well, we have no other option. the ativan and klonipin were supposed to help when she had escalated that much but they just dont touch her--just very maddening!

I know they use Haldol (haloperidol) a lot for out of control behavior in adults, but I don't know if that can be used in kids. That's the problem with a lot of psych meds--they have a totally different effect on kids than they do adults, which is who most were designed for. Good luck. Is she seeing a child psychiatrist or one that sees all ages?

hi!

she is seeing a very experienced child psychiatrist, that is stumped with her inability to help jade. she is the second one in 3 months that has had this reaction. i had forgotten about haldol and am not sure it can be used in kids--i will be checking into that. i suspect if it could be used, it would have been already. nothing seems to touch my daughter!!

thank you for your reply! i hope things are good with your furry children!!

Does she eat any sugar or caffeine? Would it help if she had a very active running-around-outside time before bed to wear her out?



I wonder if there's something in her diet that's making her explode like that? How is she with raw fruits and veggies? If she likes them, try ramping up her intake of those, especially if she eats any junk-type food.

no caffeine, no high fructose corn syrup and sugar (aside from fruit) on occasion. she has been tested for every diet and environmental allergy and only has a slight allergy to dairy. we are vegan, so that is not a concern. she loves raw fruits and veggies. she eats junk type food on occasion. she is just a hard case!!!! anything and everything can make her go downhill!

thank you for your suggestions!