I just want to add, by the way, that I am not ignorant of the realities of today's parents.In my day, even in the 1970's and 80's raising kids, most parents were still together. That made it easier. I could not possibly know what to do if I had had to raise the kids, for example, all by myself.
Debate Over Children and Psychiatric Drugs
- Thread starter sanctus
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Mary
I included stay at home moms in my "sit down after school and talk"..... sometimes parents get caught up in their own busy lives. Even if a mom is not working - some don't seem to realize that
quiet time focused on a child recreates safety for the child after being in the world.... a world he or she is just getting used to dealing with.
And yes there are more single parents raising children....all the more important that any time spent with the children is of paramount importance...
I think the afflictions in children are quite real however... only their causes are misinterpreted in favor of a quick fix.
Not all families are as fortunate as you were in being allowed to be a full time mother -a wonderful job.
I included stay at home moms in my "sit down after school and talk"..... sometimes parents get caught up in their own busy lives. Even if a mom is not working - some don't seem to realize that
quiet time focused on a child recreates safety for the child after being in the world.... a world he or she is just getting used to dealing with.
And yes there are more single parents raising children....all the more important that any time spent with the children is of paramount importance...
I think the afflictions in children are quite real however... only their causes are misinterpreted in favor of a quick fix.
Not all families are as fortunate as you were in being allowed to be a full time mother -a wonderful job.
I am speaking as an "old mom". My kids are raised and out. But what troubles me about this new generation of mothers is their reliance on drugs to handle their children. I'm sorry to sound so blunt, but I would never give my kids uppers or downers(which is really what we are talking about here) to my children. It truly confuses me how readily parents are to seek medication for children who would benefit more from a good spanking than a pill
My son has experienced migraines since he was an infant. The symptoms are headache, dizziness, sensitivity to light and sound, vomiting and other more generalized problems. He was about 8 years old before I figured out what it was. He has been tested as much as possible, but the causes are environmental, like pressure changes associated with chinook winds, and stress. All foods have been eliminated as causes. When the migraines last 3 weeks (I didn't believe it was possible until it happened), he needs medical intervention for re-hydration and to end the vomiting. Throwing up during or after every meal for 3 weeks is pretty hard on a child. School absences are about 45 days+ annually. We have explored various medications to reduce the number of sick days, but so far the medications are, in my opinion, worse that the illness. The latest drug to be recommended is topomax. I did a little research last week and learned that it is used for epilepsy and has all sorts of other crazy side effects. The idea is that he will have a lifetime of migraine so we may as well find a drug that he can take for life. I'm completely against this idea primarily because he's like a shell of a person when he's medicated. It really seems like he is a guinea pig and the neurologist and pharmacist are experimenting on him. There is no cure for migraine and even the physiological characteristics are debated. I know that the neurologist means well and wants to help, but she does not see my son's personality turn flat when he's medicated. One thing that we have found to help is a long hot bath ... who would have thought!
Thanks for the suggestions and you are on the same track as the doctors. He's had his eyesight and hearing tested (all normal), we looked at social interactions and more. I finally found someone in my family with migraine and one of the main triggers is positive, exciting events like the end of WW2. I think that people with migraine sometimes get one when a stressful event has just passed - kind of like a pressure or stress relief.
Here's the latest info on Ritalin and other drugs used to treat those conditions:
"POSTED: 5:01 p.m. EST, February 21, 2007
Drugs prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder will include guides to alert patients and parents of the risks of mental and heart problems, including sudden death.
The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it directed the manufacturers of Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera and all other drugs for attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, to develop the guides. In May 2006, the agency told manufacturers to revise the labels of the drugs to reflect concerns about the cardiovascular and psychiatric problems."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/02/21/adhd.drugs.ap/index.html
It's possible that the 2 year old child was overly active, was prescribed something for ADHD and became manic:
"The alerts also cover psychiatric problems, such as hearing voices, unfounded suspicions and manic behavior, of which there is a slightly increased risk in patients who take the drugs, the FDA said. The guides also tell patients and their parents of precautions they can take to guard against the risks."
(same link as above)
She may have experienced the side-effects of manic behavior, which led to the diagnosis of being bi-polar. In essence, it's quite possible that a normal, energetic 2 year old child (those terrible twos) was drugged into having psychotic experiences and death.
"The alerts also cover psychiatric problems, such as hearing voices, unfounded suspicions and manic behavior, of which there is a slightly increased risk in patients who take the drugs, the FDA said. The guides also tell patients and their parents of precautions they can take to guard against the risks."
(same link as above)
She may have experienced the side-effects of manic behavior, which led to the diagnosis of being bi-polar. In essence, it's quite possible that a normal, energetic 2 year old child (those terrible twos) was drugged into having psychotic experiences and death.
Ariadne
That is so very sad about your son - poor little guy - no child that young should be robbed of happiness ....that successful hot bath is a clue relaxation can be a potential cure or at least a relief for him.
Other than an MRI or CatScan to determine if there are causes within the brain ..some unknown unjury...I can't think of anything else... or maybe a blocked carotid artery from a defect in utero or at birth causing dizziness. I remember when I was a kid I would get terrible motion sickness (never popular on the boat, in a plane or in a car hahaha).... but it was later found out I had a chronic middle ear infection which had been around for years and only bothered me under certain conditions. It had started with a terrible cold I had when I was five and hung around four more years until I guess I grew out of it....
Perhaps when he is a bit older you can have try some hypnosis therapy for relaxation to teach him to self-hypnotize..... it is often successful in children because they don't have all the "logic" we adults do... I guess you are willing to try anything for relief.... and medications seem to be at the very last resort of choice....
That is so very sad about your son - poor little guy - no child that young should be robbed of happiness ....that successful hot bath is a clue relaxation can be a potential cure or at least a relief for him.
Other than an MRI or CatScan to determine if there are causes within the brain ..some unknown unjury...I can't think of anything else... or maybe a blocked carotid artery from a defect in utero or at birth causing dizziness. I remember when I was a kid I would get terrible motion sickness (never popular on the boat, in a plane or in a car hahaha).... but it was later found out I had a chronic middle ear infection which had been around for years and only bothered me under certain conditions. It had started with a terrible cold I had when I was five and hung around four more years until I guess I grew out of it....
Perhaps when he is a bit older you can have try some hypnosis therapy for relaxation to teach him to self-hypnotize..... it is often successful in children because they don't have all the "logic" we adults do... I guess you are willing to try anything for relief.... and medications seem to be at the very last resort of choice....
He's had CT and MRI brain scans but they found nothing that causes the symptoms. I was thinking about something like tai che (don't know how to spell that), something that involves physical and mental control or concentration.
I do have concerns about doctors prescribing drugs that have side effects and then prescribing more drugs to address the side effects because, rather than see them as side effects, they treat them as independent symptoms. Recently reading about Anna Nicole Smith, I learned that she took topomax, (epilepsy drug) for migraine. It seems fairly common that drugs intended for one illness are used in migraine because someone seems to think they work. What I really don't like is when he is given medication developed for chemo patients. For all I know the chemo medicine has side effects that are not recognized or not considered important because the person has cancer anyway.
Ariadne
Not only is it awful your son has had this for so long, but it must be even more wearing that the docs can't seem to find him some relief.
I have an aversion to medication anyway and fight all the time when pills are offered for things I feel I can change on my own by diet and habits....
If I do have to take medication I always start by half the prescription dosage and it makes the docs really angry but I am hyper sensitive to medications and they don't seem to get it.... I broke my arm two summers ago and had no pain killers... only aspirin and it gave me full relief....
You are wise to question all the medications....thank god your son has an intelligent and "seeking" mother who is doing her own homework.....
About the TaiChi (spelling???)..... anything which can bring about relaxation for him to learn would benefit....doesn't it look like exercising too? Kinda like martial arts moves? He might catch on to that aspect of it.... training to be a "warrior" or something..... at least it would be more interesting than hypnosis...
Not only is it awful your son has had this for so long, but it must be even more wearing that the docs can't seem to find him some relief.
I have an aversion to medication anyway and fight all the time when pills are offered for things I feel I can change on my own by diet and habits....
If I do have to take medication I always start by half the prescription dosage and it makes the docs really angry but I am hyper sensitive to medications and they don't seem to get it.... I broke my arm two summers ago and had no pain killers... only aspirin and it gave me full relief....
You are wise to question all the medications....thank god your son has an intelligent and "seeking" mother who is doing her own homework.....
About the TaiChi (spelling???)..... anything which can bring about relaxation for him to learn would benefit....doesn't it look like exercising too? Kinda like martial arts moves? He might catch on to that aspect of it.... training to be a "warrior" or something..... at least it would be more interesting than hypnosis...
Im so very glad your not my nephews parents.
Ariadne........Bobby also gets juvenile migraines......Just a suggestion but has your little one been tested for diabetes?
No, but I thought that frequent urination was the symptom to watch for in childhood diabetes. Do you know of any other symptoms? I don't want the doctors to think I'm a nut that wants a child tested for everything ... shades of Munchhausen by proxy.
Bobby was diagnosed at 2 for diabetes. I'll call her tomorrow for you. I dont know how they caught it so early.
I was diagnosed with diabetes at 8. Symptoms to watch for are the symptoms of high blood sugar:
frequent urination, drinking large quantities, losing weight, tiredness, and in extreme cases, shortness of breath and chest pains (don't worry too much about that unless it happens. i think it's quite unlikely in a new diabetic). testing for diabetes is very very easy. all it takes is a drop of blood.
frequent urination, drinking large quantities, losing weight, tiredness, and in extreme cases, shortness of breath and chest pains (don't worry too much about that unless it happens. i think it's quite unlikely in a new diabetic). testing for diabetes is very very easy. all it takes is a drop of blood.
I ocassionally get severe headaches but usually associated with low blood sugar, whereas a new diabetic would most likely have high blood sugar. symptoms vary from one diabetic to another but ive never specifically heard of migraines being caused by high blood sugar. Having said that it seriously messes with your body so I imagine many things could result.
My little guy is in the physicians books as one of the youngest diagnosed. Now hes on a study at the childrens hospital in Boston. Poor guy has it bad enough with the diabeties but add Dad'd genes with the ADHD and he's got real problems. But now their saying that the learning problems are caused by the insulin he takes 3 times a day. Its all greek to me but Sis checks EVERYTHING! Shes a good Mum
I prolly got it wrong hun, im just the Tia (who should learn to shut her mouth)not the Mum. I'll ask her tomorrow.