Xaldin,

I like what you said about being skeptical of a routine/scheduled approach. I'm guilty of doing this with my daughter and I can see where it would rob her of the ability to feel capable and competent on her own. When she was younger it helped keep her connected to her day and her activities. But now that she's 14, it seems a bit excessive.

As far as medications go, she's on the following:

Trileptal 450mg/day (mood stabilizer)
Vistaril 35mg/day (anti-anxiety)
Intuniv 3mg/day (ADHD)
Naltrexone 50mg/day (to help prevent the "feel good" endorphins released when she cuts)

We also tried Risperdal, but it made her so sleepy that we stopped it after only a couple of weeks. Her doctor wants to try Abilify instead, but I'm hesitant to put her on something else. So I'm holding off for now.

As you can see she's not on an actual anti-depressant. When she was in 4th grade we tried Prozac and then last year we tried Wellbutrin. She did awful on both and I haven't wanted to try any other anti-depressants. This is why she's on the Trileptal (mood stabilizer), although I don't think it's helping all that much.

I also like what you said about not letting her ADHD define her as a person. It's so hard to not get caught up in all the unpleasantries of dealing with ADHD, so thanks for the advice!

I really appreciate you taking the time to visit with me. I feel so incompetent sometimes in my ability to parent my daughter with her ADHD struggles. It really helps to be able to talk to someone who has/is dealing with these same things. So thank you!

Phela