[petalma]

hi. i am new to this site, but it seems to be the only one that actually helps people, so i am hoping it can help us! my 18 yr old son started zoloft a few months ago for depression and anxiety and did really well with it at the start.

for some reason, his pdoc lowered the dose to 50 mg. depression returned and anxiety increased. at my urging, the doc raised zoloft - gradually - to 150 mg. added ativan for anxiety when my son needed to go to his college orientation. ativan did not last, so now he is on klonopin. he says that his zoloft is not helping his depression and that the klonopin does not last as long as it should and that when it has kicked in, he is very sedated. so, he is never "normal." he is supposed to start college next week. the shrink is on vacation. so i doubt college will happen, at least for this semester - a %#@&#! shame given how hard he has worked, how much he has hoped.my son does like and trust his shrink, though, which is why i am hanging in there with him.

we will see the guy who is covering for vacation dr. for the second time in three days tonight. the shrinks are very focused on getting the klonopin right since, over the weekend, my son was not taking it - he was confused about the "precautions" and decided he was "supposed" to take it "only" in an emergency. well, his anxiety spun out of control and he cut his arms. so, i get the focus on the anxiety, but the depression is not adequately controlled and obviously, that only adds to frustration and anxiety - right?

i need all the help i can get and welcome any and all insights, but i have a few questions, too. here goes:

1. could a switch to generic sertraline explain the lack of the initial positive effect of "zoloft"?

2. any advice on other SSRI's that help with anxiety?

3. any advice on other anxiety meds beyond ativan [which seems to help way too little] and klonopin [which seems to be too intense, but not long lasting]?

4. will the klonopin's effect help him to be "normal" once he takes it regularly for a while?

my mother's instinct tells me that getting the right med combo is a huge piece of this and that without it, he is growing more anxious, more likely to self-harm, and even developing some OCD as he obsessively tracks his meds, reactions, etc.

HELP! many thanks - petalma

[momto2]

Hi Petalma,
I can't really answer your questions, but I did want to offer you support as you help your son through this difficult time in his life. As the mother of two kids who have struggled with anxiety and depression I understand what you are going through. Many times it takes many med changes and adjustments to find the right combinations but trust me they will. My son just started his first year of college and my daughter started her senior year of high school.
Good luck to you