[Victoria'smom]

Mention of child SUI and SI...











Trigger...... please beware




My son pulled his dad into his room yesterday. He told him he wanted to die but not to worry because we'd be better off. We noticed he was picking a lot which is an SI habit for him. He was supposed to be put on an AD on Monday. I'm worried about the reaction to an AD as he could be BP (50-75+ % chance). We go to his PDOC Monday. What should I ask his pdoc to ease my fears?

[Odee]

Perhaps hospitalization is the answer?

[Clinte89]

I wonder the same thing hospital stay may be on his best interests. I would ask about that. Because then they could get him on meds and see what happens cause I know for me at least ads make me manic.

[~Christina]

I agree.. possible hospitalization. Certainly discuss the AD and the possibility of BP in depth.. Possible need for other medications to get him stable?

I am so sorry you are going through all this.

[BlueInanna]

Oh gosh
I would only hospitalize him if he's comfortable with it... My guy started his suicidal gestures at age 11
The meds scare me at such a young age... we went through them all and nothing really helped enough to make it worth taking, prozac, zoloft, abilify, risperdal... It's such a hard decision.
He's talking to dad about it which is really good. Does he have a good T that you trust? Does he talk about anything that he thinks could help him feel better?
What is your gut telling you how to handle it?? It's just heart breaking to hear your child say they want to die. I'm so sorry he's that sad and that you must be so worried.

[Bipolar mom]

I am sorry you are going through this, and that he is as well.

How old is he? I was hospitalized at 17 and it was very traumatic for me being away from my parents, I can only imagine how a child would feel.

It's good that you are being proactive though, my SI tendencies started at 6 when I would hit my head and scratch, Sui gesters at 10. My mother ignored them till I was 14 when a school guidance councilor contacted her.

I am sure his pdoc will have some suggestions. I would ask if his meds could be causing Sui thoughts.... Mine got much worse when I started my meds at first...

Good luck, I hope he has some solutions for your family

[hamster-bamster]

One of my gf's had her eldest son say it when he was 6. It went away by itself eventually. I will ask her about the details tonight.

[Victoria'smom]

possible hospitalization
Miguel's 10.5 yrs old and is having surgery next Friday so I'd rather not have him hospitalized. He's already worried about it. He does talk to us & his T. We take this serious because he's attempted ones about 2 yrs ago. I wish we could wait until after Friday but he always gets more depressed at night but recently it's gotten much worse both day & night.

I know for me at least ads make me manic AD's make me manic but AD's w/o MS makes my husband drop into worse depression.

Certainly discuss the AD and the possibility of BP in depth
Originally his pdoc wanted to put him on abilify for his OCD like symptoms of possible aspergers /BP. I was hesitant of putting him on an AP but maybe that's a choice?

His pdoc knows about the very high risk for BP. His pdoc wants us to rip new meds as soon as anything odd happens but this isn't odd. Pdoc wanted to put him on an AD last month but his ADHD was not under control.

Does he have a good T that you trust?

I don't know if I like her or trust her. He likes her and trust her, that currently good enough for me.

What is your gut telling you how to handle it??

I really really don't like the idea of him on 5 different meds (2 for ADHD, 2 Asthma, and now depression). There's got to be a better way. I'm thinking about asking to take him off intuniv and put him on abilify but I'm so nervous about that.

I would like to watch him 24 hrs a day but know his psy. supervision is suppose to be left to professionals. At the same time we've dealt w. psychosis & suicidal-ness in each other at home until we could convince the “ill partner” to talk to their T or Pdoc. So maybe we can keep him home and call when/if needed.We don't have to convince him it's our choice to call.

Does he talk about anything that he thinks could help him feel better? We have been doing everything we can to lessen his stress. He's not really saying much but I'll ask him again tomorrow

ask if his meds could be causing Sui thoughts He started conserta about a month ago. So I'll certainly ask about that.

Hamster- Thank-you for asking GF

I think I got everyone. Hope so. I'm worried that it's partly because he's nervous.

So,
Ask about when hospitalization is necessary.
Ask about new meds.
Ask about SUI side effect of coserta
Remind her about BP
Tell her our reactions to AD
have him talk to his T about sui thoughts

[Confusedinomicon]

Maybe the surgery is stressing him out? Do you remember if it started after he initially became ill?

[Victoria'smom]

The surgery is exasperating the situation. He's slowly gone down hill since November (yes, we think he was sick by that time). He completely slid down about 3 weeks ago. Him and a friend got into a "fight". Miguel didn't want his friend to play with a toy. Instead they watched a movie. He felt bad later, so he didn't spend the night at his friends house, that night. It's just spun out of control with self-hatred/harm since then.

[Secretum]

I wish that I had something comforting to tell you; that must be terribly hard for all of you. Hard for you to hear that your child is suicidal, and hard for your son to feel so awful, especially at such a young age.

My brother was on concerta for ADHD for years and it made him mildly depressed. Then last february he had a more severe depressive episode along with the onset of his OCD; the first thing his new psychiatrist did was take him off of the concerta. He's now on vyvanse for ADHD and zoloft for depression and doing much better.

Please remember during this hard time that we here all care about all of you. Hold on. I hope that your son feels better soon.

[bluemountains]

I am sorry MM. Having a son with bp, I can relate to your concern and fear that you won't make the best decisions for Miguel. My son currently takes abilify and prozac. This combination keeps him pretty stable; however, when an upsetting event happens in his life, he cannot move beyond it without lots of intervention from his t and from me. We are currently in one of these times because of a low grade he received.
I know that none of our cases of mood disorders are exactly alike, but I wonder how much the anticipation of Miguel's upcoming surgery if affecting his thoughts.
Good luck, and I hope that Miguel finds peace soon.
Bluemountains

[Eliza Jane]

So sorry you are all going through this.

One thought is that Abilify would likely "kick in" faster than an AD. And his pdoc suggested that before an AD, so pdoc likely thinks it is a better shot, right? And no risk of mania. And if you don't like how it works fir him, you could always take him off. From an outsider's point of view, it seems less risky than an AD.

Hang in there. Sending good thoughts to you and the little guy!

EJ

[BlueInanna]

How are u guys today?

[Clinte89]

I'm sorry mm but yes how is today going? I hope he gets relief soon.

[Victoria'smom]

He refused to let anyone come over this weekend. Someone replaced my out-going kid with a kid that just wants to curl up and read. We found out he's having some issues with puberty kicking in, body image and he completely forgot about his surgery. It took us over an hour of "tag teaming" to convince him to invite a friend over for at least the night. He's being a normal kid right now, it's relieving.

[Clinte89]

That's great news. At least he has a friend to play with to take his mind off of things. What kind of surgery is he having?

[Victoria'smom]

He has a lymph node cyst in his neck and needs his tonsils out. His tonsils are HUGE but not infected. So, that contributes to his asthma particularly if he's sick.

[Clinte89]

Oh wow that sucks. Sorry to hear about that but at least it can be fixed. Best of luck on that ill be sending positive thoughts y'all's way.

[hamster-bamster]

Talked to my gf. Her son is now fine and without talking about sui. He was born in 1999. So big now. He outgrew it, without treatment or therapy. He did not have to go through the stress of surgery.

[Anika.]

Im really sorry MM. I have no experience with this.

If I were you I would reaearch AD's like crazy in children. I know there is a black box warning on all AD's for children and youth, actually it's for under 24 or 25 years old. I was given prozac at 17 and it was the worst thing I have ever experienced med wise by far, I would even say the worst I have ever experienced Bipolar wise as well. I became extremely suicidal and psychotic, I literally carved my theigh up trying to get something out of it, could see boxes in my room with people climbing out of them.. It got very scary and crazy very fast. I still have to try and explain those scars to people who see them, and the whole thing is I have never been a self injurer so it wasn't that. I tried AD's as an adult and they made me manic yes, psychosis yes... but not even close to that experience. Way too many kids become very suicidal, homocidal, psychotic... on AD's which is why they come with a strong warning. Not trying to scare you but that is a huge concern.

Maybe a hospital stay is best right now, so he can be monitored closely especially if AD's are prescribed. Is there one where he could get more intensive therapy as well as more skills to deal with this stuff?

I am not saying don't do the AD's but saying if you do go that route use extreme caution.

I hope his pdoc comes up with some good ways to work with him and you. Let us know how it goes. Again I am sorry , I know this has to be so hard for you all.

[Victoria'smom]

I became extremely suicidal and psychotic, I literally carved my theigh up trying to get something out of it, could see boxes in my room with people climbing out of them.. It got very scary and crazy very fast. This is how I become on most AD's. Actually my current AD was the first that I've been able to stay on for any length of time. Last AD I tried to slit my own neck with a box cutter among other craziness. Hence, I don't like the idea of him trying an AD without a MS. Neither does my husband but I really don't want meds he may not need. I really worry about putting him on meds that we haven't dealt with ourselves also. I'm thinking about taking him for a more in depth Neuro psychological testing.

Our center has an IOP for co-condition teens. He's not a teen, has no experiences with drugs or alcohol, and does not attend a school setting. So that's probably not the best setting. Maybe we can increase the amount he goes to T but our insurance sucks. Maybe an occupational therapist could help too? He only has 5 days left until surgery and recovery is 6 weeks. So we have a long road without all of our MI getting in the way.

[BlackPup]

wish there was something I could say or do to make this better. Just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you all and your son will be in my prayers especially during his surgery. My niece just had her tonsils out. The first week is really hard with the pain from swallowing. Nurofen worked really well for her.
Hope the thoughts of SI and Sui go away quickly and you can get his meds sorted.

I'm on abilify and it works great for me.

[Victoria'smom]

Miguel was put on 1 mg of Risperdal and taken off intuniv. If needed an AD will be added next month.

[sugahorse1]

I really hope you get him stabilized soon. I cannot begin to imagine the stress you must be under, but hats off to him for being able to talk to a parent