I have done some research on both of these subjects. We have talked before about the difficulties I have had with one of my kids.
Differentiating between the two disorders in a child can be very very difficult - the symptoms often overlap. And yes, they can go hand in hand with each other. If you want to email me, I would be happy to share more with you.
I am sorry your family had to go through this - it is a very scary experience. But I am glad your son is home and doing better.
I am very curious, should you be willing to share the information, about what ADHD medication your son was taking prior to being hospitalized.
We had Aaron on Strattera, which seemed to work for a while, but then began causing terrible mood swings which resulted in violent temper tantrums. We took him off of it and the problem resolved. His doctor was of the opinion that if he was having mood swings ON the Strattera, he would continue to have them off of it too. Well, he was right to a degree - he is still a moody little boy. But the violent temper tantrums have ceased and the "bad moods" are significantly milder and easier to manage.
My pediatrician was telling me recently that another doctor who prescribes Strattera for a number of his patients found that correct dosing was crucial. Too much OR too little seemed to cause a lot of problems.
Pipes....thanks for the kind words! The hospital Zach was in is very very good. His psychiatrist is excellent. Zach is now in their transition program, it's a day program that helps these kids transition back into school. We use a points system at the hospital during the day and at home at night. When he achieves a certain level for a certain number of days, he will go back to school. If he has problems in school....he goes back to the transition program for the help he needs. It's worth every single anxious moment and every single penny. The change has been amazing!
Abi...when Zach went into the hospital he was on effexor, concerta, and risperdal. The effexor is an anti-depressant, concerta is adhd medication, and the risperdal is a mood stabilizer. He was taken off the effexor (it apparently doesn't work for our genetic make-up....I had to be taken off of it, too). He is now on the same dosage of concerta, the risperdal dose was doubled, and trileptal was added twice a day for the bipolar.
We had him on Straterra, but it seemed to cause depression and increased the mood swings, so we took him off of it. Like Aaron, he still had the mood swings, the risperdal helped eliminate them.
Now he is a normal, healthy, cheerful and cooperative boy. It is a major relief to us! He is gaining weight (he's been way thin and not eating well for years) and he is a food hound!!!! I've added desserts and extra courses to our meals (before we had three courses at each meal) and he is eating very very well! He also wanted to learn to cook...so we are teaching him. He cooked our whole meal the other night.
In the hospital he had violent fits due to the meds being adjusted and had to be sedated. The dr said it was perfectly normal...it is and was chemical, not emotional.
Like anything, one disorder doesn't exlude another, when I was young they knew nothing if ADHD but I had it, I have Bipolar and it's being treated, at this time I'm dealing with other disorders. The fact that these things are better known and understood, now is great, because I suffered through bipolar for most of my life, I wish they knew about these things when I was younger.
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Abigail
I have done some research on both of these subjects. We have talked before about the difficulties I have had with one of my kids.
Differentiating between the two disorders in a child can be very very difficult - the symptoms often overlap. And yes, they can go hand in hand with each other. If you want to email me, I would be happy to share more with you.
I am sorry your family had to go through this - it is a very scary experience. But I am glad your son is home and doing better.
Abigail0900@yahoo.com
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I Love Bagpipes
((((Cindy and family))))
So GLAD your son is getting help. If you are a reader there are some very good books on the market. One
of my favorite authors is Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist and neurologist....puts the psychology stuff in layman's terms.
One of my favorite books on bipolar is New Hope for People with Bipolar Disorder written by a patient, her psychologist and psychiatrist.
If you want my personal story regarding bipolar you can pm me and we can touch base.
You are doing the right thing. Your son sounds like he is in good hands.
Much love and prayer....
Pipes
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Abigail
I am very curious, should you be willing to share the information, about what ADHD medication your son was taking prior to being hospitalized.
We had Aaron on Strattera, which seemed to work for a while, but then began causing terrible mood swings which resulted in violent temper tantrums. We took him off of it and the problem resolved. His doctor was of the opinion that if he was having mood swings ON the Strattera, he would continue to have them off of it too. Well, he was right to a degree - he is still a moody little boy. But the violent temper tantrums have ceased and the "bad moods" are significantly milder and easier to manage.
My pediatrician was telling me recently that another doctor who prescribes Strattera for a number of his patients found that correct dosing was crucial. Too much OR too little seemed to cause a lot of problems.
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Cindy!
Pipes....thanks for the kind words! The hospital Zach was in is very very good. His psychiatrist is excellent. Zach is now in their transition program, it's a day program that helps these kids transition back into school. We use a points system at the hospital during the day and at home at night. When he achieves a certain level for a certain number of days, he will go back to school. If he has problems in school....he goes back to the transition program for the help he needs. It's worth every single anxious moment and every single penny. The change has been amazing!
Abi...when Zach went into the hospital he was on effexor, concerta, and risperdal. The effexor is an anti-depressant, concerta is adhd medication, and the risperdal is a mood stabilizer. He was taken off the effexor (it apparently doesn't work for our genetic make-up....I had to be taken off of it, too). He is now on the same dosage of concerta, the risperdal dose was doubled, and trileptal was added twice a day for the bipolar.
We had him on Straterra, but it seemed to cause depression and increased the mood swings, so we took him off of it. Like Aaron, he still had the mood swings, the risperdal helped eliminate them.
Now he is a normal, healthy, cheerful and cooperative boy. It is a major relief to us! He is gaining weight (he's been way thin and not eating well for years) and he is a food hound!!!! I've added desserts and extra courses to our meals (before we had three courses at each meal) and he is eating very very well! He also wanted to learn to cook...so we are teaching him. He cooked our whole meal the other night.
In the hospital he had violent fits due to the meds being adjusted and had to be sedated. The dr said it was perfectly normal...it is and was chemical, not emotional.
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Seth R.
Like anything, one disorder doesn't exlude another, when I was young they knew nothing if ADHD but I had it, I have Bipolar and it's being treated, at this time I'm dealing with other disorders. The fact that these things are better known and understood, now is great, because I suffered through bipolar for most of my life, I wish they knew about these things when I was younger.
Seth
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Cindy!
Seth, yes, I agree. I wish we'd known about the bi-polar before now for Zach. But I'm glad we know now!
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