Went to class tonight. I looked like hell cause I had been crying but that trurned out to be good because it prompted one of the young women that leads the class (and just happens to have the same diagnosis as Keven) to come over and talk to me. It was VERY helpful.
I have to keep being an advocate for my son and I am going to insist on going to the dr. with him and discussing med options. He's on an SRI which is not helping the depression enough, he needs an SSRI. Also one of the anti-psychotics is bothering him so much, I found one that may work that has less side effects.
And, thanks to Lori, I also was able to get his dr. to follow through on something he mentioned months ago but never did - test him for ADD/ADHD. He has ADD. No big shock there. So HOPEFULLY those meds will help to.
So many meds. It seems unnatural. But living in an altered state of mind (when not on any drugs) is not natural either. :(
Peace, Hope and Love, Barbara
12 comments:
Wow, not a good trip for Keven or you, but I have to say that my experience with SSRI's is not positive. I watched a close friend that suffered depression go through using them for 18 months. At first he was better than fine but eventually the old issues reappeared, worse than before. As far as I am aware they are not a maintenance program, they are for short term usage. They are described as non addictive, and able to rewire faulty receptors in the brain or something but from what I've seen they are no magic bullet. They are a band aid to the deeper emotional issues beneath. The drug addictions, the abandonment, the hurt, the confusion. I'm not saying it's not worth a shot, I'm just saying the issues will still remain, so he's going to need lots of other therapies also so he can be better equipped to deal with the shit.
Thanks, Spin.
I know there are no magic bullets, I wish there were. He's got lots of issues going on and has therapy but brain chemicals play a role in all this too. My whole family has depression and I take two ADs myself that both keep me functioning for the last 15 years or so.
I am always afraid that in a lot of cases the meds do more damage than good. I would tread carefully and at least look at possible alternatives to so many. Your experience may not be Keven's. Aubrie had ADD, not ADHD and of course school was always a problem as well as not thinking out her actions, still is probably. In any case I gave the meds a short try and when I saw no results I quit. I felt she had enough going against her without that too and without insurance how does anyone afford all of it anyway?
There is a correlation between ADD and substance abuse. Lots of good information and books out there on ADD. ADDers tend to hyperfocus and also can become enraged quickly. Those meltdowns can be quite scary. Hope that Keven will get this figured out and develop coping skills to deal with the issues.
I'm glad you are staying informed/on top of it - my feeling with the meds is often those closest to the person are the most aware of the personality changes. Just my opinion.
Love the new look of the site.
God bless.
I have no experience with ADD/ADHD and not much with anything but normal depression that I think everyone feels, so I can't comment on that. I am impressed that you continue to advocate for Keven; and it is obvious that you want him to be healthy and you are concerned with how he gets there.
I continue to pray for Keven, Ant and you. Hang in there.
Reading about all the mental illness, something I had honestly never concerned myself much with, makes me wonder if my daughter suffered from some form of it too. She was always an straight A student, completed college and is holding down a job. She'll do anything so that the average person would never suspect what is going on behind the scenes. I am glad you are exploring all possibilities. Good luck to you.
justLacey,...as a teacher, I have seen this many times....trying a med., and without effective results,..just quitting the whole med. idea, as you said. However,so often, it's just that the dose is wrong(usually too low as it always is begun very low to adjust up to what's correct) or not the best medication. For ADD/ADHD there are MANY choices of effective medication. I've also seen MANY kids (and adults) that are treated with the right dosage and medication and the result is very positive and lasting change that is life altering...in a good way. A great source of info. is www.chadd.org The right med., dose, and even timing of the dose are all important and the tweaking of it all is tedious but very worth it.
Lori
I'm glad you had him tested and now he can be treated! I pray that things get easier for both of you!
I have seen ADD medications work tremendously for many people in the school setting. My son does very well on adderol.
The week he started taking this drug he went from 14 missing assignments per week down to two. Two is still a lot but a person has a shot at coming back from two a week not fourteen!
I agree totally with beachteacher on this one.
Beachteacher I thank you for your input. I am concerned about my daughter using meds like that long term. She has drug and alcohol addiction on both sides of her family. All 3 of my siblings and all of her fathers including him. I am even concerned with her drinking alcohol socially. Unfotunately she is 22 and I have little say in her life as she lives on her own. All I can do is hope she makes better choices than the rest of her family.
Praying for Kevin to find peace.
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