Antidepressants for ADHD and aggression

[Stefanyc1]

Hello everyone! I just wanted to start by saying how grateful I am to be part of this community. The connections have been a saving grace for me. I am also wondering if anyone has trialed antidepressant medication for their child with ADHD/ODD/anxiety. Focalin XR has helped but only mildly. My 7 year old (8 in a few weeks) son has anxiety and aggression at school and will shut down and refuse to do any assignments. We have trialed many different medications including Adderall, guanfacine, clonidine, etc. The only class we haven’t tried are antidepressant medications. My husband and I are completely overwhelmed as my son barely makes it through a day of school without us getting a phone call from the school administration. Just wondering if anyone has had success with them.

[Onthemove1971]

We are so happy you are here! Just want to check in to see if you are working with a child psychiatrist? This is the medical doctor that really changed our lives. She interviewed our son and really understood how smart he is, but also saw how much he was struggling ( this was a few years ago). At first I was scared to death for him to go to a psychiatrist ( my own fear of labels), but I really realize we needed her and still do. For us we needed 2 different medications to help him. One to control his impulsive behavior and one to calm him down, help him with sleep and most importantly help him focus in school and sports.

He takes both Ritilin and Intuniv. Together they help him so much. There are no more calls from school, no more suspensions and not completing his work and he is enjoying learning now.

I wondered if our son needed an antidepressant medication so I spoke to our therapist about this ( we together see him 1x a month) and he said he is not showing signs of depression or severe anxiety. I wondered about the "chicken and egg" which comes first?

For us when we controlled all of the impulsive behavior and helped him focus, what seemed like anxiety went away ( not completely-every bump, bruise, sore things make him a little worried).

The other thing is I was very worried about trying a large number of medications, but about 6 months ago I asked our 14 year old son if he remembered any of it and no said NO. He at this age understands all of the benefits of his current medications give him.

If I were in your shoes I would try anything, recommended by the psychiatrist to see if it can help. Some children learn to deal with symptoms and don't need medication as they get older.

Big hugs are all your struggles.. hope you find help!

[Stefanyc1 in reply to Onthemove1971]

Thank you so much for your reply. My son sees a developmental pediatrician but I think he will benefit from a psychiatrist as well so that we can really discuss medication and effects.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to Stefanyc1]

Yes, out of all of our team members the Psychiatrist is the most helpful. It is a process and takes time, but I know you/he will benefit from that Specialist. Always here for you!

Best to you.

[MaudQ]

Yes. Absolutely. My kid was very aggressive with her sibling and us and the SSRI (in our case, Lexapro) made a huge difference. This is combined with Adderall and has made all the difference in the world. We work with a psychiatrist who is fantastic. I would definitely ask about it if I were you.

[julieboolie]

I'm in a similar situation with my 6 yo son. We've tried so many different meds but nothing is really helping much. He melts down easily and just won't do the work at school. The multiple stimulants we have tried have only made his aggression worse and his emotions more fragile. He's been on clonidine (half at night, half in the morning) which has helped some. but he still has a lot of aggression and is very unhappy and upset at school. We work with a psychiatrist and behavior coach and have a med check up in a week or so (on the call to cancel list). We just took him back off the latest stimulant (Focalin) after 2 days and a lot of melt downs. I want to try him on something for mood and see if stabilizing his anxiety and mood will help enough that the stimulants can help him focus. It's been a challenging road, but I won't give up! I know the right combination will make his life so much better and really want to find it!!