7 Year Old w/ 3 Medications..

[rchicago]

My 7 year old son is taking Adderall for ADHD symptoms, Sertraline for OCD and anxiety, and now we've added Clonidine to help with mood disorders and the resulting aggression and anger outbursts. We may cycle him off the Sertraline as we don't think it's doing that much and the ADHD and Mood issues are priority right now with school. Curious if anyone else has their child on 3 separate medications. Makes me uncomfortable like we're doing too much. Curious to get everyone's thoughts.

[Embroidery77]

I feel you, my son (7 y/o) is on adderall XR for a month already. He became so sensitive. He is getting upset with every little thing. Not angry but sad. We are going to see our psychiatrist next week. Im afraid he might increase the dosage or add something else. Today I didn't give him adder all for the first time, he was so hyper and couldn't get his thoughts together sometimes. But mostly too hyper. And I totally realized he does need a medication. Because before I wasn't that happy about it. Maybe you should talk to another doctor just to compare what he will say.

[adhd3 in reply to Embroidery77]

Give this psychiatrist a chance there are many medications for adhd. Your child will do well if the right medicine in the right dose is found. Don’t give up because adhd is a serious disorder and need to be treated. Just like diabetes if you don’t treated it you run into complications. There are clinics that are specialized in adhd treatment. Google that, maybe you will find an experienced one.

[Embroidery77]

What is your dosage of adderall? we take 10 mg every morning

[Onthemove1971]

It sounds like he is seeing a child psychiatrist? If I were in your shoes and it was working I would do it. If it is not working.. then it won't work. I hope that makes sense.

I feel that once children feel stability they realize that is the goal to work towards.

Many children with ADHD mature and gain skills and life becomes much easier for them.

How you find what works becuase it makes life so much easier.

Big hug for your struggles.

[Cjkchamp]

We were about to have three medications, but ended up trying broad spectrum micronutrients at the recommendation of the psychiatrist. Our son responded so well, he was taken off all medications. They're worth looking into. The two companies are Hardy Nutritionals and True Hope if you are interested. Wishing you the best!

[BWBMama17 in reply to Cjkchamp]

What product/does do you use?

[Cjkchamp in reply to BWBMama17]

Hardy Nutritionals Daily Essential Nutrients

[CatzBCrazy]

My son started on stimulant at 7yrs old, then the anxiety: obsessive behaviors presented themselves the Dr added an SSRI. He is also on a mood stabilizer now as well. So 3 meds too! I tried to wean him off the Abilify but it has not gone well. He needs what he needs. Hope that helps you. My son is 10 now. He’s a moving target!

[Stefanyc1]

Hi! We are in the same boat. My son is 8 years old and on 3 medications. He started Focalin xr, Prozac, and Guanfacine a year ago at 7. Like you, I was extremely nervous to have him on such a high regimen however the alternative was that he was not making it through a day of school due to anxiety. He was becoming anxious about math and he would run out of the class and even got off campus at one point. He was being sent home almost daily for a month. For us, although we are very sad that he needs the meds, it was really the only option. Fast forward a year to today, and he is thriving. In the past, He had never joined team sports due to behavior and anxiety and this year he joined a soccer team and is making friends. I think we found comfort knowing that ADHD and anxiety are true medical conditions and a medicinal intervention is what gave him his life back.

[momwifedaughtersis]

Hello, I agree with posters above. Even though I’m a pharmacist, and I understand adhd is a medical condition, I still feel uncomfortable to have my child on so many medications. When I pick up from the pharmacy, I wonder what the staff think of me/us - but I try to push those useless thoughts aside. My son is 9 yo/4th grade and has been on Adderall and Lexapro for anxiety/“rigidity” since he was 7. I have wondered about asking his psychiatrist about adding clonidine or guanfacine, but I think the stigma about so many meds has held me back. Thank you for posting - I’m grateful for this community.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to momwifedaughtersis]

One of the hardest choices I had to make was introducing a child psychiatrist to my sons team. There is such a stigma against mental health and embarrassment. Life got so much better for us. It is still hard.. but so much better with our son being stable and able to function.

[JJMom16]

We are. My 5 year old takes Concerta, Celexa (SSRI for anxiety), and Clonidine for sleep. For us, this is a winning combination. We found that the SSRI made a world of difference for mood stability/outbursts. We didn't realize that many of his negative behaviors were driven my anxiety. He's a new child now!

[hygienehollie]

My son is 9 years old and started seeing a child psychiatrist at 5. Just in the last 4 months have we had steady stability. He has been on multiple stimulants. We had a recent doctor change to a children’s hospital psychiatry department. It has been the best change for our son. He is now taking Metadate CD for adhd in the morning along with Focalin short acting at noon and four. He also takes Prozac for anxiety and Abilify for mood. We noticed a huge change for the good when my son was switched from Zoloft to Prozac. He smiles, played better with other kids and is doing much better in school. He still has his struggles, but he is much more manageable now. I always wonder if we are doing the right thing with medicating him, but we also know without it he is not in a good place!

[missbonafide in reply to hygienehollie]

hygienehollie I know your comment is old but noticed you said you took your son off Zoloft and switched to Prozac. Can you share what you were seeing with Zoloft and for how long that led you to switch the SSRI? Thanks so much!!!

[Tiredmommaof3]

My son is eight and has been on Adderrall XR, Sertraline, Clonidine and Mirtazapine since he was seven. Honestly, it has really helped him. Eventually I hope he can taper off most meds but for now I’m thankful they are helping.

[asieslavida]

Hi, I’m also in the same boat. My son 9 has been on Focalin since he was 7. We tried Adderall but made him too angry and aggressive. We added Guanfacine 2 mg this summer but we can’t see much improvement on it. He has really bad anxiety and possibly OCD. His psychiatrist recommended Zoloft but we are starting to wean of Guanfacine… it is not clear to me if it is helping with focus and attention but definitely not helping with mood and anxiety. We need to address the anxiety, it is consuming most of his day. I’m thankful for this post. It is helpful to see what options we can try. It gives me relief to know that we are not alone.