Ritalin And Prozac or Zoloft

[SunshineF]

anyone have experience giving their young child both Ritalin and medication for anxiety like Prozac or Zoloft? My son is 5 and his doctor is considering this to help curb some of his anxiety symptoms but we’re nervous about adding another drug into the mix at such a young age.

[warriersm]

my sons dr wants to do the same. He is on Concerta and she wants to give him Zoloft. I told her to hold off on it as of right now. It just seems like every day the anxiety gets worse. He also takes clonodine to calm down at night he is 6

[SunshineF in reply to warriersm]

thanks for your message. What anxiety symptoms does your son have, if you don’t mind sharing? Also, do you feel like clonodine helps him at night? Our son takes guanfacine at 4 pm but we’re not sure it’s having much effect.

[warriersm in reply to SunshineF]

it helps some he goes to sleep easier with it. He still sneaks and gets up but not as much

[SurvivorFan]

Yes, my son is on methylphenidate as well as Fluoxetine (prozac). It made a huge difference for him at school and home. It's tricky because stimulants can make anxiety worse but on the same side my kiddo really can't function without them currently.

[SunshineF in reply to SurvivorFan]

ok thank you. Did you ever try Zoloft or just Prozac w him?

[SunshineF in reply to SunshineF]

also we’re still trying to figure out his anxiety symptoms vs adhd. Can you share what your son does behavior wise that stems from anxiety?

[SurvivorFan in reply to SunshineF]

We have just tried prozac for now 20mg. Signs of anxiety from my son were picking his fingers, biting his shirt, complaining of his body aching (back, fingers, legs,etc.) irritability, irrational fears, and big time fight,flight or freeze mode. He would hide in the bathroom at school and act out in the classroom so he could go to a less busy place.

When we added the prozac its was like a weight lifted off his back and he was not afraid anymore and was staying in the classroom except for scheduled breaks. Currently, it appears that it is no longer being effective and due to side effects (major itching) can't go up in dosage so we are starting to switch over to Celexa today.

It is tough to make the choice to add more medication on but when you find what works and you see your kiddo get relief and feel happy it's worth it.

[SunshineF in reply to SurvivorFan]

your son sounds so similar to ours. How old is yours? Or when he started the anxiety meds?

[SurvivorFan in reply to SunshineF]

He is almost 8 now. He started stimulants at age 5 and I believe 6 the fluxoteine. He also takes guanfacine.

One thing we noticed is going from Ritalin short acting to long acting. He literally could not go 10 steps away from me because he thought there COULD be a fly in the house. Major panic attacks when attempting to go outside. When we took him off the long acting Ritalin and tried Focalin (also a methylphenidate) instead those big irrational fears disappeared. He did still have general anxiety though so that is why we put him on the Fluoxetine. I will say even before doing stimulants though I can remember thinking I saw very subtle signs of anxiety and knew it was something to watch for.

So, do stimulants probably increase his anxiety..yep. But, we know for certain that if he did not take the stimulants I would be getting calls from school daily and he would miss out on so much of the general classroom. Also, those who live with him would probably go mad..🤪

Our hope for the future is that as he matures we can back off the amount of stimulant he has to take to make it through the day.

[SunshineF in reply to SurvivorFan]

thanks for this and that all makes a lot of sense. We are supposed to be moving towards the long lasting Ritalin this summer in prep for kindergarten so it’s good to know how it affected your son just in case we see anything similar. Our son also takes guanfacine but we’re not really sure if it’s doing much…we may end up dropping it.

Do you mind me asking how your son does socially? Does he have friends and able to socialize with his peers ok?

[SurvivorFan in reply to SunshineF]

Yep, so important to just keep a journal on hand for when you start a new medicine or when you start to see a new behavior for the good or bad. It helps so much to be able to look back.

Socially, again every kid is different but I think for the most part kids with adhd struggle socially to some extent. This is because they are typically 2 to 3 years behind emotionally/mature to their peers. Intellectually my son is ahead of the game in his class. This year he is doing better socially because the anxiety is much better under control (until recently) but does not have outside of school "friends." He recently was invited to his first birthday party and had a blast but I could see the differences as I can when a neighborhood boy comes over to play occasionally. I know it's painful as hell to know they don't fit in easily. I have an almost 5yr old non adhd son and they play together maturity wise better. I try not to worry about future grades but know that him as well as the other boys will soon see these differences more and more. Thankfully, he is at a very supportive school that really focuses on respect for eachother daily.

I have a friend with a daughter the same age and adhd but only inattentive type. She also struggles socially with the girls in her class.

[SunshineF in reply to SurvivorFan]

yeah I was expecting this to be your response but wanted to ask anyway. I’m not really sure what the future holds but I’m just hoping we can get him to a pt. Where his adhd is well managed or at least enough to take the edge off for him and us a family. Just want a happy, healthy and resilient little boy.

[SurvivorFan in reply to SunshineF]

Same over here You are doing a great job getting started as soon as you are. You will find something that works for your little guy, sometimes it just takes time..and as I am learning tweaks and changes in meds is part of the journey. Also, another important piece is to make sure you have an IEP ready to go for kindergarten. I made sure this was in place before my son started so he had accommodations in place right from the start. I also began sending a letter to his teacher at beginning of the year to give her a little info on how adhd and anxiety presented in my son and things that could be helpful. I just think it helps give them extra patience and empathy on the hard days when they can see a fuller picture.

[GhostOrchid]

Yes, my son takes Ritalin & Lexapro along with other medications. My understanding is that a lot of the ADHD medications make underlying anxiety worse, so it is typical to treat the anxiety too. Prior to the doctor questioning about anxiety, I hadn't really noticed it in my son so I would consider his mild. After starting the ADHD meds the anxiety was more pronounced, so I felt more comfortable starting the Lexapro.

And, we noticed a HUGE difference when my son started taking Clonidine at bed time. Prior to starting, he would have some nights where he didn't sleep at all! We switched Guanfacine from night to morning because it didn't appear to help with sleep, but it is worked well for emotional regulation.

[SunshineF]

thank you for sharing. How old was your son when he started both Ritalin and Lexapro?