switching from Prozac to Lexapro for my 11 year old son

[hygienehollie]

hello! My son has diagnoses of DMDD, anxiety and ADHD. He has been taking Prozac for a couple of years. Currently he’s been taking just 10 mg. Each time we try to increase it he becomes more on edge, and in the last had diarrhea and urinary issues. The doctor is switching him to Lexapro. Has anyone’s child used this, if so did you have success? The hope is to help him calm down and not be so angry and irritable, which the doctor thinks is anxiety.

[Pedrof1976]

Escitalopram is from the same drug group so he may get the same or similar issues. Is he medicated for his adhd? If not it is probably better to medicate that as his emotional regulation will be all over the place, especially as he is reaching puberty. My 12 year old has had worsening behaviour due to asd adhd and puberty.I don't If you've read anything on rejection sensitive dysphoria or emotional hyperarousal?

[AlexaKmom]

My 12 year old daughter has been on Lexapro for over a year. We started with 1 mg and increased slowly. She's now on 5mg. It has made a big difference for her. Her daily anxiety is almost completely gone and she's better able to deal with the big stuff. Like your son, her anxiety was often expressed as irritability and anger and she is now much more pleasant, even when upset.

[Mamamichl]

I had to search what the generic for lexapro was: citalopram. I took that one for 10 years successfully for my anxiety. It stopped working and the doc tried Prozac, and within a month I had suicidal ideation and had to go off it. I’m not on trintellix, which is 2part ssri and one part snri. I would say if Prozac isn’t working citalopram/lexapro is a good idea to try. It kept me from spiraling as much.

Also, my stepkid has dmdd too, so I know what you’re dealing with.

[hygienehollie]

can I ask what your stepchild takes for dmdd.

We are going through a rough time right now. My son has had a ch age of placement in school, he is in an alternative setting. It’s much different from public school. And we’ve seen a big decline in behavior/aggression at home since he started there. The doctor thinks a lot of it is anxiety, with everything going on. I’m praying the Lexapro can help him calm down some and not have such big emotions

[STEM_Dad]

The other day, I listened to Dr. William Dodson on an ADHD podcast.

He mentioned two medications that are helpful for treating that emotional dysregulation in ADHD are guanfacine and clonidine.

These two medications are classed as alpha agonists (so they are non-stimulants), and were originally developed to treat high blood pressure, but were found to have a significant effect on moderating emotional response. Dr. Dodson has described these medications "inhibit the energy driving the speed and intensity of response".

Guanfacine is also known under the brand name Intuniv.

Clonidine is just generally known as clonidine.

~~~~~

I've heard of people with ADHD being treated with just guanfacine, or in combination with a stimulant medication or Wellbutrin (bupropion).

I have heard about kids being treated with it, but I don't know how common it is to do so, or what the recommended age is before starting on it.

Dr. Dodson has a long history specializing in the treatment of ADHD in children and adults, and is regarded by many as an authority on the condition.