Antidepressants for 14 year old

[Mitzi]

A hug! A hug every now and then is enough to boost your energy to keep trying to guide them through. Great news; I'm happy for you both.

[Fruittingle]

I think this is a personal decision and needs to be weighed up with pros and cons and a lot of research I'm like you when drugs are suggested I think Mmm is there another way 1st ... But teenagers think different as much as we try to teach them how to deal with issues and learn to love themselves sometimes it's not reaching them ... I think with anti depressants as long as you realise it's a quick fix and you need to understand you do have to wean yourself off them at some point .. I'm More declined to teach them best ways to deal ie...writing keeping journals, communication, meditation techniques are also good kids can go on utube type in guide meditation and try it, 

[Mitzi]

Hi @Fruittingle nice to meet you on the forum.

I wouldn't call antidepressents a "quick fix". Most take around six weeks the reach therapeutic efficacy. And many people have to take a succession of anti-depressants before they find one that agrees with them.

Also, just like diabetics, some people with depression find they must take medication for the rest of their lives.

[LovingThruBlue]

Hi 

My 14 year old daughter has been on anti depressants for 6 weeks.

I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ok that.

But it may well save her life.

As yet we haven't found the right dose and have been increasing it slightly over time but the alternative is far worse (she is suicidal).

Once we get through the worst of this I will look at natural alternatives but in my opinion this is not the time for us.

Good luck with your child. We're all doing the best we can.

K 

[waldo_pepper]

Gday there.

My GP & the psychiatrist told me and his mum that it may take a few weeks to get the dose right when my then 7yo was diagnosed with depression and ADHD. He was talking about self harm too. We were strongly encouraged to get back to the psych with feedback daily so he could adjust the dose. He got it right in a couple of days, a massive improvement day 1, then a few tweaks.

If I could offer a bit of non qualified advice, try to give her the meds around the same time of day and make sure that the psych knows where she is in her menstrual cycle - it matters I'm told.

My son is now 20 and still takes his ADHD meds but weaned off the anti depressant within 18 months and has not had any issues with depression for over 11 years. I see the SSRI meds as being like a splint on a broken arm, it gives support for a while until nature takes its course and she recovers, but without the splint there will likely be lots of harm done.

Above all else make sure she knows that your love is unconditional.

Good luck with her treatment and hang in there. Remember that you're not alone even though it feels like it at first.

[Kalis]

That's so true @LovingThruBlue, 'we're all doing the best we can'. It's great that you have been able to recognise what your daughter and your family need now. Thinking of you.

@waldo_pepper Thanks for sharing your son's journey with and after medication. It must have been a really difficult time for your family but you found a way to pull through and keep up communication. Well done you.  You mentioned not being alone despite feeling otherwise – were there any resources in particular that you accessed to help you through? Also, I hope you don't mind but I edited your post to remove specific medication details.

[waldo_pepper]

Hi Kalis, probably a smart move to remove specifics, I didn't think it through - thanks.

As for support, we have close friends at our local church who are always ready, willing and able to listen and help when it all seems a bit overwhelming. I so appreciated being able to talk through my own worries and fears for our then little boy who was talking frightening thoughts.

I'm glad, very glad, that I haven't needed their help for over a decade, but I'm also very glad to know that it's there should I ever need it again.

[Kalis]

That's awesome @waldo_pepper. A willing ear can really change a whole situation.

[Taeboogie]

Hi! I am sorry to hear you and your daughter were having bad experiences, I hope things have imprkverd for your family.
I would like to express my thoughts on the subject and I hope that no offense is taken from it as that is not my intentions. It's jut something to think about is all.
The child is 14 years of age. Tough times for girls that age with peuberty, boys, struggling to find your own identity, feeling of being grown but not even close and so much more. I vividly remember what a joy I was at that age for myself as well as my family. I can also vividly recall my oldest daughter going through this stage as is was just 4 years ago. My point is, it's a tough time during those years but I believe it is those tough times and learning and experiencing them and overcoming them is a very important time for us. It gives us the skills we need throughout our adult life. Let's face it, the world is not so pretty at times and there will be many more hard times to come. It really hard and frustrating and heartbreaking all together to watch your beautiful happy child turn into something you've never thought could be, I know. I'm dreading my next round with my youngest daughter just starting middle school. And when my kids have daughters we shall have another round. Together. There is nothing wrong with your child and I think it's important that don't give our children this idea that there is something not right with them, like they are not normal...it only makes things worse.
I know there will be many many many of you who are going to be upset with what I am about to ask...When is it ever ok to tamper with a child's brain whether they say it's ok or not? Think about it with an open mind here...how do these meds work? They are designed to influence the serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin influences mood, appitite and happininess and it also plays a role in cognitive functions and memory.
So, as we medicate children, we are not helping them, rather we are setting them up for failure. 1) they are not learning the skills to overcome tough times. Like I said, there are a lot more to come but each time you make it through you become stronger and wiser and are more capable to get through the next. 2) not only are we depriving them of learning important skills, we make it worse by tampering with their brains and ability to learn and have memeories. 3) who or what determines who they really are? Themsleves or the meds? 4) the likely hood of relapse is quite high, and guess what? The meds are changed or the doses change, but rarely are they stopped. Why? Because everyone who is using them credit the pill for making them happy. Think about that... it is the pill that makes them happy. 5) no one wants to be unhappy and so the meds are continued, but then stop working and need to be changed around. Relapse hits hard, mental hospitalization is needed to stabilize and then the cycle goes on and on. Pills work pills don't work hospitalization to stabalize and repeat. Is this what we want for our children? 6) iss are told depression and other mental disorders are because chemical imbalance. How is it known someone has this imbalance and how is it measured? What is considered balanced and what is not? We don't do t know we can't measure it. We only have symptoms. Are symptoms of cancer enough to go by to prescribe radiation and chemo? Absolutely not. These are just things we should all consider before choosing to alter our child's brain. Or anyone else's for that matter. Our mind is the only thing that is truely our own and it's not right to take that ownership from another. Its the most basic human right there is.

[Mbfwt]

Well that made me feel great!! Thanks for expressing your views and making me feel like the worse parent ever. I am doing everything I can to keep my daughter going and if it means finding the right medication, which I am still doing, then that’s what I will do. You can not compare mental illness to cancer. Please keep your options to yourself in future as I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been upset by this.