Replies to 'Bipolar Disorder'

  Sorry to hear that my little boy is bipolar w/adhd i have cancer and he is ............ well he goes in -out of the hospital {Mental} I will give you my son's list and please know what works for some don't work for others and in the start it was very hard and let me tell you why it was hard for us and I did say us all of our house hold took part this was not only  Tyler that needed help i went so support group's and he goes to our local MHMR for therapy {play therapy} His Dr and case manger etc any how he takes 7 different med.'s and that too can be very hard though out his life time as i said some respond different  and finding the right combination and it will take time to see if it will work it has to build up in his system and the good news is after a while you will see sign i call them RED FLAGS the other thing i really want to shield light on is in MY EXPERIENCE no med. that Tyler took is going to make him all better and he' not going to grow out of it either but that is what gives me the strength to give it my all is people who are Bipolar does not mean they can't be successful their not given a chance to I don't want to offend anyone when i said that but what the point iam getting at is I want to give Tyler the tools and the thing I tell him every night the sun has set a new chance rises in the morning.

Meds

1.Rispedal / 1mg. > 1 & 1/2 @ bed

2.Rittalin / 5mg. > 2 @ morning 1 & 1/2 @ Lunch

3. Clondine / 0.2 mg > 1 @ bed

4Depakote ER / 250 mg > 1 @ morning / 2 @ bed

5.Amitriptyline / 25 mg > 1 @ bed

6.Benztrpine / .5 mg > 1@ morining / 2 @ bed

7.-- E.R---- Only to be used   

Many of the symptoms of ADHD overlap with symptoms of bipolar disorder.  We have three boys, two of whom were originally diagnosed with ADHD, and they were on Adderall for a number of years.  The Adderall worsened the moods of our middle son to the point of violence.  We changed doctors, and the new psychiatrist says that it is probably bipolar diorder with ADHD mixed in.

As part of the diagnosis process (and against the wishes of the original psychiatrist), we had sleep studies done on all three of the boys.  It turns out that the oldest son has Narcolepsy, NOT ADHD...the fight to stay awake all the time mimicked ADHD symptoms.  The middle son has Narcolepsy AND Restless Leg Syndrome, which affect his moods and ability to pay attention.  The youngest son has Restless Leg Syndrome, which affects the ability to go into the stage 4 (or REM) sleep, therefore causing fatigue and tiredness...with grouchy moods and inability to pay attention.

The middle son is being treated for the above, plus for bipolar disorder.  Because of a heart arrhythmia, the kids NEVER should have been on Adderall to begin with, but the arrhythmia hadn't been diagnosed yet.  I never liked the side effects of Adderall.

The Provigil, for Narcolepsy, is also being clinically tested for ADHD.  I'm not sure if it is approved for kids, but it is a lot safer that Adderall...doesn't have many side effects at all.  I take it for Narcolepsy, and it also helps my depression.

Our middle son is on Requip for the restless leg syndrome, Provigil for the Narcolepsy, and Lamictal for the bipolar symptoms.  Lamictal hasn't been approved for use in kids either.

You might want to ask the doctor about Neurontin.  That is what our middle son took when he was younger to help control the anger issues.  There is also Depakote, which is approved for kids.  Young babies even take Depakote (for seizure diorders).  Many of the bipolar drugs were originally developed for seizure disorders, and were found to be effective as mood stabilizers. 

Natural remedies are not FDA appproved, and don't usually work very well.  It can be more dangerous than the known drugs.  Ask your son's doctor about Neurontin and Depakote...those might be good options for him.  Also, ask about Provigil for the attention problems. 

A high percentage of kids with attention problems have an underlying sleep disorder...you might want to talk with the doctor about this too.  With learning disabilities too, you have your hands full.  Your grandson deserves to have all options looked at.

I take Lamictal and Abilify for the bipolar disorder, Temazepam for sleep, and Provigil for Narcolepsy.  This is a really good combination for me, with few side effects.

Lamictal and Abilify are fairly new drugs.  Lamictal has been linked to Stevens Johnsons syndrome, a severe allergic reaction (which can actually happen even with Tylenol).  It is very rare, but more common in kids, so many doctors don't want to prescribe Lamictal for young kids.

Was Paxil determined to be the cause of the birth defects?

You've been through so much...you must be a very strong woman to withstand all of that.  It is so fortunate that your grandson has you.  I wish you well...welcome to the board...please keep us posted on his progress, and feel free to come here to ask questions, get support, and anything else that you need.

Becky