Posted by ST on May 29, 2003, at 6:00:58
In reply to Bipolar in a 6 yr old? We need help!, posted by Mama Bear on May 28, 2003, at 22:12:44
Hi Mama Bear,
I am Bipolar; my nephew is 9 years old and at 5 was diagnosed as a BP. My sister almost lost her mind trying to figure out what was wrong with him...because she had very little money, the medical care for him was not competely satisfactory. My nephew displayed all of the symtoms of your daughter; he is also incredibly smart...He is now on a combination of drugs which really seem to be working. Coincidentally, it's what I'm taking as well. He takes Depakote as a mood stabilizer and Serzone for an antidepressant. This has really helped him. I know he's on a third one, but I'm not sure what it is. In the beginning of his treatment on Depakote, he was, indeed, prescribed too much and became a bit "out of it". I, too, was prescribed a large daily dose of Depakote and spent about a year in a dull state. so you are wise to be aware of this.
I wish you luck. Taking care of this now is such a smart thing to do. Keep digging and get to the bottom of exactly what your daughter's diagnosis is and keep trying everything that may help. you and your daughter will be just fine.
take care,
Sarah> My daughter is a child that is very explosive with periods of euphoria and what seems like "depression" all in the matter of a 5 minute span. She can cry and does cry over almost everything. She has rages and is very impulsive. She lies about everything and blames everyone for her mistakes or misdeeds. She is very sensitive and is a very loving child. We feel like she is spinning out of control. We have been doing alot of research and child bipolar really makes alot of sense for us. She was on Respirdal for Oppositional defiant disorder and that did not work for us. In fact the respirdal gave her Tardive Dyskinesia. It is not a a severe as it was but it is still there. We are aprehensive to say the least about putting her on medication. However going med free does not seem to be the option for us. She is having a really hard time coping with lifes daily ups and downs and it is interfering with her daily life in a huge way. I have done some research on meds for bipolar and one seems to be researched on the use in children. It is Trileptal. Has anyone or is anyone tried( or trying) it? If you have what has it done for you? Has it helped? Is there alot of side effects with this medication. I have done reasearch on lithium as well and this one is not as user friendly as I like to call some of these medications. We have tried extensive behavior modification therapy and it was successful to a point and now it is not working. We are better at parenting her now but Andrea has not responded to this technique. I think if we find the right diagnosis and the right medication(S) to help her then she will have an easier time of it and fit in better. She was tested and she tested in the top 90% percentile for intelligence. She is an extremely bright girl and I really don't want to have to "dull" this intellegence with the wrong medication. Any suggestions or personal statements would be appreciated. We have an appoinment with a good psychiatrist on Friday. Please can you help. Mama Bear
poster:ST
thread:229847
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030525/msgs/229890.html