8yr old ADHD ODD and mood disorder with aggression.

Katie - posted on 07/23/2012

Kodys on 300mg. They had him leave the hospital on 200 with giving me the option of bumping him to 300 or use the other 100 as a prn and he flipped out at the counseling office the day after he got out so I took the next couple days and upped it to the full 300. Adderall gives Kody horribly bad mood swings where he's switching back and forth so fast I can't keep up. They tried adding concerta last week and he did the same thing. We ended up in the er the only day he was on it because he was winding up instead of calming back down as the day went on. We had decent luck with the risperdol just his prolactin levels were elevating. I'm not fond of some of the side effects I've seen of the seraquel truthfully. We've had sleep walking and talking and a night terror where he tried attacking me. He's also super defiant right now. We didn't have any of that on the risperdol.

Shauna - posted on 07/23/2012

What Seraquel dose is Kody on?

Kenzie was on 800mg plus another 100mg as a PRN when he was 10yrs old & was on it for 5 1/2 yrs until our insurance made it impossible for us to afford so his Dr switched him to Risperdal which put him in a nose dive. They've just come out with a generic for Seraquel in March so since he's in Residential they have put him back on Seraquel hoping it'll stabilize him again. So far, so good! :0)

The best combination of meds for Kenzie was Seraquel & Lithium... so they've got him on that plus, Adderall for the ADHD, Clonidine for the anxiety.

Katie - posted on 07/23/2012

We've tried a bunch of prescription ones but not the natural. We dont have many issues at bedtime its keeping him in bed and mornings. He's normally up between 5-6 in the morning. He's on a nightly dose of seraquil right now but I'm not sure if thats the right medication for him because of the dose and the side effects I've noticed with it. I got a call into his doctor and am just waiting on him to get back to me.

Shauna - posted on 07/23/2012

Have you tried Melatonin to help Kody go to sleep? I know with my kids, Melatonin has been a god-send! It must be SUBLINGUAL for it to work the best... it works efficiently & fast! (Like within 45 minutes)



The brand we use is Source Naturals... it comes in Peppermint & Orange flavours... my kids just chew it up, but they can suck on it like a mint if they want to. All my kids take a 1mg tablet a half hour before bedtime. 1mg is safe for anyone 4 yrs and older... adults may need 2mg.



We have a routine for bedtime: 7pm they take the Melatonin then it's bath time & brush teeth. After baths they have quiet time on their beds; they can read or listen to music on their iPod or MP3 very quietly but they must be on their own bed & not disturb anyone else. (They are generally asleep by 8:15pm) No one ever fusses & none of the getting out of bed complaining of needing a drink or needing to go potty. :0)



Also, every Dr we have gone to for our children have said that Melatonin is safe to take when taking with most medications because it's something that our bodies make naturally.



Just something you may want to think about. :0)

Katie - posted on 07/23/2012

I have in intake counseling apt on Thursday because I cant handle it on my own anymore. I tried adding you as a friend on facebook but you'll have to add me because of your privacy settings. Your daughter Jessica sounds sorta like Kody. He was diagnosed ADHD at 4 but he was up and walking and talking super early. He doesnt like sleep still which is hard for me because I LOVE mine. Kody's major issue right now is tryin to find the right meds for him that can take care of the mood disorder and the ODD. We've tried just about everything out there for the ADHD and nothin works more than a couple weeks at a time. I actually have a call into his doctor because the one that he upped last week isnt working as well as it should already. I have to keep him away from his little brother when I can see his moods changing because he goes after him to get a reaction from me. When he's in a good mood they're the best of friends and he is wonderful with him. But even then he gets rambunctious and hurts him on accident. Like right now they're in the back yard playing in the water because its around 100 and he accidently gave him a bloody nose just playing around with him. He feels horrible when he does it but it happens more often than not. I'm just lucky Gabrial is a heck of a lot more laid back than Kody ever was.

Shauna - posted on 07/23/2012

Katie,

You are a great mum too! Have you had counseling for yourself? I have a great therapist who helps me deal with the daily struggles I experience as, not only the mum of children with special needs, but also just being a mum, in general. I am also on a small, daily dose of Wellbutrin just to help me get through the tough times (which seem to be daily, at the moment) without going insane. I assure you, you are not going insane! We mums seem to think that is all up to us to save our children and make everything perfect... sorry, not possible! :0/ We are human, too! We have feelings & we have the right to have our feelings validated. :0) Took me YEARS to come to terms with that fact!

Keep looking... Let me know where you're moving to, I'll see if I can help you find something.

My 19 yr old daughter, Jessica, was diagnosed with Severe ADHD when she was 20 months old (she slept 3 hours in a 24 hr period... never napped... walked by 5 months (I know, unbelievable, but true! had my mum not been there to witness it, no one would believe me!)... talking 3 words sentences by the time she was 12 months old... extremely compulsive, etc.)
Jessica was also diagnosed with PTSD, Bipolar & a seizure disorder by the time she was 17 yrs old. She is extremely unstable; unfortunately, she is an "adult" & we have no say in her treatment. We love and adore her but have had to make limits to protect our younger children from her mood swings.

Our 16 yr old son, Kenzie, is ADHD, Bipolar, Anxiety Disorder, Coordination Disorder & has a Language Disorder... he is currently in a Residential Treatment Facility in Salt Lake City; this is actually his second time but it's been 6 years since he was there and a lot of changes have happened since then... hormones being the biggest change. :0/

Kenzie is, by far, the most complex of the 3 kids & keeps us on our toes.

I found out yesterday that there is a boy here, in Residential, from IOWA. So there is always the option of sending your son to Residential in another state, as hard as that might be.

The facility that Kenzie is in has a wing specifically for younger children (in fact, it's the one my Kenzie & my Aryn went to when they were younger... great staff & extremely helpful.)

Yes! Please find me on Facebook! :0)

Again, (((HUGS))) to you & your family.

Katie - posted on 07/23/2012

I'll find you in Facebook. Your a super mom! I'm having major depression and anxiety issues myself trying to get Kody stable. I've had one doctor suggest residential but there isn't anything close to us since he is so young. That I know of the closest is Georgia or Alabama and were actually trying to move to ND to be with my husband. I wish there was a support group here within my town that I could use but I haven't been able to find anything. What are your other children diagnosed with? I'm praying my 2yr old doesn't have these issues since they are genetic.

Shauna - posted on 07/23/2012

Katie,

I am so sorry yo have to go through this... I have 9 kids; 3 of them have mental disorders. My 18 yr old daughter was diagnosed with ODD (as well as, PTSD & a severe Anxiety Disorder) when she was 10.

We tried literally everything to help her; she had been in and out of Acute Care (inpatient) & when to Day Treatment twice.. It wasn't until she was sent to Residential Treatment that we saw real results! Sending Aryn to Residential was the hardest thing I had ever had to do; she was there for 8 months; but it truly was the best thing for her!

They were able to stabilize her & she was given daily therapy. She realized that she wasn't the only one dealing with this & it really helped her.

Aryn is now 18 yrs old & is thriving! In fact, she is getting married next month to an awesome guy! We are SO proud of her!

Hang in there, love! Don't ever give up! Your little guy needs you... sometimes what you decide for your child is heart breaking but in the end your child will be so much better off.

(((HUGS))) to you & your family.

Shauna Nilsson

Layton, Utah

P.S. Feel free to contact me anytime! (We mums need to stick together!) You can find me on Facebook under Shauna Reed Nilsson. (((HUGS)))

Katie - posted on 07/23/2012

He has someof the symptoms but not that many. Bi polar and ADHD are very common in our family. I just wish there was more I could do for him. I get the brunt of his anger since he's with me the most and it's really starting wear on me. Even the smallest thing I ask is a 15 minute fight or sometimes longer. sometimes with him getting violent.

Kalynn - posted on 07/23/2012

Hi Katie, here is a link for you, but also if you goggle it you might find a support group near you. I am going through the same sort of thing with my adopted son who is now 6 and his behaviour is getting worse and he is hurting the other kids in his class at school.

Hope this helps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragile_X_s...

Katie - posted on 07/22/2012

What is that? I've never even heard of it. I just know I'm willing to try anything or do just about anything to help him and to get my happy kid back.

Kalynn - posted on 07/22/2012

have you had him tested for Fragile X?

Katie - posted on 07/18/2012

We were just at the doctor yesterday and they're trying to get everything balanced out. He just got out of Vanderbilt childrens Psych a couple weeks ago and they didnt have him on the right dose of ADHD meds and he was seriously bouncing off the walls. The seriquil does nothing but sedate him but it takes away most of the aggression. We've tried abilify and risperdol also and the risperdol worked but he was on a super high dose and his prolactin levels were starting to elevate on it. Today hes bouncing back and forth between being very depressed and being very hyper. At school he's showing aggression too and was one note away from being suspended last year. He starts back up on the 8th of August and I'm praying things go ok this year.

Sharlene - posted on 07/18/2012

Probably take him back to the specialist to see if they can lower the dosage, What's he like at school and how do they handle his behavior. There's also a community here on com. let me try to find it and link on it.

Katie - posted on 07/18/2012

Right now he's on seriquil, concerta and Intuniv and he gets super violent/aggressive when his meds are out of balance. He's been in counseling since he was 5.

Sharlene - posted on 07/18/2012

Is your son on any med's for his mood swing's. Have you also seen a behavior doctor. May I ask why he was hospitalized.