Looking for info on bipolar meds in kids

[aris99]

Hi,

A friend of the family has 2 dd's dx'd w/bipolar. This is a friend of my dh's...I am not well acquainted w/the family but my dh told me his friend is worried because his dd's meds are not working and the drs want to increase the dose of the meds in question. Can someone send me links or personal experience w/bipolar kids and alternative meds? My kids have asperger's, OCD and sensory issues so I am not unfamiliar w/GABA, inositol, trypto, taurine etc. Would any of these work for bipolar?

Thank-you for ANY input!

[VisionaryMom]

First, make sure they are being diagnosed by a psychiatrist. GPs and peds diagnose BP pretty freely in some areas, but it's important to get an accurate diagnosis.

Second, the most common form of treatment is a mood stabilizer. The most success I've had was on an anti-psychotic and an anti-depressant (or in some cases 2 anti-psychotics). Taking an anti-depressant *only* is a bad idea for someone who's bipolar, especially if they're rapid cycling (which children often are).

As for the minerals you mention, most of them are taken as supplements, right? BP is first and foremost an illness. It is *not* a mineral deficiency. There are people (check the bipolar support thread, some mamas have posted about their experiences there) who treat BP without allopathic meds, but they are in the minority. Also, they are very careful about their lives - when they go to bed, what they eat, how much physical activity they get. I've been down that road. It can work, but it is time-consuming. You can't just take a supplement and be fixed. I'd caution anyone who does not have a very good handle on what BP is and how it affects children (which is a very new area of research) to go with supplements to treat it.

[aris99]

Thank-you so much for your input. I think I should clarify about the supps. Actually they're not minerals and I didn't mean to imply that anyone should rely solely on them as a quick fix. I have used them w/my kids and have noted small improvements in behavior. I wondered if they might help (certainly not "cure") a child w/BP. Or even if they could *possibly* reduce the dosage size/frequency? Maybe this is wishful thinking.

I shall pass on your recommendation re: psychiatrist vs a ped. It sounded as if they were going w/BP dx because the girls' grandfather has BP. AND thanks for the info about the kinds of meds they should be taking!

[KatWrangler]

They definately should look at Psychiatrist make the diagnosis. Especially when it comes to children. I would also be hesitant to let a Ped prescribe meds. The Psychiatrist should do that.

Come over to special needs parenting. There are several threads there that would be helpful.


http://www.mothering.com/discussions...play.php?f=157

My husband has Bipolar II. He takes Lamcital, Invega and Celexa.

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by aris99

Thank-you so much for your input. I think I should clarify about the supps. Actually they're not minerals and I didn't mean to imply that anyone should rely solely on them as a quick fix. I have used them w/my kids and have noted small improvements in behavior. I wondered if they might help (certainly not "cure") a child w/BP. Or even if they could *possibly* reduce the dosage size/frequency? Maybe this is wishful thinking.

I shall pass on your recommendation re: psychiatrist vs a ped. It sounded as if they were going w/BP dx because the girls' grandfather has BP. AND thanks for the info about the kinds of meds they should be taking!

I have read that the instances in families is very high, but our son's psychologist told us that new research is suggesting that's not the case. :sigh

It's actually really, really difficult to get an accurate dx for children. We've been going through this w/ DS for about 18 months now. My hope is that in the next few years, more research will help with that process.

For supps, I think they can help, but that's from personal experience. I've had great luck with fish oil, though I've stopped taking it until I can think through some of the others issues w/ it (mainly mercury). I also have good luck with a plain B-complex vitamin. I've taken lots of other supplements, but none have been useful for me. Magnesium is something others often suggest, but it didn't help me much when I took it. So, yes, I think they can help, but I also think it's good to get stable first before going that route.