Abilify And Teens
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My 13 yr old son has just been prescribed Abilify and I need to know if anyone has experience with their teen being on this.

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Re: cheryl (# 3)

Hi Cheryl,
My daughter has had same experience. She was a mess in many ways, but doing so much better, only 3 weeks in. Its nice to hear how another child
benefited. thank you

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Re: Jamie (# 6)

She is SCREAMING for help. Please, plase help , find a professional who can guide you.

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Re: Momofmany (# 5)

I appreciate you input on Abilify. A relative of 12 yrs Old was put on this, I am so concerned for him but the parents really pushed the doctor to try it. Children are at the mercy of parents. What can someone like me do? I am more concerned about the child’s future years then they are. Suggestions welcomed.

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stop medicating children! this is ridiculous. I work at a hospital in a small community and everyday there are children in the emergency room with suicidal ideations. the common denominator with every one is psych meds!! Abilify, Zoloft, Prozac, etc it doesn't take a person of very much intelligence to make the connection.

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Our 16 year old committed suicide while on Abilify and I don't know whether it had anything to do with it, but I have read articles that they recommend not prescribing this to kids under 24.

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It is NOT only our children. The pharmaceutics have control on the drs!
The drugs are getting stronger and people are starting them at a younger age! I acted out a lot from 8 to 14 and I did not get rushed to the dr or the psychologist and get pills heck NO I GOT MY ass whooped! What is wrong with America?? WAKE UP PEOPLE!!

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My son has been complaining about dizzyness since we uped his dose of abilify he takes it with zoloft he is 12 years old I myself not really comfortable with him taking it I took it as an adult with zoloft but it did nothing for me I haven't really noticed a difference in his behavior. I'm gonna call his Dr just to be safe but if my gut don't feel right bout what he says I'll just do what u think us best cause who knows our kids better then us.

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What is the name of the natural Thyroid hormone being used that you mentioned for type child.

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Our doc is recommending transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy for my daughter over medications. I pray it helps.

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As a former Child and Family Therapist and a current family member of teens and adults with serious depressive disorders, please consider:

First: Experience declares that our family medical Dr. should not be diagnosing and especially not prescribing for serious mental/behavioral disorders (that includes Bi-Polar). Though their license certainly allows it, they are very poor practitioners at behavioral health diagnosis and provide no clinical treatment. This is a major disservice to patients! Please note : Bipolar as a diagnosis is grossly misused by Family Practice Doctors.

Second: This is the key to successful treatment of behavioral health problems - Most behavioral health diagnoses are derived from behavioral observation, thus traditional, best practice, outcome based, therapeutic treatment by a therapist who is skilled at both diagnosing and treating your particular diagnosis should be the first attempt to improve functioning. Important: Make sure that your primary therapist has as much accurate behavioral and physical information as possible in order to assist with a proper diagnosis. Take the time to think it through and write it up. There are proven therapies for most all major diagnosis. People get help every day for their behavioral health challenges. Consider asking your therapist what the best treatment is for the diagnosis she/he has assigned to you. Ask to see the criteria for the diagnostic disorder and why they believe that you fit these criteria. Doing this can help you become a more active part of the entire treatment process, not just part of it. If your therapist won't allow you (and your parent for teens) to be an active part of the entire process, then consider obtaining a more open therapist. They can't 'fix' you, but together as a team, you can experience improved behavioral health.

Third: Medications should only be used when both the primary therapist and the psychiatrist agree that it should be considered as one aspect of a therapeutic intervention. If the psychiatrist doesn't value input from your primary therapist, you - the patient, and your parent or caretaker, well... consider being more directive in what you will consider doing. Now, I did not say that they have to agree with you, your parents and your therapist, but that they seek and value your input.

Fourth: Know the medications desired main effect, the potential side effects and monitor yourself for all of these. Keep a daily record: When something changes in you, note it along with what you have done, what has happened to you, what you ate, or what you experienced differently in the 24 hours previous to this 'specific change' then report all this to both the primary therapist and the psychiatrist. For long term illness, I’ve seen accurate recording that was ‘spot on’ in explaining things that impact the patients quality of life, being able to differentiate between life issues, from physical issues, from behavioral/mental/relational issues, from medication issues. This is invaluable especially in long term treatment. Advocate for yourself or your loved one.
Fifth: Just because a particular medication works badly for one person and well for another, has no bearing on if it will work well for you or your loved one. Continuing for years on a medication that ‘causes more problems than cure’, is irresponsible on the part of the provider and the patient (or parent), both are at fault. If you have an accurate diagnosis and a particular medication works well for people with your diagnosis, you and your treatment team should consider it, and if you decide to use it, do as I've noted above.
Lastly: With some persistently dangerous and/or violent teen patients we must consider what we can do before they turn 18 to help them to not continue to be this dangerous person. Many times the loving parent cannot or will not accept that their child could kill and is developing to be a killer. I’ve seen in parents of these type patients and I see it in my own extended family: “Not my Johnny, he doesn’t mean it when he gets out of control (anger and violence), has hate filled eyes, takes a knife and say he’s going to kill his mom! He had a caring side also, etc”. Again, I’m referencing persistence or reoccurrence in this type behavior. A side effect of a suppressed personality and/or some developmental delays (as terrible as they are) for many people is less onerous than having our child, grandchild, niece, etc kill a family member, kill others, kill themselves, and if not dead by age 18, live in prison for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, sometimes there are no good options available. Even in this case, what I’ve shared above still applies, be a vigilant, informed, involved patient and caretaker for your loved one.

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There is a difference between "normal" teenage rebellion and the need for independence and a chemical imbalance that leads to suicidal ideology, as was the case with my son. Many physicians take a Whole Body approach. Abilify helped my son in a time of crisis to rebalance brain chemicals, but now he takes it with Lexapro and will wean off the Abilify. I understand your concerns about Big Pharma, but the days of doctors making money from prescribing things are LONG gone. Try not to be so judgemental unless you have personally almost lost someone to suicide. Thanks.

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My son is 13yrs.and just stated abilify two day days ago. Anyone else have experience with drug for 13yrs boys. Pros & Cons?

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I had a similar situation with my college age daughter. She was 19 Years old and never had mood swings to indicate BiPolar. She had started going to the School counselor on campus, they referred her to a clinic in town where they started prescribing 1 anti depressant - Welbutrin. That interfered with her ability to sleep. She has never had sleeping problems. She kept complaining, with no real change in mood. This was a first episode with depression - she had just broken up with a boyfriend who had been lying to her... Long story short, each time Abilify was added to her meds she became destabilized. She had 3 hospitalizations in the span of 6 months. She would get out of the hospital and be feeling OK - no abilify - then go back to clinic for follow up and they would restart the abilify - it was awful. I finally told her to stop taking the abilify and don't go back to the clinic. This summer she stopped taking all of her medications for mood. She's back at school and so far so good.

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My 14 yr old son was just on it for two days!!! He was complaining of blurred vision, nausea, neck turning to left uncontrollably, eyes not focusing and rolling back in his head & throat closing..I took him to the ER and Dr gave him meds and Benadryl to help him. They saved his life but from what I have read on Abillify this could happen for the rest of his life!!!! As a parent who has gone threw this I would not want to put any child on Abillify!!! PLEASE read up on any meds the Dr wants to give your child before you give it to him or her... KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE!!!

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Remember David defeated Goliath Pray! God will help your family. and good for you for standing up for the kids!!! They are worth the fight!

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My 13 yo daughter has ADHD, some anxiety/depression/ocd and is very very very moody, mostly with me. Dr. just prescribed 1 mg. of Abilify. She takes focalin and concerta and clonodine and lexapro. She said i wont have to worry about weight because it is such a small dose and she is on a ton of ADHD meds, but i am still worried and worried about all the other side affects too.

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"4Rachel Says:
Tue, Feb 24 '09, 2:57 PM

When I was 12 years old I took abilify. I was diagnosed bipolar, but last year I found out I have PCOS which is a hormonal imbalance. I took it until I was 15 when my mother and I both decided it was giving me nothing but trouble. It might just have been because I had nothing mentally wrong with me to begin with, but when I started it, I became very depressed and suicidal (psychiatrists played on that and gave me anti-depressants that made me even worse.) While on abilify, I became dizzy very, very easily, would be too tired to do anything and wound up sleeping most of the time, and I developed the startings of an ulcer, which I suffer from very frequently now at age 18. For me, abilify did nothing but confuse and anger me. Then again, I was just a victim of malpractice. Still, I would advise parents and teens to be aware that abilify can have adverse side effects and if anything seems too off, get a second or third opinion about the mental illness in the first place - and never doubt that it could be a medical condition like it was for me."

My 19 year old daughter went to a clinic for depression - she has never been a moody person, they put her on Abilify and Wellbutrin. She has become more and more destabilized - 3 hospitalizations in 4 months. Every time the hospital stops it - the damn clinic keeps putting her back on it. I am so frustrated and concerned, I just do not understand why they keep putting her on this medicine not once has it worked for her.

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I'm 20 years old now and took abilify at 13. I was wondering if you also had any reproductive problems like irregular periods or infertility? I believe it may have caused mine, so I thought I'd ask another woman who took it during a developmental stage

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I started abilify around 2005/ 2006 when i was 14. I gained over 60 lbs within a year (so much that i could barely climb a flight of stairs without collapsing. I remember walking to the 4th floor in high school to my biology class, taking my pulse, and it was well over 200.), attempted to kill myself by overdosing on prescription medication, and eventually went on to have intimate relations with any guy, and even girl i could. Shocked i never got pregnant or had a venereal disease.

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I totally agree, that drug is poison. my parents forced me to take it for 2 years from around 14 till 16 and I told them no it's not helping me and they just blindly listened to the child psychiatrist. that drug is the devil. it blocks feeling emotion, love, sensitivity and purpose. you're just a zombie on that drug. all psychiatric drugs are dangerous poisons and no child should ever be given a psychiatric drug ever. you are correct we must stop this madness. we are selling our children to the drug companies!!!

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