i can't take this anymore

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-08-2005
i can't take this anymore
11
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 6:57am
i have a 17 yr old son. at least once a week he complains his stomach hurts or he threw up after breakfast and misses alot of school..this morning i told him not to eat ceral so he won't get sick..he ate it and now is complainig he threw up in the shower..my husband is furious and i'm scared...he yelled at him and told him he has no simpathy for his anymore and to get ready and go to school! i guess when my husband went to walk away he glanced back and my son gave him the finger. now my husband pulled his car from him and said he was taking him to school...my son is on zoloft and i am just afraid that he will do something. this is always in the back of my head. he has been taking it since age 13 for clinical depression...everyday i worry something is going to be upsetting and it usually is, either we are fighting w/him to get off the comp..on mother's day. he would not get out of bed to go to church which was our plan and then dinner. he said he needed time away from us cuz he missed his one dose the day before and he was just angry and foul. we left him home alone. i just can't take it any more.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 7:17am

Is it possible that the Zoloft is no longer working well for your DS and he needs to switch to something else?

Avatar for heartsandroses2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 9:36am

Hi cedar. It sounds like your son may need to have his meds adjusted. If he hasn't had a physical recently it's probably time to make an appt. I'm assuming that since he's on meds, he is monitored by either a psychiatrist or his family DR. He's been on it since 13 and is now 17 - the body goes through a lot of changes during those adolescnet years and it may mean that his clinical depression has either worsened or his diagnosis may have changed into a mood disorder or maybe he is having adverse reactions to the meds altogether. It could be any number of things.

My dd used to take Zoloft but after about 2 years her hair started falling out and it was dull and listless. She was switched to a different dose of Celexa and her demeanor changed for the better and her hair grew back nicely. In the interim, she was re-diagnosed with a mood disorder, as is common in teens who earlier are diagnosed with depression and anxiety or other disorders like tourettes (such as my dd was). As they grow older and thier hormones change, the mental disorder (ie: depression, etc.) can change into something else.

I'd put a call into the DR ASAP. Good luck and keep us posted.

Avatar for heartsandroses2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 9:42am

Hi Rose, just wanted to comment on "Missing one dose of a med isn't going to make that big of a difference".

Some people are very sensitive to the slightest change in thier dosage that it is indeed very noticeable if they miss one dose. If my 16dd misses ONE dose of her meds, we all notice it. She is mean, snappy, cries inconsolably, & sometimes even physical when she misses a dose. She is on the lowest dose possible for the meds she takes, so if misses one, it's noticeable within one day. Last Thanksgiving she went to her dad's family and upong her return 2 days later she was in the middle of a major meltdown - I asked her if she took all her meds and through tears she said she had missed her dose from the night before. I just knew it was the meds. Meanwhile, H was trying to reason with her and yelling and handing out punishments for her rude and fresh behavior. I had to grab her and go for a ride in the car with her to settle thigns down. It all worked out okay, but I had to remind H that even one missed dose makes a HUGE difference in her behavior. He got so used to her being on an even keel, that he forgot what it used to be like around here. LOL. I am fanatical about making her take her dose every night. I will even wake her up and make her take it if she forgets.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2003
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 12:30pm

has anyone witnessed this vomitting or is this what your son is telling you? i am not a doctor or therapist - but it SOUNDS like something is going on in school and your ds doesn't want to go. have you noticed any pattern about his not wanting/being able to go - is it always on the same day? or a day when he has a certain subject? is it every monday, for example?

also - is he in any kind of therapy? when was the last time he has had his drugs adjusted?

my ds (20) was depressed, and suicidal and suffers from social anxiety. he was on meds - and at the time i thought it was great, but i realized that the meds can help for a while but they are really NOT good for long term (this is *my* opinion, of course, i just think that doctors tend to medicate and its not always the answer). in fact, he became MORE suicidal. since he is OFF the meds and in therapy things are much much better. at any rate - your son needs to be under some kind of medical care. also - i undertand how difficult it is for you as his parent - have you and your dh been to any kind of therapy or support group?

hugs

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 12:35pm

Actually, my ds16 started Strattera a few weeks ago for ADD but I know it is sometimes used as well for depression. One of the things the dr. made sure we understood is that missing one dose can make him sick, as in dizzy, nausea, etc. This has already happened once.

I agree that he should be taken in and re-evaluated for his meds. Perhaps explaining to the dr. what is going on at home. I understand that it can be frustrating, but we should have more patience with kids who are depressed.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-08-2005
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 1:07pm
Yes, actually, he has showed me several times the vomit in the bathroom. i took him to his pediatrician regarding the stomach problem..he indicated that my son needed to change his diet and exclude caffine as he gets in mtdew. he doesnt' listen. he will come home from work w/a soda in his hand.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-08-2005
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 1:10pm
i know he should be re-evaluated but i am afraid they will put him on something different and get worse. i know we need to do something. i scheduled an appt. w/his psyc. about a month ago when we had an episode and he refused to go. i just feel as though i did everything wrong. i wish i never would have stopped the apts. although the psyc. felt he didnt' need them any more but getting him to go back it hard.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-08-2005
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 1:16pm
i do agree with you. i do notice each time he misses there is a mood swing and it's usually anger and can escalate if provoked. my dh just doesn't realize that talking w/him usually works better than yelling and locking horns. my neice had a melt down of sorts and they had her on halusinigenics(spelling :( ), anti depressions, anti anxioty...evertime they change, lowered, or highered her meds, between the 6th and 10th day she had a day where she went off again. so there definately is a change. i don't think he uses this as an excuse. i do believe however, someone did mention possibly the changing in his body and being on the zoloft, maybe something is going on. he is usually a level headed kid. but he will have those handful of days that he is so foul it gets him in trouble. i am going to ask my husband if for starters he will attend a counseling session w/me and maybe we can better understand how to handle this.
Avatar for heartsandroses2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 1:57pm

Counseling with H is a good place to start in regards to parenting your son and his disorder/depression/anxiety. However, please get your son into the DR right away for a re-evaluation. His current meds are not doing thier job and you need to find a way to help him get back on track so he can live his life healthily.

Hugs and best of luck -I hope H goes with you, but if he doesn't you go by yourself. You need the support if nothing else.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Tue, 05-16-2006 - 8:22pm

I guess I should have been a little more specific... because Zoloft is a med that needs to reach a therapeutic blood level for it to be effective, most of the time missing one dose isn't going to result in a dramatic change in behavior.

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