Posted by Diane J. on March 23, 2001, at 13:12:46
In reply to Re: Concerta?? and Paxil for Kids, posted by Dr. Bob on January 25, 2001, at 0:51:33
> > Any info, or input is extremely appreciated.
>
> I'd be interested, too. I don't have any experience myself with children that young...
>
> BobDear Dr. Bob,
My daughter Kendra Is ten years old. She has taken Paxil since she was five and a half years old, although we think she has reached the point where she doesn't need the medication and we are beginning to taper it off.
I realize that there are individuals who would wonder why Kendra would be on Paxil at such a young age. It is a long story, be warned!
When Kendra was about three years old she began to experience some extreme fears. Just the sight of a dog would send her screaming and clinging to me. We did not have a dog, and she had never been harmed by one. She was so frightened by the possibility of wasps being outside that she would refuse to go to the ice cream man's truck. She had never been stung. Now maybe you think these are typical fears of children, but this was our second child, and we knew her fears were a little out of the ordinary. The biggest issue was her fear of the toilet. She was too afraid to use it. Nothing could convince her to even give it a try. We read to her while she sat on a little potty, her sister kindly demonstrated many times, we offered rewards and incentives, but nothing worked.
Kendra was four years old and in a year she would start kindergarten. I was concerned, and so we went to see a child psychologist. Unfortunately, this really did not help. A year later when kindergarten began, Kendra still did not use the toilet. There was nothing physically wrong with her, and she was completely capable of controlling her urges. She would simply ask for a pull-up when she needed it.
Kindergarten began, and I had to tell the teacher, a dear woman who had been teaching kindergarten for over 25 years. She said she had never experienced this kind of problem before. Also, while at kindergarten Kendra cried a great deal because she was so anxious. For example, there was a boy in her class who would vomit if he was afraid and unhappy. When the class was supposed to use glue for a project Kendra started crying because she was afraid the boy would throw up because she knew he didn't like getting glue on his hands! Kendra cried so much she had to go to the principal's office because the class was disrupted.
The teacher went out of her way to help my child, and she also spoke to the psychologist on the phone for nearly an hour. Mrs. G told me that "these should be the happiest days of Kendra's life, and she is miserable." She said she thought I needed to get some intervention. I ended up taking Kendra to a psychiatrist, who prescribed a half of a 10 mg Paxil tablet per day.
Well...the ENTIRE Kindergarten team told me she was a completely different child. Of course she was still sweet yet stubborn, but now she was happy! She loved Mrs. G and kindergarten, and she went on to do well. As for the toilet, she did eventually begin to use it, but it took a few months. She was six years old by that time, and she was taking 10mg of Paxil.
Fast forward to last summer... Kendra went to a new therapist who taught her ways to deal with her occasional bouts with anxiety. It helped a great deal, and Kendra learned a lot, and she is doing so well in school. She is happy and she has many friends. That is why we are thinking that perhaps she doesn't need the drug anymore. But we have no regrets about using it. It was of tremendous help to my child.
I hope this information is of interest to you.
Sincerely,
Diane J.
poster:Diane J.
thread:58
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/child/20000813/msgs/137.html