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Post by bigmomma1977 on Nov 28, 2004 16:03:45 GMT -5
Kelby was doing so great on the 18 mg concerta, but the ped decided he needed a dose increase, so he upped to 36mg. That was when all hell broke loose!! Kelby had a complete personality change, he became sad and angry, wasn't sleeping, wasnt eating, etc. I called the ped after a week of it, and they said to give him a Mt. Dew and some PB crackers when he got off the bus, and keep trying the meds. I did. Then one week later I came home from work on a sat. night and he was in a "mood". He was screaming at his sister, and was in a rage. I thought he just needed some space, so I went about making dinner. I looked down the hall and he had one end of his jumprope tied around his chin-up bar and was tying the other end around his NECK!! I asked him what he was doing and he said "mom, you dont want to know" I walked down there and said again, WHAT ARE YOU DOING KELBY??!! he said "mom, I am so sad and so tired of having bad days all the time. I want these bad days to stop so I am just going to strangle myself and they will stop". OH MY GOD!!!! My son is SIX years old!! He has never ever EVER been like this before, he is always the giggling joking around little ray of sunshine, and now suddenly he turned into a depressed little man.  Of course I took him to the ER and had him evaluated by the psych, and they suggested it could be something to do with the concerta, so we took him off. He is now med free, and has an appt on tues to see his ped to start something new. He still isn't himself though, although he is coming around slowly. Now his silly behaviour is completely out of control though, and he is getting into so much trouble, he just can't control any of his impulses at ALL! I am so frustrated, I only medicated him for his own good, and now I feel that I made a HUGe mistake by letting him be medicated at all, now he is worse than ever in behaviour, getting nothing accomplished at school, and trying to hang himself with a jumprope. I don't know what to do, and I don't know if there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Have I messed up my sweet little boy forever? Will he EVER be a happy child again? What should I DO?  UGH!! Any advice is appreciated! |
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Post by TexasMom on Nov 28, 2004 16:41:32 GMT -5
18mg to 36mg is rather a big jump. Concerta does come in 27 mg dozes. Could you try that?
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Post by Linda on Nov 28, 2004 18:31:41 GMT -5
omg bigmomma.....That is too frightening...I have never heard of concerta doing that!!! You only did what you thought best for your child and you are a good mom...please remember that.... Th jump robe incident really bothers me....what did the docs say at ER? Please keep us posted~~~~~~~~~~Linda  |
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Post by Amsmom on Nov 28, 2004 20:03:38 GMT -5
oh bigmomma, how horrifying for you honey, you did not do this to kelby. you are a wonderful mom and only trying to help him have the best life possible. you could not have known that he was going to do that with the jumprope. you did the right thing by taking him to the er. kelby will get back to himself, you will see. the dr should have stopped the meds when you reported the first personality changes. my ds8 cant take any of the stimulants, they increased all the negative behaviors. deciding to give medication is one of the hardest decisions i have had to make. i dont think there is one parent on this board who felt completely at ease about trying meds. it has taken 3 yrs to get my ds8 (adhd/bipolar) on the right combination of meds. we tried all the stimulants and a number of mood stabilizers. every time one of the meds caused personality changes, his dr stopped them as soon as i called. maybe it's time to change drs. you said that kelby was doing well on the lower dose and the dr decided he needed to increase the dose. i dont think it's the dr's call if you feel he doesn't need the increase. if this is a pediatrician, can you try going to a child psychiatrist or neurologist? i have concerns with a dr who would say to give mountain dew and crackers to a child who is having adverse reactions to meds. please keep us posted, bigmomma. you are a great mom who is just trying to help her little boy. let us know how you both are doing. lots and lots of hugs(((((((((((bigmomma)))))))))))) |
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Post by bigmomma1977 on Nov 28, 2004 20:08:28 GMT -5
The ER doc was a complete jerk, he was so mean to poor little kelby. He even told him that he had no right to be so sad, after all he is only six. The psych lady suggested that Kelby would benefit from some outpatient therapy, so we are setting that up now. I am just shell-shocked by this. He has always been so happy, it's very hard for me to deal with all of this! Now I'm scared to have him on anything, I dont want my six year old commiting suicide for crying out loud!! I dont know what to do, and my heart is broken that my beautiful son is this troubled.
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Post by Amsmom on Nov 28, 2004 20:18:27 GMT -5
that @$$%^ er dr needs to be reported, that is totally unacceptable that he speak to kelby (or any other depressed person) that way.  dont even worry about putting him on anything else. you dont have to do anything you dont want to do. see how he does off of meds for awhile. |
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Post by Linda on Nov 28, 2004 20:23:17 GMT -5
You do NOT talk to a little boy that way....if there is any way to report that doctor DO IT!!! Outpatient therapy sounds like a good option...hang in there we are here for you |
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Post by finnmom on Nov 29, 2004 9:27:57 GMT -5
Biggmomma To you. That sound´s really terrifying. You did right to get him to Er, I also think you should report about that doc, he was way out there He had absolutely NO RIGHT to speak like that for a little boy (Not for anyone else eather, but for a little boy) You did not cause this to your ds, some kid´s just dont do well with stimulants, I hope your meeting give´s some answer´s to you. You should get him evaluated again to see if there is something that just doesn´t work well with stimulant´s: I´am so sorry for you and will keep you and your little boy in my thought´s and prayer´s, Good luck to the appointment!! |
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Post by mom2tj on Nov 29, 2004 9:42:20 GMT -5
Oh my good how scary. you did NOT cause this..... DS is on concerta also he gets depressed when we bounce on and off, week-end where hell crying ( nothig close so suicidal) but his dr was not at all suprised that week-ends off was doing this, DS is now 7days a week. We tried a summer break but only lasted 2 weeks because he got depressed this med works different for everybody its not your fault..... I find it a big jump fom 18 to 36... DS is 9 he is on 54 and everytime I fill the priscription the phamasist is suprised at the dose. If he was doing great on 18 why up it? was he taking it 7 days? if not was he more moody on week-ends? I cant beleive that Dr. at the ER he should be reported! was it a childrens hospital? |
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Post by bigmomma1977 on Nov 29, 2004 9:54:12 GMT -5
He was taking it 7 days and I really am not sure why the dr upped the dose. He said something about "kids get where their dose just doesn't work for them anymore, so we will go ahead and up him to keep ahead of that rebound effect. I want to try the 36's because the 20-whatever's usually wear off and we end up increasing the dose to 36 within a few weeks anyhow" I am thinking very seriously of asking the mental health people who are going to manage his counseling if they would be willing to take charge of his medication needs also, as I am feeling a bit uncomfortable with his pediatrician after all of this. Especally since I called them a week before this happened and got the whole mountain dew and crackers story out of them. I am quite angry that they just blew me off as a worry wart mommy, and that my son could have potentially killed himself, I mean what would have happened if I hadn't walked down that hall at that moment?
anyhow, the ER doctor was not at a children's hospital, it was just a regular old hospital, and I am going to call today and see what I can do about having him reported. I thought it was way out of line for him, but I am cursed with believing that all doctors are basically good and they only do what they feel is right. It makes me glad to know that my being outraged by him doing that to my son is not over-reacting!!
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Post by rosyred45 on Nov 29, 2004 10:17:07 GMT -5
I'm so sorry to see this has happened. I am appalled at the behavior of the ped. Why on earth not see how something is working. We are not talking about baking ahead of time in case guests come over for heaven's sake. As for the ER Doc, make a written statement and send it certified mail with a reciept to the board of directors fo the hospital. If you can't do that, just make sure that you make a copy of what ever you do. When kids are being emotional, they don't know how to NOT tell the truth, at least when I have dealt with kids. , let us kjnow if you need anything |
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Post by AnneM on Nov 29, 2004 12:22:20 GMT -5
BigMomma ... I am so sorry to hear this has happened ... and I am appalled by the way your Ped reacted!! .. The first thing I have to say is to get a new doctor!! ... This is soooooo wrong!! As for the Concerta I also have never heard of this reaction ... but then again never ever say never! ... and your son is only 6 and this is a DOUBLING of his dosage.... I think you need a GOOD doctor to sort this out for you! ... I also think that same "good" doctor should rule out any indication of bipolar or other mood disorders which notoriously do not mix well with the stims ... Please keep us posted on your way forward (and you WILL move forward from this point!) ... and
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Post by TexasMom on Nov 29, 2004 22:40:04 GMT -5
I took Steven to a psych for a long time because he has a better understanding of what these meds can do to a kid then peds do. He started Steven at 18 mg Concerta and then slowwwly worked him up to 54 mg at each stage when it stopped working at that stage. He NEVER upped a doze when it was working at a lower doze.
Also, I'm not too thrilled with ER docs myself. I had a severe backache about a year ago that I called an ambulance for since I couldn't get out of bed. The ER doc wouldn't listen to me and tried to tell me it was a kidney stone. I went home and after much testing with my own doctor it turned out I had an infection in the vertebrae disc in my back. I spent 18 days in the hospital and 6 weeks on iv antibiotic, partly because my treatment was delayed because of this yahoo.
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Post by bigmomma1977 on Nov 29, 2004 22:48:05 GMT -5
Well tomorrow is our Ped appointment. I am really nervous about going, and what he will try next for Kelby. I did talk to the mental health people today, they are supposed to call me before friday with an appointment for him to come in. I asked them about handling his meds and they said that was a wonderful idea, as they are also kind of shocked at his ped's actions. I am thinking that I might just tell the ped that I don't want him to start Kelby on anything, just let the psych handle it. It's going to be pretty hard to keep my mouth shut and not tell this guy off |
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Post by Amsmom on Nov 30, 2004 6:16:01 GMT -5
I am thinking that I might just tell the ped that I don't want him to start Kelby on anything, just let the psych handle it. It's going to be pretty hard to keep my mouth shut and not tell this guy off great idea, the psychiatrist will know MUCH more about meds. good luck, keep us posted! |
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