To not give my teen DD medication

This! Three years on the burnout was fast, scary, life threatening and she's still not back in education. The medictation has literally saved her life.

@whippy1981 now you're just talking absolute shite. I'm out.

I'm very late to this thread, but I really want to comment because 18 months ago I was pretty much exactly where OP is now. 15 year old daughter with ASD and OCD; she was having CBT and the doctors were suggesting she also start fluoxetine (v similar to sertraline). I was very reluctant to medicate, but eventually realised this could really help her (she was improving but not really coping well) and after all we could always stop the meds if things didn't go well.

In fact she had no bad reactions at all and has been on 60mg Fluoxetine for over a year now (OCD often needs higher doses of SSRIs than some other conditions do). It's not a magic bullet for her, but it's a real help. She can respond better to the CBT and do more ERP tasks (specific OCD therapy - it's effective but it's stressful to go through). She has shown a big improvement in OCD and she rarely has panic attacks now (she had been having multiple panic attacks per day).

It has given her the chance for a better life at a really formative age. DD will have memories of going to school, doing hobbies and hanging out with her friends, instead of memories of hiding in her room.

I'm sure the medication isn't perfect, but my point is that for DD it has been very much better than the alternative.

Yes reading up on all the side effects that can cause lasting damage and cause the decline in mental health is odd you say?

Just because it is on a subject and part of the body that you do not wish to talk about then that is on you.

So shall we ignore some side effects because you wish to believe that teenagers do not have sex or they do not grow into adults who have sex.

By all means let's not talk about the chemical castration of teenagers because you find it weird to talk about but this is what these drugs are made to do. Because basically this is what it is.

I think that being informed about all side effects is important. That includes all side effects. Why do you want this hidden?

That is more of a concern that you wish kids to be castrated and not inform them of the impact of the drugs they are about to take and how it can impact them now and into their adult lives and impact on them mentally too.

Not informing them of all the information is immoral. If they are old enough to make decisions like this then they are old enough to discuss all the side effects.

Yes some people are biased against medication. I remember when I was first diagnosed with underactive thyroid and put on thyroxine. A friend asked if it wasn’t something that could be controlled by diet!

Thats good to read @Foxjonessssss. Intrusive thoughts can cause a lot of internal torment. If you haven't experienced it for yourself its very hard to understand, but it can take a really big toll and poison your experience of life. Just like some people need insulin or other regular medication some people need antidepressants, its not a judgement on anyone, some people's brains simply need the medication to function properly. Having to cope all the time, having to be resilient every single moment is draining and you can end up in crisis as life becomes more complex and harder to cope with and that can take a long time and a lot of pain to come back from and you may never recover fully. Like many chronic health issues prevention is much better than having to find a cure when everything goes wrong.

This.

That's the number one thing you'd point out to a child struggling with dangerous intrusive thoughts?! That they might have less potent orgasms?!

You're coming across as more and more odd with every post.

That's good, I hope it goes well for her.

When my daughter started Prozac, within literally three days it was like the real her came back to us. It was incredible to watch, and she doesn't really get side effects, apart from she's quite tired, but she's also a bit of a lazy teen so I'm unconvinced that they're connected really.

Until a few years ago, I had very bad intrusive thoughts and OCD. It was like being on a treadmill going so fast, you couldn't get off. I worried about everything and ended up by the time I got medication being diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder which means that there is no time for sleep, socialisation, fun, contentment or any kind of satisfaction with any aspect of life. Can you imagine what life is like for people that have these mental health issues. I wouldn't leave the house as I was convinced something would happen, worried when my parents went out as I was convinced something would happen to them. I almost became a recluse as I only felt safe in the house and found friends unecessary. I started the same as your daughter, intelligent and also lots of friends but the drive to learn and socialise will deminish as the thoughts and OCD get worse. This may well be your daughters future. Thought of lifelong drugs can be daunting but I didn't start living again until I was medicated. Don't let this happen to your daughter. My sense of impending doom will always be with me but overwhelming need for control and perfection has been much better since I started meds. Give yourdaughtet a chance and imagine what this could become as she can always stop or change meds. Without medication her life may become a horror story around mental health and unless you familiar with what this feels like, don't presume to know. Be guided CAMHs as they do know best and by saying no without really knowing how this feels it can escalate if left untreated. I wish you both every happiness and hope whatever you decide works out. I didn't have much in the way of support from my mum bless her, hope your story has a happy ending.

Sertraline is used to treat OCD.

Hmm I was in a similar situation and also reluctant to medicate dd with anti depressant's, I myself had horrible side effects from taking fluoxetine (including suicidal ideation),

Imo they should be a last resort of for severe depression.

I know ADs are a God send to millions of people but they're not a cure all and I'd be especially cautious when a child is ND.

In the end I trusted my instincts that dds issues could be managed in other ways and it was definitely the right decision not to give them to her.

I confused as to why she’s being given sertraline if she’s not depressed or has anxiety! When you say she has intrusive thoughts, are they related to hurting herself or suicide? If so please give her the medication. I lost a beloved family member after they had intrusive thoughts and stopped taking their medication. Believe me, the results of that were far worse than taking medication and although it’s been nine years now, it’s still torn our family apart.

@Nat6999

A very similar experience here too. My teen DD had 2 attempts on her life for them to prescribe medication. I had been crying and pleading with them for months prior to this as she kept saying she wanted to end her life but to no avail. Apparently because she 'refused' to communicate with CAHMS (she was in autistic burnout in bed 24/7 self harming) there was no access to any meds.

She is lucky to be prescribed medication. My ds is autistic & we spent 3 years fighting for him to get medication, he had to wait until he was 18, I spent most of those years watching him self harm & being terrified he would take his own life. There is nothing wrong with medication, you wouldn't leave her with a broken leg untreated, her mental health is the same thing, something broken that needs treatment.

I think this comment is rather naive

I have read all your replies not all replies .

my Ds is on ADHD meds .. I made the decision when he was 10. Now 17 he takes them because knows they help him .

You can try them they may help her massively .. Meds can always be stopped if they don’t help ..

Yeah you’re being massively unreasonable. My DF was really against me taking medication at a similar age to your DD, and I feel like it caused me unnecessary suffering.

I voted YANBU, based on exploring the risks and benefits of the medication and how to manage and respond potential side effects.

Medication can have more unpredictable effects and not always the same benefits in teenagers, so I would want more information, especially as your DD is also ambivalent.

I wouldn’t be a flat no though, medication could be helpful as it seems like her quality of life is suffering, regardless of academic success..

So her future enjoyment and mental health is important and many 15 year olds do consider that important now and in the future. Also her current and future mental health can be impacted by this so it could make things worse.

I agree it is a potential but its aim is to inhibit these things in the body so it is doing what it is made to do! Block that sensation.

hello! i have severe ocd (i’m also autistic with anxiety) and the only things that have ever helped my ocd are antipsychotics (specifically risperidone and quetiapine). these medications pulled me back from an extremely dangerous place, and i do not know what i would have done without them. i would definitely suggest researching them and asking your dd’s doctor/prescriber about them. they’re also brilliant for anxiety! i was prescribed risperidone for panic attacks whilst inpatient. it was the only medication that ever even touched my anxiety.

oh and i used to be sertraline. i was on sertraline for about seven years. it never helped my anxiety at all, but i’m so glad it’s helping your dd’s. l

hope some of this was useful! it’s so tough living with these conditions and i bet it’s equally as touch watching somebody you love struggle with them.
my best to you and your family :)

It's her decision. I don't understand why you worry about becoming dependent on drugs. It's worth a try to help with the intrusive thoughts, honestly and they are not addictive.

It is worth noting that my DS tried two drugs under CAMHS. One made the intrusive thoughts far worse and the other prevented him sleeping so he got psychosis from lack of sleep. He wasn't permanently affected by either drug but it's definitely something to look out for!

if i weren’t medicated, i would not function.
you just let your dd make this choice for herself. and consider how you would feel were this pain medication for a broken leg, or insulin for diabetes? mental health problems are just as serious and just as debilitating. sometimes, like physical conditions, they require medication.
what i would say though is to encourage your dd to do her own research on her symptoms and what medications might help her, as camhs often default to certain cheap and easily obtained antidepressants that are not always very helpful. they tend to have a cookie cutter approach to mental health treatment in the nhs and unless you advocate for yourself, you will be given the one size fits all treatment.

but basically you really have to let your dd decide this for herself. she is old enough and denying her of this choice will affect her in a big way.

to struggle on without medication can completely derail a person’s life. i know this because i have lived it. let your dd make her own way forward in this and please, please support her in every way you can.

My DD is autistic and has anxiety and OCD. Sertraline has helped her with a relatively low dose. Her anxiety has been reduced but her.OCD not so much… but she is back in school and has good days now. Not sure how to target the OCD long term. Wondering if a higher dose of medication might be the answer but her Dad refuses to let her try this as he is anti meds and was reluctant to let her try the low dose. It is frustrating as seeing struggling so much is hard. Best of luck.

I think you're right to be reticent
It's difficult either way
Psychiatry prescribes meds. That's basically what it does.
Therapy with camhs will be a particular type of therapy
There are other types of therapy
Hard one. Long term sertraline use comes with risks. It's not the only way. Works for some.