to be utterly furious with the GP for putting my DSD on sedatives?

[goldenteapot]

She is 16 and finding her GCSEs very stressful - but she is fine the rest of the time, and happy with her hobbies etc.

She sees her mother every other weekend (with whom she has a difficult relationship) and her mother has taken her to the GP about the stress, to see if he could advise about taking exams in a separate room etc. or refer her to CBT.

He has put her on sedatives, twice a day (beta blockers) with no end in sight.

She now thinks she is 'mentally ill' and needs daily sedation. I just want to cry. I hate being a step mother and having no control over this sort of thing. She is so young and vulnerable and I feel that this could be the start of her unravelling. She is spaced out - with no offer of counselling.

AIBU to be furious? What can I do?

The girls mother beats her so her dad sends her to a woman who makes her life miserable and hurts her wtaf is that about.

Are you a qualified doctor OP?

She isn't 'beaten' but she has been hit - after this she came to live with us. But she still wants to see her mum.

DH did not want to report it and neither did DD. I got her to tell her teachers so at least they had a chance of alerting safeguarding. They did not do so. I don't know the full story obviously.

Thanks for all who have responded. I do feel that I have got a hard time because I am a stepmother. I DO firmly believe that medicating DSD is wrong in her circumstances - for the reasons mentioned by Gareth above.

I am worried that I have put too much personal info in here because I felt the need to justify myself all the time and I have asked for this to be deleted as I am really worried about me and DSD being identified.

I have calmed down a lot since yesterday and appreciate you taking the time to give me your views.

She isn't stressed, except when she is going into an exam. She would say so herself
You need to start taking them in advance for your body to become accustomed before exam time.

flippinada

My DS1 had a panic attack in a mock A level exam.i mentioned this to a GP friend who advised that I should put him on betablockers several months before the 'real' exams to get used to them.We went to see our own GP who prescribed without hesitation which makes me think that it is not uncommon at all.

I haven't read the whole thread but is the op getting grief over the fact she's the girl's step mother? If so I find that pretty despicable.
And as for the people saying she's 16 and can deal with it herself, God help their DC if they ever need their parents help once they reach 16

Ah ok judge. Obviously it does happen then.

I meant to add yesterday (but was fuming at the OP attitude), that twice a day is normal for BB. They really only last about 12 hours. I have to take mine twice daily to prevent tachycardia.

YABU - it's not all about you and your prior personal experience.

I was going to say that I think it is societies fault that we are putting so much pressure and stress to achieve outstanding results in their exams. How do we cope? By medication.
I took my exams in the late eighties and I was very fearful of having a panic attack as I used to get them in assemblies sometimes
It wasn't so much worried that I wouldn't be able to do the questions more that I hated the fact I was trapped in a room. God knows how but I managed to keep myself calm and although felt very edgy and a bit dizzy I tried to focus. The only exam I got an A in was English Language and I remember getting so carried away with the story I was writing that I completely forgot my nerves
I didn't understand at the time that I was mentally ill but some ways of coping with stress and nerves would have been most welcome. I don't think anti depressants are a good thing for children of this age and other means should be tried first which brings me back to what I started saying. There is too much pressure on our young people these days.

Some people seem to be annoyed by the OP for questioning the GP (this would be the GP who initially was going to prescribe valium to a 16 yr old what could possibly go wrong there ). Medical treatment is one of the leading causes of death in the western world so everyone should be making more informed decisions and finding out as much as they can about treatment, especially if it is long-term.

"In 1999, Americans learned that 98,000 people were dying every year from preventable errors in hospitals. That came from a widely touted analysis by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called To Err Is Human. This was the “Silent Spring” of the health care world, grabbing headlines for revealing a serious and deadly problem that required policy and action.

As it turns out, those were the good old days.

According to a new study just out from the prestigious Journal of Patient Safety, four times as many people die from preventable medical errors than we thought, as many as 440,000 a year... With these latest revelations, medical errors now claim the spot as the third leading cause of death in the United States ."

www.forbes.com/sites/leahbinder/2013/09/23/stunning-news-on-preventable-deaths-in-hospitals/

There are some interesting talks and books/articles on problems with the disease/drug model in psychiatry. (A beta-blocker is not a psychiatric drug though so wouldn't come under what these speakers below are talking about, and they might be useful for calming down the symptoms of anxiety which might help reduce anxiety, but still interesting. They shows the questionable nature of some of the claims of biological psychiatry and the disease model of some psychiatric conditions.):

Joanna Moncrieff - The Myth of the Chemical Cure: The Politics of Psychiatric Drug Treatment

There are a few interesting talks by a journalist, Robert Whitaker, who got involved in the area originally when he was interested in helping patients get access to psychiatric drugs. Now he is questioning whether they are useful as long-term treatment (as there seems to be evidence that long-term drug treatment is detrimental for some patients)

Robert Whitaker - Global Psychiatric Epidemic - October 23, 2012 - CPH

[Disclaimter: If people are on psychiatric drugs they should not stop them suddenly as that can have serious consequences]

YABU, She is 16, that's old enough to make this decision herself. I've taken Propranolol and I found it quite mild and easy to come off (unlike SSRI's which are sometimes prescribed for anxiety).

Are you sure the sleepiness / spaciness have been caused by the drug and aren't just symptoms of something else e.g. depression, drug / alcohol use?

I do think it's good that your DSD felt she had somewhere to go for help and was proactive about getting it.

As someone above said, the waiting list for CBT is usually quite long (although she should definitely go on the list - it would be helpful for her to learn some coping strategies for the next time she is experiencing anxiety). Better she gets some help than her mental health needs are neglected.

Maybe you could help her with some non-medical solutions - are there any hobbies you could encourage her to take up that could ease her anxiety? Any techniques you could recommend?

Well, op...you have conveniently had at least three posts taken down. I believe they are the ones I am referring to that say (paraphrasing) 'yes, she hits her' and 'she hits her, she pins her against the wall & throws her in her room'

I don't believe that she no longer hits her daughter, and why remove the most damning posts that tell us this?

Report her mother. Don't worry about what your dh wants, or what your dsd wants, a child is being abused. How badly beaten does she have to be?

And my opinion has f all to do with you being her step mother!

But I stand by all my words...

I was prescribed beta blockers as a teenager for exam-related anxiety by a very competent GP. They worked a treat. I have no mental health issues, I just got nervous before exams and beta blockers control the sweating and shaking that goes along with this. They DON'T sedate and they're not addictive. I did very well in my exams by the way. Am now a doctor myself

What are the known side-effects?

Most people who take beta-blockers have no side-effects, or only minor ones. However, because of their action in various parts of the body, some people have unwanted side-effects. For example:
•Sometimes the heart rate can go too slowly. This can make you dizzy or feel faint.
•If you have diabetes you need to be aware that beta-blockers may dull the warning signs of a low blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia - often called a hypo). For example, you may not develop the sensation of rapid, irregular or forceful heartbeats (palpitations) or tremor, which tend to occur as the blood sugar is going too low.
•Some people develop cool hands and feet when taking beta-blockers. This is because they can narrow (constrict) small blood vessels and reduce the circulation to the skin of the hands and feet.
• Tiredness, depression, inability to achieve a proper erection (impotence), vivid dreams, nightmares and other sleeping problems occur in some people.
•There is some evidence to suggest that beta-blockers may provoke type 2 diabetes to develop in some people.

www.patient.co.uk/health/beta-blockers

I have been on beta blockers in the past for palpitations and they worked really well.

I felt really tired when I first started taking them which my GP told me would happen. He did explain it to me, something about the drug slowing down the heart rate and thus causing lethargy, but I can't remember his exact wording.

I think it took a few weeks of bring on them until I started to feel 'alert' again and then I functioned just as well as I always had.

I doubt very much that the GP would readily prescribe the drug unless he thought it was necessary.

Taking beta blockers for exam-related stress means you can just take them in the hours leading up to the exam, rather than daily or twice daily like you would if taking them for high blood pressure or abnormal heart rhythms. This minimises side effects. I was warned about cold hands and feet, but never got any side effects myself.

OP sorry but you are projecting too much.

Even if she started CBT now full effects would takes weeks or months then practice etc great for a lifetime but not for this summer. BBlocker entirely appropriate side effects diminish after a few weeks less likely when you know someone in the family disapproved. I would be surprised if you manage to sound neutral to her.

I struggle to believe she has been issued 6 months meds in one go, on repeat and advised to take for upto 6 months yes but very different.

With regards to safe guarding it is everyone's responsibility not only those with parental responsibility. If you truly believe she was at risk you had a legal duty to report.

beta blockers are prophylaxis against migraines.

Please get your facts correct before going off on your high horse against the GP. At 16, your 'd'sd does not need your opinion on the treatment, particularly if her mother is in agreement, but regardless of either parent, if she has discussed it with her doctor, they have come to a shared decision about her treatment, and your opinion on it is neither here nor there. Especially when it is such an ignorant one.

ffs

I think you have been given a hard time op

i am saddened (though not shocked) than a gp has given a six month prescription of bb to a sixteen year old who is suffering from stress, is this abnormal no, can it be dealt with in other way most likely but drugs are so easy to take and often have an immediate effect but at what cost

it is shocking and frightening how easily drugs are handed out without so little consultation because there is little other support. there is low cost therapy about if you look on the BACP website there is also other information on there that may be of help

Op,you are projecting and probably putting her off something that will help her.

You don't think she has a problem but you know she suffers from anxiety?! It's not the same as being needle phobic! This is something that can affect her functioning in her education. Think about that for a second! CBT doesn't have an instant effect and there are waiting lists,I'm not sure it would be deemed appropriate or a priority either,given you claim it is only related to exams!

You say you've told her to consider what she's doing to her body taking them?!?!

You say she didn't want to take them but has been. If she really didn't want to take them she wouldn't!

I'm also concerned about this alleged abuse. You won't report it and her dad won't report it. She wants to,and you allow her to,go and visit/stay with a mother who hits her? And to add to the ridiculous failing of responsible adults,in regard to your claims her mother batters her,is you made her tell her teachers and her teachers didn't report it either?

If any of this is true then you,her father,her mother and her teachers are a complete shambles in protecting this girl and it's no bloody wonder she has anxiety issues.

Issues she probably won't treat now because you've done your damndest to put her off!

I don't think you should be telling your sd your views as it may be influencing her.
Unless you were in that room with the gp you have no idea what was said!
Exams are a massive part in life, that have a huge effect on what you want to do.
Yes you can have cbt however it does not happen straight away, it can take weeks. It can then take a while to feel better if at all from it.
The gp may have felt this was the best course of action for her.
Panic attacks are not a part of life.
Iv suffered depression. Iv suffered anxiety for last few years and its ruining my life. Its not a part of life i want!
You may not think medication should be given at this age however i can say it saved my life.
Im glad i had an understanding gp who put me on medication at 17(i tried beta blockers but they had no effect) so was put on antidepressants as that was what i needed. I have had counselling and cbt but they do not work for me. If i had not been given medication i would have killed myself.
Mental health problems are common in young people and can start from simple stress of exams.

Disclaimer; I have been a MH service user and I am a social worker in mental health. IME, the anti medication lobby are as harmful as the health car professionals who think popping a pill is on the only treatment. That said, these days, those in the latter category are few and far between.

Ed i agree with you there.
I liked cbt only because i only talking to someone who wasn't connected to me! Didn't help me without my medication though.
It definitely helped me through my exams(i was put on beta blockers first and they did nothing).
I was on them years later again for headaches and they did nothing then either.
Im all for cbt and counselling but sometimes people, including young people do need medication alongside them and they should not be made to feel bad for it.
She should also should take them continuously and not take them some days and then not on other days.