To not give my teen DD medication

[Foxjonessssss]

My 15 yr old DD has ASD and OCD, both diagnosed by CAMHS who she is under. She is brilliant in every way and manages so well. She is in grammar school doing really well academically but struggles in other ways. The school are great and really help her.

She has had therapy via CAMHS and through school but still struggles with intrusive thoughts.

CAMHS consultant has said it’s now time to start medication. I have really wanted to avoid this for her. I don’t want her on medication that has side effects and she may be reliant on. DD doesn’t mind either way.

I just think she has done so well with everything without medication I wish she didn’t need it ☹️

AIBU if I don’t accept the medication for 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.

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.

Sertraline is used to treat OCD.

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.

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.

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.

This.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

I wouldn’t say Sertraline long term is a good idea, only going by my own experience.

The first few months it worked well to numb emotions but then I started getting terrible night sweats and became suicidal so I came off it.

You mean you tried to insinuate something which really wasn't ok and I showed it to be sensible to research all side effects and questioned why you wouldn't and why you would hide such things which could impact them from now and into the future.

Why is it shite to research side effects and inform kids of all of them? All other posters on here have talked about informed decision making and yet when I say it you made insinuations and threw out insults.

I can understand your reticence and agree with PP that its her choice. If you're worried I would encourage her/you to write a diary. It's a great way to look back and see how things have changed - improved hopefully - over time. It can be hard at any given moment to see if something helps, but if you have a diary and look back after a few weeks/months, you can often see patterns over time.

It's also great to look back on and understand - you can see how far you've come, or see that, yes that WAS a really difficult time, no wonder it was so hard...

And don't forget its fine to try these things, you can always stop them if they don't work

My DS was put on fluoxetine four months ago. The lowest dose only. No side effects at all. Back to his old self, totally life changing for not just him but the whole family.

It's funny how you think your arguments are slam dunks..

Nope I don't.

I think everyone has their own opinion and they are entitled to it. I think I am also entitled to respond to people who insinuate things and who name call me. I think debating should be encouraged and people should be entitled to share their side of the coin.

By all means explain how you think informing people of the side effects of medication is the wrong thing and why I should be name called for it if you think I was wrong to say that the child should have all the information before making a decision.

With side effects the chance of being affected varies massively. Depending on the drug it can be 1 person in every 100 people, other times 1 in every 1000, 1 in 10 or 1 in 10000. While sometimes side effects are serious, many are mild and passing.

Would you not put a plaster cast on a child if they broke their leg? Or avoid paracetamol when you have a headache? Medication for a mental health condition isn’t a failure, it can often be the key to living a functional life. Plus at 15, it is her choice and not yours.

My DD is 16 and was diagnosed with ASD two years ago. I decided against medication for her. She has weekly psychotherapy with a teen specialist to help her deal with anxiety, stress management and to learn different coping mechanisms. She has speech and la language therapy to address a slight stammer. We also Home Educate as sadly her school was not on board to meet her education needs - like your daughter she’s very bright. We have tried THC micro dosing in the past and it was really successful with no side effects. That would absolutely be my fall back for her if her anxiety became unmanageable.

@SpiritOfEcstasy

Please can you provide more info on that I'd be interested to hear. Thanks

We had similar, some seem keen to medicate without real need and other strategies work better. You know her better than the team, but it definitely requires her input on how she is managing. Good luck.

Just to say my DD had intrusive thoughts also which the sertraline stopped. She will also be having DBT soon so it won't be entirely the medication.