Anti anxiety medication for needle phobic child?

[GabriellaFaith]

Sorry for the long post - desperately hoping someone can help me.

I am really stressing over my daughter's appointment for multiple blood tests Friday. She had bloods regularly fine for 7 years, then she had a bad experience at 8 and is now absolutely petrified of all needles. Last time 6 months ago she made herself sick she was so worked up, was sweating, crying, trying to run away, shaking, I had to hold her down in the end which was a horrible experience. I tried to speak to her GP today to ask if there was anything I could do that I haven't already tried but they had no appointments. I even wondered today about anti anxiety medication as a one off to help her?

She is immunosuppressed and the bloods are needed, missing them isn't an option.

She is autistic and adhd, so does really struggle with managing her emotions - think extreme highs and extreme lows.

She is incredibly clever academically and loves anything numbers. Her fitbit was the best purchase ever for her self managing her emotions as she has to think about getting her own heart rate to the right number! But this situation is way beyond fitbits help! She will be too worked up to listen or think rationally.

She does mindfulness, yoga, strict routine, exercises. She understands why she needs the bloods. But I don't know how to calm her down enough to have them.

Any advise, suggestions, thoughts on if asking the GP for medication for it is reasonable or unreasonable, anything at all, I'm grateful to you for! Thank you in advance x

Your poor DD (and you, it’s hideous, been there).

My DD is diabetic and has annual bloods, and is petrified. The diabetic team at the hospital have been very supportive and last time got a phlebotomist who specialises in dealing with kids, which helped. Does your DD have an equivalent hospital team that might be able to sort something similar?

Does she use Emla numbing cream to stop it hurting? Doesn’t help the trauma of getting in the hospital/in the chair in the first place but it might help if she’s not worried about it hurting so much.

Thank you for your kindness and I am sorry to learn about your daughters illness and struggles too.

We did emula cream last time, she had an allergic reaction to it, although maybe there is something else similar? But they did say she can have some freeze spray so it doesn't hurt. I think it's the feeling of it more than the pain.

Its at the blood taking unit at the hospital instead of at the GPs, that's where it's always been, and I'm sure most are very good, but she's at the point where it won't matter how good they are at drawing blood, I'm not sure how I'm going to physically get her in there and still enough for them to do it!

Thank you for your suggestions! How was he sedated if you don't mind me asking? I am going to Google desensitision now!

can you get her knocked out for it

Numbing cream and butterfly needle is a must

This might be a stupid suggestion but I get blood tests regularly in a blood clinic.

I honestly don't feel the needles so I asked one of the staff there why. She told me they use finer needles and also it's what she's done all day ever day for 20 years plus so she's got to be good at it as she's perfected it.

Is there anyway you can ask about finer needles and also if there's anyone who is an absolute pro at taking blood?

I hope you get some good solutions OP. I saw a girl at my local blood clinic with this issue, it was very sad and she was terrified and ended up not getting the bloods taken :( hopefully you will find a solution like CBT, hypnosis, sedation. I had a friend with a serious phobia that interfered with her life and hypnosis cured it

How would she do with a placebo?
Something like rescue remedy or some homeopathic pills for anxiety? If she’s got lots of allergies homeopathic something might be less likely to cause a reaction than something with possibly measurable amounts of flower extracts. You could use tic tacs if you think that would work for her, but something that looks more medical might work better if she’s used to seeing medicines and will notice the difference between homeopathic sugar pills and actual sweets.

I feel so sorry for your daughter as I am the same and have been since childhood when I needed a lot too. The only thing that helps - doesn't get rid of the fear completely though - is to take as much control as possible.

So, drink lots beforehand and make sure I'm warm to keep the blood flow better. A nurse also said to me to try and get them done no earlier than mid morning, so that everything is moving about better anyway. I have no idea if any of that helps, but 'doing' things is all I can focus on.

The other reasonably helpful thing for me personally is if they tell me what stage they're at - so, 'halfway there' sort of update.

These suggestions are definitely about control for me and that's all I can do.

I hope you find something ❤

Or, tell her they use sugar syrup to help babies feel less pain when they have vaccines (which is true where I live and does seem to have some clinical evidence) then tell her it should help her too and give her a lollipop to suck on while she has blood taken.

What about buzzy? You could phone the unit and ask if they already have something like this - it blocks the nerves so the child can't feel the injection.

https://www.buzzy4shots.co.uk/

It also helps to breathe out and keep your arm relaxed as the needle goes in if she’s able to control that.

Oh your poor daughter, I went through similar with my son and it was so stressful.
can I ask what the bad experience she had was, as this is important? Have you talked it through with her, empathised and worked out a way that it won’t happen again? Giving any sense of control that you can helps too, she gets to choose when/where/who (as far as is possible). For my son he’d just had too many negative experiences in the children’s hospital that he eventually said he will only allow the Gp to do the bloods. Logistically it was challenging as they needed to be rushed over to the lab in the hospital to be frozen and sent abroad but we facilitated this ourselves and it worked out fine.

Thank you. I have found a need phobic service run through CAMS specifically for young children with autism and or adhd, so I've asked to be referred 🤞 Felt like at least I was doing something!

Is that like a desensitizing service? I wonder how long the wait time is? I hope it works for you. Its very difficult to access medical care for people with such high anxiety, particularly now there are so few home visits.

I have a DS (ADHD, autism) with needle-phobia. This came from having to have regular immunotherapy injections (intramuscular) that would take around 2 minutes and he had to hold completely still.

For blood-tests, we have a routine, which may be helpful.

Drinking half a liter around 45 minutes before the tests (keeps veins plump and easy to access).
Emla if he wants.
Can wriggle his toes, squeeze my hand as tightly as he can and make as much noise as he wants (roar like a lion or cry) but he must hold the blood-tested arm still and he cannot ever kick or punch.

His additions - the doctor or nurse need to count to three before puncturing.
Silence from me (😊) and no looking at the blood.

We have used distraction during, just chatting about silly things and stories. We never tell him too far in advance to prevent sleeplessness and anxiety. We also warn him that it may hurt but it will be over quickly, just like last time. And then a reward of some sort - lollipop or something. Also, blood-tests are non-negotiable. He needs to have it but he can choose how he and we deal with it.

I need to add that it is so important to present a calm, confident and generally non-emotional front to your DC, even when you might feel as anxious and as stressed as they do about the blood-test.

You need to get som Emla numbing cream
https://www.chemist-4-u.com/emla-cream-5-5g-1

Check that the pack you are getting includes the right kind of dressing (the smaller packs for single/occasional use do) or if buying a larger tube for regular use, buy separately a pack of dressings like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0742J6KMB
if needles are a regular thing

The instructions underestimate the effective timeframe - leave it on for a bit longer to get a better numbing effect. Make sure there is a big lump of cream under the dressing, the first time I used it on a dc I didn't really understand and did it wrong.

It's ok to apply several patches in different places if you aren't sure where the needle will go in.

Watching with interest as DD takes immune suppression meds and needs regular blood tests but she has been terrified of needles since a bad experience where they tried to put a cannula in 2 years ago. They use the freeze spray, emla cream and they a butterfly needle but it's more the anticipation so I've considered calming meds as well.

UPDATE

-GP said they won't prescribe anti-anxiety medication for under 12s.

-Referred to specialist needle phobia service under CAMS.

-I have deferred the test until next week, can't delay further, but attempting needle exposure to desensitise in the meantime. Videos of blood being taken 5 x a day, talking about it, acting it out with a calpol syringe!

-I have weekly immunosuppression injections, I have let her do mine to demonstrate it was fine and quick.

-Spoke to her about not looking as its the sharp needle that freaks her out, but she said she can't look away as she feels out of control and needs to sew what's happening.

-Counting to know when it will be over will definitely help.

-I am taking her to get a bag if sweets before we go, hopefully chewing on them and having to pick the next one etc will help distract.

-Going to the BTU and have confirmed it's a paediatric phlebotomist so they should be good!

Thank you SO MUCH for everyone's messages. Really have helped and are appreciated.

I promise to let you all know next week how it goes! Wish us luck!

I've had a needle phobia since I was a child. I have had CBT for it. It was a referral through my GP. It helped me to begin tackling the phobia and I'd recommend it as a way of coping. I have discovered emla cream in recent years which has really helped. The other effective tactic I use is to listen to music with headphones. They can talk to me if they like to try and distract me but with having the music on it helps to break some of the intense focus I used to have on what was happening. Having the test first thing also helps and not turning up early for the appointment so there's less time to wind myself up waiting.

I really feel for your dd, it really is such an overwhelming feeling. Like a fight or flight moment.

Counting to know when it's over is definitely the most helpful thing to me. Counting in a way which is slightly more difficult is even better as it forms a joint purpose of countdown and distraction. I tend to count in another language but if she doesn't know one, saying the alphabet backwards might do.

If she's clever and loves numbers - counting up in primes or something might be the trick.