Please help

[plymouthmaid]

I am really in the need of some hand-holding. Following 18 months of treatment with CAMHS my 17 year old daughter has been put on Prozac by her consultant. Has anybody any experience of this with a teenager? I've looked everywhere i can think of for help and advice.
it broke my heart when she said "I just want to take the tablets I just want to feel normal again".
Any advice would be so appreciated.

So sorry about your daughter - our children's pain is our pain isn't it and we would rather us have it than them. The website "Young Minds" is very good. Worth you both having a look.

Here is a hand to hold. Personally I wish my depression was treated in my teens already. Instead I suffered through until I was 30 before seeking help. Your daughter has an illness and if medication is what it takes to make her better, don't see that that as necessarily something negative.

Thank you. i don't see it as a negative but i just feel sad that she feels the way she does. i just wish I could help her.

am anxious about antidepressants and younger adults in general, but would be guided by the consultant - my middle child took an SSRI briefly at around that age but she also had other problems (anorexia, other forms of self harm) and was an inpatient, she went on to take risperidone, quetiapine, that sort of thing (antipsychotics) and appears to have recovered very well now - is 22, working and studying a bit too hard but is holding it together and not taking any medication. we will never know if the treatment helped her recover, made it take longer to recover, or did nothing much at all while the recovery process got underway independently of it - I'm just really glad that so far she is doing well.

my youngest child, 15, has problems with low mood and anxiety (she is apparently on the autistic spectrum) and her psychiatrist raised the issue of medication but for now she is seeing a psychologist once a week for CBT - if we get several months down the line with no improvement it will be an easier decision to make

you could see if there is a group for parents in your position, or any interest in setting one up? I did find other parents my best source of support during the worst times, mainly because lovely as most people are very few will ever understand

best wishes

You ARE helping her, you sound like a lovely, caring mum, who she can talk to, when she's struggling. I so wish I'd had a mum like you, when I were her age

You are helping. When I was depressed at 15, I didn't have the support of my mother, so it's wonderful that you're supporting her.

As a mum it's always so hard when you see your child in pain or suffering, mentally or physically, but you're doing all of the right things.

When she first starts Prozac she may feel much worse for the first few days, but they'll probably have discussed that with her. It can help so much to lift the fog of depression and I hope it works for her.

Just popping in to provide some hand holding :) I started taking anti depressants at 18 years old. It took a while to find ones that really helped as I seem to get side effects really easily and with my first lot the side effects were worse than the benefits, but I'm glad I didn't leave it any longer. I do hope your daughter feels better soon. It's really great you're there for her and I'm sure it means such a lot to her :)

I wish my mum had been as concerned. You sound like a good mum. Depression tends to run it's course, un medicated it takes longer.

Soup, plain bread and hugs are always good comfort. Simple food and love are always appreciated no matter how you feel xx

My 16 year old took Prozac after struggling with depression and self harm. I know it's the recommended AD for teens, but it caused my Dd to faint several times a day. She was then switched to sertraline which has helped enormously. So as Faithloveandgrace says, if Prozac doesn't work, I'm sure there will be another AD that will help. For the first time in a couple of years my dd has started to smile. Good luck plymouthmaid.

You don't know how grateful I am for all your replies. Especially as I have been feeling like i have let her down. You have been so kind.