Anti depressants for teen DS with suicidal thoughts - any advice?

[BarelyHeathrow]

My 17 year old DS has been suffering with depression for at least 18 months. He finds it really, really difficult to talk to anyone about it, professionals or family/friends.

I knew that he had had suicidal thoughts a year or so ago but it seems that these have been ongoing, becoming bad every couple of weeks or so but always being at the back of his mind.

Despite NICE guidelines that he needs to be engaged in talking therapy to be prescribed medication he has an appointment this week with a doctor at CAMHS with a view to getting a prescription.

This is all so new to me. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of what he might be prescribed and whether it worked for your teen / young adult? Also, hearing his suicidal thoughts is so distressing, I feel powerless to help him. Did your teen / young adult overcome these thoughts? How? And, how did you cope?

So may questions, sorry. Many thanks.

I believe they generally try to avoid medication for those under the age of 18 but they will make exceptions depending on the severity of the case.

If they do prescribe him a medication for his depression it will most likey be an SSRI: Either Fluoxetine or Sertraline.

The impact these drugs have varies between individuals so it's hard to say whether or not they will help and to what extent they will help.

They usually take at least a few weeks to begin having an impact, sometimes up to 6 or even 8 weeks.

They will probably want to keep a close eye on him to monitor his progress and whether or not he is experiencing any side effects.

Perhaps a regular appointment every 1 to 2 weeks depending on the severity of his case. This is particularly important early on because often these drugs can actually make you feel worse before they start to make you feel better.

If he experiences any significant side effects or doesn't show any progress after a certain period of time they may switch him to a different drug.

It's a bit trial and error really and it takes time.

Thanks for your detailed reply RarePuppers.

The appointment was yesterday and the outcome was pretty much as you described. We have been given some info on both Fluoxetine or Sertraline and been asked to decide which he would like to try. Blood tests and an ECG to be done by GP first.

Anyone got experience of a teen on these meds?

Also, his mood is improved but I know he will get down again (possibly due to starting meds) - how do you cope knowing that at times your child is wishing that they didn't exist? It's heartbreaking.