Please or to access all these features

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Does anyone have any experience of using Carbamazepine for extreme violent/defiant behaviour in children?

7 replies

LizzyA123 · 11/06/2013 23:33

Hi, I am having a problem with my 6 yr old DS. He has always been a demanding at home but well behaved at school and suffers from occasional bouts of ketotic hypoglycaemia. During the last 2 months we have been called to school on many occasions because he has been disruptive, rude, walked out of lessons or locked himself in the loo. His behaviour has steadily deteriorated, he has refused to eat lunch in the dining hall, refused to go out for breaks or join in lessons. Classrooms have been trashed, furniture pushed out and objects thrown, some of the destruction is done in a fit of rage, some in a controlled and systematic fashion. Teachers and children have been hit, kicked and sworn at, he has spent the last couple of days on the playground or running up and down the corridors disrupting other classes. My DH and I have spent time in school with him, taking time off work to do so and he has been assigned a one to one key worker. He has had to be restrained several times. His behaviour has spilled over at home and I and DH have been physically and verbally abused. Last week, out of the blue, DS had a seizure. He has had them before but always linked to a hypoglycaemic attack. This time his sugar levels were normal and he had been fine 5 minutes earlier. We are trying to get help via the SENCO and the Dr etc, but there are so many obstacles in the way and CAMHS have refused to assess him saying he is too young. The Dr has said that the behaviour might be linked to the onset of epilepsy and has prescribed Carbamazepine to hopefully moderate his behaviour and stop any further seizures. Has anyone tried this? Does it work? Is it safe? Can Epilepsy really cause such extreme bad behaviour? My intuition tells me that there is something else going on with DS.

OP posts:
kats3 · 13/06/2013 11:55

hi, I noticed you haven't had any replies yet so thought id reply and bump it up for someone else with more experience to see (i'm quite new to mumsnet, so probably wont be much use myself!)

My 9 yr old son takes Carbamazepine for epilepsy (diagnosed aprox 4 yrs ago, 1st medicated 12 months ago, tried epilim first but didn't agree with him) ive not heard of it being used for the behaviour side of things, so cant really advise on that, but can say he has had no side affects/problems since starting to take it last September.

The other thing is, since his seizures increased 12 months ago (which is why they decided to start medication) I have noticed changes in his behaviour, eg, looses his temper quicker, stubborn, refuses to do things for no apparent reason... Im still not sure if its caused by the epilepsy or the meds myself, or a bit of both.

hope someone else can offer some better advice, good luck :)

MumuDeLulu · 13/06/2013 18:46

Is the Dr an epilepsy paediatrician?

ArthurPewty · 13/06/2013 19:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PolterGoose · 13/06/2013 19:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

crazymum53 · 16/06/2013 14:41

My dd has taken carbamazipine for 10 years now, with no significant side-effects and no problems with behaviour or speech either before or after taking this drug.
The carbamazepine has been very effective in preventing seizures, but am unsure whether, or indeed if, it would improve behaviour.
Ideally your son should be seen by a neurologist who should be able to give you more clues about whether the behaviour issues are linked to epilepsy or whether another condition exists as well. This would be referred to as "epilepsy plus".

LizzyA123 · 16/06/2013 22:59

Hi again. DS is having an MRI scan next week, not sure what it will tell us!
MuMu, the Dr is a paediatrician who has looked after DS since birth because of his other issues, he has an interest in epilepsy, but I don't know if it is his specialist subject.

OP posts:
crazymum53 · 17/06/2013 08:42

One possible cause of epilepsy is "abnormal" areas in the brain so an MRI scan can be used to check for these. Different areas of the brain are linked to areas of development e.g. speech and language, mobility etc. so if this area has some "abnormality" that could explain your child's condition. The abnormalities may only be very small and not life threatening.
However some children can still have epilepsy with a "normal" MRI scan so it isn't conclusive.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page