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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Teen anxiety, GP again?

4 replies

Sixteenpastten · 22/08/2022 22:25

Hi, my DD is 17 and struggles massively with anxiety. She’s part-way through an assessment for autism.
She has been diagnosed with chronic hyperventilation syndrome which means she feels like she can’t breathe properly a lot of the time and is constantly sighing/trying to make herself yawn in order to get a proper breath. She gets really frustrated and hits and has in the past cut herself out of anger with it.
She’s had an ECG, chest x-ray and peak flow test and all is normal. The paediatrician has put it down to anxiety and suggested she tries a calm app. She also does breathing exercises suggested by a physio. She sees a psychotherapist weekly (which we pay for).
she’s begging me to make her a GP appointment as she needs help.
Do GPs prescribe anxiety meds to teenagers? How bad does it have to get? We’re at the end of our tethers.

OP posts:
TeenDivided · 24/08/2022 08:13

Do GPs prescribe anxiety meds to teenagers? How bad does it have to get? We’re at the end of our tethers.

Our GP prescribed beta blockers (propranolol) to DD when she was 15.
To get anti depressants (which also have an anxiety reducing effect) we had to see a Consultant Psychiatrist as she was under 18. We were also at the end of our tether as DD's MH took a nosedive in the pandemic.

(You may also get help regarding this on the SN Chat board and the Child Mental health board.)

Sixteenpastten · 24/08/2022 10:31

@TeenDivided thanks for replying. I spoke to the GP who said that he can’t prescribe anything but would refer to CAMHS.

OP posts:
uhtredbebbanburg · 24/08/2022 10:44

Just seconding PP. We only get our meds for my 16 year old (Sertraline) from a consultant psychiatrist from CAMHS. When something similar happened to us, I got a lot of support from the GP who kept phoning CAMHS for updates. This was a couple of years ago though, I don't know what the wait times are like now.

TeenDivided · 24/08/2022 10:45

We went private in pandemic as we were desperate, initial consultation was ~£350, follow-ups (every 3-6 months) ~£250. After 2 years waiting for CAMHS and now much better, we took her off their waiting list.

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