my eight year old son was just dignoised with bipolar disorder. After not responding to ADHD medications and things only getting worse we got more testing done and found out it was bipolar. Any support i could get from other parents going through the same thing would be great. It has been hard on my family but more so on my son. AS he struggles with school and trying make friends. Thanks in advance for your advice.tylersmom29:) :)

tylersmom, i feel for you as my son was diagnosed with BP after years of struggling with meds that were for adhd add ect. We haven't been able to get him stable yet,m and the one medication he was on that worked he got side effects from. Last year is when he started the self harm it was and is a daily struggle to get through each day, if you need to talk please feel free to reply!

Hi it's nice to talk to someone who know what your going through. My son was just dignoised with bp and we still don't have him on the right meds. He can't get in to see a doctor till the end of september. Which makes everything that much harder. I have heard good things about the medicine called amblify? I'm not sure of it's spelling but I have heard that the side effects are few and not really that bad. My son's therpist seems to think it may work for him. How old is your son? And do you have problems getting his school to understand like I do? Please reply anytime you want to talk and thanks for listening.:)

tylersmom, my son is now 13 and had had to change to an alternative school with less students, ect. and has done better so far. The medicine your speaking of is Abilify, my son is on that and i think it helps son with all the other meds. Another good one is Lamictal. And yes it is hard to get schools to understand that they hold this in all day and you get the explosive when they get home. Talk to you soon!

my son had to be in an alternative school last year but now he has what's called an IEP and he gets to go to a smaller class most of the day. It's been hard though because this a new school for him this year. Have you found any medicine that helps with eating? My son is on adderall right now till we can get him on the right meds and it makes him not eat hardly at all. Also he has trouble sleeping have you found anything that helps? Being so young I worry about all the medicines that he's on right now he's on three different ones. But none of them help!! I sometimes feel like pulling my hair out. Thanks so much for listening. It helps me to talk to you because you know what i'm going through. :) Hope you have a great day!

tylersmom, that IEP is a great start with school concerns. Watch the Adderal as it is a stimulant and could make him worse as it did with my son, I have found that Focalin wich is a non helps with my son, especially with the add/adhd and eating! Also just make sure he eats before ect. the meds. Medication called Clonodine has worked wonders with getting my children to sleep at night, because they all have sleep problems, comes from thier dad. But remember that sometime if your son is to manic it may not work as well. Also there is stuff over the counter you could as the dr. about called Melatonin.
Melissa

Hey guys,

I am in a similar situation also. My son is 10 and has been on meds since he was 5. He just recently received an official Bipolar diagnosis. I know the rollercoaster it is to find the right meds. It is always changing because they keep growing and changing. I recently had to start my son on Celexa for anxiety. We had his mood stabilized and then the anxiety came on strong.

He also has an IEP. One thing I discovered last year, make sure that everything you would like done by the school/teachers is in the IEP. Once it is documented they are legally obligated to comply. I had a tough time with a teacher last year and was shocked by the change once the IEP was revised. Don't hesitate to call a meeting anytime you feel something needs to be revised. If the school is difficult you will have to become very familiar with your rights and push them.

Anyway, I have been taking care of my son alone from day one and would also like to feel like I am not the only one. This is my first post so I am hoping to make some aquaintences. Take care.

My son also has major sleeping/waking problems. We have struggled over time to find something that works. He is now taking Lithium for mood, Seroquel, Celexa and Abilify. He will be stopping Abilify now that Celexa is starting to work, but was on Abilify for a long time. He takes Lithium, Seroquel and Abilify at bedtime and this helps him to fall asleep. He gets pretty drowsy from meds, but I have found it is worth it if he gets the sleep he needs. It was just this year after his first hospitalization that we finally can manage sleeping problems.

I can't begin to tell you how helpful all of your advice has been to me. I cannot belive all the support I have gotten and I just started doing this a few days ago. I have another IEP meeting in two weeks and I may be able to get my son's therpist to go with me. I have written down all the names of medicines you all have given me so that when we finally get to the doctor I will be able to ask about them. Has anyone heard of a 540 plan? I think it where your child gets to have assitant go with them to their regular class room and also to their smaller class. I have herard that it is hard to get one. I was thinking of asking about it at his IEP meeting. Thanks so much guys. Have a great day:)

Thanks so much for your message the support I have found on here has been so great. I to felt like I was the only one. my son is in 3rd grade and starting a new school this year and it has been hard getting support from the teachers. I have a IEP meeting next week. Last year some the things they put in his IEP they did not do and I did not know that they had to legally do that. Thanks so much for the tip. tylersmom

Hi, Everyone:wave: My daughter is just getting ready to be discharged from phosp and will be starting back to school. She was diagnosed Bipolar-NOS/ADD inattentive and is 15 years old. I am in the process of getting her the support that she needs in school and am new to this process as well.

You should get in touch with your local mental health advocate look for NAMI and they will put you in touch with a parent advocate who will help you step by step in getting what you need in place within school. From what I hear, it may take 60-120 days until an IEP can be set but that a 504 can go into effect almost immediately and set up by the school. I am planning to do this for my daughter so that she can have the support she needs immediately upon starting school. I was told that a parent advocate would come to the meeting before the special education board and make sure that everything is in place. I am in the meantime going to meet with the guidance counselor and principal to discuss getting things in place and gauge their cooperation in helping make this year a less stressful year for my daughter.

I hope that thing work out for everyone and anything you can send my way would be most appreciated!!!

((((HUGS)))) ~ Goody:angel:

Hi there,

I can relate to you. I actually have 2 bipolar children and one "normal" one. I myself have recently been diagnosed as bipolar as well, so you can imagine what fun we have in our household!:eek: I'm sure yours is no picnic either.

My kids are in a research program now and were put on Olanzapine. That so far seems to be helping them be a little bit more cooperative and a little less hostile. My 9 yr. old daughter is still pretty oppositional though. It's only been a couple of weeks since being put on the meds so we'll see where it has yet to go from here.

Are the meds helping your son? How does your husband accept the diagnosis? Do you feel more relieved or saddened or both? I've felt both, especially about myself. I knew I always had depression, but now I realize that I am just like all those other people that I tried to stay away from! :p

My Dad is bipolar and was not on meds when I was little, so my idea of a bipolar person was that of a monster. I think that's why it was so hard for me to accept that I had it too. But beyond that, it sure does explain so much of my inability to change certain negative things about myself that have been dogging me at the heels for so long.

Do you have any other relatives with it too?

Hope to hear from you soon. I'm dying for some support here myself.

Debi

Hi :wave: It was great to hear from you. My husband has a hard time dealing with my son's diagnosis. Sometimes I think he is harder on him than my other two sons and that upsets me. My son also has a tic disorder that causes him to make sounds and other uncontrolable movements of his face,eyes, and legs. Sometimes my husband has a hard time believeing that he really can't help it. I guess that is why I got on this web site to get feedback from others going through the same thing. Is your husband supportive? Yes I have other family members who are bi polar. My brother and an Uncle. My middle son is also being tested now to see if he has it as well. I have often thought at times I may be bi polar also. When I read what you had sent it brought tears to my eyes. I am so busy with getting my kids taken to the doctor appointments and dealing with the school that I hardly have time to think about myself . Thanks for listening. And please keep in touch.:)

Hi goody it was nice to hear from you. Thanks for all the information on the 504 plan. I will be asking his school about it at our next meeting. What is the nos mean? I have not heard of that before. my son also has a tic disorder and impluse contorl disorder. All of that on top of the adhd and bp have my head spinning. We just got the diagnosis for bp disorder and for now he is not able to get in to see a doctor to get the right meds until end of september. So you can imagine how hard it is on him. He hates to go to school and his teachers have problems with him. Sometimes I wish that they could walk a mile in his shoes and then maybe they could see all that he has to go through. Thanks so much for listening. The support I have gotten on here has been overwhelming. :) Tylersmom

My son is 5 and I am already having problems with him almost everyday in his kindergarten class. The pediatrician has thought ADD or ADHD but he has an appt with a psychologist on Friday. Could you mom's please tell me what kind of symptoms you see with your children when they have bipolar? My son is innatentive, impulsive, sometimes angry and violent, very hyper and always jumping around. He is having problems learning the most basic things like colors and letters while his sister who is 3 already knows them. He is my 1st child and I am just baffled by what it could be. Thanks for any help!
Natalie

nboocher1,
I've been reading your posts about PCOS and Yaz. It's been very encouraging because I'm suffering from terrible acne and I'm thinking of starting Yaz.

I saw this post about your son...I don't know where you live but you should try to find a doctor who will do an IgG food allergy test. It's been my experience and I've read that bipolar, especially in children can be caused by a food allergy. Cow's milk products and wheat being the main offenders. Just a suggestion. I've been reading and learning from your experiences about Yaz so I wanted to share mine with you.

Thanks for your post it is so nice to get on here and talk to people who are in the same boat that i am in with my son. we got the news about our son having BP this summer. I always new that he just wasn't right from birth. He was always extremly hyper and always into in everything. He also has impluse control disorder. And we had to put locks on our doors and windows that had alarms on them so we could know when he was trying to get outside without us knowing it. We had to watch him all the time. Now that he is older the things we struggle with most is the schools and teachers and trying to find the right meds. He is on ablify for BP and Adderall for adhd. It has and probably will be a long road for us but the most important thing you can do for your child is give them love and understanding and try get good doctors and therpists who care about them. I wish you and your son the best and please fill free to contact me anytime. I think you'll find this website to be very helpful. I know I have. Thanks for listening. Tylersmom29

Debi, :wave:
Hi! I'm a newbie as well. I've lurked for a few days reading up on the different topics!
My heart just ACHES for Mr. Ruth!!!! How sad!
Your household sounds like mine! haha! 2 Bipolar children, one 14 year old son & one 10 year old special needs daughter. BOTH of these children are ALSO ADD/ADHD in addition to being bipolar. One med cocktail (for the 14 year old) is Depakote, Risperdal & Focalin. The other child is on Depakote & Concerta.
I too was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder! After SEVERAL years of trying different meds, etc. I have finally given in to taking Lithium. We'll see what happens from here!
I wonder sometimes how fair is it for the "normal" one to be in our household??? I really feel for my "normal" child (who is 16). My husband is the BEST though...he is the most patient, loving man. I KNOW if it were the other way around, I would wanna head for the hills!!!! haha!
Just wanted to say hello...and that you are not alone either!
I often tell folks when they come over, "Welcome to the zoo, and I am the zoo keeper!" There's NEVER a dull moment at our house!
Jackie :D