Bipolar 7 Year Old - Bipolar Disorder Message Board

acbc7374 · 10-05-2006, 06:32 AM

I Need Help Or Advice. I Have Been Reading Alot Of The Comments Posted And Decided To Join. My Daiughter Is 7 And Bp Type 1 And Manic Dep. She Was Dx At 5. We Have Gone Through What I Call The Medicine Merry Go Round. Everything Seems Out Of Control For Our Family. A Med Works For Her And We Thank The Lord, Then 2 Months Go By And We Have Increases, And Meds Added, On And On. I Have Been Reassured That This Is Common With This Disease And To Get Used To It And From Reading Responses On This Site That Iss True. Ok Here Is My Problem (1 Of Them) Where Do You Draw The Line. She Is On Abilify 5 Mg 4 Times A Day, Clonidine 1 Mg 4 Times A Day, And Now We Got Lamictal Started. I Look On The Internet And Read These Really Horrible S/e Of These Meds. One Day Is The Dr Going To Tell Me "well, Her Bipolar Is Controlled, But Now She Has Liver Damage And Other Irreversible Damage." I Lay In Bed And Cry Every Night Not Knowing If Im Doing The Right Thing Or Not, I Just Know The Meds Work For Her And Make Her Feel Better. I Feel Dammed If I Do And Dammed If I Dont. Please Let Me Know If Anyone Has Gone Through This.

kidd123 · 10-05-2006, 07:56 AM

Yes, my family has gone through this. My mother, 73 yrs old, was diagnosed bipolar in 1992. (I knew something was wrong in 1968! But my father was against getting her any help) I took her to a psychiatrist in 1992 & he told me that since she had not been treated all that time, that she may not be able to be helped. Well, over the past few years she has been on Lithium, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and all of the antianxiety meds there are. Thank the Lord, the last 6 months she has been much better. Right now she is on Neurontin, Zyprexa, Lexapro & all her blood pressure and diabetes drugs. I kept sending them bottles of Omega 3 fish oil & finally when the visiting nurse said that Omega 3 would help my mother feel better, my mother did start to take that also. I believe Omega 3 really did help her.
My father finally decided to cooperate & has kept a journal of all of her hospitalizations, drs, and the drugs that she could not tolerate & Abilify was one. Different drugs work for different people. My mother does have some side effects, like a tremor in her right arm, but they are not severe and even go away sometimes. The caretaker of a person with bipolar needs to remember to take care of themselves. I understand the hurt & pain you are going through & I pray that you will find a dr that will help with the drug treatment plan and also listen to you--the caregiver. You are doing a good job. May your daughter get the help she needs--that is my prayer for you.
Hang in there. You are not alone.

feelbad · 10-05-2006, 08:02 AM

sorry for what you are having to deal with here,i know how much having a child on wayyy too many meds can be.my youngest recieved a liver transplant seven and a half years ago and also was Dxed a couple years ago with bi polar III,that added four new meds to the five that he was already on.yea,it really really sucks.i do feel for you there.unfortunetly,you have to go with kind of the lessor of the two evils.geez,just some of my sons actual anti rejection meds can also cause kidney and liver damage.go figure.he also has a kidney disease as well.yea it can keep you awake nights for sure.

i am just rather curious as to how they actually Dxed a bi polar disorder in a five year old?and manic depression?could you tell me a bit more on that part?thanks,FB

acbc7374 · 10-05-2006, 08:14 AM

Long Story Short. When She Was 2, Drs Told Me " Oh Terrible 2's, Then Oh Terrible 3's, 4's" And So On, Then I Took Her To Several Drs That Said Oh She Has Adhd-add, They Gave Her Those Meds And They Did Not Work, Then It Got Worse And Her Moods Were Everywhere And They Tried Abilify And All Of It Stopped For A Time And Thats Where I Realized The Key Phrase Is Stopped For A Time, Drs Say Increase This, Add This, Try This, More Labs, Pet Scans, Etc...

goody2shuz · 10-05-2006, 09:15 AM

Hi....welcome to the boards!!

And to a mother's fears and frustrations of having to accept this terrible disorder. I am going through similar fears and have found great comfort here amongst other moms and people who have Bipolar helping me through all of this.

What you are experiencing is normal for a mom....all of a sudden our world is thrown upside down...we know something is wrong and the rug is pulled beneath our feet and we are bouncing between our own instincts versus the reality of it all.

The thing is....you are not alone!!! AND Bipolar IS treatable and one of the very few mental illnesses that is.....the worst part of it all is that it is not something we can see or fix as easy as a physical illness.

There is an array of feelings and emotions involved when first given this diagnosis. When our child has a physical illness, such as diabetes or pneumonia....the docs know how to treat it and our family and friends can see it and we get more support because they understand it. However, with Bipolar it isnt quite that simple or easy.....getting the child stabilized does not happen overnight. And what works for one child may not necessarily work for the next. So there is no quick fix....it is a long drawn out process that us moms have the most difficult time accepting because when it comes to our kids we want it to be all better NOW!!

The thing is, you must be your daughter's advocate and do as much research as you can. I felt the same exact way about the meds....thing is you are lucky that your daughter is being treated so early. The sooner she is treated the better off she will be. My daughter ended up being arrested and was putting herself in unsafe situations. You are at an advantage since your daughter is young enough to teach and to learn how to accept this as part of her life and live a fairly normal life.

There are tons of books out there for both you and your daughter to understand all of this. Take a trip to your library...knowledge is power and the more you learn about Bipolar the more power you have to help your daughter. "The Bipolar Child" by Demitri Papolos is a great start.

YOu must remember that all meds have side effects...unfortunately the ones for Bipolar have more but I keep in mind what the pyschiatrist told me, that an unmedicated child is at a far worse risk than a medicated one.

Take a deep breath and know that there are many out there walking in simialr shoes. Visit the Bipolar Forum here.....there are a bunch of other parents feeling very similar to you....some are a little bit ahead of you like myself who can help you along the way. IT isn't a fun journey but knowing that you are not alone sure makes it less scary and easier to travel.

(((HUGS))) from one mom to another ~ Goody