Has anyone put their child on meds for anxiety?

Question

My 12 yr old daughter has struggled with anxiety for years now, but lately it seems to consume her - she has been in & out of therapy for years - they were trying to teach her behavior modification such as breathing exercizes & meditation to deal with her anxiety, but it just doesn't seem to help - i would love to see her get thru a day without worry - has anyone tried meds & had success & if so, which meds?

Answer 1

There a lot of different meds out there, I would just try everything but that before you start her on those meds, you dont want her to be a zombie!

Answer 2

Hi. I have had severe anxiety for many years. I beg you you, if your daughter cannot get over the anxiety without meds... then please do not hesitate to put her on them. I know how agonizing anxiety can be. It's horrific for an adult, I cant imagine having to cope with it being her age. I agree with what Evilangel said above, everyone thinks they have the answer, but if you have never had to live with anxiety you have no idea how bad it really is. It is not something that is all in a persons mind, it is a real medical problem. You cant just relax and make it go away. Anxiety is caused by a chemical imbalance in a persons brain. Therapy, exercise, or nothing else can cure this disorder all alone. I'm not saying those things wont help, they just are not the cure. I have GAD - General Anxiety Disorder. I have tried ALOT of different meds over the years. I have finally found one that can stop an attack within 5 minutes. It is xanax, at a very low dosage. I wish your daughter the best of luck. I hope she does not have to struggle with this for as many years as I have. Surely one day they will find a cure - it just hasn't happened yet.

I have 20 years of experience with this. I have gone for months or even close to a year at times with no attacks, but sadly they always return. This is very scary, and very real to us sufferers.

Answer 3

I love when people who don't have anxiety disorders suggest just "stop being afraid" or "figure out what's making you afraid". Ugh. Ok I started having the occasional panic attack when I was 12. Only my parents and I didn't know they were panic attacks. My father has asthma and I was having episodes that were like an asthma attack, trouble breathing, wheezing, coughing, etc. Eventually it got to the point where I was sleeping in my closet because it was the only "safe" place in the house. I started taking meds. in combination with therapy during my freshman year of high school so I would have been around 14. The road to finding the medicine that works for your child is unfortunately terribly long a lot of the time. And to disprove all the "well they're just antisocial to begin with" people. I was a member of my schools marching band, a straight A student, and played multiple musical instruments. I could get up in front of hundreds of people and perform but randomly I would get terrified of absolutely nothing. I would know it was nothing, know I shouldn't be scared, but that really doesn't take away the fear. With the proper combination of medicine and therapy though I rarely ever have a panic attack now. Unfortunately I don't believe that therapy alone can handle most anxiety disorders, although in conjunction with the appropriate medicine they are wonderful tools. There are many many medicines that can be used to treat anxiety disorders. And I'm sorry but I don't remember many of them because they didn't work for me...so I was pretty much wrecked while I was taking them anyway. I know that antidepressants are sometimes used to treat anxiety when the normal things don't work and that sometimes medicines work for things that aren't their original purpose. There's also Ativan for emergency situations. It can even be an everyday medication in low doses. Just make sure you like, trust, and respect the doctor doing her care. I'm sure there are 400 other things that I should mention but I can't think of them. Good luck with her care and give her big hugs from me. It will get better eventually! Be strong!

Answer 4

Hi there, I just laugh about my past 3 years of panic now. I was not able to go anywhere without carrying xanax. Fear of having another attack was the most important subject of my days.When i first found joe barry's web site i started to cry because of my happiness.

Free audio to end anxiety and panic attacks fast?

Answer 5

Be careful about putting someone of such a young age on medications! Do it only if you see no other solution... I was on medications and all they do is prolong the problems...they will just tranquilize her emotionally and she will have to deal with the problems later... It's a way of dealing with emotional distress for the moment and should only be used ( I personally believe) in severe cases of trauma.

Answer 6

I'm not an expert but my best friend was just put on meds for the same reason. I think it's best to not show how worried you are, that may just scare your daughter. You should try to find out what is bothering her. Act like a friend rather than a parent, it will make it easier for her to talk to you. I don't think that fully answered your question, I'm just trying to help though.

Answer 7

My cousin was 11 years old when the doctor put him on the lowest milligram of Xanax for his anxiety and it helped him.
I mean he would jerk and cry when he was having panic attacks/anxiety before he started xanax.
Ask your doctor or go and see a different doctor.
Hope she does better soon cause anxiety is so awful, i know how she feels i am there

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I'm glad that you tried other methods first! That's awesome. People usually jump the gun and put their kid on drugs without even TRYING anythhin else, so kudos to you guys.
If this is your last resort, go for it. Try the medication on LOW dose first. You don't wanna overmedicate. Sorry, I can't recommend and particular drug. But I would recommend doing some research on your options and their side-effects.

Answer 10

Medication for a child is not a good idea in that case. If I were her parent, would have her exercise, eat right, take part in social activities, have family time, encourage hobbies and interests, and try to do what else I could to discourage this anxiety. She must have reasons for it. Find them.