You are here: Home / Medication

Thank you Lord for effective meds

April 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Sometimes it takes going without to realize how deeply grateful you can be for something. The something in particular is Jocelyn’s ADD meds. She is back on them on a daily basis and I could dance with joy. I can hardly believe how much she has been focused and how much she has accomplished. It is simply lovely and amazing. In retrospect I wonder if I should have resisted the meds as long as I did when she was little. She started meds when she was 11 and they have been such a help. I didn’t trust the safety of them and held out as long as she could somewhat cope although coping is sometimes all she could manage. At puberty it was blatantly obvious how much she needed them and they really helped.

The last time she was off her meds was when she was switching meds to try a different one and she had to go off for three days in between. On the second day she went into the store she works at to do some shopping and she was skipping up and down the aisles saying Ohhhhh loooook! Her coworkers checked what department she would be working in the next day so they could come watch. She vacillated from sleeping to hyper in an amusing fashion but I was glad when she started the new med.

Thank you Lord for meds that work. I am deeply grateful all over again.

~ Twyla

Filed Under: ADHD, Medication Tagged With: ,

Willing to Try It

April 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

As parents of special needs kids, we are willing to try so many things to help our children grow and succeed in the world. That is certainly true of me with my son Daniel (AS) in terms of alternative therapy/treatments.

We have tried many, many things with Daniel. He was on ADHD medicine (Concerta) for most of elementary school. That helped him function in a classroom setting but it had lots of side effects like not eating much, not gaining weight, and not sleeping well. He decided to stop when we started homeschooling.

We also did NeuroNet therapy for a couple of years in elementary school. The website says this about NeuroNet: “NeuroNet is a research-based learning readiness program designed to help students develop core academic skills and become independent learners. NeuroNet exercises facilitate learning through movement, an approach based on extensive neuroscience research and clinical practice. The NeuroNet programs provide structured, at-home practice of exercises that can be completed in about 20 minutes a day.” We went once a week to the therapist to learn the new exercises for the week and we worked on them daily at home. They were repetitive and some nights it was a battle to get Daniel to do them but they seemed to improve his sensory issues, focus issues, and some of his coordination issues. I can’t tell you objectively what it helped and what it changed but, subjectively, I think it made a difference. Of course, it wasn’t cheap, but I was (and am) willing to try whatever might help Daniel function and enjoy life more than he did.

More recently, we tried BrainCore at our chiropractor’s office. The website describes it as: “BrainCore Therapy is a form of neurofeedback that incorporates all of the latest technology aimed at teaching patients how to control their own brainwaves. It is a fascinating form of treatment that is backed by more than 40 years of university based research studies. Until recently the technology and equipment necessary to perform neurofeedback could only be found in research labs. Now, in the last five to ten years, advancements in the field have allowed trained BrainCore clinicians to offer this incredible form of therapy to the general public. Though the BrainCore technology is quite complex, the training activity is simple, painless, drugless and non-invasive. Surface electrodes are placed on the scalp and brain wave activity is transmitted to the computer software. Auditory and visual feedback is provided instantly, so that the patient sees and hears representations of their brain in action. The patient is instructed to observe the auditory and visual feedback and allow the nervous system to reset itself based on that feedback. As the nervous system reorganizes itself based on this instantaneous information, the patterns begin to normalize. Over the course of 10 to 20 training sessions, neuroplastic modifications result in the permanent alleviation of the symptoms.”

We just completed the basic course of BrainCore this spring. It was pretty neat to see him control what was happening on the screen by just changing his brain waves. It was almost like watching a magic show or science fiction. The results for Daniel continue to surprise us. He had a hard time sleeping and staying on a schedule – his brain seemed to have no sense of time – now he finds it much easier to sleep and stay on schedule (if he chooses to – like all teenagers). He had a lot of trouble focusing and I was nervous about him driving but he is turning out to be an excellent driver. He took an online digital art class this summer and, normally, I would have had to sit beside him to keep him focused while he read the lessons, did the homework, answered the questions, and took the quizzes. He completed this class almost totally by himself, stayed focused, worked really hard, didn’t give up, and made an A!!! I was SO thankful. In the past, that kind of independence and focus would have been unheard of! He took a web design class for middle and high school students this past summer (for a week) and did very well and was able to get along with the other students. The last time we did a class like this, he had to call me halfway through the first day and asked to go home and never come back. This time, not only could he handle the workload but he did well with the social aspects also! He is also becoming more outgoing and less anxious/nervous about new situations and changes.

I know many parents have had success with modifying diets, adding exercise, and working with an occupational or physical therapist. We haven’t tried those – yet. I’m sure that part of Daniel’s growth is due to natural maturing and growing up but I am still glad that we gave these treatments and therapies a try. Who knows what we will need to do next but I am thankful that these options were available and that God provided them for us and provided the money we needed to do them. I am always thankful when I remember that God loves Daniel even more than I do and neither of us will give up on him!

~ Brooke

Filed Under: ADHD, Asperger, Autism, growth, Medication, Teenager Tagged With: , ,

ADD, OCD and LD oh my!

March 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Do I view the glass as half empty or half full? It would be easy to ask the Lord why He has put so much on my plate but most times I consider it a compliment that He has entrusted me with so much. I believe it really helps to have this perspective both for my sanity and the peace to be an effective parent.

Jocelyn was removed from our drug plan because she is over 21. She decided that her ADD meds were too expensive to take on a daily basis and the “fun” began right away. It is so easy to forget how much the meds work. There were distractions everywhere and she was unable to focus on even the simplest task. Her meds suppress her appetite so she basically mowed her way through the fridge and cupboards. It is a good thing that she is thin. We saw a homeopathic medicine for lack of concentration that was on clearance so she tried that and I was surprised that it did help although it was not the same as her prescribed med. When she was first diagnosed I resisted meds until she hit puberty and then it was obvious that she needed them. She starts a new drug plan April 1 and then it will be back to daily meds again and it will be a day of celebration for sure.

Luckily her OCD meds are not as expensive so she stayed on those. I remember when we were looking for clothes for her I would ask her why an article of clothing was not acceptable when it fit so good and looked good on her. She would describe in detail how it bothered her and I quickly worked out a shopping compromise. I would not ask her why it did not work and she would simply supply a yes or no answer. It made shopping a lot less painful and I learned to accept her choices (within decency limits). It started to actually make sense once she was formally diagnosed with OCD.

My 10 year old daughter with LD is making great progress in school. She has a male teacher this year and I really think that it makes a difference in her school work. She seems to be taking responsibility for her work more than ever before and she has decided that she likes to read which is a big help. She is learning the benefits of cursive writing and it is making it easier for her to do her own work and rely less of others to scribe for her. Bottom line is a lot less stress on me and improved grades for her.

“Lord thank you for trusting me with these children and all the challenges that we face as a family. Continue to give me your perspective and wisdom to be the mother that you designed me to be. Help me to see them through your eyes and love them with the love that you channel through me.”

~ Twyla

Filed Under: ADHD, grace, learning disabilities, Medication, OCD, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

On Baring My Soul

November 23, 2011 By 1 Comment

This Thanksgiving season, I am giving thanks to God for something I never could have possibly imagined would be a part of my life, more or less a saving grace for me.

This Thanksgiving season, as a Mom with a new full-time job, three children in elementary and middle school, and a husband home with a brain injury, I am thanking God for the world of pharmaceuticals that keep ME sane.

This is a strange post for me, and I recognize the variety of comments and judgments I am opening myself up to by writing about this.

I have always prided myself on being level-headed. I have always prided myself on being able to go through trials in a way that brings glory to God.  I have always prided myself on not needing medication to get through a crisis.  Well, as we all know, pride goes before a fall.

When I was thirty and my mother died, I walked through a heart-wrenching grief while clinging hard to God.  Six months later, when my dad was diagnosed with a very rare, deadly cancer, God upheld me and allowed me to maintain my faith. My faith was at the forefront of my life when, six months later, my husband was diagnosed with a shallow melanoma. And My faith was at its strongest when I was pregnant with our third child and Ben experienced 8 seizures in a row, spending four days in the hospital unconscious on a respirator and waking with almost no working memory.

But the crises have passed.  It’s now almost eight years since Ben’s seizures left him unable to remember even the simplest moments of our life together.

And after years of struggling to always be the one to keep things together, after years of being everyone’s caregiver, I have found that my body and my soul are worn out.

Stress is no longer something I can control through meditation, eating right, or exercise.  Sleep is no longer something I can rely on; nor can I escape into it when life becomes too much.  Anxiety borne out of life’s trials and the knowledge that God does not promise to shield us FROM trials (although He does promise to walk with us THROUGH them) has become a constant theme in my life.

My anxiety requires medication.  My depression requires medication.  Think what you will.  I know I would have judged someone in my position.  But these medications stop the flood of fear and anger and frustration that swirl around in my mind and in my body, and they allow me to get to a point where I can quietly and humbly turn to God and read His word.

And this year, at Thanksgiving, that is truly a lot to thank Him for.

Filed Under: Anxiety, Depression, Medication Tagged With: , ,

Sweet moments with my son

October 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

I had a sweet moment with my son this morning. This boy who is more of a man than a boy now.

We were both up early.  Me for my normal morning routine.  Him for his first breakfast before going back to bed on a lazy Saturday morning.  He was getting his meds and a conversation began.  I am not sure exactly how it happened but we began to talk about those early days before meds.

Those were chaotic days.  Lots of huge emotions.  Raging, panic, paranoia, giddy laughter – you name it, we experienced it at the extremes of your imagination.

This morning that seems so very far away.  I am looking at my boy-man, bigger than me, leaning over to hug me.

I told him about how we came to his current med mix. It was a journey, as it often is, of trying one med, seeing some benefit but still not stable.  Then trying another med.  Frankly, I am a believer that it is as much art as science.  I know this part is what makes many think this is not actually medical/scientific but much more spiritual/behavioral.

Their thoughts don’t actually matter much to me right now.  The reality is that we were in such crisis and God extended His grace to our family through medication.

And today, I look at this bigger than life boy-man and think he is growing up well.  He is learning to manage his life challenge.  We still hit bumps in the road – some louder and more disruptive than others (what Mom of a teenager would not say the same?)

But today, I am grateful for how far we have come.  I look with anticipation to see how God will continue to carry us in our  journey together.  He is so faithful.

Grateful for many things,

~ Hannah

Filed Under: Bipolar Disorder, Encouragement, God's presence, grace, Gratitude, growth, Hope, Journey, Medication, Parenting, Teenager Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Pink Elephant in the (Bed)room

October 21, 2011 By 5 Comments

I know this is a family friendly site, so I will be family friendly, which means I will point out that if husbands and wives are to be really friendly in the way husbands and wives are meant to be, someone has to talk about medications and physical intimacy.

Neurologically altering meds alter things that are not on your check list of “fix it.”  It’s normal to discover side effects along the way, and everyone experiences them. But it’s worth noting some meds make it near impossible to be physically intimate. WHY nobody points this out I have no idea. But if it’s true that money, sex, and in-laws break up marriages, you’d think someone would at least mention it. It’s pretty startling (in a bad sort of way) to discover along the way you’ve apparently signed up to spend the rest of your married life as a monk, minus the circular haircut, of course.

Now in the midst of crises (those times when you say GIVE US MEDS!!!) everyone is  willing to throw everything overboard to save their sinking ship (read: marriage and family life). But eventually the storm clouds clear (read: the meds are regulated) and one day, in the “new normal,” you can bet your bottom dollar SOME body is going to look around and notice, “Hey, something is missing…”

Why bring this up? If you have to ask, and you are married, we need to talk.

First, physical intimacy is God-designed and marriages need it in ways that are truly mysterious to me. Without it, conflict can erupt and nobody knows where the frustration is coming from. Don’t let that unique bond of marriage just disappear forever without seeking help.

Secondly, if someone needs meds, and happens to think said meds may make sex a purely historical event, you’re facing a BIG deterrent to compliance. Which means you have medications, but someone isn’t taking them, and when you dig down to the Real Reason, it’s about sex. Might as well get that out in the open where you can actually problem solve it.

And finally, this all leads back to the obvious:  Often the meds are there so you can HAVE a relationship. Some hidden disabilities cannot live in such close proximity without the help of meds, to moderate emotions, increase reasoning, decrease anxiety, etc. Without them, in some cases, there’s no use talking about having conversation, much less sex. So TAKE THE MEDS. But once everything is stabilized, and you discover something is missing, ask your doctor for help.

NOTE: If you are dealing with  (as a counselor friend puts it) the 3 “A’s” – adultery, addiction, or abuse – then there is a different kind of healing that has to take place first, so I am not talking to you, dear one.

Nobody, and I mean nobody talked to us about this – not our psychiatrist, not counselors, not my mama, not anybody. And it mattered. There is help. There are options. No, I am not going to list them for you! But if you will be brave enough to seek, you will find. It’s worth the embarrassment.

Love,

Joan

Filed Under: intimacy, Marriage, Medication Tagged With: , ,

Why I Love Psychiatrists

August 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Today as I sat in the psychiatrist’s office for the jillioneth time, I realized I am as at home there as just about anywhere. I have 25 year of frequent flier miles with them. When someone spooks at the idea of going to a psychiatrist, I get it (the stigma) but it’s been so long since I’ve felt that, I have to remember not everyone has a psychiatrist on speed dial.

You have no idea how much chemical assistance these doctors have given us – not unlike insulin to a diabetic. It has changed our world (for the better) – given back something like normalcy … helped with depression, obsession, anxiety, insomnia, and all the other –ias and –sions that torture a body with hidden disabilities.  And that changes everything about how I feel in that office. They are not out to get us, admit us, or label my loved one (as I initially thought). Over decades they have tediously listened, advised, prescribed, relistened, re-prescribed, evaluated, waited for compliance….

SO, if you should ever find you need one of “those” doctors, here’s my abbreviated suggestions (as if I am ever abbreviated), learned the hard way (of course):

  • First, if you or someone you love needs a psychiatrist for their hidden disability, just get over it, and thank Jesus they exist. It wasn’t that long ago people with hidden disabilities were locked in a room upstairs. My great grandmother was one of those. These people have changed that.
  • Second, don’t expect them to be God. They are not omniscient, nor are they omnipotent. They don’t know everything, and they cannot make it “all better.” But often they can help ALOT. At the end of the day, they are just normal people, like your childhood friends, who grew up to pour milk on their Rice Krispies while they studied something about chemistry and human nature.
  • Third, because of the wonderfully unique complex way God designed us, their ability to match a body, personality, behavior, and temperament with a chemical solution that closely substitutes for what is lacking takes TIME. Often months. AND experimentation. Yes, it is the “practice of medicine.” Settle in for the long haul. It’s worth it. You didn’t get there overnight, and you’re not going to get out overnight.

See? Three points and I’m done. Seriously, I thank Jesus for revealing to mankind, in my lifetime, a bit of the chemistry needed to ease the suffering of my loved ones with hidden disabilities. I can not tell you how much I would NOT want to do what a psychiatrist does all day, so I am one thankful lady for all the people who chose that profession!

More than a little grateful,

Joan

Filed Under: Bipolar Disorder, Medication Tagged With: , ,

Learning the Hard Way

April 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
Proverbs 19:20

“What happened to your hair?”

The wide-eyed look by my hairdresser as she asked that question said it all!

I had just returned from a month long mission trip in Arizona where we focused on construction and outreach. I was the assistant female leader for a small team of teenagers and had allowed one of the girls on the team to cut my hair. I knew it would probably not come out great, but reasoned my hair would always grow back. I was trying to build trust with her as a bridge to deeper conversations.

While I was on this trip, my antidepressant medication became permanently locked in our med kit. I do not recall all of the details, but remember that early on in the trip I was unable to continue taking my medicine.

I had been on medicine and in counseling for a year and was back to health. I was nervous about not continuing with my medicine, but then wondered if the Lord allowed this for a reason. I was fine the rest of the trip and came home on a “spiritual high” after all the Lord accomplished in and through me.

Whether it was the “spiritual high” or just plain immaturity, I decided (foolishly) to stay off of my medicine to see what would happen. Within five months I was in my second bout of depression. Fortunately, I recognized the signs early, immediately got help and avoided the severity of my first bout.

Lessons learned:
1. Despite all of my spiritual and emotional growth over the past year, my body was unable to make enough serotonin to regulate my mood. I needed a small maintenance dose of antidepressant to keep me healthy.
2. I am not a psychiatrist and should not attempt to regulate my medicine.
3. Leave the haircutting to the professionals –there are other ways to build trust! ☺

I often have to learn the hard way, but at least I learn.

Seeking wisdom,

Lynn

Filed Under: Depression, humor, Medication Tagged With: , ,

To Tell or Not to Tell – THAT is The Question.

April 22, 2011 By 7 Comments

Reading some of the other blogs reminded me about how our children discovered their daddy’s bipolar diagnosis. When do you tell children about a probable genetic (as in “this could be you one day”) mental health diagnosis in their parent?? I don’t know. But here’s how God pushed us into the deep end of that particular pool.

One fine day we were all sitting around the dining room table eating breakfast when in the door breezes Grandma. Rather early in the day for a visit, but she comes and goes with the wind, depending on the mood of the moment, and it’s never a dull moment when she drops in, believe me.  She tried bipolar meds for a few years (at our request) but felt it clipped her wings and she, like most bipolars, prefer the high altitudes. As a disease, I’ve heard bipolar is unique because people generally feel worse (less wonderful) on their meds, not better, making compliance very unappealing.  Her meds did cause some weight gain and hair loss. “Who wants to be a fat bald woman?” she asked, and never went back on meds again. So she pops up into mania and dips down into depression, living most of her days in a hypo-manic state – which is to say she flies under the radar of the medical community. But not under the radar of our community.

No one can miss our beloved grandma, dressed in brightly often sheer clothing, walking our neighborhood, out to change the world,  animated in her discussions with friend and strangers alike, carrying her backpack of books (usually on sex)…all of which embarrasses our children to no end. Most parents embarrass their children, sooner or later. She just did it sooner. Though she is as different from us in theology and ideology as possible in this universe, I love her with all my heart. Her giggle is infectious, her wit delightful, and her generosity admirable. Our children, on the other hand, did not know what to make of this unpredictable strange woman. Up until that particular breakfast, she was the only living example our children knew of a bipolar diagnosis.

On this day, back then, she was on medication. Or so we thought. That morning she soared in, higher than a kite, and announced she didn’t need medicine anymore! (something every bipolar says at one point or another) Eventually it came out that she had run out of her pills. Thinking logically, to solve the immediate problem, my dear husband went into our bathroom and came out with his own medications (they were the same) to share with her, until we could refill her prescription. Unknown to him, this simple act rocked our children’s world.

The stunned look on their faces as they connected the dots was a sight to behold. I cannot describe it. Their daddy, who never dressed brightly or inappropriately,  nor sang at the top of his lungs to mother earth, who went to work in a cubicle every day, regular as clockwork, had just given his mama his meds to fix her problem.

Grandma soon blew back out the door,  their daddy left for work, and the dam broke loose. Questions poured out of our children’s hearts and minds for a solid hour and then some!  “Does Daddy have what Grandma has?? Can he act like her? Will he do this…that? Will WE get it?? How? When?”…just to name a few. Nothing is more direct or persistent in questioning than three 8-12 yr olds on a hunt for information they decide is vital to their well-being. I finally decided I should share the blessing of this bountiful barrage with my mate, so I called him at work.  “Hey honey, just a heads up… today the kids figured out you have the same diagnosis as your mother, and they have A LOT of questions for you…”

And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.   Psalm 139:16

Remembering that day ;)

Joan

 

Filed Under: Bipolar Disorder, Diagnosis, Encouragement, Extended family, humor, Medication, mental illness Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Experimentation: Meds & Psychiatrist part II

February 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

(This is the second half of the post titled “Experimentation” if you need to go back and read it.)

We then took the next step of seeking out a child psychiatrist to walk us through the issue of medical intervention. We received a referral from our pediatrician and met with a child psychiatrist she recommended.

I have to acknowledge that we did this with some fear and trepidation. We are Bible believing Christians. We knew that many in the Psychiatric community would consider us nuts to believe what we did. So we prayerfully met with this doctor, asking God to give us wisdom and peace if this was the right doctor. I remember going in with our list of questions about her medical philosophy, how much experience she had dealing with children with Jack’s background, and about her general treatment approach; however, more than anything, we were looking for a doctor who would honor our philosophy of parenting. We genuinely saw our role as earthly caretakers of this child God had given to our care. We did not consider him our child, but God’s child. We believed the doctor was there to advise us but we were responsible to make the decisions. We were looking for a doctor who would appreciate and honor that approach.

God was gracious to us. Our pediatrician had given us two doctors to interview before we made a decision. We walked away from the meeting with the first doctor completely at peace that this was the right person. It was clear to us that this doctor understood and respected our perspective on parenting. There was a connection and comfort from the beginning. We felt at peace moving forward with her. The next step was to do a visit with Jack. They connected as well.

After a couple of meetings, she confirmed that she believed Jack had a mood disorder and advised that we try a particular medication, one of several mood stabilizers used in children who experience rapid cycling moods.

We took the prescription from her and followed our second principle before we filled the prescription. We did our own research on the drug. What did the resources tell us about the benefits and side effects? As with many other decisions in life, the decision of whether, when and which medication to use is a cost-benefit analysis. We had come to a clear decision that Jack needed medication. Now we had to determine if the medication recommended appeared to provide more hope for benefit than cost of side effects.

In this case, the medication had significant hope of benefit to Jack with low risk of concern. On the upside, it gave hope of stabilized moods that would help him achieve some normalcy in daily life. On the downside, it meant that he would have to have regular blood work. We determined to try it to see if it helped while watching him for any concerns. Jack remained on this med as his main line of treatment for months. Initially this was sufficient to settle the frequency and the volatility of his mood swings. We were grateful for the relief to him and our family but this too was simply a new beginning in our ongoing journey.

This season brought many lessons as well.

We became more convinced than ever of God’s presence in our lives. He provided regular encouragement to us through His Word.

We became more conscious than ever that Jack was God’s child and we were simply stewards of this young life. This provided great comfort when we felt overwhelmed at the challenges presented to us almost daily.

We became more secure in parenting by discernment, listening to God’s quiet voice within us to hear how we needed to respond in whatever moment we confronted. We weighed each comment by others against the quiet assurance God was developing in us and began to learn which comments to discard and which to embrace.

We came to an abiding peace that God was with us for each day we faced and every challenge that it would bring. Truly He never leaves us or forsakes us.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13: 5-6

Filed Under: Bipolar Disorder, God's presence, Medication, mental illness, Parenting Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Older Posts