Help with a repairing/bullying problem

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I have a 15yo daughter with Asperger's, so I know that's in no comparison to a teenage son because they go through different issues. I will say that I'm concerned about the Zoloft because from my experience and readings about it, it's a very tough drug and really shouldn't be used on teens and children. I've been on most every anti-depressant due to my anxiety/panic disorder and I'm finally on Cymbalta. I had a horrible reaction to even the lowest dose of Zoloft. It not only made my insomnia worse, but it made my panic attacks come in waves. I read about the drug and noticed that a high number of people had committed suicide while on it and didn't recommend them for young people as they had a high incidence of sudden suicides with them. Having tried so many pills over a 10 year period, I will say that skipping your pills for a day shouldn't send you into such reactions. I've missed my pills on numerous days and I felt nothing. If I missed two or three days in a row, then I'd get a little irritable and tired or my heart would skip beats, but not where I'd have complete meltdowns. Just my opinion, perhaps try another medication with him. They're all different and I know Cymbalta was the only drug that managed my depression and anxiety without making me feel drugged up. The rest of them didn't work for me.

As for the bullying, I worked very intensely with her, especially when she told me some kids had been making fun of her. I was very adamant that these kids are the ones with the issues, not her, and her school was also very lame and I went up there and we got into a big fight - due to bullying issues with my older daughter - so by the time my Aspie daughter came along, they didn't want to mess with me and the bullying stopped.

Again, I can't really comment beyond that because I know teenage boys are a whole nother issue than girls. My daughter does get over-excited when she's passionate about something and I have to tell her to slow down and calm her tone so people will understand her. Take a breath, things like that because she will lose her focus and start rambling, then she gets over-emotional. I've done this with her since she was small teaching her to keep her temper in check and it's paid off. She also likes to run back and forth in the house to calm down or think also, so we allow her to do that. I mean, it's all trial and error with different things, right?

It really is - I had the same experience with Zoloft and Cymbalta as you. That said, his current doctor increased his dose, and he's like a new person. I don't know, it's hard.

We are working hard to help him see that his "friends" are jerks (his first full day back to school, he found one kid to go with him to the "study hall" lunchroom - win! - and sadly that kid told him that his friends have been talking about him the whole time he was gone.)

The school is really, really not stepping up for the transition back, so this may mean another placement. Not sure - he really doesn't need a theraputic school, just a smaller and more supportive setting, but at this point not being where people are mistreating him is the main thing.

It's so frustrating, because he was, to a small degree, in the wrong and owed the other kids an apology - and I'd like him to learn the benefit of apologizing, as he struggles with repairing language...but at this point, I don't see a way for that to happen, not the least because what he did is so incredibly minor in comparison to their behavior.

This whole experience has been much more like mean girls than like boys (I don't think he feels physically unsafe) so I don't know .

I hate this trial and error stuff...