Anxiety meds for 6 year old?

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Let me say it up front: I am not a fan of meds. The semi-ironic part is that I hate meds due to my own anxiety issues...the possibilities of side effects, etc, scare(s) me. (I am the freak who drives the pharmacist crazy, calling to make sure that two over the counter meds won't counter act and kill me... )However, I have struggled with anxiety since childhood and never even realized the extent of how it affected my life until this past summer when it got so bad I decided to try anti-anxiety meds and I can not express what a (positive) difference it has made for me...it was only AFTER I was medicated that I could fully understand what a hold it had on my life.

...which brings me to my present dilemma. My 6 year old son struggles with anxiety to the point that it can be disabling. He's afraid to go down certain flights of stairs, has trouble on elevators, dreams up odd scenarios which will probably never happen and obsessively worries about them... This past week he had the stomach flu. Even though he only threw up once, it's taken a week to get to the point that he can live normally because now every time he feels anything happen in any part of his mouth, throat, chest or abdomen he's convinced he's going to throw up again. The other day we had to run into the bathroom every 10 minutes, even though he had only thrown up one time 5 days prior. When he quit eating for 24 hours I finally took him to the doctor, who was able to help me convince him that he was OK. Today he started crying because he accidentally swallowed one of his gummy vites whole and was worried it was going to do him harm. Once he accidentally closed his pet rat's tail in the cage. She squeaked but there was not even a mark. He was so worried about her he repeatedly cried for the next 48 hours even though she was obviously happy and healthy...literally said, "Mom, I can't stop thinking about how she squeaked and I am so afraid she's hurt even though she looks OK."

Now I catch myself thinking it would be so much easier for him if he didn't have to grow up the same way I did, being terrified of things all of the time. BUT I am also afraid of putting chemicals in my 6 year-old's body. I would really like to hear what anyone has to say about anything they might know about the topic and would be grateful for any thoughts, experience or advice you all might have.

As someone whos gone through dozens of different kinds of meds since I was 8 to now I can give you some advice. First find a competent psychatrist/doctor that is critical my mother went throudh quite a few hacks before she found someone competent. Second start at a low dose and monitor him closely. Third trust your instincts especially at that age if a medicine isn't working you'll know it before he does and before a doctor does.

And finally stop being afraid of chemicals its all we've got right now thats somewhat above the witchdoctor stage, by denying even the possibility of drugs your doing your son a disservice. A combination of drugs prescribed by a competent doctor harming or killing your son is about as likely as you being run down by a rampaging elephant and being struck by a meteor at the same time. I know its hard but try not to worry. Kids pick up on that and it can cause them quite a bit of stress.

<<A combination of drugs prescribed by a competent doctor harming or killing your son is about as likely as you being run down by a rampaging elephant and being struck by a meteor at the same time.>>

LOL! Thanks, seriously, I need to hear things like this. And, this sentence will probably get stuck in my head and make me laugh to myself randomly throughout the day for the next week or so.

Yeah...I think that the warnings about children getting suicidal on some of the mood-altering drugs is the most worrisome part to me. But again, I am a woman who gave birth four times without any kind of pain relief whatsoever...not because I am vehemently opposed to it but because I feared the meds more than the pain.

I can identify with the throwing up part. I have emetophobia, an intense fear of vomiting. It can be quite crippling at times.

Throughout my life, I have always had intense anxiety about everything. I would also worry excessively about far-fetched hypothetical scenarios that took years off my life. If I had meds 8 years ago, I would be in a much better place today. Anxiety is horrible, and should be corrected as soon as possible. But the bottom line is, only you can decide what's right for your child.

When my son was five, his anxiety was so severe they were not going to mainstream him into kindergarten. He also wasn't talking. They put him on a low dose of Risperidone and the changes were dramatic. He started talking and his anxiety's lessened to a manageable level. After a few years he developed severe full body,facial and verbal tics and was taken off and his anxiety at that point did not return at least not to a debilitating level. I think he could have used a shorter course of the meds that would have enabled him to get used to some situations (like being afraid if automatic doors) but not have resulted in the tics. It is likely there will be weight gain. The Risperidone mostly increased his belly but back then he was still wearing pants with stretch waistbands.

Yes, Gil, we can identify with the farfetched scenarios around here. My son once couldn't fall asleep because we had forgotten a picnicing blanket in the front yard. He was convinced a bunch of bees were now hiding under there and were going to sting my husband's face when he went out to move the blanket and once he'd been stung he wouldn't look like his same daddy anymore. These are the types of things he comes up with on a regular basis.

Aimless: I am curious to know if the tics persisted once your son's meds were stopped?

My son is 11 and he has anxiety issues. I am not trying medication because he reacts poorly to medication, in general. If there's a side effect to a drug, he tends to get it and some of the side effects of medications are worse than what you are trying to treat.

I wanted to chime in about the tics. It's not that uncommon for children on the spectrum to develop tics. My son was never on any medication (other than allergy medication seasonly) and he has complex verbal tics and some simple motor tics. I read that tics can be worse from age 10-12 and we are certainly dealing with that. Epsom salt baths, every other day, help a bit for tics & anxiety. We also do some core muscle exercises and stretches when he's ticcing very badily or having obsessive thoughts and that seems to reset his brain for an hour or so. Repeat, as necessary.

One thing to be sure to ask about will be the "shelf life" of whatever drug your child starts on. Some drugs essentially wear off after a while, as the body gets used to it. If that is going to happen, you will need to plan the periods of medication so as to maximize the value you CAN get.

I am pretty anti-medication myself, but I read your post and can't for even a second question your thinking on it. What you have experienced, and what your child experiences, is something we haven't had to deal with, and it is clear you do not take these choices lightly. Trust your instincts.

Yes, it was at a time when the doctor was just getting ready to relocate his family across country to be nearer to his aging parents. The clinic had no one to replace him. So he had to make the best decision he could, which was to take him off the rieperidone and put him on tenex which is a blood pressure medication but also helps people with tics. The previous doctor had asked me to videotape my son and later told me they were the worst he had seen in a child. He had the full body tics where his whole body would be flung back., He did these little dancing steps, he would roll his tongue and hoot,his neck would jerk back and caused him pain, his face would scrunch up. This was in the summer before 3rd grade. From what I've read for a diagnosis of Tourette's all 3 types of tics need to be present for a year. I don't know if they are still there but controlled by the tenex or not. I think not but when I talk about removing that particular med they say once you have tics there is always a potential for recurrence. I wonder if a shorter course of the risperidone would have avoided the whole mess. But it certainly did help him. He was a different child. He was virtually unable to interact with anyone but me before because of anxiety. It was like watching a flower blossom when he took the risperidone.