Zoloft = Mania?

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Hi, I'm new here. I have a 10 yo old son who has been diagnosed with AS and AD/HD. He was diagnosed at age 4 and we have tried numerous meds over the years for various reasons. He is currently on Vyvanse and has been for awhile. He has been off all other meds for about 1.5 years. Due to an extreme progression of anxieties and obsessions since 5th grade began in August, we began Zoloft a little over 2 weeks ago. (One new habit he began was pulling out his leg & arm hairs which progressively got worse...) We started at 25 mgs at night. Last Thursday, I increased to 50 mgs. Friday he went to his father's house for the weekend (we're divorced). Long story short - it sent him into a manic episode. Over the weekend, he pulled out all of his eyelashes. I had to go pick him up from school yesterday because he was "hysterical" and crying, obsessing his arm was broken, demanding an x-ray, and could not function. His spec ed teacher called me within 30 mins of his arrival and said something was wrong with him and she had never seen him this way, and he progressively got worse within the hour. She immediately noticed his eyelashes were gone.

His doc was out of the office yesterday but an office nurse said to cut back to 25 mgs for last night. I have called the office and am waiting for the call. He is better but not back to himself.

Is it the med in general or just the increase to 50 mgs? I did notice some benefits from the med - less aggressive, less emotional rollar coaster, no meldowns, he has 2 sisters and he actually was getting along with them, etc...I also noticed he seemed "too" nice and happy all the time and had picked up some hoarding habits (food). Which he has done in the past....

Anyone have experience w/Zoloft or thoughts about this? Thank you so much!

Thank You....I know Vysanse (stim meds) can make anxieties and obsessions worse. But, the hair pulling is completely new. So, do you think the Vyvanse is the culprit, the combo or the Zoloft?

My daughter began pulling out her eyelashes and hair on Zoloft. It can make OCD behaviors worse and it can activate Bipolar. I believe the culprit is the Zoloft. We went off the Zoloft 6 months ago and the trich/OCD stuff is just now going away. I don't know why they prescribe it for anyone with mood swings and OCD as the risks of activating BiPolar or worsening OCD are significant.

You shouldn't see the benefits from Zoloft for 4 weeks, but you can catch negative effects right away. This medication is untested in children, and difficult to go off of. I took Zoloft for postpartum depression, and at one point tried to switch to something less expensive, so I have some idea what actually happens in your head with these things (although it does vary by person). I would definitely pull back and then reconsider it completely, although I'm not sure what I'd suggest instead - you do seem to have some self-harm behaviors of serious concern. How far down the road have you gone with controlling his environment, just trying to make his life less stressful and more suitable to him?

Thank you - it's FDA approved (haha) for OCD in children. I have heard that it can make those type of bx's worse tho. I appreciate your response. Good luck with your dd.

In a decent number of otherwise "typical" children with simple OCD I am sure it might help. However, as you know, our kids are not typical and many times have atypical reactions to meds. The spectrum includes "associated" disorders such as BP, so you should always be wary of anything that might inadvertently affect what might not be yet diagnosed.

Good luck and keep us posted. More people need to hear from real moms and dads the possible problems with giving our kids these drugs.

Thank you, DW. It is actually tested and approved for OCD in children over age 6. I'm glad to hear about ypur personal experience - it's helpful. I do the best I can to control his environment - if I could I would keep him in a bubble! I cringe every time he goes to his fathers house b/c he is allowed to just sit and veg all wknd and his dad is oblivious to him (and doesn't believe in AS).I'm the mom that the school can't stand and I'm my sons best advocate. Like all mom's of children w/ AS we know our kids best...if its this med then it needs to go. I only want what is best.

You're right Mama, our kids are not typical....I mean, I've been "splinting" his arm with paper plates since yesterday b/c he is convinced it is broken and has given me a lesson on every bone in his right arm. (FYI: he has not been injured and has no visible signs of injuries.) So, what is typical about that?! Always interesting...

I just realized I've gotten so used to rolling up my sleeves when I get on this forum that I totally forgot to welcome you, Owensmom. So ... welcome! This forum is a great resource, but you will discover that it is different from other parenting forums. We get quite a few AS adults posting here, some with children, many who do not have children, who share a really unique perspective. But, they may not always buffer their words, just forewarned. There are times they can get inside your child's head in the way few people can, and the occasional unsuitable response is a small price to pay.

DW - thanks for the welcome and insight! I think it's a privilege to know my son like no other but also realize that it is a tremendous responsibility (as w my NT girls, of course). I have recently been reading "Aspergirls" at the suggestion of a friend and am wondering if I don't have AS myself?! I've just always labeled myself things like: depressed, neurotic, shy, perfectionistic, obsessed, etc..ha! Who knows?!

Thank you, willaful!

children react to psychatric drugs totally different than adults do. It is best to keep them off of psychotropics until they are in their late teens because their brain is still developing and the influence of these drugs can cause irreversible brain damage. I watched Frontline on Pbs a few years ago and they said that drug companies have been making an all out effort to get kids on psychotropics because their developing brains become injured and will need more and more psychotropics as they grow up to function, thus making them lifetime consumers of their drugs.

There are other options that work just as well and change the brain chemistry of those with brain pattern abnormalties that do not require drugs.
Some forms of cognitive therapy and meditation have shown positive brain function changes that was shown on PET scans. These changes were similar to the changes that drugs make without side effects, however it takes longer to achieve these results than taking a pill.
I learned this in my abnormal psychology class in college as I was a psych major.

Seriously I cannot stress this enough. Psychochatric drugs were primarily designed for NT ADULTS. I stress the word NT. They have done studies on these drugs on folks with NVLD and AS, and they have found many of the issues that people with these conditions have with anxiety and depression are NOT chemical in nature, but hard wired into the brain because of sensory and communication issues. Quit trying to medicate something there is really no medication for. Fire your psychiatrist and get a psychologist. You can't treat everything with a pill folks, this is not like standard psychiatric issues, these are developmental issues that are best addressed through occupational therapy and counseling.

Keep your kids off psychotropics...IN GENERAL. Any doctor who recommends them really does not know much about how ASD really works, nor the developmental issues which may occur because of psychotropics, especially on somebody with an ASD.
This cannot be stressed enough. A pill is NOT going to solve your issues, your patience, your understanding, and your love...probably will. I do believe in occupational therapy and counseling, but I think psychotropic drugs are NOT the answer at all.