Anyone's child taking Namenda?
Posted by MAP on August 24, 2010 at 5:48pm
My pdoc recently suggested that I do a bit of reading about Namenda, as he says he may want to try it for my DD (10). She is currently relatively stable but by no means as good as she should be. Still generally agitated, mood swings during the day, non-compliant with simple requests, etc. Any advice or stories on this med would be greatly appreciated.
Me, 42
DS (12), GAD, Zoloft
DD (10), BPD, 600 mg Lithium, 625mg Depakote, 2.5mg Celexa
DD (5), no issues (yet)
DH, 46
Yes! My son now age 17 have been taking namenda for about a year. There is information about namenda use for autism and for alzheimers.
It has helped him with short term memory problems and has imprved his ability to dream/remember dreams.
I am not sure if the namenda has helped him with his mood and thinking issues. One of his main issues is the inability to cooperate. His improvements in these areas are primarly due to the antipsychotic abilify , which we re-introduced just last month. I would strongly encourage you to consider an antipsychotic for the agitation and cooperation problems.
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ds age 16 - lithium, abilify, namenda, klonopin
Don't know much about Namenda, but how are her lithium and Depakote levels doing?
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Brenda,50, CABF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 16, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Trilafon, Lamictal, Seroquel, Cytomel
E, 14, BP,AS, hypothyroidism: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, levothyroxin, inositol
B, 13 & H, 10
Married 17 years to DH, 49
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FROM CABF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.
Thanks for responding. Her lithium and Depakote levels are in the therapeutic ranges. We have tried various other meds, all to no avail. She had an allergic reaction to Trileptal and gained unbelievable weight on Abilify. Haven't tried any other anti-psychotics, but we may need to go there. She seems to get every side effect of every med!
Has she gained wt. on Depakote? It is notorious for causing an insatiable appetite. There are lots of AP's out there, maybe one will work for her. And at some point we have to decide if certain SE's are worth the benefit. It's a horrible choice to have to make for our children, but leaving them untreated is even worse. Good luck in your search for meds.
Have you ever heard of Amantadine?
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Brenda,50, CABF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 16, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Trilafon, Lamictal, Seroquel, Cytomel
E, 14, BP,AS, hypothyroidism: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, levothyroxin, inositol
B, 13 & H, 10
Married 17 years to DH, 49
If CABF has helped you, please help CABF. Donate today. http://www.bpkids.org/donate?campaign=forums2010
FROM CABF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.
I know a mom in the VY group whose dd is 9. Her pdoc first started her on Ketamine. This child became stable for the very first time in her life! Namenda is a sister drug to Ketamine. The Ketamine started pooping out so the pdoc prescribed Namenda. The stability returned. I can't remember the stats she gave but her child is on a high dose. More and more pdocs are discovering these meds, although off-label, are helping those who are med resistant.
Ketamine has a bad rap. It is also a street drug called Special K. The difference is the street drug users take lots more than are prescribed to our kids. Back to the 9 y/o. She has had relative stability for a year now! Knowing what this child went through, this is a huge success for her.
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Kathy
Thank you everyone for your replies. I have been having trouble finding anything good out there on the Namenda issue. meeting with the pdoc tonight. Brenda, yes, the Depakote has made her gain weight, and her appetite is vastly different than it used to be, but she was 10 to 15 pounds underweight when we started all of this 9 months ago, and now has gained about 15 pounds since then. She looks good, but I fear that the weight will keep coming. She went from a kid who did not care at all about eating to a kid who constantly says she is starving. UGH!
Hi, I was wondering whether you daughter started Namenda, and what your experiences have been?
Thanks!
Jackie
If anyone is interested, my daughter did start on the Namenda about 2 and a half weeks ago, and within a week she was a different child. I am scared to say that out loud in case it won't last, but almost all of her agitation has disappeared. She is happier, calmer, less irritable. She even said to my husband that she was thankful for the medicine becasue she didn't know how good she could feel--she was so used to feeling sad and angry all the time. Will keep you posted. She is on 15mg/day now.
I was wondering how its going since post. Is your daughter still on Namenda. I spoke with my sons pdoc and he suggested we try nasal ketamine over the summer. There isnt much out there on this. All i can go by is his success with several patients.
Wow, that's great! Please keep us posted about her progress.
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Brenda,50, CABF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 16, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Trilafon, Lamictal, Seroquel, Cytomel
E, 14, BP,AS, hypothyroidism: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, levothyroxin, inositol
B, 13 & H, 10
Married 17 years to DH, 49
If CABF has helped you, please help CABF. Donate today. http://www.bpkids.org/donate?campaign=forums2010
FROM CABF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.
Bumping this up because I'm hoping to hear more long term feedback about this med or about anyone who has tried the intranasal ketamine.
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Chris Stanley- DS 10, ADHD, ODD, mood disorder NOS
currently taking Adderall XR, Abilify, Risperidone, Trileptal, Melatonin