Can you give us some more details about the Tenex? It is often used for impulsivity. My ds15 used to take it when he was younger. We called it his "chill pill". It's effectiveness seemed to wear off after about 2 years. It is also used to treat tics from TS, but it never did anything for my ds17.
--
Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer Mom to A, 17, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra E, 15 1/2, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar B, 14 & H, 11 Married 18 years to DH, 50
FROM TBMF: 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.
My son E has been on Tenex for a couple years. He was placed on it when I discussed what the school referred to as E's "ADHD symptoms" a few years ago with his pdoc. Pdoc chose that one over Straterra (Which were the only two meds she said she would consider because of his Alphabet Soup that includes BP, Autism, ADHD and more). For Elijah it has worked amazingly well at controlling his anxiety which used to affect his life so badly. It has worked somewhat at increasing his attention span and helping with his distractibility too. He's made more progress in school since being placed on this med. We don't use it for the BP part of his alphabet soup though. That's controlled by other meds.
--
Janice from MA
"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain there would be no rainbow." Jerry Chin "Sunshine is my quest". ~Winston Churchill
Not sure if this will go through. I have been having a problem with my posts not showing up, only the subject. Dd was put on 1mg of Tenex split a.m./p.m. for anxiety. Pdoc has been putting off giving her on something for anxiety because of a bad reaction to Prozac. Her anxiety got bad enough that her pdoc put her on Tenex. Shes been on it for about 2 weeks now. She seems more irritable and more emotional. Could this be from the Tenex or could it just be a "bad" time we're in right now? She says she doesnt feel as anxious anymore but still has some anxiety.
She is also on 15mg of Abilify split a.m./p.m.. I recently noticed her thumb trembles/shakes if in a certain position. I was thinking it was just the muscle twitching when in that position but it seems to be happening to much for it to be just the muscle. Could it be the Abilify? We went up on the Abilify form 10mg the beginning of Dec and I/she noticed it about 2 weeks ago.
--
Teresa,31 dd,H,10, BP, GAD abilify 10mg, Lamictal 75mg a.m/75mg before bed
Our daughter has been on Intuniv for about 6 months (same active ingredfient guanfacine). About a month ago, the rages and instability were starting to get real bad again. They had been building for about a month or two. It was to the point that by the end of the weekend, she may end up in another emergency hospitalization. Also our pdoc had retired and we are still waiting for an intake with the new one.
So we took matters into our own hands and reduced the dose from 3 mg to 2 mg. The next several days were bad with withdrawals. 2 weeks later, we reduced to 1 mg. Late last week, we tried to stop it, but ended up cutting a pill in half for a few days, and now 1/4 of a the 1 mg pill. Friday we plan to pull it completely.
She has been doing quite well, except during the 4-5 days right after reducing the dose.
Brian
--
Daughter 7 BP/violent rages. Unsuccessful with multiple meds. Now reasonably stable (with a few regressions) on Risperidone + Intuniv + Restrictive diet + EMPowerPlus + AminoPowerplus + NAC + Q10 + low dose lithium + melatonin + inositol Son (5) Normal Wife (CathyK now also on TBMF) BP, & trying to wean off the meds.
I do have to say that after about 5 or so days on it I did notice she seemed less anxious. The following week was a rough week for her. She went from having 3 therapy appointments a week to having none that week(due to miscommunication between provider and insurance) That weekend was an anxious weekend for her because of things she had been looking forward to for a while. So, I dont know if it was the building excitement(which is nothing new for dd) combined with the lack of therapy that week or if it is in fact the Tenex. This is all sooooooo frustrating sometimes!!!! We are back on schedule for all therapy this week but dont see pdoc till beginning of Feb.
--
Teresa,31 dd,H,10, BP, GAD abilify 7.5mg a.m/7.5mg p.m , Lamictal 75mg a.m/75mg before bed
There have been numerous reports of agitation in kids on Tenex and especially Intuniv. I don't know why Intuniv would do it more than Tenex, but we've certainly heard about it. The "pill rolling" movement could definitely be AP-related, and I would report that to the pdoc promptly. Has pdoc considered increasing the dose of Lamictal? Often getting the right amount of the right MS on board will help lessen the anxiety that is so common in folks with BP.
--
Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer Mom to A, 17, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra E, 15 1/2, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar B, 14 & H, 11 Married 18 years to DH, 50
FROM TBMF: 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.
Just put a call into pdoc. Waiting for call back. Not sure if she would go up on Lamictal again. Said she normally doesnt go higher than 150mg but she also said that about 10mg of Abilify but then went up to 15mg. Its def worth mentioning. After getting back to normal therapy schedule and more normal routine the agitation seems to be better. I think she may have been thrown for a loop when she found out she wouldnt have any therapy last week. I will continue to watch her mood to see where we should go with the Tenex. Its the one med we thought she could handle because its not an ssri and its actually helping her anxiety. Any other suggestions on anxiety meds? She is def in need of one since her functioning at school started declining due to her anxiety. She was skipping any new class she would have and going to sit in guidance for that period because of the fear of not knowing anyone and not knowing what was gonna happen in that class. Since starting the Tenex she has not been down to the guidance office at all!!! That is huge for her since it was almost a daily visit to either guidance or the nurse.
Just got call back from pdoc. She wants to do a med change asap. She wants to take dd off Abilify and replace with Risperdol...... She believes that the Tenex isnt the problem and because of the pill rolling she wants her off the Abilify.... She still does not want to go up on the Lamictal. Any knowledge of Risperdol??? We have an appointment on Tues.
I have to wonder if the Risperdal gives enough mood coverage all day but I see your DD is also on Lamictal. After a year, my DS 14 needed more than just Risperdal-so we added the Abilify. Not what you want to hear, but just our experience. What is "pill rolling"?? Sounds like your DD is gettingback into the swing of things-good for her!!!!:)
--
Wendy 48-adoptive mom 47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:) Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 25mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon) and Melatonin
DD- age 20 DS- age 14-other son Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD
I'm thinking that even after switching her she may still need the Lamictal upped. Pill rolling is a hand tremor that looks like you are rolling a pill under your thumb. I thought it was just the lack of therapy for that week but as the days go by its starting to look more and more like she's becoming manic again. Luckily we go back to pdoc on Tues...... I want off of this roller coaster ride and I'm sure dd does too!!!!! I've read of some kids being on Risperidol with Seroquil, not sure if that would help. Not really to sure of anything anymore. I have to learn to stop trying to predict this illness because its proven to be impossible!!! Just when I think things are going good its always something that knocks us back down. Hopefully we can get her meds kinda figured out before she goes into full mania.
does sound like a rollercoaster...Iam so sorry you're dealing with this right now. I did download the book you mentioned, Mommy I am in Here. It must be really good b/c I am half way done. Of course all this snow has kept me kinda housebound today! Thanks for the suggestion to us all. That family sure has endured alot..I am unsure at this point in the book what turn (in either way-good or bad) Chloe makes at the end of the book. I hope she learns to manage the BP w/ the right meds and time. I'm amazed how many combos of meds her dr. tries and how frequently-like every month, everytime she has an episode. it woulld leave any parents head spinning.
Keep us posted...until then, thinking of you!!
--
Wendy 48-adoptive mom 47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:) Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 25mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon) and Melatonin
DD- age 20 DS- age 15-other son Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD
Once I got really into it I was crying like every other page. I read it again between yesterday and today, with the snow and the Pats game there was nothing else to do... I couldnt imagine what they are going through, well yea, maybe a lil. A very little. She definately has a different approach than her brother..... It made alot of things more clear for me though, and I will probably end up reading it again.
Dd is getting worse which will likely happen till the med switch. She sat on the computer today completely obsessing over a cell phone then had a total melt down because I wouldnt go out and buy her 1. She is getting more and more manic by the day..... Gotta run.....
I had the cell phone dilemma for 12 hrs one day this summer...it was insane! I feel you pain!!!! Finished the book yesterday...in many ways the brother sounded worse than Chloe. I wonder how the family is doing now since they are well into their 20's? Let us know about the med switch. Hope you find something that proves to work for your DD.
--
Wendy 48-adoptive mom 47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:) Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 50mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon-weaning off slowly the last few months) and Melatonin
DD- age 20 DS- age 14-other son Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD
Can you give us some more details about the Tenex? It is often used for impulsivity. My ds15 used to take it when he was younger. We called it his "chill pill". It's effectiveness seemed to wear off after about 2 years. It is also used to treat tics from TS, but it never did anything for my ds17.
--
Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 15 1/2, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 & H, 11
Married 18 years to DH, 50
FROM TBMF: 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.
My son E has been on Tenex for a couple years. He was placed on it when I discussed what the school referred to as E's "ADHD symptoms" a few years ago with his pdoc. Pdoc chose that one over Straterra (Which were the only two meds she said she would consider because of his Alphabet Soup that includes BP, Autism, ADHD and more). For Elijah it has worked amazingly well at controlling his anxiety which used to affect his life so badly. It has worked somewhat at increasing his attention span and helping with his distractibility too. He's made more progress in school since being placed on this med. We don't use it for the BP part of his alphabet soup though. That's controlled by other meds.
--
Janice from MA
"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain there would be no rainbow." Jerry Chin
"Sunshine is my quest". ~Winston Churchill
Not sure if this will go through. I have been having a problem with my posts not showing up, only the subject. Dd was put on 1mg of Tenex split a.m./p.m. for anxiety. Pdoc has been putting off giving her on something for anxiety because of a bad reaction to Prozac. Her anxiety got bad enough that her pdoc put her on Tenex. Shes been on it for about 2 weeks now. She seems more irritable and more emotional. Could this be from the Tenex or could it just be a "bad" time we're in right now? She says she doesnt feel as anxious anymore but still has some anxiety.
She is also on 15mg of Abilify split a.m./p.m.. I recently noticed her thumb trembles/shakes if in a certain position. I was thinking it was just the muscle twitching when in that position but it seems to be happening to much for it to be just the muscle. Could it be the Abilify? We went up on the Abilify form 10mg the beginning of Dec and I/she noticed it about 2 weeks ago.
--
Teresa,31
dd,H,10, BP, GAD
abilify 10mg, Lamictal 75mg a.m/75mg before bed
Our daughter has been on Intuniv for about 6 months (same active ingredfient guanfacine). About a month ago, the rages and instability were starting to get real bad again. They had been building for about a month or two. It was to the point that by the end of the weekend, she may end up in another emergency hospitalization. Also our pdoc had retired and we are still waiting for an intake with the new one.
So we took matters into our own hands and reduced the dose from 3 mg to 2 mg. The next several days were bad with withdrawals. 2 weeks later, we reduced to 1 mg. Late last week, we tried to stop it, but ended up cutting a pill in half for a few days, and now 1/4 of a the 1 mg pill. Friday we plan to pull it completely.
She has been doing quite well, except during the 4-5 days right after reducing the dose.
Brian
--
Daughter 7 BP/violent rages. Unsuccessful with multiple meds. Now reasonably stable (with a few regressions) on Risperidone + Intuniv + Restrictive diet + EMPowerPlus + AminoPowerplus + NAC + Q10 + low dose lithium + melatonin + inositol
Son (5) Normal
Wife (CathyK now also on TBMF) BP, & trying to wean off the meds.
I do have to say that after about 5 or so days on it I did notice she seemed less anxious. The following week was a rough week for her. She went from having 3 therapy appointments a week to having none that week(due to miscommunication between provider and insurance) That weekend was an anxious weekend for her because of things she had been looking forward to for a while. So, I dont know if it was the building excitement(which is nothing new for dd) combined with the lack of therapy that week or if it is in fact the Tenex. This is all sooooooo frustrating sometimes!!!! We are back on schedule for all therapy this week but dont see pdoc till beginning of Feb.
--
Teresa,31
dd,H,10, BP, GAD
abilify 7.5mg a.m/7.5mg p.m , Lamictal 75mg a.m/75mg before bed
Tenex .5mg a.m/.5mg p.m
Teresa,
There have been numerous reports of agitation in kids on Tenex and especially Intuniv. I don't know why Intuniv would do it more than Tenex, but we've certainly heard about it. The "pill rolling" movement could definitely be AP-related, and I would report that to the pdoc promptly. Has pdoc considered increasing the dose of Lamictal? Often getting the right amount of the right MS on board will help lessen the anxiety that is so common in folks with BP.
--
Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 15 1/2, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 & H, 11
Married 18 years to DH, 50
FROM TBMF: 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.
Just put a call into pdoc. Waiting for call back. Not sure if she would go up on Lamictal again. Said she normally doesnt go higher than 150mg but she also said that about 10mg of Abilify but then went up to 15mg. Its def worth mentioning. After getting back to normal therapy schedule and more normal routine the agitation seems to be better. I think she may have been thrown for a loop when she found out she wouldnt have any therapy last week. I will continue to watch her mood to see where we should go with the Tenex. Its the one med we thought she could handle because its not an ssri and its actually helping her anxiety. Any other suggestions on anxiety meds? She is def in need of one since her functioning at school started declining due to her anxiety. She was skipping any new class she would have and going to sit in guidance for that period because of the fear of not knowing anyone and not knowing what was gonna happen in that class. Since starting the Tenex she has not been down to the guidance office at all!!! That is huge for her since it was almost a daily visit to either guidance or the nurse.
--
Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
Just got call back from pdoc. She wants to do a med change asap. She wants to take dd off Abilify and replace with Risperdol...... She believes that the Tenex isnt the problem and because of the pill rolling she wants her off the Abilify.... She still does not want to go up on the Lamictal. Any knowledge of Risperdol??? We have an appointment on Tues.
--
Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
I have to wonder if the Risperdal gives enough mood coverage all day but I see your DD is also on Lamictal. After a year, my DS 14 needed more than just Risperdal-so we added the Abilify. Not what you want to hear, but just our experience. What is "pill rolling"?? Sounds like your DD is gettingback into the swing of things-good for her!!!!:)
--
Wendy
48-adoptive mom
47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 25mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon) and Melatonin
DD- age 20
DS- age 14-other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD
I'm thinking that even after switching her she may still need the Lamictal upped. Pill rolling is a hand tremor that looks like you are rolling a pill under your thumb. I thought it was just the lack of therapy for that week but as the days go by its starting to look more and more like she's becoming manic again. Luckily we go back to pdoc on Tues...... I want off of this roller coaster ride and I'm sure dd does too!!!!! I've read of some kids being on Risperidol with Seroquil, not sure if that would help. Not really to sure of anything anymore. I have to learn to stop trying to predict this illness because its proven to be impossible!!! Just when I think things are going good its always something that knocks us back down. Hopefully we can get her meds kinda figured out before she goes into full mania.
--
Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
does sound like a rollercoaster...Iam so sorry you're dealing with this right now. I did download the book you mentioned, Mommy I am in Here. It must be really good b/c I am half way done. Of course all this snow has kept me kinda housebound today! Thanks for the suggestion to us all. That family sure has endured alot..I am unsure at this point in the book what turn (in either way-good or bad) Chloe makes at the end of the book. I hope she learns to manage the BP w/ the right meds and time. I'm amazed how many combos of meds her dr. tries and how frequently-like every month, everytime she has an episode. it woulld leave any parents head spinning.
Keep us posted...until then, thinking of you!!
--
Wendy
48-adoptive mom
47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 25mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon) and Melatonin
DD- age 20
DS- age 15-other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD
Once I got really into it I was crying like every other page. I read it again between yesterday and today, with the snow and the Pats game there was nothing else to do... I couldnt imagine what they are going through, well yea, maybe a lil. A very little. She definately has a different approach than her brother..... It made alot of things more clear for me though, and I will probably end up reading it again.
Dd is getting worse which will likely happen till the med switch. She sat on the computer today completely obsessing over a cell phone then had a total melt down because I wouldnt go out and buy her 1. She is getting more and more manic by the day..... Gotta run.....
--
Teresa,31
dd,H,11, BP, GAD
Abilify 15mg split a.m/p.m, Lamictal 150mg split a.m/p.m, Tenex 1mg split a.m/p.m
I had the cell phone dilemma for 12 hrs one day this summer...it was insane! I feel you pain!!!! Finished the book yesterday...in many ways the brother sounded worse than Chloe. I wonder how the family is doing now since they are well into their 20's?
Let us know about the med switch. Hope you find something that proves to work for your DD.
--
Wendy
48-adoptive mom
47-DH-adoptive Dad
DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 50mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon-weaning off slowly the last few months) and Melatonin
DD- age 20
DS- age 14-other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD