Bipolar by Birth!
My name is Trudy i am 34 have four kids and have a 2 year old that i have learned to work with, knowing that she was possibly bipolar at birth and had previously mentioned issues to family doctor but didnt complain to much , just delt with the issues till finally it became unbearable and couldnt do it alone, i had delt with her dad untreated and because i learned to walk around him to make life easier it was becoming second nature to understanding my lol lil demon child per say. i went to a referred physician who confirmed what i knew but reassured me that with meds it wont ever go away but with treatment will keep her from living the double life her dad had. she refuses meds so we had only one option for know risperadol m-tabs, im waiting for the script to be accepted by insurance and now i want to try it but is the risk of the drug more dangerous with her being so long, maybe i could deal with more i am not weak! i understand long term she could have suicidal and more issues but as a baby now should i see if it helps and tough it out till she has matured or do it know dont wait. i have waited so long for this now im just scared. she is getting more abusive but can be so sweet sometimes i dont know how to deal with her two sides anymore, i work close with her as others can not i know her better than anyone, am i moving to early or is this the right thing to get it taken care of early to start the next step of accepting consequences, as of now she is the exception to the rule and reminds me of carrie, and a lil micheal meyers mini. please offer advice to help thanks for your time in reading this.
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Trudy Lee
Welcome to CABF, Trudy. If I understand correctly, your dd is 2 y.o. now? That is very young to use medications, but you also don't want her develoment to be adversely affected by any brain illness. Has she had a thorough, comprehensive neuropsychiatric eval? I realize this is limited by her age, but it is important to get a baseline. It's also important to rule out any possible physical causes for her sx. She may need to be seen by a developmental pediatrician.
Some people have found that starting nutritional therapies at an early age can help to change the course of the illness, and this may be an approach you could research. There could be metabolic problems or intestinal absorption issues leading to these sx. I'll try to get someone knowledgeable about these issues to reply.
Meanwhile, to learn more about the dx and treatment of pediatric BP, go to the "Learn" tab at the top of this page and click on "Getting Started". Be sure to check out the Treatment Guidelines to learn about the recommended meds for BP.
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Brenda,50, CABF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 15 1/2, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Trilafon, Lamictal, Seroquel, Cytomel
E, 14, BP,AS, hypothyroidism: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, levothyroxin, inositol
B, 12 1/2 & H, 10
Married 16 years to DH, 49
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.
Trudy-
I am 36 and have two children. My son presented symptoms at birth also. More pronounced at age three and then a break through at age 8. I so feel your pain! I have been seeking advice from professionals for years and EVERY time they offer meds I suck it up and just take more abuse. Unfortunately, for my son it got so bad that NOONE could handle it anymore and help came too late. We are now struggling to get him stable. The meds seemed to help but still not great! Today, I got him kittens. He was so stable I was amazed. Totally different kid!! I hope it lasts but I am no dumby! I just keep telling him... "do you see how great it feels to be happy". Hopeing he can tap back into the memory.
I really don't know what to tell you. Go with your gut and what research brings about for you!!! I waited but that was me! It didn't help that no one saw his issue but me! Not even the docs but they were willing to put him on anti-depressants!
Good luck and know that you are supported. We have all been there and are still there! Where ever there is!!! :)
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Alicia, DP, Zoloft 150mg, runner, swimmer, love to exercise
Brandon, husband, great guy, works hard and loves a nut! (me)
Devin, 8 yrs, BP, Depakote 650mg/day, smart kid, artistic, creative
Jillian, 4 yrs, great kid, sweetest thing you will ever meet
I swear I've always had bp. As far back as I can remember I have very clear memories of actions that I now know were bp even though I was only 3. I wish someone had caught it sooner but instead I had to suffer years of misery and misdiagnoses before I was told I had bp on Feb 20, 2008. It has always been there though and I feel your dd is so lucky to have a mom who caught it early on.
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Simon- 10, bipolar and ADHD
Duncan- 5
Wesley- 4
Sara- mom, Bipolar and panic disorder
Colin, dad
I knew from very young age that I thought and felt different. And I knew that my 18 yr old had issues straight from infancy. She walked at 8 1/2 mos, talked perfect by 18 mos and ruled the house by 3, was in kindergarten at 4! But she was too cute and too smart and too manipulative so young and now...
I can remember in early elementary planning my running away and getting the kids in the neighborhood to devise a plan to support me on my own, LOL! Not so funny, I remember as early as gr 6 fantasizing about going into my mother's bedroom with a knife and...well thank goodness I was a self hurter. Scary stuff.
At exactly what age are we to treat our biological mental problems? In my family tree, it is highly biological.
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Me -BP/ADHD
Dd -18-BP/ADHD
Dd -15
Dd -6-Mood Disorder-NOS/ADHD
Ds -3-PDD-NOS
Dh -Poor Guy :)
Current research supports early intervention. It seems the course of the illness tends to be not as severe over the lifetime the sooner the sx are treated.
My ds16 also walked at 8 1/2 months. That was tough having a toddler so young.
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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, 15, BP,AS, mild hypothyroidism: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol
B, 13 & H, 10
Married 17 years to DH, 50
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.
My daughter had symptoms since 2 or 3. She was miserable by 5 and we didn't make a medication decision until 9. That was a long time for her to be without medical support. I wanted help earlier but hubby said no. That was a different story.
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Mom J-41 bipolar/borderline personality/anxiety
Dad M-41 anger issues
Middle Sister M-13 hoping she stays healthy
Little Sister J-11 diagnosed bipolar/anger issues/also has schizophrenic type symptoms
Very empathic older sister A-19
My son is 4, we are waiting to see a pdoc right now. I have sucked it up for the last 2 years if not longer at some point he went from normal kid to way way worse than most kids...any how I want them to give him something he needs it so that he can develope, he's already laging in the social development due to no one out of the family wanting to watch him, so since im bp and cant hold a job i stay home with him, he;s driving me batty! I really just want to see him happy and not so depressed? angry and irritable
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Mom-BP, PTSD, diagnosed at 26
DH- BP diagnosed at 35
DD-7 normal, hope she stays that way
DS-4 Suspect he is also BP, already been told ADHD, was a possibility.
My son did not receive treatment til he was 8 or 9--I'd have to look it up in my notebook to know the exact age. I'm just glad I found treatment for him at that point. It's such a hard decision to treat, and no parent takes it lightly. The important thing is he's on treatment now.
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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, 15, BP,AS, mild hypothyroidism: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol
B, 13 & H, 10
Married 17 years to DH, 50
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.