All-Star Anxiety Help

[Paria]

Actually no. He said therapy is less effective than medication and when combined is just as effective as medication alone. I have sought out therapy for her though. She will start next week

Hmm I question this. It really depends on the individual and I think it would benefit your CP to try both avenues. I'm glad you have already sought out therapy:)

 

[MaineStar234]

I will be PMing you as I have personal experience with zoloft and many other anxiety medications.

ETA: I currently take zoloft and have for about 4 months now (and I'm having success and not really any obvious side effects), but a family member of mine didn't find Zoloft to be right for him and he is now taking Lamictal (to which I developed a serious rash after 2-3 days of taking).
Also: I was on Effexor (venlafaxine) for over 3 years prior to switching to zoloft, even though the side effects I was experiencing with effexor were not ideal.

Side note...the withdrawal from Effexor is awful and it took 2 months for me to wean off the medication. My psychiatrist didn't want to start me on the zoloft until I was down to a super low dose of effexor, so it was an emotionally difficult time in addition to the horrible headaches, nausea, intense anger, and these "brain zap" feelings I experienced as I was coming off effexor. Although I never had any interest in doing drugs before this, I am way too terrified now to try it even once now out of fear for becoming addicted and then going through withdrawal (I mean hopefully I would eventually get help with my addiction) because I am sure the withdrawal is so much worse in that situation, which I can't even imagine. I mean I'm sure the withdrawal from other depression/anxiety medications can be terrible too, but I have been told that effexor is one of the worst ones.

 

[astaley22]

What negative Zoloft experiences have you heard about?

My sister tried it and she said she felt like a zombie which I've heard often when talking about Zoloft. Before she switched medications she said that she would rather just deal with anxiety than not feel anything at all.

I also question the therapy thing( I know some doctors only believe in traditional medicine though). From my personal experience, therapy was almost more helpful than medication. Being able to talk about what is causing you to feel anxious or in my case, discover what's causing anxiety, in a constructive environment made a world of difference. She'll have to be open to talking about things that make her uncomfortable though and she might even feel worse the first couple of times because of the things being brought to the surface but over time it really helps create a healthy way to think through situations that may trigger anxiety.

 

[cheerKT]

My CP's pediatrician just diagnosed her with anxiety. He prescribed Zoloft but after reading the side effects I'm a little Leary. Does anyone here suffer from anxiety? What do you do or take to help it?

My sister has selective mutism and high social anxiety. She's been on Zoloft since around age 9 or so, and she's now 14. She only spoke to five family members for about four years. No teachers, no therapists, no family members (except for me, her parents and one set of grandparents), no friends, no one. Once on Zoloft she began slowly speaking in school and public and it's been a tremendous help.

She isn't cheering this year, but did two years of competitive cheer while taking it. My mom is a RN as well and I'm happy to pass along any questions you have, since she deals with her day in and day out, lol

 

[CAmom66]

My CP's pediatrician just diagnosed her with anxiety. He prescribed Zoloft but after reading the side effects I'm a little Leary. Does anyone here suffer from anxiety? What do you do or take to help it?

I'm a School Psychologist and treat students with Anxiety all the time (without meds). Research has shown Cognitive Behavioral Therapy CBT to be very effective (this is my experience as well). However, sometimes medication combined with therapy is more effective.

 

[SL&AM]

Actually no. He said therapy is less effective than medication and when combined is just as effective as medication alone. I have sought out therapy for her though. She will start next week

Pediatricians really don't have the training or knowledge to make this kind of claim.

 

[Helen uk uni cheer]

Just adding in my area when someone is diagnose with anxiety only use medication as a last resort. First therapy then see how it goes but as there are long waits for cbt some do get started on prozac

 

[cheerKT]

Just adding in my area when someone is diagnose with anxiety only use medication as a last resort. First therapy then see how it goes but as there are long waits for cbt some do get started on prozac

Oh I totally agree. I'm a huge proponent of only using medication when absolutely necessary and I think a lot of it is over-diagnosed. But in my sister's case, it was necessary. She saw the best specialists in SC, and when that didn't work we took her for treatment in GA and then PA. It was so far past shyness, her throat would nearly close up and cause panic attacks when someone would pressure her to speak in front of them. Medicating a 9 year old was the definite LAST option, and it was a very low dose. It still is. But it was a definite life changer for her and I'm very glad my family found it.

 

[getsum]

Actually no. He said therapy is less effective than medication and when combined is just as effective as medication alone. I have sought out therapy for her though. She will start next week

that physician sounds like a hard-line bottom-up clinician (as in the body's condition dictates the mind and simply treating the body will treat/heal the mind. as opposed to a top-down approach, as in the mind can control/affect the body and treating the mind can treat/heal the body). the fact that they didn't even seek out a plan that involved a psychological approach would be a red flag for me, and i would seek out a physician with a more holistic approach to healing (bio-psycho-socio approach). kudos to you for seeking out the psych approach even though that physician didn't recommend it and even subtly dismissed it.

i will admit that i am biased towards the top-down approach, when it comes to mood and anxiety disorders, because i majored and received b.a. degrees in psych and child development, with the intention of going onto graduate school for child/adolescent neuropsych. however, i do recognize the benefit, and sometimes necessary, involvement of chemicals when the level and severity of the mood or anxiety disorder is to such a great degree that it creates a barrier to the effectiveness of CBT.

that's just my opinion, and hopefully everything turns out positively for your daughter.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

that physician sounds like a hard-line bottom-up clinician (as in the body's condition dictates the mind and simply treating the body will treat/heal the mind. as opposed to a top-down approach, as in the mind can control/affect the body and treating the mind can treat/heal the body). the fact that they didn't even seek out a plan that involved a psychological approach would be a red flag for me, and i would seek out a physician with a more holistic approach to healing (bio-psycho-socio approach). kudos to you for seeking out the psych approach even though that physician didn't recommend it and even subtly dismissed it.

i will admit that i am biased towards the top-down approach, when it comes to mood and anxiety disorders, because i majored and received b.a. degrees in psych and child development, with the intention of going onto graduate school for child/adolescent neuropsych. however, i do recognize the benefit, and sometimes necessary, involvement of chemicals when the level and severity of the mood or anxiety disorder is to such a great degree that it creates a barrier to the effectiveness of CBT.

that's just my opinion, and hopefully everything turns out positively for your daughter.

I like this getsum

 

[seein_starz]

I have anxiety and my doctor didn't want to prescribe me medications, so I went the all natural route, I take motherwort at night, it's helped me a lot but has no eliminated the problem, and I know all natural options don't work for everyone. If you really are worried about the medication Cp is taking, talk with her pediatrician and ask about side effects and how it will effect her cheer


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[Helen uk uni cheer]

Oh I totally agree. I'm a huge proponent of only using medication when absolutely necessary and I think a lot of it is over-diagnosed. But in my sister's case, it was necessary. She saw the best specialists in SC, and when that didn't work we took her for treatment in GA and then PA. It was so far past shyness, her throat would nearly close up and cause panic attacks when someone would pressure her to speak in front of them. Medicating a 9 year old was the definite LAST option, and it was a very low dose. It still is. But it was a definite life changer for her and I'm very glad my family found it.

I think your sisters case and many other cases medication is the best route. In th uk therapy is preferred but quite a few end up on meds as there is a 6-9 moth waiting list for cbt

 

[marissa.d]

I suggest taking her to see a psychologist. As someone who just finished an undergrad with Psychology as one of my majors and with diagnosed anxiety, I vote CBT all the way. I've had GPs try very hard to push me onto anxiety medication, and although they can be very effective, research has shown that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is the most effective way of treating mild-moderate anxiety. I've never taken any medication because when I was under 18 my mom wouldn't let me haha but I'm now 22 and purely because of my 3 years of CBT I can manage the anxiety pretty well. You have to know that anxiety WILL NOT go away, you can't cure it, you can only manage it. I'm definitely pro-therapy, but I'm not completely anti-medication. There are absolutely cases and people who need medication along with therapy. I would try CBT first, and then use medication on the basis of what the psychologist says (they can't prescribe any, but they can let her know if they think she would benefit more from it).

 

[MOPSMommy1]

My CP suffers from fairly severe anxiety. We tried CBT first, but found that she was making VERY little progress. She was first started on Celexa because it works faster than the traditional anxiety meds, such as Zoloft and Prozac. While she did make a little bit of progress on the Celexa, it wasn't satisfactory. She was switched to Zoloft and has not had any side effects that bother her in her home, school or cheer life. She is still attending therapy once a week. I took Zoloft for a long time with zero side effects. I know everyone is different, so I would just ask her how she is feeling and watch for things out of the ordinary. By the way, thank you for believing that your daughter needed help and not just thinking she could tough it out and get over it. I hope that with therapy and meds she starts to feel better and her anxiety interferes with her daily life less and less.


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[cheermom19]

CP has had anxiety pretty much her entire life, since she was 2. She has tried a couple different medicines and combinations and a couple of years ago we found the perfect one. She is currently on a level 5 team (Which gives her extra anxiety.), Plus, we just moved from NY to FL, with a new team, gym and coaches she has had some anxiety but, the medicine has helped her tremendously. She has always had social anxiety, When she was younger she also had SEVERE separation anxiety and wouldn't leave my side.The medicine she is currently taking and has been for a couple years is Wellbutrin and Prozac. It has helped with all of her anxiety tremendously. It doesn't affect her cheerleading at all. But, with that said every person and child is different. You just need to find the perfect one for her.

ETA: The medicine has helped her so much with competing. The pressure before going on to compete would be way too much for her if she wasn't taking her medication. She has been cheering for 8 years and these past few month we talked with a therapist and the therapist believed she wouldn't need her medication anymore, with that said this past month she has had multiple anxiety attacks and breakdowns, so we are now back on her medication and with a NEW therapist.