Pediatric Psychopharmacology

[GrammaSheila]

My grandson is 9 years old. He has diagnoses of severe ADHD and anxiety. He is currently on VyVanse 100 mg daily, Lexapro 20 mg daily, and clonidine 0.5mg at HS.

Today was the first time I have been with him since March. He has so far exhibited extreme nervousness, talkativeness, agitation, globus hystericus, sweating, and complains that his body is shrinking. I learned from my daughter that this has been going on daily for two months with no response or intervention from the psychiatrist.

Keven barely passed the third grade this year due to these odd behaviors and inbility to concentrate. Comments? Suggestions?

[Natalie]

Hi-

This sounds like a really stressful situation! You are watching your grandson suffer, and aren't getting a satisfactory response from the psychiatrist who prescribed the medications.

I would advise several different things: first and foremost, recontact the psychiatrist asap. If this psychiatrist continues to be unresponsive, I would either seek help from a different psychiatrist, or, if his symptoms become extreme, go to the nearest ER.

Secondly, I would recommend that Kevin and his family get a referral to a child psychotherapist that specializes in dealing with ADHD and anxiety disorders. There are several strategies, particularly behavioral/environmental strategies, that might help his symptoms. He may also benefit from talking with an adult about his fears and concerns. Behavioral/environmental strategies could and should be implemented at school to maintain consistency across environments.

Finally, I encourage you to read our article on Childhood Mental Health Issues and ADHD. Both have been updated and can provide you much more information than I can here.

Please keep us posted on how things are going.