Posted by Caleb462 on May 21, 2003, at 2:27:45
In reply to Paxil response - can anyone explain?, posted by LyndaK on May 21, 2003, at 1:45:05
> My 7 year old son was recently given a trial on Paxil to see if it would help his anxiety (which may be the cause of some problems he's having at school). Although it did seem to help him be less anxious, he became more defiant, impulsive, hyper, and sometimes aggressive. We started at 2.5mg, then 5mg., then 7.5mg. With each increase in dose the negative behaviors became more pronounced. We did take him off, but I am puzzled by his response to this drug and the pdoc didn't seem to have an explanation either. Anyone out there have some insight as to why he may have responded this way?
>
> Thanks,
> LyndaSSRIs tend to induce a state of indifference, apathetic conciousness, and uninhibited social behavior. A person may no longer put as much thought into his actions, may not consider the consequences of his/her actions as strongly, and may consider reactions/consequences to be much less important than they once were. I expect, in a child, this effect would be even more pronounced. So, that is one possible explanation.
Also, some folks find that SSRIs make them irritable and easily angered. This has certainly not been my experience nor is it common, but it does happen.
And finally, he may be experiencing SSRI-induced mania, or more likely, hypomania.
Personally, I would be very hesitant to put a child on Paxil. If I were a parent or a psychiatrist I would look for other ways to try and remedy the situation before resorting to medication. I just don't like the idea of kids on anti-depressants/anxiotylics, unless it is really neccessary. And in today's age, psychiatrists are all too willing to hand out prescriptions even if they are not warranted.
poster:Caleb462
thread:228028
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030520/msgs/228031.html