I just talked to the principal of the Christian middle school my oldest attended. We are thinking of switching Caroline to another school next year because we don't like the very small choice of friends at her present school. This Christian middle school only has 56 seventh graders, so certainly there would be more opportunities for making friends there. I may go to the Open House tomorrow.
A blog for anyone who needs to know they are not alone in raising a bipolar child.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Now I am Confused
Yesterday Caroline forgot to take the new form of Lamictal in the morning. She told us this last night and the weird thing was that she was cheerier yesterday than any of the days the previous week, just happy and smiling. And Lamictal is supposed to help with depression! Perhaps Caroline would have just headed right into mania if she didn't continue to take Lamictal. I don't know, but she was back to glum today. Confusing. We have started her on the supplements from NeuroScience, namely the TheraCor, the TravaCor, and the CalmPRT, as well as the progesterone supplement, Progon. She is to take these for a month before starting some other ones as well. The only difference we have noticed after the first few days is that the CalmPRT, to be taken in the morning, makes her so sleepy she conks out. The directions were to give her 3 to 4 capsules, but I think we will have to back down to 2 or 1 if she can't stay awake in class. I know that the differences we are supposed to see with these supplements will take weeks and months, as we were told, if they work at all. Those four bottles cost us $236! At this point, we are trying anything to see if we can reduce the number of psych meds she is taking every day, which is quite a lot. If the NeuroScience stuff works, the cost will be worth it. The first psych med I would like to either reduce or get her off of is the Seroquel, which has been blamed for causing diabetes and gross weight gain, which we did see when she was first put on this anti-psychotic drug. She is on Metaformin for prevention of metabolic syndrome leading to diabetes, but it hasn't made much of a difference as far as weight gain. Her weight has crept up from this summer, from 118 to 128, which is still better than the 138 she was at before going to Meridell (she is only 5'2".) She does seem to be hungry ALL the time, which is typical of bp kids anyway.
Do hormonal shifts (ovulation/menses) affect Caroline's moods? I've noticed with my daughter, who has only had 2 cycles, that her meds don't work nearly as well in the week prior to onset of menses.
ReplyDeleteI'm about to do the NS NT testing as well. Had the sample all done and ready to mail yesterday and then my daughter mouthed off about how she'd sneaked crackers into her room and eaten them before providing the sample...sigh. Will try again next week. DO keep everyone updated on how the NS supplements work for her.
Hope your week this week goes well!
Carla
Hi Carla! Yes, hormonal changes worsen her mood considerably. I have noticed it most with the PMS part. We had her on bc pills for a while to eliminate the big ups and downs, but she complained about spotting a lot. Now she is taking the NS Progon because her progesterone was indeed quite low. If this doesn't work I may put her back on bc pills.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, oh, yikes, oh, bother. It is all so complicated. I am so glad that Caroline has you on her side!
ReplyDeleteI don't have anything to say, but wanted to know that I'm still here supporting you.
ReplyDelete