About our Daughter

I am mother to four wonderful daughters, ages 17, 19, 21, and 23, and wife to the greatest husband on earth. God has given us a special child to raise one who was diagnosed with early-onset bipolar disorder at the age of seven, though she showed signs of it from the age of fifteen months. She also has ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder (sensory seeking), Dyslexia, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder-NOS, all typical comorbidities for a bipolar child. In spite of the trials, she enjoys lacrosse, running (finished her first marathon in October of 2014!), and reading and writing her own books. I will share with you the many joys and sorrows we have faced and will face in the future with the hope that you may find better understanding about this mental illness caused by both chemical and structural abnormalities in the brain. I desire that you will be encouraged by this blog if you are also dealing with a bipolar child. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey.

How Did You Know She Was Bipolar So Young?

I wrote a long explanation of how we came to this bipolar diagnosis in a child so young under my post of March 19th of 2009. If your child or a child you know bears similarities, please seek out a good psychiatrist and don't wait for "things to get better." Often they will simply get worse, and the longer a child is unmedicated, the more damage their brain can accrue. Early diagnoses and treatment are key to providing these children with a chance at a successful life later as a teen and an adult.
Never change, start or stop a medication without the approval of your child's physician!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Adding an Additional ADHD Med to Intuniv

We decided that Mae needed something in addition to the Intuniv to help her focus in school and at home. The Intuniv makes her calmer, but is not as effective at keeping her focused, so we are adding Vyvanse to the mix starting today. The psych doc said that he has posted a lot of Intuniv info on his blog, including the need to add another ADHD med to it in many cases. You will find his blog on the right of this page under Great Resources, Dr. Charles Parker, Core-Psych Blog.

It has been raining and raining and I think it is affecting my moods and energy levels. All I want to do is sleep! My kids are always crankier when the sun doesn't shine.
Posted by at

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Good luck with the Vyvanse. My daughter tried it for a brief time last summer and then went back to Concerta. It turned her into a depressed, weepy zombie. When I told our psychiatrist about it, he said he's heard that a few times before. Just a heads-up, as everyone (as you know) reacts differently.

May 18, 2010 at 1:00 PM
Megan said...

Yes, Vyvanse can give some kids and adults weird reactions. My husband acted totally manic on it and he is not bipolar at all! We are starting here, but if I see signs of anything strange I will take her off immediately.

May 18, 2010 at 1:25 PM
Jay_Lee said...

Good luck with the med change, my 8yr old is on Intuniv and Abilify...they are still not exactly sure what her diagnosis is either. Your blog has been wonderfully helpful though and I wanted to say thank you.

May 18, 2010 at 10:02 PM

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)