hi all,

My doctor has suggested strongly that my son should go on medication as the anxiety/school refusal is turning his life upside down. The doctor says he believes that medication will allow my son to take on the strategies such as CB much more effectively and this will then help him to take steps forward and then later go off the medication. Whilst I want to give CB a go by itself - I must admit that I am really wondering if medication will turn my son's life around and give him his life back again. I know this topic has been touched upon before but I'd like to know what you all think and any experience you have had with medication. What type worked or didn't? What has made you decide to give your child medication or not to? Any ideas you have would be appreciated.

Linda

Hi Linda

My son has been on medication for a couple of years to calm his anxieties and he wont go out without them. The GP recommended them to calm his heart rate down during a panic attack - but they didn't help in getting him back to school. Sorry this isnt much help but have a good chat with your Doctor they are the experts.

Good Luck

Sarah xx

My daughter has been on meds since December 09 and whilst this has lifted her low mood considerably, it has not made her more willing to accept help nor has it had any impact on her school refusal. I do believe, however, that with out the help of the meds she would not have been able to lift her low mood by herself. She is happy to be on the meds and has come a long way from the dark place she was in just 7 months ago.
So for her, it has been well worth taking them. She is monitored regularly and I trust the paediatrician who is working with her.

I noticed others concerns about the future ........... this is a worry that totally consumes me.

Thanks Penny and Sarah for your replies. And I do hope your son's experience today is a good one, Sarah. Any steps are good ones though:)
What he has done already is terrific.

I am interested to see that for both of your children - the medication did not help with school refusal. Do you have any idea why this might be the case?
Do you think school is like the 'world' in miniature but in fact not dispersed like real life but more like being under the microscope all the time? Sarah - do you mean that the medication your son takes can be taken at the time of an anxiety attack or does he have to take it every day? Does he also suffer from depression?
I too worry about the future - and share the concerns of all on here.

Love to hear from anyone else out there regarding medication or why they chose not to go down the medication road?

Thanks
Linda

Hi Linda

We took our son to the doctor's last year, we were at the end of our tether and I couldn't cope anymore, we asked our doc about medication and she wasn't sure, she said she would have to consult with the pshycologist, I was a wreck and she asked to see me on my own, I ended up on anti depressants for 3 months which did help, when I started feeling better I decided that I didn't want my son medicated and my GP agreed with me, that was the right decision for us but I know the medication works well for Sarah's son, you have to go with your gut feeling on this one.

Take care
Dorothy x

Linda, The professionals are still under the impression that my daughter does not have school refusal but has CFS/ME as although her mood has lifted considerably she is still exhausted all the time. If she does go into school she comes home and goes to sleep almost immediately. If she goes out at the weekend it takes her 2 or 3 days to get over it. I really don't know if this is all part and parcel of SR or not.

Hi Linda,

Medication has worked for my son but every child is different. My son started refusing in Oct 09 and we tried CBT but he just couldn't use the strategies he had been taught as his anxiety was just too overwhelming. It was a huge step for us to take but he started medication at Xmas time and by Easter he was back at school. I have to add that my son so desperately wanted to be back at school (he missed a term and a half) - we did give him the option of home schooling for a term with a plan for intensive CBT but he was absolutely adament he did not want to be home schooled and this was key for us. The meds took the edge off the anxiety (the physical symptoms) and he was able to make it through the school gates with a part time timetable. His doctors said to think of it as a plaster supporting a broken leg. They said you would not expect to walk on a broken leg without support - the alternative was to rest and not attempt school until he had learnt to control his anxiety. He managed to go to school for the summer term full time and is now coming off the meds and so far so good - Obviously it is summer hols now and he has no stressful situations to deal with but he says he has no anxieties about going into year 8 in sept and feels 100% better. I however feel anxious just thinking about it!

Thanks everyone for your replies. It is helpful to know what you have all experienced. Seems I have a bit to think on before making any decisions.
Linda