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I have not posted here before but I wondered if anyone here could help with this question. My dd16 is on meds but one day I would like to see her med free. Has anyone managed to go med free? HOw did that come about.

My dd16 is on Celexa and lamictal... .she also takes aderall for ADHD. Just looking for some feedback on tis topic.

This originaly was posted on the senior lounge and was moved here... .I just wanted it to get a bump up to see if any one has ever tried to get their child drug free... .I am not against drugs but I was wondering if this will be a life long need for my dd16. She has been doing pretty good recently and I just wondered at what point do we consider going drug free?

Hopefully, yes, ideally she will be.  Second-best is that she may need drugs only intermittently, in times of crisis or hormonal upheaval.  Third-best is that she needs minimal drugs, but constantly.  And so on.

The birth control pill is one of the more serious mood drugs, but few think of it as such.  Our daughter has HUGE hormonal issues.  After experimenting for two years her pill is working, so we may be able to reduce some of the other drugs.

But, if things are better and working, don't rush any changes.  16 is still a very vulnerable time, in terms of hormonal changes, etc.  I empathize 100%.  I even had her school psychologist tell me that I should take her off all meds, because of her being in a delicate developmental phase (right after she had been committed to a psych ward).  These people.

Also, aderall is different.  The stimulants basically have no negative effect if they are prescribed properly for those with ADHD.  And to my knowledge, ADHD never fully goes away.

My daughter was on Paxil during her teens, and I think it helped with her anxiety. Unfortunately, and I don't mean to scare you, she gained about 100 pounds which no one but me seemed concerned about, and the withdrawal for her was horrendous. I don't think it is that common, but it took a year of tiny decreases and at each step of the way there was huge fallout. She went pretty crazy, then would stabilize, repeat, repeat. Due to that experience she has never used medication again, although anxiety has been a big issue for her.

Seriously, since she is doing so well I wouldn't push it.  Ours is on Prozac and Abilify and if we forget to give her the Abilify at night I wake her up!  I don't ever want to risk going without it, at least not while she is still living at home  !  She also was recently placed on BC pills (she is 14) for the same reason another poster here just mentioned - mood.

No I am not thinking right now... .I am really not that brave!

But when? I just wondered if anyone had a story to share about their pwBPD reducing or getting off drugs... .

jellibeans,

I am ot an expert in any way and I can only tell you what our experience has been with meds.  When my DD now 20 was hospitalized (at the time she was 16) she began taking Wellbutrin, Cymbalta and was most successful at being steady with that combo.  She was taking birth control intermittently and I still don't think that she has the right one for her.  (Interesting that everyone had comments about moods and hormones - that has been an awful struggle).  Last year as she began to dig in to DBT she felt that she was over medicated and not able to process well as she couldn't feel.  Her words not mine (and she is BPD so consider that too).  Now she is on Wellbutrin only and it seems to be enough for most of the time. She hopes that one day she will not be on anything at all.  She takes Adderall for school work and has learned the hard way that taking too much can be a BIG problem.  My prayer is that with DBT and the brain maturing that she  will not have to take much medicine at all.  I would be patient as your daughter grows and learns.

Good Luck

Hi jellibeans:  I haven't been here for a while but for what it is worth... .have faith that it is possible.  My daughter started on Lexapro at 15 they added Abilify then changed her to Seroquel.  When that was working they took away the seroquel and changed her to lithium and lamictal. Over a two year period we didn't see that much improvement and she gained over 60 pounds and more than half her hair fell out from the meds.  Two years ago this month she came to me, handed me all her pills and said, "I done".  I don't feel any better, I can't stop eating and this isn't working.  She had been in DBT for 6 months and then quit.  The withdrawal from the meds was horrible but after she stopped the meds I believe she actually started to do better.  She asked to go back to DBT and committed herself to working.  She has not been on meds since, albiet the occasional xanax for panic attack but she is doing much better.  The downside of the meds for her was that she developed disordered eating which we still continue to deal with but she faithfully goes to her DBT therapist every week and she is working really hard to get her eating back to "normal".  She tells us she lives with the fear of gaining that weight back and that is something she will have to overcome. 

I do believe life will always be more difficult for our darling children but if they can learn to deal effectively with their demons they are some of the most artistic, brightest and deep inside the most compassionate people there are.  I believe when your daughter is ready she will no longer need the meds.  They are important for this stage but she will mature and be able to live without them.  And the best med she has is a parent like you who cares and is committed to helping her.

Griz

Thanks everyone for your input... .I really appreciate you sharing your stories with me.

Thanks Griz for making me cry... .you are very kind and sweet to me.

I do think it might be possible in her furture to be med free... .I have watched the videos and I do beleive that some doctors do think meds are not the answer... .they are helping now but in time I hope she will not need them.

I haven't had any direct experience but the reading I've done about BPD indicates there is definitely evidence emerging in studies of the brain showing that when treated early it appears to go into a state of remission over time. Hopefully with more studies and understanding the evidence will grow more clear as to causes, treatments and cures.

So seems to me there is absolutely no reason as time goes on and the brain "heals," so to speak, that your hope is a very legitimate possibility.