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Lyme Rages/Lexapro for a teen?

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Posted 11/27/2009 6:40 AM (GMT -8)
My son is 13. He is having a horrible time with neuro symptoms. He has been experiencing rages/OCD/depression.
We had to pull him out of school and he is receiving home instruction because he is unable to cope with sound/light/paying attention and so on.

He is also experiencing depression. We saw his llmd on Wed and he suggested we try a very low dose of Lexapro. IIRC, the smallest tab is 12 mgs and he want DS on half a tab a day.

the dr understands our concerns about anti-depressants and teens, but believes that this dose would be low enough to take the edge off the depression but not cause any other side effects. DS has had no suicide ideation at this time.

DH and I are really on the fence. We don't like the idea of DS being on antidep's but at the same time, do not want him to suffer through the depression if he can be helped.

Have any of you had any experience with this? Thoughts??

Thanks
Posted 11/27/2009 10:00 AM (GMT -8)

MarriedtoLymeinNJ said...
My son is 13. He is having a horrible time with neuro symptoms. He has been experiencing rages/OCD/depression.
We had to pull him out of school and he is receiving home instruction because he is unable to cope with sound/light/paying attention and so on.

He is also experiencing depression. We saw his llmd on Wed and he suggested we try a very low dose of Lexapro. IIRC, the smallest tab is 12 mgs and he want DS on half a tab a day.

the dr understands our concerns about anti-depressants and teens, but believes that this dose would be low enough to take the edge off the depression but not cause any other side effects. DS has had no suicide ideation at this time.

DH and I are really on the fence. We don't like the idea of DS being on antidep's but at the same time, do not want him to suffer through the depression if he can be helped.

Have any of you had any experience with this? Thoughts??

Thanks

In my experience, the mood disturbances of Lyme are largely due to toxic buildup in the body, rather than any direct action of the infection(s). I find my sadness and/or anger always creeps up with I slack off on detoxing and subsides rapidly when I recommit myself to my detox regime.
Posted 11/27/2009 11:49 AM (GMT -8)
I agree with Sulma. Mine also returns if I eat alot of carbs or sugar.
Posted 11/27/2009 2:18 PM (GMT -8)
MarriedToLyme,

I agree that detoxing is extremely important and will probably relieve some of his symptoms. He would have to detox regularly though to continue to see improvements.

Before I found out I had Lyme, I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks. Lexapro helped me out tremendously for two years. I started on a low dose of 10mg and stayed on that dose for two years. Everytime my doctor tried raising it to 20mg, I would get all kinds of weird symptoms. I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I have chemical sensitivities. In my opinion, I think Lexapro is the safest anti-depressant to be on.

If you decide to put him on this, start on the lowest dose just like your doctor said. I believe that Lyme patients are a lot more sensitive than people who don't have Lyme.

Also, I'm hoping someone who follows a more natural protocol sees this. I'm sure there is something more natural he can try. I take a supplement that acts like an anti-depressant called Muscle Calm, but I'm not sure if it would be enough for him.
Posted 11/27/2009 2:20 PM (GMT -8)
One more thing....is he being treated for Bartonella?
Posted 11/28/2009 6:45 AM (GMT -8)

Hi,

I think we met at the last Lymeapalooza in Manhattan.  My son, Dan, was dealing with a lot of the same symptoms.  He has been on a small dose of Lexapro for about 2 years.  That along with Seroquel and Lyrica really made a big difference in his behaviors.  He is doing a lot better and we have been lowering doses of his meds now for a couple of months.  If you would like to talk more, please feel free to Email me, as I feel that this is really Dan's story and I don't like to post too much info. 

Take Care,

Karen

Posted 12/2/2009 4:01 AM (GMT -8)
Sorry I didn't respond to this thread earlier.  When I was sick with lyme I also suffered from lyme rage episodes..  Really bad!  It scared the heck out of me saying things to my family that I couldn't believe I said... At one point my family didn't want to talk to me anymore! 

Anyway, around that time I had just started Dr. Jernigan's protocol (only the Borrelogen) and the lyme rages continued so I called up Dr. J's clinic and told them about my rages..  They recommended that I take a product Dr. J. developed called Neuro-Antitox CNS/PNS formula so I did and wow, not only did my rages stop but I felt sooooo much better! 

Dr. J's clinic mentioned ammonia to me so I became curious as I didn't know much about lyme and the ammonia connection so I started researching that..  Sure enough, when lyme bacteria die, one of the very many toxins leftover turns into Nitrite Oxide which converts into ammonia.  So I figured I had an overload of ammonia in my body and brain causing brain fog, the rages, body pains, etc.   The only way I knew I had this overload was by taking the CNS/PNS because that helped me.. 

I don't think enough attention is given to ammonia toxins..  One of the members here was misdiagnosed as having Fibro for 30 years and found out she really had lyme..  She went to Dr. J's clinic in Kansas and her liver was shutting down from ammonia overload..  Dr. J. worked on her for 2 weeks just to rid her body of ammonia..  Naturally when she returned home she needed to keep taking products to keep eliminating that ammonia.

Ammonia did much damage to her but she is doing fine now compared to how she was..   I hope she posts soon as I do talk to her so she can tell you her story in her own words...

Hope this helps,

Denise

Posted 12/2/2009 12:44 PM (GMT -8)
I have had great results with Lamictal and Lyrica or Neurontin. You must go very slowly with Lamictal, 25 mg/day and after 5-7 days increase to 50 mg... Eventually getting up to 50 mg twice daily. Emotional problems can be limbic seizures. Lyrica can cause weight gain- so if he needs appetite stimulation use it- otherwise fo Neurontin. Also treat for Bartonella and detox- good luck.
Posted 12/4/2009 4:08 AM (GMT -8)
pcpc,

Why take chemicals when there are so many natural supplements that do a fantastic job of clearing out toxins and ammonia?   Doesn't make sense to me.. 

Denise

Posted 12/4/2009 11:44 AM (GMT -8)
You name it - I did it- Chinese herbs, infrared sauna, glutathione infusions, liver herbs, NAC, amino acids, theanine, hormones...... I have been a holistic doctor for over 20 years and I have had Lyme since age 12 and until 2008 always treated myself (successfully) with natural products.

In the past year, nothing could stabilize my mood until I used Lamictal- which by the way is relatively free of any side effects, (unlike SSRI and most other antidepressants).

Mood swings from Lyme/Bart are believed due to Limbic seizures. Read up on the limbic system and you will understand why we feel so wacky. Remember these are brain infections, not just toxic reactions. Neurontin and Lamictal stabilize neuronal membranes and help regulate glutamate metabolism in the brain.

Natural therapies are great if they work- however, suicide is still the commonest cause of death in Lyme. I believe in moderation in all things- natural therapies are great but pharmaceuticals have their role. Let's not become fanatics, at least that's how I feel.
Posted 12/4/2009 3:05 PM (GMT -8)
Well said PCPC! We, too, started out on a natural pathway and when that didn't help with seizures and the psychosis, we had to go the drug route. Now that things are getting better, we are going back to herbs, etc. with good results. As you said, moderation in all things.

Take Care,
Karen
Posted 12/4/2009 9:10 PM (GMT -8)

Hi pcpc,

I thought the idea was to find the cause of lyme rage not to stabilize it with medication.  I read about Lamictal and the side effects are very scary to me!  Sounds like one scary medication.

http://www.rxlist.com/lamictal-drug.htm

I do believe that ammonia in the brain causes mood swings and lyme rage episodes as I used to suffer from that. 

I'm assuming you read Dr. Jernigan's book "Beating Lyme Disease using Alternative Medicine"?   That book explains so much...

But whatever works for you is great.  What worked for me was Dr. J's CNS/PNS Formula with no side effects and eliminated the cause of my problems.

Denise

Posted 12/9/2009 7:25 AM (GMT -8)
If you look up Lamictal it can look scary but the adverse reactions (not to be confused with side effects) mainly only occur in children who have used the drug too quickly.

Lamictal should be started at 25 mg/day and then increased by 25 mg every 4-7 days. I think it will become the drug of choice for Lyme related mood swings. It is VERY free of side effects.
Posted 12/9/2009 11:10 AM (GMT -8)
Thank you for your input.
Seems like a moot point ATM- insurance won't cover Lexapro. Only Zoloft, Paxil (ack!) and Prozac.
His dr thinks that of the 3, Prozac- 5mg- would be best.

I wish I knew what to do. It is all just too much.

Yes, he was treated for Bart, titers are negative now. Still takes HH for it, plus some Cowden herbs as well.
Posted 12/9/2009 12:00 PM (GMT -8)
I've tried both Paxil and Prozac. Paxil worked really well for me after I had my second child. For some reason though, when I tried it again years later, I was very sensitive to it. Prozac made me feel like a zombie. That was just my experience though. I have a friend that's on it and it doesn't do that to her. Lexapro was the best choice when I had panic/anxiety attacks.

Why won't your insurance pay for it?
Posted 12/9/2009 3:01 PM (GMT -8)
b/c my insurance bites! LOL
Seriously- they don't like to pay for anything- we are on Medicaid and it is a pain.....

I have heard that kids and Paxil is dangerous- - have you heard anything negative about kids and prozac?
Posted 12/10/2009 9:05 AM (GMT -8)
My son does not have Lyme, well, he hasn't been tested. However, he is 14 and was on Prozac for about a year. His Therapist said Prozac works best for kids, not adults. My son was on 5mg and it worked wonders for him. I battled for a long time whether or not to give it to him, but I also felt I owed it to him to try. He wanted to be better. So I had a talk with him, told him here are the possible side effects... you need to tell me if you feel any of these things and I also said we are going to try it, if it doesn't work we can stop. I explained to him how the drug worked and what exactly it should help with. After a bout a year he decided he no longer needed it. We slowly stopped it and discussed that also. He has been off Prozac for about 2 years now and is better. I think hormones are just evil, I'm sure they come into play with our teens. good luck! I hope you find an answer and that it works.
Posted 12/10/2009 6:53 PM (GMT -8)

Sulma said...

MarriedtoLymeinNJ said...
My son is 13. He is having a horrible time with neuro symptoms. He has been experiencing rages/OCD/depression.
We had to pull him out of school and he is receiving home instruction because he is unable to cope with sound/light/paying attention and so on.

He is also experiencing depression. We saw his llmd on Wed and he suggested we try a very low dose of Lexapro. IIRC, the smallest tab is 12 mgs and he want DS on half a tab a day.

the dr understands our concerns about anti-depressants and teens, but believes that this dose would be low enough to take the edge off the depression but not cause any other side effects. DS has had no suicide ideation at this time.

DH and I are really on the fence. We don't like the idea of DS being on antidep's but at the same time, do not want him to suffer through the depression if he can be helped.

Have any of you had any experience with this? Thoughts??

Thanks

In my experience, the mood disturbances of Lyme are largely due to toxic buildup in the body, rather than any direct action of the infection(s). I find my sadness and/or anger always creeps up with I slack off on detoxing and subsides rapidly when I recommit myself to my detox regime.

Sulma, can you share what your detox regime is?  Thanks. 

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