Ages for Anti-Anxiety Meds

[Anonymous8]

I've been taking Xanax for anxiety and find that it's been working very well with no substantial side effects however my son has been experiencing anxiety for around 8 months now and I am about to take him to our doctor about it. What would be helpful is some background information on meds to help me before we see our physician. Is Xanax okay for someone under 18 (16). If not are there other meds I can inquire about that they could possibly prescribe. I'm confident that if he had something to stop the short term side effects of anxiety that he would have a chance of curing himself without a lot of help. Any advice on the subject would be very helpful. Thanks.

[King]

None of us are qualified to answer that question Anonymous8.

All central nervous drugs (indeed most drugs period) are not tested on the under 18's. Thats just the ethics of conducting clinical trials. However, psychiatrists and some GPs will have a lot of experience of using these drugs in your son's age group.

I'm sure they are used well in this group but you need these answers from your doctor - ideally, you dont want to be giving a young person drugs if it can be avoided, other forms of therapy should be sought first.

King

[ocdengineer]

Totally agree.  I wouldn't give any psychotropic drugs to a young person especially under the age of 18 or even 20.  The brain is still developing until the early twenties, so as little interference as possible with drugs is probably best.  There are some other routes that you may want to explore before going to way of the medication:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Meditation
Eating Good Quality foods
Exercise
Herbal remedies:
  Kava Kava decent for mild anxiety
  Valerian also a mild sedative
  Chamomile tea is great before bed
  Melatonin work great for insomnia
  Peppermint is one of the most soothing herbs for stomach issues out there

I would try to implement as much of this as possible before even considering meds!

Save the big guns for when your son is an adult if he is still having issues.  In the meantime, talk with him and share what you know about the disease with him.  It will help him a lot just to know he isn't alone.

Good luck with your son,
OE

[gloomy]

I think anxiety issues at that age can be viewed as part of the maturation growth period he is not a man yet not a child either and its a difficult time with all the hormonal changes that are happening, however, you know your son better than anyone and if you think this is a more genuine serious case of anxiety then your right to see your doctor,  I have to agree with King and OCDEngineer that its more desirable to try a couple of other things first and maybe look at meds as a last resort.

His brain is still maturing and he may get over this anxious phase, lets hope so, he has his whole life to look forward to.

[cheryjeff]

There are child and adolescent Psychartist's who are qualified to answer all of your questions. I would look for one of them and make sure your son gets the proper testing for an accurate diagnosis before starting any medication.
Good luck

[Anonymous8]

Someone mentioned Kava in this post. I am not positive but after doing some research I found that Kava has been recalled in some countries like Canada for causing problems with the liver. If this is true it obviously isn't a safe thing to take. Can anyone enlighten me on the matter.

[anxiousinfla]

I don't think many scrupulous Doctors are going to prescribe a benzo for a 16 year old. Perhaps a mild A/D, but not a Benzo unless it's under supervision, at all times as in a facility. I can only advise you as to what we have been through with several teens as we are a therapeutic foster home for children under 18 with emotional problems. Never a benzo unless hospitalized.

Good Luck to you and your son.

[ocdengineer]

Kava has gotten a bad rap because of a very small number of people who may or may not have been alcoholics or had previous liver issues took it and ended up with severe liver problems.  We are talking maybe 20 people worldwide and that is just off the top of my head and what I have read. 

The Polynesians have been drinking this stuff in much higher concentrations than what an anxiety disorder suffer would take it for many 100's of years and they do NOT have a higher incidence of liver problems than any other group of people in the world.  My suggestion would be do not drink lots of alcohol to begin with but especially when taking any kind of medication or herb.  Your liver is like your body's filter, so it can only handle so much unusual stuff being run through it and alcohol has already been proven extensively to cause major liver problems and adding Kava or any other drug to the mix would probably be a bad idea.

Again, no studies have proven Kava to cause liver failure, so as long as you don't have a liver problem already, you will be fine.  Take the recommended dose and make sure it is high quality herb.  You can find high quality Kava at www.herb-pharm.com.  If your son is taking other drugs then you would be wise to check with your doctor to make sure there are no interaction problems between the Kava and whatever your son is taking now, but it would be highly surprising if there was.  Also, Kava is not nearly as strong as a benzo, so it will help, but you will probably need to help your son make some major life changes for this to work itself out.  Young people are very resilient so there is a good chance that your son will pop out of this and be OK for awhile although it is highly likely that he will find himself with recurring bouts of anxiety later in life and it is better to have the tools in place now than have to do all this leg work again later.

Later,
OE

[Anonymous8]

Thanks for the advice. Good to know.