Have anxiety disorder and take Paxil

I'm new and thought I'd post my info. I'm 60 yrs old, the mom of 2 men. Both my guys have depression as do I. I also have anxiety disorder and I take Paxil. My youngest son battled depression by abusing the Adderall he was prescribed for ADD. He overdosed and was sent to a crisis hospital. After that he was diagnosed with bi-polar and prescribed Lithium. He's a ghost of the guy he used to be. My thought is that he's not bipolar but has depression and anxiety. We are getting a 2nd opinion at the end of October. My husband is a therapist/bus. owner for foster kids in crisis. We are both hoping that a new doctor and fresh eyes will help our son. The anxiety of seeing my son go thru all of this has been helped alot by the Paxil. I cannot imagine the shape I'd be in if it weren't for this medication.

Hi and welcome! I am sorry to hear of your son's troubles. I know that between you, your husband and the doctors there will be a resolution. Don't give up, try to take care of yourself so that you can be strong for your family (it already sounds as if you are) Isn't it amazing that parenting is an infinate job? I have one grown, and one little one still at home. Sometimes it seems as if my older one needs me as much as the younger! Your family is lucky to have you. Hang in there, and let us know how you all are doing
Take care,
Scaredy Cat

(p.s. to Kitt...you're not old... a mere lass!)

By all means, get a second opinion. It can't hurt and it just might help. Doctors, therapists, and professionals of all kind are human beings just like us. Sometimes they're overworked and stressed out. Sometimes they make honest mistakes. Another professional will also have a different background and more or less experience for instance with whatever the "true" diagnosis is. Or they may agree with the original diagnosis, but have a somewhat different approach towards treatment that may end up working better.

To give you a personal example, I started on medication after being in the ER which gave me only a few days worth of meds. That meant we had to find the first psychiatrist with availability. He prescribed Wellbutrin because my mother had been on it once for depression. This doctor was very defensive, rigid about time, and I just didn't have a good feeling about him. My family helped me find a new doctor who immediately took me off the Wellbutrin saying that Wellbutrin is good for depression, but not anxiety. I had also been having horribly strong side effects that the first doctor thought nothing of. The new doctor is caring, patient, listens and works with me. The new medication is also a hundred times better. So sometimes it pays to get a second opinion. I would suggest though that you keep track of everything, such as a timeline of symptoms, any medical tests, medications, etc.. If you start to see multiple professionals you want to "not forget" to give each new person the same information to work with as you gave the others.

Did your son show any sx of either mania or hypomania ? I would suspect if he did it may have been the Adderall ? Also did anyone ever suspect Asperger's ?

Kindly,

Kitt