Date: Thu Mar 8, 2001 8:34pm My 11 yos has been on Zoloft for 6 months for OCD, it is not better on 150MG dose and are considering weaning him off. But please tell me what are the alternatives to OCD, he is pulling his eyelashes out, repeats stories at least 4 times over, among other things that disturb his life terribly. We spent 2 years using herbal/amino acid/essential oils/B6 and all the other "natural" alternatives but none of those helped. He is miserable and actually going to conventional medications was an absolute last resort and he had to have something immediately or he was going bezerk! I need some help on what to do and quickly!!!!! Thanks, Laura M. Date: Thu Mar 8, 2001 8:57pm Response1: Hi Laura, welcome to the group. I did catch your earlier message in the Zoloft group where you posted this message: >Date: Thu Mar 8, 2001 2:18pm >Subject: someone help >My 11 yos is on Zoloft for anxiety/obsessive compulsive disorder and >on 150 mg. his ocd is worse now than it was when he started the >meds., and he has tics that are worse now that he has started 150 >mg., but dr. says it's not the medicine that has made the tics >worse, but i wonder, what's the point of taking this stuff if he is >worse now than he was when we started on it? Can some give me some >insight? Thanks Laura M. The "tics" he developed are symptoms of "Tardive Dyskinesia" and you can find more info on that in the book "Prozac Backlash" written by Dr. Joseph Glenmullen. I will advise you to take your child off this drug by slowly weaning him off. I don't know if you already using the oral-suspension (liguid form) of the Zoloft, but it's more easier to control. I am so very sorry that you have to go through this experience with your child. But don't panic! There are alternatives, but I think it's more important for your son to get help from a GOOD psychologist and NO psychiatrist who only will act like a drug-pusher. What your son probably needs most is a friendly psychologist with EMPATHY and PATIENCE. PS: GET A NEW DOCTOR ! He seems to be very unknowledgable by telling you that the Zoloft did not cause the tics ! There are a lot of members in this group who developed them on several SSRI's including myself ! There are also reports on that: http://members.fortunecity.com/siriusw/medtd2.htm I want to give you hope here by mentioning that in my case the tics are gone now (only some nerve twitching sometimes but not as severe as it used to be). Hang in there, and take your kid off this drug, but gradually! Take care, Charly Date: Thu Mar 8, 2001 8:49pm Response2: Laura, I suggest getting in touch with Dr. Tracy. See this is the thing, you say he is not any better on the zoloft but the Zoloft has to be doing something to his brain. I know when I took the drug, everything I had intensified by 1000. Has it gotten worse on the Zoloft? Or any new behaviours? Please be careful and watch him closely. Cynthia Date: Thu Mar 8, 2001 11:28pm Who in the world is Dr. Tracy ??? --I know it sounds pathetic but I have no idea on how to find a psychologist, no idea what to do for him. Are yall saying he just needs counseling or some kind of behavior modification? I'm still confused as to how we are going to help him exactly if we don't use herbs or medicines? Thanks for being patient with his mom! Laura M. Date: Thu Mar 8, 2001 11:31pm Response1: Laura, Dr. Ann Blake Tracy is very knowledgable about the side- effects caused by SSRI's (like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, etc.). She has 2 website's on the net (an old and a new one) and I will advise you to check them out: http://drugawareness.org Also check out this URL: http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/atracyphd/index.htm And Laura, counseling or behavior modification can be very effective, especially when it's based on giving your child the feedback that he needs to gain on insight in his condition. It might take a while but in the long run it's much more powerfull and much more harmless then to just give him SSRI-antidepressants. Charly Date: Fri Mar 9, 2001 1:29am Response2: Hi, I hope this message won't be sent twice, anyway I wanted to elaborate a little to, I believe it was Laura who has a child suffering from OCD. I had developed this problem after I used Paxil. OCD is defined as obsessions and compulsions. The obsessions can be obsessive thoughts that are uncontrollable, the compulsions can be a daily ritual of sorts that is carried out over and over without the person being able to control this. From my own experience I can tell you that the compulsive part of it can usually be managed or helped and does not require medication. The obssessive part such as unctrollable thoughts is the hardest thing to treat, I do not advise the use of any SSRI type drugs for either problem. I am suffering still to this day from obssessive thoughts, my obssessive thoughts are over the same subject material. So I don't know the circumstances all that well, but it sounded more like the compulsions might be stronger here and I know that this can be helped a great deal without any drugs, hope that makes you feel a little better about the situation, I think that if Dr. Ann Tracey is willing to give advice that will also be very helpful to you also, I am looking for alternatives still to my problem, because I seemed to develop my problem after using a SSRI, and I know that the drugs do not help this condition. Randy Date: Fri Mar 9, 2001 1:38am ---THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH I WILL KEEP SNOOPING HERE AND LET YOU ALL KNOW. ANYMORE ADVICE IS MORE THAN WELCOME HERE! Laura M. Date: Fri Mar 9, 2001 1:48am Response: Regarding OCD -- I will find the research study out of Israel that touts Inositol as a good remedy for this condition. Inositol can be bought in powder form and added to juice. http://www.biopsychiatry.com/inositol.htm >>>"Inositol in psychiatry" Trisha