My 14 yr old Daughter has severe anxiety Attacks

Help! My 14 year old daughter has been having severe anxiety attacks for the past 2 months. She is afraid to go to school or to malls and resteraunts. She was recently diagnosed with severe depression and given Prozac. She has been taking it for 3 weeks and no change. She tells me they are worse. Is 20 mg of prozac enough? Help our family is at our whits end. SHe seems so young do deal with all this.
Wanda

I dont know if this is much help but I think you should get her into a counselor to see what would be causing them. It sounds like theres something she went through that she isnt really saying anything about or she is afraid to say so she keeps it hush hush. One of my friends went through something similar to this and she had it so bad that she didnt even wanna go out of her room at all unless she had to go to the bathroom. Her other sister had to bring food to her during dinner and when her sister did bring food she had to leave it at her door and my friend would pick it up to eat. Her mom finally forced her to go to counseling and she was bouncing off of the walls about that but it helped because we found out that she was raped in her house by one of her ex-boyfriends and she didnt wanna be in any room.
Right now she is on some medication I dont remember what its called but she is dealing with PTSD and she rarely has panic or anxiety attacks anymore. I dont know if that helped but it might help your daughter out.

usually the meds take around 4-6 weeks to start working but she could get a prescription fro something like ativan which right away calms one down while she is waiting for the prozac to kick in- she can take one of those whenever she feels like she needs it! i know I have had some of the same symptoms and paxil worked very well for me- trying out Celexa this time but not sure if I like it as much. Anxiety is a nightmare and finding a medication that works can be a lifesaver!

Hi Wanda,

I hope i may be able to help. I am a 15 year old male who has had anxiety disorder and on and off depression since i was 7 and am also studying psychology for this very reason.

Quote:

She is afraid to go to school or to malls and restaurants

Your daughter sounds a lot like me which is unfortunate but maybe can show you that others out there have it as well and are still well off. As for what you said it sounds like it could be a social phobia. Maybe shes had a problems with friends/boyfriend? If something dramatic has happened that would be something to thoroughly explain to a psychologist or psychiatrist. Other than that you really just have to get her OUT!! Take it slowly and go with her maybe just for a walk up and don the street but the longer shes away the worse it will be for her to get back to normal!!!

Even though it is very very difficult you as the parents need to stay calm during her anxiety attacks and if she is like me and wants to be left alone give her some space but make sure to stay close ( Since even if she disagrees having you there will comfort her subconsciously). I do recommend going to a psychologist or psychiatrist of some sort and having them put her on a medication for anxiety as well. If a doctor offers you a medication called Zoloft I would recommend you look for an alternative as it is known to produce tics and is even banned for children in Germany, However if you believe it would help get a second and even a third opinion first. There are also many relaxation techniques and alternative treatments you can take. For one you could have her try yoga which is said to teach a person how to properly breath ( Which is a major factor during anxiety attacks ).

As for depression i wont name any medications as it would be very bad if something would happen to your daughter but i recommend that if Prozac doesn't work consult your doctor rather than coming to a board for medication questions as it could be dangerous if someone recommends the wrong thing. Its very hard to get out of depression and it is a MUST to take some sort of anti - depressant. Be patient through any Tantrums your daughter may throw and be understanding.

All I have left to say is Keep fighting! Don't let her spirits drop and maybe show her this post so she sees that shes not alone.

I have had it bad and was almost admitted into a psychiatric hospital and know the problems. If you need any help post here and i will be happy to reply.

Good Luck And Keep Working on it!!

[/code]

wanda t wrote:

Help! My 14 year old daughter has been having severe anxiety attacks for the past 2 months. She is afraid to go to school or to malls and resteraunts. She was recently diagnosed with severe depression and given Prozac. She has been taking it for 3 weeks and no change. She tells me they are worse. Is 20 mg of prozac enough? Help our family is at our whits end. SHe seems so young do deal with all this. Wanda

Wanda,

I can only imagine what you are going through - it's very difficult to help another with an anxiety disorder. I have social anxiety / social phobia, and it is the biggest cause of fights with my partner. I have tried meds as well, but only your daughter will know how well they work for her - give it time, she's on an average starting dose for a teen or an adult.

For a lot of people, changes seen with treatment are baby steps. Give the meds time to work, and possibly consider therapy (which can be awesome for anxiety, even when it isn't trauma-related anxiety). Encourage her, and keep a keen eye out for positive change, providing positive reinforcement when she tries and / or succeeds in even small changes.

The medicine may be starting to work, but having just been diagnosed has no doubt caused a great deal of stress, which is one of the main triggers, and could be making her attacks feel worse.

Hang in there - it's an uphill battle, but it's one that many people have overcome!

When my daugher was 14 she was diagnosed with Anorexia, the Prozac didnt seem to really work. I suffer from sever Panic disorder ... I have been taking xanax for 6 years 2 mg a day. I recently notice that they started getting worse... I think we all need to look out for Xanax because in teh end I think they brough the attacks on more..

Godd luck, I agree with the Ativan in the meantime. Its very important that noone feels fear like that.

Hi, my entire family ( me mom sister ) have have panic attacks. i learned to control them after having them for 2 years, im 19 now. my mom takes a drug called klonopin, she never has panic attacks, that drug works great but its still a drug an its a shame to have to take it your entire life, like my mom. now my sis shes 16 and she's been getting them the past few months. i know how bad it is, i also know that if its in you, you can beat it to a point. i rarely get them any more and i got it down to were when i feel it starting i can get control of it and stop it before it gets bad. i think that some people can beat it with the right mind frame. if your realize that it is a panic attack and ur not going to die. an i know its hard to tell yourself your not dieing when your having a panic attack but you can beat it, but to each is his own. every ones different some people will have to take the drugs to get control of it.

CBT is the most effective treatment for anxiety and panic. It is what helped me and I highly recommend it to those who want to take back control of their lives or get off of meds. It treats the cause rather than the symptoms like most meds.