Last week Grant saw the nurse practioner at Tyler’s psychiatric practice. I was home sick with a virus. Due to Tyler’s OCD and Anxiety he recommended that Tyler be placed on Zoloft.

Grant and I have been agonizing over this decision. We always said we would medicate Tyler when his problems interfered with academia and they are starting to, as Tyler has “bad thoughts” while in school and can’t pay attention.

But we worry about the side effects Zoloft can have in children. They are mostly the normal side effects you would expect, including nausea, weight loss or weight gain, sleepiness or insomnia, and headache. But in addition, Zolof has a black box warning side effect that like in many antidepressants, can cause suicidal thoughts or behaviors in adults under 25. The percentage of suicidal thoughts is small but the chance for a child to have them increases if their is a family history of suicidal thoughts, and both Grant and I have had past suicide attempts.

When the nurse practioner heard that, he was a bit less likely to put Tyler on Zoloft and suggested Vistaril, a sedative to be given as needed. I like that option even less than the Zoloft because I feel it sends a message that everything can be fixed with a pill. Is that going to make him more likely to try illegal drugs when he is older?

But research shows that antidepressants in conjunction with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy provides the best, quickest outcome. And I hate to watch my little boy suffer.

We will most likely get a second opinion, but I just wish there was a firm answer.

Any advice is appreciated!