Should i get another opinion?

[shewolf1321]

My son has epilepsy. 2 years ago they put him on Trileptal. Shortly after he started taking it we noticed serious attitude problems developing. the doc told me it was normal behavior for a 5 year old, but put him on Neurontin to try to counteract the problem. by taking a combination of these meds seems to have made his attitude problems turn into mood swings to rival the hormonal immbalances of pregnancy. We think the meds turned him bi-polar, but again the doc disagrees. they did however take him off the Neurontin and put him on Depakote instead so far the only change is that his grades have improved slightly. I would appreciate any and all opinions and insight that anyone can offer.

[TitsMcGee]

I would get another opinion, because from what that sounds like to me is a bad med combination/reaction.

[kat (1)]

I agree with you on medication causing bipolar like behavior, Actually if his epilepsy is in the temporal lobe it can resemble bipolar disorder and the treatment for both disorder's are similar and sometimes the epilepsy spot is actually bipolar (it's weird) but here is a link for you to read from a parent that had a similar issue: http://www.bipolarworld.net/Phelps/ph_2004/ph1131.htm

I truly believe that, like with your son's case, although he is being treated for epilepsy. Look at all these kids back in the day that were told they were ADHD look at these kids that were treated with ritalin and stimulant like substances, who are now all grown up and all very much diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The psych doc's tell you "oh the child was misdiagnosed, but off course not by them by some other shrink when they were little and that they were probably bipolar when they were like 6 anyway, which we know is bullshit, because they don't want to admit they made a mistake by dishing out amphetamines like it was candy to these kids".

Good luck with everything.

Edited March 18, 2011 by kat

[Glory13666]

My kid is on Concerta (which is the same as Ritalin). I'm not a big fan of meds and took me a long time to actually make the decision to do it. So far, the meds have made a world of difference. He is almost 6 and in Kindergarten. Before, he could barely walk 10 steps without tripping over something and now he's fairly coordinated. He can also sit still in school instead of rolling across the floor and he can actually write his name (he has an almost savant like ability for reading and letters but no ability to use a pencil). He also has extremely poor vision and he's some where on the high-functioning side of the autism spectrum. All of this adds up to a very complicated case but so far the meds are helping a lot. However, I really enjoy the evenings when the meds wear off because I get to see the "old Roland" again. He's very creative and playful even if he's a walking disaster at that time. So, for a lot of kids, maybe Ritalin is overused but for mine it has been good (so far).

[Destroit]

I would definitely get a second opinion, doctors are human and screw up just like the rest of us sometimes. Better safe than sorry.

I would definitely get a second opinion, doctors are human and screw up just like the rest of us sometimes. Better safe than sorry.

[shewolf1321]

i am trying to get an appointment with another doctor but i have to get to get a referral. the primary care provider is being a dick.