Saturday, January 8, 2011

Cautiously Optimistic

GB has been on 5 mg of Zyprexa, along with Lithium, for about a week now. She has definitely had the best week she has had since last June. The school noticed the difference before they learned of the addition of the Zyprexa. Her moods still swing, but if you can catch them before she has lost control, it is possible to help her relax/center and avoid the meltdown completely.

The dynamic with Hope is interesting. As the week went on, the more stable GB got, the more buttons Hope tried to push with everybody. She went to bed pushing buttons last night (an hour early) and woke up and immediately started pushing buttons again. I wish her language wasn't so delayed- it is very difficult for Hope to express what's bothering her and when you can't understand what she is trying to tell you, frustration boils over. Her language has improved so much in just 4 months that I am very hopeful that this is a temporary problem. 

2 comments:

Integrity Singer said...

talk to me about zyprexa with the lithium - Sissy is on an adult dose of geodon at night and almost adult level for the morning. She's also been diagnosed with hypothyroid and has gained 50 lbs. in one year. I'm anxious about starting lithium this young (11) mostly because where do we go when she's an adult if she's maxed out on lithium before puberty? and I've never heard of zyprexa. So enlighten me!

GB's Mom said...

OK. Zyprexa is an atypical antipsychotic, just like the risperdal. Weight gain is always a problem with Risperdal, as well as prolactin levels. GB is not RAD. Changing her breakfast to complex carbohydrates with protein was no big deal. She has been limited to 2 junks a day forever and polices herself. We did cut the Risperdal in half when she started gaining too much weight and she lost the weight imediately. But that is when we added the lithium.

Zyprexa also is prone to add weight, but not as much and not as quickly. With the lithium you have to take them for regular bloodwork to check their thyroid. With Risperdal, you need to check prolactin levels. Risperidal is approved by FDA for use as an antipsychotic for children over 6 (GB started before her 4th birthday). We are using Zyprexa off- label. Zyprexa is newer than resperidal, but it still has been around for at least a decade and is used a lot as a mood stabilizer/ anti-psychotic for teens and tweens.
MK had been on Zyprexa, but RADishes fight everything and she put on a ton of weight. You would think they would have found better drugs by now.