put son on meds, please help...

[ItWillPass]

If someone out there has some experience with children and anxiety disorder, Id love to have your input. My son is 10 and has anxiety for years. He has been in therapy with very little success. We finally decided to put him on medication. We got him zoloft to take every morning and clonazapam as needed. We have not started the zoloft. But tonight he had a panic attack, so we gave him the clonazapam. He initially seemed to calm down. He expressed that it was "weird" because "he felt worried and calm at the same time". Shortly after this, he got upset about something, and literally COULD NOT STOP CRYING. He said he had no idea what was wrong with him, but he just could not stop crying. Do you think it was the meds? Also, I am nervous about starting the zoloft. I read horrible things about children and ssri's. I am so anxious about his... hmm wonder where he gets his anxiety :) Anyone who has been there and done that with their children, please please respond. Thanks so much.

[BobbyDog]

My son has suffered with anxiety from an early age. He has had CBT a couple of times and also seen a private psychologist. Most doctors in the UK will not give SSRI's to children, this is my experience. The only thing that has worked for us is exposure therapy, getting him to do the things that he fears the most on a regular basis. He is now 16 and it is an ongoing battle, but his situation is better now he has left school and is in full time college doing a course he loves. All you can do is monitor his reaction to the medication very closely. A hobby is also a good idea as it will destract him from his anxious feelings.
I hope your son gets some peace.x

[swgrl09]

What type of therapy has he been in? Have you tried a family therapist who can also help you to help him? They help look at the entire environment, school, etc to address his anxiety.

Also, I am interning with group therapy for children. They use DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy). It seems to help the kids a lot to deal with their fears and anxieties. The group setting also is nice because they have people their age to relate to so that they don't feel so alone.