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Do steroids help with rage, frustration, negativity?


kmom

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In need of advice. DS (about to turn 6) has OCD in the fact that he wants everything perfect. I literally had 19 crumpled pieces of paper on the counter the other day b/c if he made one little mistake on the picture he was drawing, it was ruined. And it's amazing to me how he can spend so much time focused on making it perfect and it never seems to get to perfect by the end. So along the way he's super frustrated and agitated and he says things like, "I'm the worst artist. I can't do anything right." And it leads into "I have no friends. Why can't I find more friends that don't bother me?" I've noticed he ramps up more when he gets home from AM kindergarten. Today he came home and started right in with not really wanting anything I offered for lunch and talking negatively. Getting bored makes it worse but I also can't entertain him 24/7. I did offer to play a game with him when I got done with something I was doing. He set up the game while I finished up. When I went to go play it, he had disassembled what he had prepared and was throwing the pieces everywhere and breathing heavy like a dragon and was very frustrated. It's been a constant battle of negativity since he came home at noon. This is just not behavior I am used to or would allow in the past and very hard to know how to handle it. My initial reaction is to discipline but he tells me I don't understand and he hates feeling this way. He's been on abx and motrin for over 3 months now. Do you think steroids could help get rid of his frustration and negativity so I can see that sweet boy that is under all that?

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Wow, this sounds like my ds who just turned 7! He used to be a happy, healthy little boy until this whole thing hit last fall. He is just one big ball of negativity. For a while, he was very impatient too. You are right about not being able to entertain him 24/7. I used to be able to get anything done. (Thank God, I finished my Masters thesis the month before he became sick!) Now, it feels as though I can't get anything accomplished because he is so demanding. This is behavior I would have never condoned before. It is hard to discipline him because he does not realize what he is doing and he does not respond to normal discipline anymore anyway. We are going to see Dr. L in October. I am hoping that steroids are the answer to our prayers too. He has been on Abx for a couple of months now with no real relief. Good luck to you. I am anxious to see what other parents say.

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I don't think reactions to steroids are consistent from child to child. We've only ever done 2 5 day steroid courses. The 1st one greatly reduced rages/aggression for @ 3 days- then my daughter got ill, with a fever. The only time she is lethargic is when she gets a fever, which is hardly ever- maybe 3 times in the last 10 years. But once that passed- the rages came right back. The second 5 day burst we did, had less of an impact on the rages than the first one, but still helped a little. But, I've heard of some kids responding magnificently to steroids and others getting worse...I don't think there's a way to tell how your child will respond w/o trying it out.

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Your story sounds so familiar to when my dd was small. Your gut instinct allows you to know that his behavior is something beyond his control. The rages and having to have everything perfect(which it never seems to be) is so difficult.I always hated school projects because I knew the outcome was never good. Maybe you could try a 5 day steriod burst and see if there are any results.

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