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My ds16 is 5 wks into this episode, his third major one since age 8. first, 8 days of azith 500, 2 days ago that was up'd to 750mg. Began Augmentin 1000mg XR today at 1p.

 

For the past 3 days at 2:45p (umm, exactly) he has had a huge panic attack, today's lasted nearly 2 hrs despite Klonopin .5mg which normally helps him immensely. During the panic he has stiff jerky movements, rage, and utter panic because his stomach hurts and his biggest fear in life is throwing up.

 

He hasn't been engaged in the same activity for any of the past 3 days at 2:45 and is actually quite unaware of the time of day, so I'm completely confused as to what might be happening, seems an awfully big coincidence. This is our first big abx trial and I've never prayed harder or more diligently for anything in my life. A huge profile of bloodwork is being drawn on Monday including the Cunningham tests.

 

Does anyone else with an older kid have separation anxiety and contamination fears as their catalyst to overwhelmiing anxiety? If so, can you offer any advice or guidance? I haven't been to work in a week, I can't keep this up for long financially and I can't seem to stop crying which isn't helping anything.

 

Many thanks,

Gat's mom.

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Are you giving his meds at the same time everyday? Are there any constants near that time- like a train whistle or some other thing in the environment that could trigger something?

 

No constants. Yesterday we were in the car. Today he was working on some math. We're still settling into a routine with meds now that he's not in school. The last meds before todays events were 1.75 hrs before and it was the Azith AND Augmentin together. My pharmacist said he could take them both together but I wondered if that wasn't too much to hit his gut all at once. Yesterday's we were out running week overdue errands and I thought I just kept him away from home too long. The day before that, I was trying to leave and head to my office for just 2 hrs so I assumed it was acute separation anxiety. May all those are accurate and today it was the meds. Any idea what the space between abx and probiotics needs to be? I will say I'm more than a little apprehensive about 2:45p tomorrow and I'm going to split the 3 dosings of abx just to be sure.

 

Thanks much!

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That's a hard one. I was going to ask about the timing of meds before I read the other post. All I can think of asking in order to rule out anything else is what time does he eat lunch and what does he do after the meltdowns occur?

 

The body is really good at telling time w/o a clock. It does sounds like there can be hidden trigger in there somewhere.

 

And, yes, separation anxiety and contamination fears can lead to complete meltdowns and horrible anxiety.

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My ds16 is 5 wks into this episode, his third major one since age 8. first, 8 days of azith 500, 2 days ago that was up'd to 750mg. Began Augmentin 1000mg XR today at 1p.

 

For the past 3 days at 2:45p (umm, exactly) he has had a huge panic attack, today's lasted nearly 2 hrs despite Klonopin .5mg which normally helps him immensely. During the panic he has stiff jerky movements, rage, and utter panic because his stomach hurts and his biggest fear in life is throwing up.

 

He hasn't been engaged in the same activity for any of the past 3 days at 2:45 and is actually quite unaware of the time of day, so I'm completely confused as to what might be happening, seems an awfully big coincidence. This is our first big abx trial and I've never prayed harder or more diligently for anything in my life. A huge profile of bloodwork is being drawn on Monday including the Cunningham tests.

 

Does anyone else with an older kid have separation anxiety and contamination fears as their catalyst to overwhelmiing anxiety? If so, can you offer any advice or guidance? I haven't been to work in a week, I can't keep this up for long financially and I can't seem to stop crying which isn't helping anything.

 

Many thanks,

Gat's mom.

 

 

We give the antibiotics together and as long as my dd eats food with them, she is fine. Yes, separation issues are huge here, not sure if they are the catalyst to the anxiety though, rather one symptom of many.

 

No advice really, other than to remind yourself that he is NOT DOING THIS TO YOU. He is sick and he can't help it. I cried all fall and it didn't help but I couldn't help it.

 

Try giving him some Advil and see if it helps. It may reduce inflammation in the basal ganglie and reduce his symptoms. I give it at the same time as the antibiotics with no problem. (with food) It helps my dd a LOT.

 

I give the probiotics mid day usually. In between the two doses of antibiotics. Sometiems I give them as early as two hours after antibiotics and so far we've mostly kept the yeast at bay.

 

Hope that help. Hugs to you. Sorry you are going through this. Glad you found this forum though.

 

Angela

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My ds16 is 5 wks into this episode, his third major one since age 8. first, 8 days of azith 500, 2 days ago that was up'd to 750mg. Began Augmentin 1000mg XR today at 1p.

 

For the past 3 days at 2:45p (umm, exactly) he has had a huge panic attack, today's lasted nearly 2 hrs despite Klonopin .5mg which normally helps him immensely. During the panic he has stiff jerky movements, rage, and utter panic because his stomach hurts and his biggest fear in life is throwing up.

 

He hasn't been engaged in the same activity for any of the past 3 days at 2:45 and is actually quite unaware of the time of day, so I'm completely confused as to what might be happening, seems an awfully big coincidence. This is our first big abx trial and I've never prayed harder or more diligently for anything in my life. A huge profile of bloodwork is being drawn on Monday including the Cunningham tests.

 

Does anyone else with an older kid have separation anxiety and contamination fears as their catalyst to overwhelmiing anxiety? If so, can you offer any advice or guidance? I haven't been to work in a week, I can't keep this up for long financially and I can't seem to stop crying which isn't helping anything.

 

Many thanks,

Gat's mom.

 

 

We give the antibiotics together and as long as my dd eats food with them, she is fine. Yes, separation issues are huge here, not sure if they are the catalyst to the anxiety though, rather one symptom of many.

 

No advice really, other than to remind yourself that he is NOT DOING THIS TO YOU. He is sick and he can't help it. I cried all fall and it didn't help but I couldn't help it.

 

Try giving him some Advil and see if it helps. It may reduce inflammation in the basal ganglie and reduce his symptoms. I give it at the same time as the antibiotics with no problem. (with food) It helps my dd a LOT.

 

I give the probiotics mid day usually. In between the two doses of antibiotics. Sometiems I give them as early as two hours after antibiotics and so far we've mostly kept the yeast at bay.

 

Hope that help. Hugs to you. Sorry you are going through this. Glad you found this forum though.

 

Angela

 

I'm so thankful for this forum. I assess blessings every night before sleep, this forum has been at the top of the list for weeks. He's been doing well with Advil independent of abx. I will see if I can get advil in with abx. I always make sure there is food to minimize stomach issues. I hit his first dose of probiotics while he's asleep, wake him up enough to take it and he rolls over and goes back to sleep. I'll add it again mid day. He is a yeasty kid so I'm pushing kefir and yogurt too. We're also pretty darn close to gluten free around here.

 

Vickie, AFTER the meltdown, he's fine, nearly perfect. Today he was a little tired because this one went of forever. He goes from telling me he's ready to die to telling me a movie he'd like to see...all within the span of an hour or two.

 

He recovers, then I sit on the edge of the tub and tall apart. If he sees me cry when he's in a rage it only makes him more angry. I'm with you, Angela, it does no good but I just cannot hold it back.

 

Thanks so much for your response, ladies!

Gayle

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Does he have a BM afterwards? Sorry, there's no delicate way to ask that! Sometimes my daughter seems to break down for no reason at all- then about 1/2 hour later she'll produce a motherlode, and then it all makes sense!

 

Yes! I've just always attributed that to a little post adrenaline/cortisol release, almost like an IBS. He, otherwise, has very healthy bowel habits. BM's do not normally produce anxiety in him. Is that always an issue for your daughter? How old is she?

 

Thanks!

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Does he have a BM afterwards? Sorry, there's no delicate way to ask that! Sometimes my daughter seems to break down for no reason at all- then about 1/2 hour later she'll produce a motherlode, and then it all makes sense!

 

Yes! I've just always attributed that to a little post adrenaline/cortisol release, almost like an IBS. He, otherwise, has very healthy bowel habits. BM's do not normally produce anxiety in him. Is that always an issue for your daughter? How old is she?

 

Thanks!

 

My daughter is 15. No, this is not always an issue for her- just that the post ragey BMs are extraordinarily large. It never occurred to me that the adrenaline/cortisol

could be causing the BM. I always thought it was the physical discomfort of intestinal pressure triggering the episode...hmmm, chicken or the egg?

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Does he have a BM afterwards? Sorry, there's no delicate way to ask that! Sometimes my daughter seems to break down for no reason at all- then about 1/2 hour later she'll produce a motherlode, and then it all makes sense!

 

Yes! I've just always attributed that to a little post adrenaline/cortisol release, almost like an IBS. He, otherwise, has very healthy bowel habits. BM's do not normally produce anxiety in him. Is that always an issue for your daughter? How old is she?

 

Thanks!

 

My daughter is 15. No, this is not always an issue for her- just that the post ragey BMs are extraordinarily large. It never occurred to me that the adrenaline/cortisol

could be causing the BM. I always thought it was the physical discomfort of intestinal pressure triggering the episode...hmmm, chicken or the egg?

 

No kidding, if I say "chicken or the egg" once per day, I say it a dozen times regarding his behaviors and what is either the cause or the effect! I wouldn't wish this on a soul, but it is so comforting to remember that we are the not the only ones.

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Is he being exposed to any particular allergen at that time, or could it be something he's eating for lunch that he may be having a reaction to, even if he is normally only subtly allergic? I have had only one really major panic attack like you described during my life, during a significant exacerbation, but it was notable because it occurred at the allergist's office during allergy scratch testing. I got the the scratches, started getting huge inflammation at the scratch sites, and then BAM I'm in the ER with a massive panic attack.

 

Do you have some valium or something you can give him just to get through it? If it's so predictable, would an epsom salt bath at that time help? Not a real solution but at least to get through the next few days.

 

I have noticed with both myself and my ds6 that during an exacerbation, allergens exert stronger triggering effects than normally. I think the immune system is so ramped up that there comes to be a lot of overreaction to any kind of immune challenge.

 

 

My ds16 is 5 wks into this episode, his third major one since age 8. first, 8 days of azith 500, 2 days ago that was up'd to 750mg. Began Augmentin 1000mg XR today at 1p.

 

For the past 3 days at 2:45p (umm, exactly) he has had a huge panic attack, today's lasted nearly 2 hrs despite Klonopin .5mg which normally helps him immensely. During the panic he has stiff jerky movements, rage, and utter panic because his stomach hurts and his biggest fear in life is throwing up.

 

He hasn't been engaged in the same activity for any of the past 3 days at 2:45 and is actually quite unaware of the time of day, so I'm completely confused as to what might be happening, seems an awfully big coincidence. This is our first big abx trial and I've never prayed harder or more diligently for anything in my life. A huge profile of bloodwork is being drawn on Monday including the Cunningham tests.

 

Does anyone else with an older kid have separation anxiety and contamination fears as their catalyst to overwhelmiing anxiety? If so, can you offer any advice or guidance? I haven't been to work in a week, I can't keep this up for long financially and I can't seem to stop crying which isn't helping anything.

 

Many thanks,

Gat's mom.

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If it means anything, I think all our kids have Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde syndrome. My son did the same. One minute he wanted to die , even used those words. he'd say how he hated me and would hit,kick, etc. Then ...bam....all lovely hugging, etc. One time I even asked if it was him. I was thinking split personality.

 

As for anxiety, my son's would reach a limit two different ways. One was when he was in the middle of an excaerbation and he had the big contamination fear. If he thought he saw you possibly touch your face, he'd go over the top freaking out. Then he had during recovery, extinction bursts of anxiety when we would try to get him to overcome an OCD habit/ritual and that building anxiety can be very overwhelming. Unfortunately, sometimes you do have to ride them out. When a child or teen is in an exacerbation, reason is gone. You can't explain to them why what they are doing doesn't make sense. You can't threaten them with ultimatums.

 

If you think it's stomach issues, be careful with the Ibuprofen. Make sure that is taken with something like milk so it coats the stomach. I give my son Ibuprofen with his antibiotics as well.

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There were no allergens in more abundance than normal today, or any of the last three days. I have noticed, though, that he is more sensitive to his usual allergens when he's in an exacerbation. Everything is harder for him when he's in a backslide! Today's event came while he was trying to do some math homework. Should have been material he could breeze through but he had been at it for 45 mins and completed 5 problems. Maybe that's what got him frustrated. I do KNOW that frustration, regardless of where it comes from in him, is a direct line to panic.

 

Tomorrow, in an attempt to break the 2:45 curse. We'll be doing a dose of magnesium in some grape juice after lunch and aiming for a happy, content place. We'll see how that goes.

 

He's taking an epsom salt soak tonight for sure then later when the water heater recovers itself, it's my turn!

 

I appreciate your help!

 

 

Is he being exposed to any particular allergen at that time, or could it be something he's eating for lunch that he may be having a reaction to, even if he is normally only subtly allergic? I have had only one really major panic attack like you described during my life, during a significant exacerbation, but it was notable because it occurred at the allergist's office during allergy scratch testing. I got the the scratches, started getting huge inflammation at the scratch sites, and then BAM I'm in the ER with a massive panic attack.

 

Do you have some valium or something you can give him just to get through it? If it's so predictable, would an epsom salt bath at that time help? Not a real solution but at least to get through the next few days.

 

I have noticed with both myself and my ds6 that during an exacerbation, allergens exert stronger triggering effects than normally. I think the immune system is so ramped up that there comes to be a lot of overreaction to any kind of immune challenge.

 

 

My ds16 is 5 wks into this episode, his third major one since age 8. first, 8 days of azith 500, 2 days ago that was up'd to 750mg. Began Augmentin 1000mg XR today at 1p.

 

For the past 3 days at 2:45p (umm, exactly) he has had a huge panic attack, today's lasted nearly 2 hrs despite Klonopin .5mg which normally helps him immensely. During the panic he has stiff jerky movements, rage, and utter panic because his stomach hurts and his biggest fear in life is throwing up.

 

He hasn't been engaged in the same activity for any of the past 3 days at 2:45 and is actually quite unaware of the time of day, so I'm completely confused as to what might be happening, seems an awfully big coincidence. This is our first big abx trial and I've never prayed harder or more diligently for anything in my life. A huge profile of bloodwork is being drawn on Monday including the Cunningham tests.

 

Does anyone else with an older kid have separation anxiety and contamination fears as their catalyst to overwhelmiing anxiety? If so, can you offer any advice or guidance? I haven't been to work in a week, I can't keep this up for long financially and I can't seem to stop crying which isn't helping anything.

 

Many thanks,

Gat's mom.

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If it means anything, I think all our kids have Dr Jeckyl and Mr Hyde syndrome. My son did the same. One minute he wanted to die , even used those words. he'd say how he hated me and would hit,kick, etc. Then ...bam....all lovely hugging, etc. One time I even asked if it was him. I was thinking split personality.

 

As for anxiety, my son's would reach a limit two different ways. One was when he was in the middle of an excaerbation and he had the big contamination fear. If he thought he saw you possibly touch your face, he'd go over the top freaking out. Then he had during recovery, extinction bursts of anxiety when we would try to get him to overcome an OCD habit/ritual and that building anxiety can be very overwhelming. Unfortunately, sometimes you do have to ride them out. When a child or teen is in an exacerbation, reason is gone. You can't explain to them why what they are doing doesn't make sense. You can't threaten them with ultimatums.

 

If you think it's stomach issues, be careful with the Ibuprofen. Make sure that is taken with something like milk so it coats the stomach. I give my son Ibuprofen with his antibiotics as well.

 

He had the abx today 30 mins after a good hot lunch. Tonight's will be after some ice cream, just to make sure. Yeah, it was a little tough to hear out of him today, "You're not doing anything to help me!!" ugh. I do know, though, that he is sick. There's never been a question in my mind about that. No typical teen behavior can hold a candle to a PANDAS episode!

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