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Does zoloft make undiagnosed bipolar disorder worse in teens

Posted , 6 users are following.

melhobbs80
melhobbs80

About 8 months ago my 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with depression and was put on 50mg of zoloft. Things seemed to get better but about a month ago it seemed like it platoed and her depression got worse. Last Tuesday her Dr. Increased her dose to 75mg. Now poop has hit the fan and I had to admit her in to the hospital for suicidal thoughts and self harm. In the ER the crisis person and ER Dr said they think she was misdiagnosed and has bipolar so when we increased the dose her mood became more unstable. I know antidepressants can make mania worse but has anyone ever had depression get worse

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest melhobbs80

    Posted

    Don't know about the effects of zoloft on Bipolar depression per se, but it is well known that zoloft when given to children and teenagers as a treatment for depression can cause a worsening of depression and suicidal thoughts. In the US, the FDA strongly recommends close observation of young patients for these symptoms.  If it were my daughter, I would confront the doctor about this and push for discontinuing the zoloft.
  • Chillyboy7
    Chillyboy7 melhobbs80

    Posted

    Antidepressants & children is a very dangerous combination, their has been numerous reports of antidepressants causing suicidal thoughts and aggression in children so please be careful doctors are too eager to give this medication out without considering other avenues like counseling or well being therapy but if it isn't the antidepressants causing your daughters suicidal thoughts then I think the doctors in the ER are possibly right i have bipolar 1 & people often mistake the fact that mania is always extreme happiness and loads of high happy energy , sometimes people can have mixed mania where you get extreme amounts of energy mixed with severe anxiety and depression which will manifest as extreme anger , irritability & aggression towards other people or towards yourself which could possibly be what your daughter has experienced although she's very young so be careful about putting her on medication until you're absolutely sure it is certainly worth seeing a psychiatrist for an assessment. Hope you both get all the help you need & good luck
    • melhobbs80
      melhobbs80 Chillyboy7

      Posted

      I ended up hosptalizing her and she is in fact bi polar so they stop the zoloft and put her on Lamictal. I also have bi polar 1. Things are much better now
  • hbcdv
    hbcdv melhobbs80

    Posted

    I am so sorry to hear this. I had the exact same thing happen about 15 years ago when my zoloft dosage was increased. My Dr. suggested that suicidal activities might have been a manic phase, not depressive. And when I look back at the cycles, it did make more sense that I would do somthing so drastic during a manic phase. I hope this helps a little. 
  • emma69318
    emma69318 melhobbs80

    Posted

    First of all, Im sorry about that.. the same question I have though about.. im teen and i think that i am misdiagnosed too. Im on Zoloft but my Dr took me on Zoloft i think too early... i plan to go to her again, but those things happen. I hope it will be ok, just stay strong💕
    • melhobbs80
      melhobbs80 emma69318

      Posted

      Hi Emma just to let you know things are a lot better. I hospitalized my daughter and she is dx bi polar so they stopped the zoloft and she is now on Lamictal and it made a world of difference. I hope all works out well for you. Is there a family history of bi pilar?
    • emma69318
      emma69318 melhobbs80

      Posted

      Im so glad that she is a lot better now! 💕 Thank you too! I will go to my dr as soon as possible. Hm, no, i havent heard of anyone with bipolar in my family, but maybe there was..let me know how its going, I hope she will feel only better and better. 💌
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