Hi I asked the teenage drug user question, it seems I had worded it wrong and caused an outrage. People are under the assumption that I am doing nothing to manage my sons anxiety, this is untrue. We have weekly visits to councilors, he has meditation classes. We have seen many psychologists, he has had cat scans, mri, ecg, and also been tested for epilepsy (to make sure there was no underlying issue) . The decision to not go on meds was made with myself my son as his councilor, and is evaluated regularly as that may eventually change. I have seen doctors who get out their script pads after 4 minutes of meeting my son and told me and I quote “keep an eye on him and these tablets can be linked to suicide”.. if there is another way we will try it first!. He is doing great, has a job, does to school, functioning like any other teenager, ....then came the pot.. the comments on my post are incredibly harsh and very judge mental. I was looking for advice from mums with teenagers experimenting with drugs. I included the anxiety information as He stated that as a reason for doing it. If you have nothing helpful to write then please refrain from doing so. I am very secure in how I parent but some other parents may really take your words to heart so please chose them wisely.
7 Replies
Given that the decision to not medicate was before he began using marijuana to alleviate his anxiety, I think it may be time to re-visit that option.
Turning to dope isn't the answer, it's actually a bit of a cop out. He's getting stoned because it feels great, let's be real. The fact it makes him relax and less anxious is a simple side effect of his high, and honestly, he'll keep turning to pot (if there's no proper intervention) because it's easier than actually learning to cope with his anxiety.
So, my advice. GP again, Psych assessment again, specific drug counselling, educate him on the effects this could have on his long term mental and physical health, the possibility of addiction and the flow on effects that can have and lastly get him to start taking accountability for his choices and don't enable this yourself. Let him know you will not allow him to self destruct, because he is teetering right on the edge of doing just that right now.
About the medication part why doesn't he see a psychiatrist. They can prescribe medicine but have a detailed knowledge of the types of medicines. I'm not saying to the anti depressants but if you want the best information you should go to an expert.
Like the other person said a counsellor or psychologist can't prescribe medicine as they don't study it.
I never wanted to go on anti depressants and having studied psychology was all for seeing a psych but when I had severe post natal anxiety it was required. Best decision I ever made. It might not be for your son but utilising a psychiatrist to get that information would be useful.
You really need to weigh up the pros and cons of the meds. He sounds like he really needs it and the drs have to mention about the side effects which yes can make the depression/ anxiety worse initially, along with suicidal thoughts but that is mainly a risk in the first 4-6 weeks and that doesn't happen to everyone.
As the other person suggested go to a psychiatrist, they are the ones that have studied all these things and could recommend the best meds for him. Where are you located...I could possible suggest a few in Brisbane that are fantastic! Good luck with everything too. It will take time but i hope it works out soon!
I was about to respond to your reply about feeling conflicted but it disappeared.
This is one of those topics that people have hugely strong opinions on, whichever side of the argument they sit.
I kind of got the feeling your instincts are telling you that pot isn't going to do good things for your son, you know your son best mama, follow your intuition.
Perhaps contacting Headspace would be a good place to start? I believe they specialize in mental health in adolescents. They will probably be able to give you more objective and practical advice than a lot of emotionally fueled mums on an internet forum.
I wish you both all the best!
THankyou, he has been going to headspace for the last 2 years and has been making great process
That's fantastic!
These services are invaluable to our young people, I hope they can continue to help him.
I was given mediation last year (from a completely different issue) but my doctor scared the crap out of me with the speel about the side effects. THEN when I went to the chemist to get it, they also double/triple checked my Dr had prescribed the right thing and also told me how dangerous this prescription was because of the known side affects. Long story short, I had NO side effects. And moral of the story is, they have to mention any and or all side effects and some people get none.
From what I know with different medications regarding depression and anxiety is that there are so many different ones out there and it does take a little bit of trial and error before finding something that works for your son the best but that’s just the risk you have to take, and it does sound better then the alternative solution that he is using at the moment (pot).
I definitely think it’s time to reasess things and possibly tell them how and why your son is using recreational drugs for his anxiety.
All the best Mama. You say you’re very secure in your parenting choices, so weigh up your thoughts and rock your decision because only you know your son the best.