But I do have an idea of what you're going through. My 10-year-old son also has an anxiety disorder along with ADHD. His anxieties centered more around me; I couldn't leave the house except to go to work without him insisting on going with me. He wouldn't go out to play, he slept with me at night and woke in the morning as soon as I left the bed, I couldn't even go to the bathroom without him standing guard outside the door. After arguing with him one cold night, when I was just going a few houses up the street to drop a casserole off at a sick neighbor's, I asked in exasperation, "Are you afraid I'm going to leave you?" He very calmly said, "Yes" as he zipped up his winter coat. Plus he was having meltdowns at school and difficulties getting along with the other kids. We changed his medication from the Daytrana patch to Vyvanse, and he's relaxed some. Then we started him on Risperdal, and that's helped, too. He still wants to sleep with me at night, and he still has meltdowns, but they aren't as severe and he's willing to go out to play without me, or let me run out to pick up a pizza without him. We're going to try raising the dose of Risperdal next, and he's going to see a therapist -- baby steps, but they're steps in the right direction.

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Both my ADHD kids have trouble with anxiety too. They were chewing on their nails till they bled, picking at their skin, pulling out their hair and lashes, staying up late at night, sometimes being obviously depressed, etc.

They are now both taking medication which helps a lot. I know that it's scary to turn to medicine for all these problems, but sometimes it can make such a difference in a child's life. Of course you still need to offer supports to help them deal with school and difficult social situations. But sometimes wise words aren't enough for a child who's heart is racing and whose mind is spinning.

My kids still do some of the above things, but nearly as often. They are now more available to reasoning and therapies.

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can I ask what medication your children are taking for their anxiety? I have an 8 year old with ADHD who is struggling with anxiety as well. He also picks at his skin (he ended up in the hospital with a MRSA infection last summer) and has just started to see a therapist to help with this and other anxiety related behaviors. He currently takes Concerta for his ADHD symptoms.

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As with any medications, what works for one child may not work for another. For example, my identical twins take different medications for their ADHD. Right now both of mine are taking Lexapro for their anxiety. They have tried other meds over the years too. It's important to work closely with your pediatric psychiatrist to find the right medication at the right dosage. your doctor should be able to discuss the pros and cons of each, and be willing to make changes if things aren't working the way expected.

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There is an all natural non-addictive remedy thats getting alot of attetion for stress relief. Bach's Recue Remedy at rescueremedy.com. If you click on the Buy Now button it will take you to a store that sells the products and they offer them for kids. They also have a Kids Confidence Remedy. I personally have had no experience with this product but I have some ordered for myself and my son w/ ADHD. I am also trying something else new called new be calm for his ADHD.

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I tried some of this from Whole Foods and it tastes just like scotch. The ingredients list alcohol. Has anyone asked a dr. about this stuff?

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My son also has ADHD and a mild anxiety disorder. He wouldn't sleep in his own bed, liked to twirl my hair before going to sleep, etc. When he felll behind in anything in school or forgot some homework he would melt down and refuse to go to school, in fear of even mild disdain from a teacher. On Vyvanse the anxiety was made worse. He would pluck his own hair at night and "twirl" it in his fingers to get a tactile release. But it was never terrible until he went to camp and came back with a bald spot on his head that was kind of covered up by longer hair on top behind the ear. I was so shocked when I saw it. I took him off Vyvanse last summer and he did so much better in the 5th grade without any medicine. The increased maturity and further development of the executive function in the cerebral cortex of the brain allowed him to effectively compensate for his ADD. He needed a lot of supervision with homework without the meds but gained weight, was MUCH happier, the anxiety thing went back to hardly noticeable (except when he felt overwhelmed by school). He stopped plucking the hair, etc. THen I read somewhere that kids with anxiety disorders (even mild) should not take meds in the stimulant category because it accentuates the anxiety. That certainly happened with us. No dr. ever explored that with us. My son had some of the symptoms all along. He didn't want to be alone in a room, at night wanted to always sleep with us, when dad was out of town he got very teary about us being alone (on the meds). The school anxiety can be avoided with careful support by a parent or tutor to make sure that they are always on top of things. I'm not sure how long he can make it in school without meds but for now this is working.

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I have anxieties associated with my ADD. Adderall has help me some on that front. I have tried the Recue Remedy mentioned and the container clearly indicates (on mine) that it is Alcohol Free AND Sugar Free. It has help me some as well but a tolerance can be built up for remedies if taken too often (consult a doctor of course). Before trying medication I would suggest seeking the advice of an ADD coach so that your son can develop skills to last him a lifetime. I have not pursued this yet though.

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Hello! My son also has anxiety issues. He hasn't been formally diagnosed with Tourette's but I suspect some of his anxious habits are related to Tourettes. For a while he would constantly wipe his mouth on his shirt sleeve. This left a red raw mark on his cheek. He always has to have the doors closed in every room of the house. When asked why, he says they just have to be that way. There is always something new. His nervous "Tics" change but are usually there.

Anyway, I read an article in Healthy Living about a natural vitamin that is supposed to help with Anxiety. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.betterhealthandliving.com/articles/banish_anxiety_with_rhodiola

I bought the vitamin at GNC and tried it. He got diaherrea that day. I haven't tried it again to be sure it was the pill that gave him the diaherrea and not something he ate.

If anyone else has tried it, I would be interested in knowing their results. I always get nervous when it comes to vitamins because I never know how they will interact with his ADHD meds. He was taking 20 mg of Metadate CD twice a day. He lost 6 lbs and grew 4 inches so we decided to stop the meds over the summer. So far so good. He eats like crazy but still has only gained about 5 lbs.

Anxiety is hard to understand because there is no rhyme or reason to it.

Good luck!

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Hi! My son was very violent, and I got tired of being punched, scratched, screamed at, etc. all day long. I took him to an MD who used muscle testing. He put my son on Trazadone, an anti-anxiety med, rather than Ritalin or Adderall. The 1st dose was a relief to both of us! I still use Rescue Remedy (Whole Foods sells it) when he's freaking out over something specific. It's supposed to be applied to the skin, not drunk, so the alcohol evaporates. I have also found he is very deficient in iodine, so once a week I put a patch of tincture of iodine on his skin. It helps him calm down a lot. I have not been able to get him to take magnesium, which is supposed to be calming. Originally, he was allergic to it. After getting NAET treatments, it doesn't give him a bloody nose anymore, but there is still no form of it that he will take.

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I felt relieved to read that others have dealt with anxiety (though of course I wish our children didn't have these issues). My daughter has separation anxiety with most of the symptoms that others posted. We haven't tried anti anxiety meds or anything. We are trying Cognitive Behavioral therapy which has helped a good deal in her learning to manage her own anxiety. I don't know if that would work for all children, but it has helped her feel more in control of her emotions (mostly, anyway). She is very afraid that her dad or I will die, and won't come back. The therapist has us working on her "triggers" of anxiety and then coming up herself what has happened in the past in the same situation as a logical way for her to remember when things have gone well in the past. She's off her meds this summer (Metadate and Remeron) but it hasn't seemed to affect her anxiety on or off them. I hope my answer helps someone, and I am glad to know there are other parents out there who understand.

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I want to warn you about the use of Risperdal. My son was on it for aggressive behavior and uncontrollable anger outbursts. He started it in kindergarten (b4 xmas) and by January went to the hospital for terrible constipation. I never connected the two until a year after taking him off Riperadol. He's battled w/chronic constipation for almost four years (he's now 9) and we've just finally gotten him back on track. I complained to the doctor about his soiling and not making it to the toilet (he was previously fully potty-trained) In response, he took stool softners every day but it wasn't ever really dealt with completely. We ended up seeing a gastroenterologist and attacked the problem intensely. There is also a possible effect of raising prolactin and development of breast tissue also. I don't think that happened w/my son but he does have more "chubbiness" there. Well, that's about it. Thought I'd share what I know. Quote:

Momof2w/ADHD said: But I do have an idea of what you're going through. My 10-year-old son also has an anxiety disorder along with ADHD. His anxieties centered more around me; I couldn't leave the house except to go to work without him insisting on going with me. He wouldn't go out to play, he slept with me at night and woke in the morning as soon as I left the bed, I couldn't even go to the bathroom without him standing guard outside the door. After arguing with him one cold night, when I was just going a few houses up the street to drop a casserole off at a sick neighbor's, I asked in exasperation, "Are you afraid I'm going to leave you?" He very calmly said, "Yes" as he zipped up his winter coat. Plus he was having meltdowns at school and difficulties getting along with the other kids. We changed his medication from the Daytrana patch to Vyvanse, and he's relaxed some. Then we started him on Risperdal, and that's helped, too. He still wants to sleep with me at night, and he still has meltdowns, but they aren't as severe and he's willing to go out to play without me, or let me run out to pick up a pizza without him. We're going to try raising the dose of Risperdal next, and he's going to see a therapist -- baby steps, but they're steps in the right direction.

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I want to warn you about the use of Risperdal. My son was on it for aggressive behavior and uncontrollable anger outbursts. He started it in kindergarten (b4 xmas) and by January went to the hospital for terrible constipation. I never connected the two until a year after taking him off Riperadol. He's battled w/chronic constipation for almost four years (he's now 9) and we've just finally gotten him back on track. I complained to the doctor about his soiling and not making it to the toilet (he was previously fully potty-trained) In response, he took stool softners every day but it wasn't ever really dealt with completely. We ended up seeing a gastroenterologist and attacked the problem intensely. There is also a possible effect of raising prolactin and development of breast tissue also. I don't think that happened w/my son but he does have more "chubbiness" there. Well, that's about it. Thought I'd share what I know. Quote:

Momof2w/ADHD said: But I do have an idea of what you're going through. My 10-year-old son also has an anxiety disorder along with ADHD. His anxieties centered more around me; I couldn't leave the house except to go to work without him insisting on going with me. He wouldn't go out to play, he slept with me at night and woke in the morning as soon as I left the bed, I couldn't even go to the bathroom without him standing guard outside the door. After arguing with him one cold night, when I was just going a few houses up the street to drop a casserole off at a sick neighbor's, I asked in exasperation, "Are you afraid I'm going to leave you?" He very calmly said, "Yes" as he zipped up his winter coat. Plus he was having meltdowns at school and difficulties getting along with the other kids. We changed his medication from the Daytrana patch to Vyvanse, and he's relaxed some. Then we started him on Risperdal, and that's helped, too. He still wants to sleep with me at night, and he still has meltdowns, but they aren't as severe and he's willing to go out to play without me, or let me run out to pick up a pizza without him. We're going to try raising the dose of Risperdal next, and he's going to see a therapist -- baby steps, but they're steps in the right direction.

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