by Cara at Cara's Poetry Cove

She sees in her children
what other's can't see,
when to tame the spirit
when to set it free,

she sees the character
like no one can
and sees when a boy
turns into a man,

others may judge
and tell her she's wrong
but she hears when her girl
begins a young woman's song,

nothing should rush
a mother's judgment so true,
for she knows what she has
and she knows what to do,

sometimes she'll doubt,
and sometimes she'll cry,
and think that there's
nothing left she can try,

but sure as we live
and sure as we breathe
children will grow
into more than we perceive.

next: ADHD Medication Side Effects
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Find out the most common side effects of ADHD medications - Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, Strattera.

Aderall^® Side Effects

Concerta^® Side Effects

Ritalin^® Side Effects

Strattera Side Effects

Adderall Side Effects

The most common side effects are restlessness or tremor; anxiety or nervousness; headache or dizziness; insomnia; dryness of the mouth or an unpleasant taste in the mouth; diarrhea or constipation; or impotence or changes in sex drive. (Adderall full prescribing information).

Concerta Side Effects

In the clinical studies with patients using CONCERTA®, the most common side effects were headache, stomach pain, sleeplessness, and decreased appetite. Other side effects seen with methylphenidate, the active ingredient in CONCERTA®, include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, nervousness, tics, allergic reactions, increased blood pressure and psychosis (abnormal thinking or hallucinations). (Concerta full prescribing information).

Ritalin Side Effects

Nervousness and insomnia are the most common adverse reactions but are usually controlled by reducing dosage and omitting the drug in the afternoon or evening.

Other reactions include hypersensitivity (including skin rash, urticaria, fever, arthralgia, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme with histopathological findings of necrotizing vasculitis, and thrombocytopenic purpura); anorexia; nausea; dizziness; palpitations; headache; dyskinesia; drowsiness; blood pressure and pulse changes, both up and down; tachycardia; angina; cardiac arrhythmia; abdominal pain; weight loss during prolonged therapy.

Allergic reactions: skin rash, hives, drug fever joint pains possible. Headache, dizziness rapid and forceful heart palpitation-infrequent. (Ritalin full prescribing information).

Strattera Side Effects

Upset stomach, decreased appetite, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, tiredness, decrease in appetite, some weight loss, and mood swings were the most common side effects.

In rare cases, Strattera can cause allergic reactions, such as swelling or hives, which can be serious. Your child should stop taking Strattera. Call your doctor or healthcare professional if your child develops any of these symptoms. (Strattera full prescribing information).

next: Special Education Rights and Responsibilities
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When asking for help for your ADHD child at school, if you are ignorant of your rights, you may not receive appropriate assistance.

You Call This Help?

As I mentioned earlier, what some school districts, staff and teachers consider help, and what I consider help are two different things. When I asked for help, ignorant of my rights, it took me over 3 months to get a meeting with what the school called a "Child Study Team." I called it "stall tactics."

After waiting over 3 months for the Child Study Team to meet, what I got was a 15-minute "get together" where James' teacher admitted that the child had problems. The school psychologist agreed to make time over the next couple of weeks to "observe" James in his classroom and a second meeting would then be held.

After the second meeting was held, the "child study" team decided that they would observe James for 6 more months and then hold another meeting. What all this observing was going to do, I don't know, but I do know that the 6-month period they set for "observation" put us well past the end of the school year which absolved them of any further responsibilities to my son :(

Despite the fact, I managed to get James diagnosed and placed in therapy during the summer, it wasn't until school started that next year that the worst of our problems would surface. The child study team was no help. It was a new year, child was older, different teacher, etc. Their observations from the year before were no longer valid and they felt, to be fair, they should start over on their observations.

I went to the principal. James was only 6 and still in kindergarten as he had been held back, and the principal in her infinite wisdom decided that you simply do not test children under the age of seven for learning disabilities because their age and maturity level can interfere with the outcome of the tests. Special ed testing was denied and the principal shuffled me off to James' teacher to talk to her about his diagnosis of ADHD.

I foolishly accepted the principal's word, feeling that being a professional, she surely knew of what she spoke. I left her office unsatisfied, but with the feeling that I had done what I could. Ten days later, I would find myself in her office again, with my son representatives of the local police department.

Amidst the suspensions and police reports that were flying around, I was suddenly forced to learn what my child's rights were and what the school's responsibilities were. Special Education Rights and Responsibilities...Know them, Live them, Use them! And don't wait until you're forced to learn them, be prepared!

next: ADHD Special Education Legal Rights
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Q.In the last few days, I have begun having panic attacks. Anytime I am alone, I begin to worry and have to get out of the house and be with people. At night, I begin wondering if my heart is beating too fast, my pulse is not strong enough, etc. I have had a reaction to over-the-counter medication that I believe brought on the first reaction and has caused a ringing in my ear. Would the ringing in my ear be triggering the panic attacks?

A. Many people find that the ringing in the ears, as well as other sensory changes, eg. sensitivity to light, sound, etc. can be a precursor to the panic attack. Many of these symptoms are associated with an overall symptom known as Dissociation. People can tend to have these symptoms and then have the panic attack. There is a link between the two; that is, dissociation and panic attacks and research is currently looking at this link. Some say it is a change of consciousness which is triggering the panic attacks.

So, yes, this is common. Many people then go on to use this symptom to say ...OK I am experiencing this, let's start working on the techniques to let go of the panic attack. It can be used in recovery.

next: Prescribed Medication and Alcohol
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Q: I suffer from an anxiety/panic disorder. Of course, this is the diagnosis I have received because there seems to be no other terminology used to describe what I experience. Even though I am quite able to accept that the symptoms I am experiencing are purely physical, I am still treated as though I have a mental illness. My attacks are spontaneous in nature and are characterized by some of the common physical manifestations including rapid heartbeat, trembling, tingling sensations in the left arm, chest pain, etc. Let me emphasize, however, that I do not have any irrational fears or phobias that may subconsciously trigger an attack.

I have read some interesting theories suggesting that prolonged stress may sensitize the central nervous system. Reactions to stimuli become exaggerated. What is your opinion? Do you believe that more research should be done investigating the physical origins of this disease? I know that I am not the only one who is able to discern between real physical sensations and sensations that are a result of a psychosis.

A: Good question! Before we go into a general discussion about the full content of your email there a couple of points we need to clarify first.

1. Panic disorder and the other anxiety disorders are not and have never been considered part of the psychotic illnesses group. Although there is a 'Serious Mental Disorder' category for panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and social anxiety, this category for anxiety disorders acknowledges the serious disabilities associated to these disorders such as agoraphobia (avoidance behavior) major depression etc. Twenty percent of people with panic disorder, 20% of people with OCD and 10% of people with social anxiety fit the criteria for the 'Serious Mental Disorder' category, because they are so disabled as a result of their disorder. Before we had this category, people were not eligible for treatment via our public mental health system, nor were they classified within the general health system. Now with this category at least people can get specialized treatment.

2. It is now recognized spontaneous panic attacks have nothing to do some sort of 'phobic response' either conscious or unconscious. Twenty years ago this was thought to be the case, but not now.

I am like you, as is everyone else we know who has had panic disorder (over 20,000 people now). We all know what we are experiencing is physical, and so do the mental health professionals. We are really experiencing these symptoms - but it is the way we think of the symptoms which causes most of our ongoing problems (i.e. we are having a heart attack, going to die, have a brain tumor, going insane, the doctor has made a mistake, the test results have been mixed up, what if, etc.) This is the psychological factor and the one which is significant in onset of avoidance behavior.

Panic disorder is the fear of having a spontaneous panic attack. Lose the fear of the attack and you lose the disorder, the ongoing anxiety and the disabilities associated to panic disorder. The fear turns on the flight and fight response which only perpetuates our symptoms. Turn off the fight and flight response and all you are left with is the spontaneous panic attacks. Which of course everyone says they don't want to have ever again. But don't give up now, read on.

We have always put forward the fact that something happens to us first then we panic. The problem is people who haven't experienced the spontaneous attack have no idea there is a separation between the 'attack' and the panic. We have an attack and as far as we are concerned panic is a natural normal response to what is happening to us. My psychiatrist used to say 'you are having panic attacks' and I would say 'yes, stop this thing from happening to me and I won't panic.' 'You are anxious' and I would say 'stop this thing from happening to me and I won't be anxious.' He never understood what I meant.

If you are sitting in peak hour traffic and without warning an electric shock rips through your body, your heart rate doubles and you suddenly can't breathe and within a split second you are out of your body looking down at yourself in the car - who wouldn't panic, who wouldn't be anxious? This subtle but most basic point has not ever been acknowledged, as far as we are aware, any where in the literature.

While various drug research puts forward various biological causes and produces drug to fix it, the drugs don't work for all people all of the time. If the reason why we have the spontaneous attacks was found, then the appropriate medication may be developed which would work for everyone all of the time, instead of for just some people, some of the time.

We take the approach that yes something is happening to us physically, something which is not understood, and something which can be incredibly violent as it moves through the body. Many of us feel it as an electric shock, burning heat, intense rushes of energy etc, our heart rate can double, have breathing difficulties, nausea, shaking and trembling, out of body experiences, nothing appears real including ourselves etc. We panic. The fight and flight response is turned on as a result of the panic and our symptoms increase.

We seek medical advice and are told there isn't any physical cause for it happening. i.e. heart problems, brain tumors etc. It is difficult to believe because the experience can be horrific. We fear having another, we fear a mistake has been made and the more we worry the worse we get.

Recovery means we need to lose our fear of what is happening to us. This way we turn off the fight and flight response by turning off the 'what if' and other negative thinking. This is why cognitive behavioral therapy is so important.

The spontaneous attack can be a very violent even when you have lost your fear of them and don't panic. The secret is when you lose your fear of it everything settles down and disappears within 30 -60 seconds. There is no fear, no panic and no anxiety.

For the last few years we have been working with the theory that the ability to dissociate is a major cause of spontaneous panic attacks. This is based upon our own experiences and our own ongoing research.

Yes, yet another theory! But it is one we have found which really fits the experience of our own spontaneous panic attacks and also that of our clients. Working within this framework, we can recover, slowly withdraw from our medication and control the occasional attack by working with our thinking.

As we said, good question.

next: Therapist Stories
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Q: I have a question concerning "electrical surges." I have experienced spontaneous panic attacks and one symptom of the attacks is an electrical surge which moves through my left arm and through my chest. I am able to accept this as a symptom of my attacks, but sometimes I feel this sensation without experiencing an attack. The electrical tingling will continue for hours sometimes. Also, with increased stimulation (exercise, strong emotion, etc.) the sensation intensifies. I have had numerous tests done (blood tests, EKG's, etc.) and my doctor has found no physical problems. Can you give me any information concerning these sensations?

A: We have been looking at this and allied symptoms for a long time. The closest we have come is to refer people to a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner for massage and/or acupuncture. But we do emphasise make sure it is someone who has either trained in China or has been practising TCM for quite a number of years. If we look across cultures TCM understands these symptoms in a way our Western Medicine doesn't. (but you still have to work with your thinking as well!)

It is interesting to note, people who have the electrical sensations also have a left hand sided weakness which does ultimately disappear over time. Something never mentioned in the literature.

next: Ephedrine, Ma Huong, Exercise
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Q. In the last few days, I have begun having panic attacks. Anytime I am alone, I begin to worry and have to get out of the house and be with people. At night, I begin wondering if my heart is beating too fast, my pulse is not strong enough, etc. I have had a reaction to over-the-counter medication that I believe brought on the first reaction and has caused a ringing in my ear. Would the ringing in my ear be triggering the panic attacks?

A. Many people find that the ringing in the ears, as well as other sensory changes, eg. sensitivity to light, sound, etc. can be a precursor to the panic attack. Many of these symptoms are associated with an overall symptom known as Dissociation. People can tend to have these symptoms and then have the panic attack. There is a link between the two; that is, dissociation and panic attacks and research is currently looking at this link. Some say it is a change of consciousness which is triggering the panic attacks.

So, yes, this is common. Many people then go on to use this symptom to say ...OK I am experiencing this, let's start working on the techniques to let go of the panic attack. It can be used in recovery.

next: Sensitivity to Prescribed Medication
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Q: I had Panic Disorder and I never told anyone not even my wife. It made everything very difficult and our marriage suffered to the point we were separated. Although I didn't want to separate and I did miss my wife, my panic and anxiety eased up and almost disappeared. I finally told my wife about the Disorder and after some long heart to hearts we decided to give our marriage another chance. Now the panic and anxiety have returned almost back to what it was before. Thankfully my wife is very supportive, but I don't understand why it has come back.

A: It is not uncommon for people not to tell spouses of their Disorder. The problem with this is that it puts people under so much pressure to 'be normal' and the more pressure we are under the worse we get, so the pressure to be 'normal' increases and around and around we go. During the separation you were able to just be yourself without having to put on a 'front' all the time. The pressure was off and the anxiety/panic settled down. In many cases the anxiety and panic don't just disappear forever. There is a very strong possibility it would have returned even if you and your wife did not come back together. It is of course important that you do receive appropriate treatment so that you can learn to work effectively with the anxiety and panic. I think it is also important to be aware of you are relating to your wife and the other people around you. Are you still trying to be 'normal'. Are you still putting yourself under pressure by trying to be 'normal'. And/or are you trying to be who you think your wife wants you to be, instead of simply being yourself. When we try to be who we think others want us to be, our anxiety and panic can know no bounds! When we accept ourselves as we are and we can be ourselves our anxiety and panic diminish.

next: Self Issues
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Q:I just want to recover. That is all I think about. I am obsessed with it and no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to get there. Everyone is expecting be to be better and I do try everyday to do everything I have to, but it is all just so hard and I am still so scared of having a panic attack. How long does all this take?

A: Recovery takes time and as I also say patience patience patience.

Don't worry about your 'obsessional' need to recover. This is HEALTHY. The need and drive to recover has to be absolute, it has to be the most important priority of your life. The need to recover has to be strong enough to push past all your fears including the fear of people not liking you.

The length of time for recovery varies with individual people. It is dependent upon how strong the need is to recover, how disciplined people are in practising the management techniques and for some people the resolution of past issues. As a rule of thumb, it can take 12 - 18 months from beginning to end, but during that time people can have days, then months of freedom, before a set back. The more set backs you have the better, because it gives you more to practice with and ultimately ensures a life of freedom.

A note of caution, when the need to recover becomes very strong, people have to learn to pace themselves and not push to extreme. Pushing yourself to extreme limits all the time will cause a set back and the feeling that 'I will never make it.' Use this time to get to know yourself fully and learn to be kind and compassionate towards yourself. This way you can learn to push past your limits with more care and understanding of yourself and the Disorder. Be kind to yourself and above all be patient.

One day at a time.

next: Is There a Link between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Panic Disorder?
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Q. I've had an anxiety disorder for 16 years . I tried many things, but nothing worked until I was put on prozac and then I got my life back. I have felt great until a month ago when I had surgery and had my gallbladder out and I really went downhill. It was so disappointing to feel some of those awful symptoms again. I know that fear played a big part in it; fear that I would get like I was 16 years ago, and this is making it worse. I just want to know what happened to me after that surgery that it all come back? The doctor upped my Prozac and I'm starting to feel better now, but its a slow return and very disappointing. Can you you offer me any help please?

A. We are also not sure what your anxiety disorder is. As such, we have based our answer on Panic Disorder. There could be a number of reasons as to why the prozac stopped working:

1. Definitely the fear that it would 'all' come back is a trigger for some people
2. It is not unusual for some people to actually develop panic disorder following an operation and the physical and mental stress of the operation may have triggered it again.
3. Some people report what is called, 'poop out' from the SSRIs, including Prozac. For some reason, in some people, they simply stop working.

Medication is not an effective long-term treatment for Panic Disorder. While there is no doubt it can be very necessary in the short-term, the most effective therapy in the long-term is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Have you used Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

next: Ringing in Ears Triggering Panic Attacks
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