Parents Whose children have been sexually abused Community Group
This group is for parents whose children have been sexually abused. We welcome both Mothers and Fathers. Here, we can offer support to one another. We can vent, cry and lift each other up. No condemning or criticizing allowed. We are here for support. We LOVE (((HUGS))) !
Im new here. I have a 6 yr old child who was just diagnosed with ptsd and severe anxiety due to the sexual assault by his cousin. He experiences lots of nightmares and when hes feeling anxious he has a problem containing it. He has some behavioral issues in class and problems being told what to do. He sees a counselor for cbt twice a month and a psychiatrist once a month. He was just prescribed zoloft to help him. Have anyone elses children been treated with zoloft? Any negative effects? positives? What other treatments or medications have helped or should be avoided? What can i do that im not already doing to help him heal? This breaks my heart everyday when i look at my sweet baby and the thoughts go through my head as to what was done to him and imagining how he must feel.
mobley4100
I don't know anything about medications, but if this was a recent issue that was discovered, just protecting him and getting him away from the abuser will help. My daughter has never been a good sleeper, so her continued sleep issues after the abuse started were not a red flag to me, but I can tell you, since she knows we have protected her from the situation, her sleep issues (and nightmares) have gotten much better. I think just supporting him, telling him that it wasn't his fault if it comes up, and letting him know you will protect him as best you can from now on is the best thing you can do. I stress to my daughter (who was also abused by a cousin) that I will do my best to protect her, but she has to tell me if anything ever happens with anybody, that I can't protect her if I don't know. My daughter has some behavior issues too, but mostly just with those of us who she knows she is safe with (not with teachers) and can act out. Thankfully she usually does not act out in school, but I give the teacher tips on how to deal with her should the behavior come through. Good luck, hang in there, and try to keep the thoughts in your head positive. I wonder often about what is going through my daughter's head too, but we are all doing the best we can do.
tears-on-my-pillow
Do as much research as you can on line before you put any one on an antidepressant, maybe even get a second opinion. Every person is different and will react differently to medications. Make sure you are aware of possible side effects. So you can monitor your child closely for side effects if you decide to go with the doctors recommendations.
bonnieboo11
My 11 year old daughter has been on Fluoxetine(prozac) for 2 years now and it is a life saver! Zoloft is in the same category. My daughter uses it for anxiety,OCD, depression.We were totally against it at first but she was really suffering.We tried Zoloft and found Fluoxetine was a better fit.Prozac has been around for years and is the only drug approved for children,Zoloft too.That was really comforting knowing that because you hear of all these new drugs coming out and than months later it is linked to some illness.We took our daughter off once to see if she was able to handle things and we put her right back on,she was not ready,She says she notices the difference and says she is able to deal better on it.It is a personal choice but I say try it, yes suicidal thoughts are a side effect but a very uncommon side effect.I am very anti-drug and I myself wont take anything stronger than an Advil but this really helped my daughter so she could do the work with her therapist.
xmanismyhero
Theres a restraining order against the cousin thankfully and its written in their fathers visitation paperwork that this boy can not be near my child. We have been going thru this for 18 months approximately. Its been a long hard road and to the point i thought finally giving meds a try. He has the nightmares and has said things about not wanting to live. Hes not even 7 yet! Its been so rough on him, on all of us. I just want him to feel normal again. I know he never will... thank you for responding i read into everything but personal experiences seem more helpful then just a list of words and reactions. Its only been 3 weeks im hoping it will help him cope.
rmbadger
My child was just getting ready to turn 6 when we found out about her abuse. I will say that for her, the first couple of months were the most difficult for her. She was trying to come to terms with her half brother hurting her in a way she didn't understand and also the loss of the relationship with that brother. He had told her we wouldn't love her and that she would be in trouble if she told so she was also dealing with the worry and guilt that he put in her mind. So I don't have experience with putting my child on medication, but I still wanted to tell you that it got better for her with time. I also believe that reinforcement that she didn't do anything wrong and seeing her therapist helped her a lot.
xmanismyhero
He just received an additional diagnosis of add and these meds will be added to his regimen. He hates the medicine he refuses to take it so its been going in his yogurt because i know its for the best until he can get these building blocks on place on how to handle it when hes overwhelmed. It breaks my heart to lie to him and say im not putting im his food. Does anyone else do this? Am i wrong?i second guess everything now....
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