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Three Easy Relaxation Techniques for Children with Anxiety

Children play and try to have fun under the sun but there are those who experience gut-wrenching uneasiness that may intervene with their lives. Living in fear and constantly being plagued with thoughts of doom is not a life that a little child is supposed to have because they are entitled to live in carefree. Data from the National Institute of Mental Health shows that 25.1 percent of children from 13 to 18 years old are suffering from tension induced problems while 5.9 percent of those have a peculiarly severe kind of anxiety. Though there are simple relaxation techniques that may be used by children for them to feel relaxed.

To ease the child’s distressing status, the parent or guardians are encouraged to keep a calm aura for them to feel safe and not to be tense. The tone of voice and facial expression might give away one’s true emotions. Thus, it is important to keep one’s composure first before facing them. Kids also try to follow the example of their parents, so when they see their mom and dad flustered all the time, they might also get this trait. There are times when parents comfort their children, they would deny them of whatever they feel to keep them from making a scene. But experts on child psychiatry say that when fear and doubts creep up the minds of these little tykes, parents are advised to acknowledge it rather than deny them.

So to help troubled parents in managing their restless kids, here are some simple relaxation tips:

• Play exercise would help children channel their energies to something they love to do. Fun activities would also take their mind off the things that bother them.

• Allow the child to do breathing exercises. Doing this together with them would also be a good change and gives them confidence.

• Positive imagery or things that would enhance their imagination may help in keeping them preoccupied. Keep them away from anything that may trigger their anxiety like horror movies or those that show violence.

It helps to follow a daily routine and when change is inevitable, slowly incorporate the changes to make it less stressful but make sure that the child does not have a full-packed schedule. There are several issues regarding the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that they cause problems in children. The issue regarding the side effects of this type of medications greatly bothers parents. Visit this page to know more.

URL References:

stress.lovetoknow.com/Top_Ten_Relaxation_Techniques_Children
nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1ANYANX_child.shtml
childparenting.about.com/od/healthsafety/a/how_to_handle_anxiety_in_children.htm

 

 

Zoloft Usage Basics

Zoloft (sertraline) is an antidepressant in a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).  The way that Zoloft is designed to help a patient is that it affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression, panic, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Zoloft is commonly used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).Less commonly, it is used to treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and irritable bowel syndrome, as well as sexual dysfunction in men.  The complete effectiveness of Zoloft as treatment for the last problems still remains inconclusive.

 

Do not take Zoloft if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur, leading to serious side effects. The side effects of Zoloft use encompasses a wide range of ailments, including headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, sore throat, excessive sweating, tingling in the hands and feet, and tremors, along with manifestations of sexual arousal disorder in both men and women.  The more serious side effects of Zoloft have been known to include hallucinations, blurred vision, and seizures. Currently Zoloft is not approved by the FDA for patients who are under the age of 18 because they maybe more prone to depression and suicide while on the drug.

  

Zoloft SSRI Antidepressant

Zoloft belongs to FDA pregnancy category C. SSRI antidepressants such as Zoloft may cause serious or life-threatening lung problems in newborn babies whose mothers take the medication during pregnancy.  However, there is also a chance that you may have a relapse in your depression if you do choose to stop taking your antidepressant during pregnancy. If you are trying to get pregnant or become pregnant while taking Zoloft, do not stop treatment until you talk to you doctor first.  It is not known at this time if Zoloft passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Talk with your doctor first before breast-feeding a baby while on Zoloft. 

 

 Zoloft is an antidepressant drug that is supposed to help patients with their signs and symptoms of depression, however like most drugs there are some Zoloft side effects that one has to watch out for.  If you are thinking about taking Zoloft for your depression, consult with your doctor first, especially if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant.

 

URL References:

• www.rxlist.com/zoloft-drug/indications-dosage.htm
• www.medicinenet.com/sertraline-oral/article.htm

 

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Effectiveness and Side Effects of Zoloft

There are many antidepressants in the market and one of the them is Zoloft.  It belongs to the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) family of antidepressants.   This classification of drugs helps in normalizing the levels of serotonin in the brain by inhibiting re-absorption.  Serotonin levels can alter the mood of a person.  Serotonin affects sleep, memory, and behavior.   More often than not people who are suffering with anxiety disorders and depression have low levels of serotonin.  To predict the effectiveness of antidepressants, a series of new blood tests was developed.

 

Nowadays more people are using antidepressants because of the rise of the rate of depression.   There were several people who have reported experiencing side effects of Zoloft.  The most common complaint among its users is nausea, which is being experienced by 30% of its users.   Sleep is a problem for 28% of those who are using Zoloft. Zoloft is not used on people who recently have had a heart attack or with heart diseases.   Those who are suffering bipolarism are not allowed to take it.

 

People are worried of using antidepressants because they are often associated with high risk of suicide. It seems that people using antidepressants have higher tendencies to kill themselves, especially those who are younger than 25 years old.   The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advised to keep a watchful eye in children using Zoloft due to the incidences of suicide.  The FDA has even issued warnings against antidepressants.  This warning is not only intended for users but also the physicians that are prescribing it.   Being hostile, feeling agitated and hallucinations are one of the signs of suicide.  Patients are advised by their doctors to report such behaviors immediately.

 

One thing to watch out for by Zoloft users is serotonin syndrome.   Symptoms of this are confusion, fainting and hallucinations.   Muscle spasms and difficulty in walking also makes it hard for them to move around.  May also sweat profusely and had loose watery stools.  Other common side effects include unwanted weight loss.   Using Zoloft in conjunction with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may cause stomach bleeding.

 

Side effects may vary from person to person.   A Zoloft lawsuit may be filed by people to get recompense from the damages that they believe that Zoloft has done.

References:

 
http://www.drugs.com/zoloft.htmlhttp://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=usgovinfo&cdn=newsissues&tm=566&f=21&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&st=11&zu=http%3A//www.fda.gov/cder/drug/antidepressants/default.htmhttp://depression.emedtv.com/zoloft/zoloft-and-suicide-p2.htmlusgovinfo.about.com/cs/healthmedical/a/antidepress.htm

 

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• Litigation Urges Experts to Develop Alternatives for Antidepressants (zoloftlawsuit.blog.com)

Flushing Diarrhea Down the Drain

Have you tried having frequent trips to the toilet because of unusually large amount of loose, watery stools? This is usually felt by everyone at least once or twice a year and we call it diarrhea. Diarrhea usually lasts up to 3 days and the symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) medications. This condition is commonly caused by infection (bacterial and sometimes viral), food allergies and irritants, gastrointestinal diseases and some cancers. Common causes of this condition include bacterial infection, allergies and intolerance with specific food, some cancers and intestinal diseases. Certain medications such as Zoloft also have diarrhea as one of the side effects.

Diarrhea: The Truth

Diarrhea is nature’s way of letting our body get rid of the toxins that is why we should let it be once it happens. However, this only goes for mild diarrhea where duration is usually up to 3 days without complications like dehydration. If you notice that the symptoms become severe, you might want to go to your doctor and seek medical assistance. Some things that you should watch out for are as follows:·        

• Diarrhea has persisted for more than 3 days
• You experience signs of dehydration such as headache, weakness, feeling of light-headedness, dry mouth and skin, urine is diminished and dark-colored and etc.
• Severe pain in the abdomen felt· 
• Severe pain felt when defecating (especially on the rectum)· 
• Bloody stools
• High-grade fever 

How to Manage Diarrhea

Severe diarrhea needs immediate medical attention and it is best that you go to the hospital or to your doctor. If diarrhea is minimal, OTC medications can do good especially if the symptoms disrupt your routine but as mentioned, it is encouraged to let it run its normal course. Consult with your physician if you choose to take medications to make sure that it won’t cause more harm. To help you cope with the symptoms, you are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids. We lose a lot of our body fluids together with the electrolytes in diarrhea and it should be replaced to prevent dehydration. Aside from that, introduction of semi-solid food and fibre into the diet helps but it should be gradual so the digestive system can adjust and the condition will not be exacerbated. Fruits and vegetables are rich in fibre but choose those that are fresh and clean. Prevention of dairy products, fatty foods, spicy foods and others that are known to be irritants to the digestive system will also help. Food allergies also contribute to having diarrhea so it is advised that you avoid any of them if you have any. Lastly, it was mentioned that some medications cause diarrhea. Most users of Zoloft, an antidepressant, complain that they’ve had diarrhea since they started with the drug. If you are using Zoloft and have experienced diarrhea as a side effect, please do not immediately stop taking the drug as this may have a rebound effect. In this case, you are highly encouraged to seek your physician’s help so he or she can check if you need a new medication. After the management of diarrhea, don’t be surprised with  symptoms of constipation because it usually follows.