Minutus

8-year old boy, extreme in emotional behaviour. Can sit quietly for an hour, and within seconds can be running, screaming, out of control. Moving from sweetness to hysteria. Not malicious, sense of confusion and fear within the hysteria. Main problems are upper respiratory, history of whooping cough after vaccination, history of pneumonia. Tendency to start coughing. Only child, single mother. Child has responded well to Phos and Bell, but behaviour issues are the same, maybe very slightly improved.

In the past, meds included Ventolin and Budicort, both taken at least once if not more daily. Since homeopathic treatment these are no longer needed. However, child is on daily dose of Montelukast, and has been for several years. There's a warning out on this med, that it might cause behavioural change, even suicidal thoughts, in children. So now there's a vicious cycle - the child is very sensitive to any change from hot to cold, or cold to hot. Especially noticeable after swimming, but also any change in weather, if sweating after exertion, coming out of the shower etc. Every time mother tries to take him off the Montelukast, something happens in terms of sensitivity and he starts coughing again. I think the Montelukast has something to do with the mood swings, although the mother says even as a baby he could be hyper.

Initially when mother took him off Montelukast, the day after his mood was definitely affected for several hours in the morning, would be very irritable, then it would pass.

Any thoughts?

Vera

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Vera Resnick RCHom
Classical Homeopath
Alternative Medicine
054-4640736
e-mail: vera.homeopath@gmail.com
www.freewebs.com/verahomeopath

If the mood swings are due to the drugs then they cannot be used in the case with any reliable notion but it would be worth taking details of his earlier behaviour. Then you have to get quality sx regarding the cough as these too will be altered by the medications.

You could begin an extremely slow and careful withdrawal that could take months bit by bit reducing the dose of meds not just stop as this would be too dangerous. Then as a clearer picture emerges you'll have more reliable sx. Keep in daily contact if you have to and work with the parent carefully, taking the cough sx as they emerge and prescribe on them as that is a more factual core of the case for now. That is what i would do anyway.

Can you describe his build and are there any time modalities involved - just thinking on a couple of rx.

Joy

http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

Hi Vera,

Do you know how long ago the sudden mood swings in this form began?
Checking for side effects at
, I find:

"Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects
occur when using Montelukast:

"Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty
breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips,
or tongue); aggressive behavior; ***agitation; dark urine; fever;
flu-like symptoms; **&*hallucinations; irregular heartbeat; ***mental
or mood changes; new or worsening wheezing or other breathing problems;
numbness or tingling of hands or feet; seizures; severe or persistent
stomach pain; severe sinus inflammation; suicidal thoughts or actions;
swelling; unusual bruising or bleeding; upper respiratory tract
infection; yellowing of the skin or eyes." [emphasis mine]

If you determine that the drug is *not* causing that symptom, then
perhaps you can get him onto a helpful remedy and then slowly taper the
drug; or if you determine that it is or may be causing them, I would
love to hear how others would handle the situation?

One approach, as I remember, is just to prescribe on the current
picture that appears to be caused by the drug, and proceed from there;
another could be to see if you can identify the remedy *apart* from the
drug symptoms, and try to reduce his sensitivity that way (and then
begin tapering the drug). Isopathy is another possibility, tho we hear
mixed reviews as to how successful that is.

Shannon

Mother says mood swings were also before Montelukast, but she doesn't remember exactly and he has been taking for several years. Doc is in favour of taking him off the med, initially mom started taking him off once a week, but has stopped.

The cough sx don't give anything, dry cough, sometimes from chest, sometimes with suffocating feeling. No expectoration. Sometimes more in morning - I have rarely actually heard him cough. In addition - the mother is very anxious with every cough.

The most noticeable thing in the case at present is this thermal sensitivity, and, at least to some extent, the mood swings. He's dark, right size for his age, tanned skin, dark hair, slightly stocky. He can be very affectionate in extreme mood swing, but doesn't know how to express it and can come too close. Medorrhinum maybe?

Respiratory problems were before the drug, although I wonder if it's created a dependency that exacerbates them.

Vera

Do you have a full description of what he was like as an infant, and
maybe up to and including the time right before he started the drug?
(Can she find out what age that was exactly?)

You say that each time she takes him off, he begins to cough. Is it so
bad that she *has* to do something, or could she try things like herbs,
magnesium (anti-spasmodic), omega 3s, to see if it could ease a
transition for him?

Shannon

I was thinking Kali carb because it has the alternating mood swings, hysteria, H/O pneumonia, cough, thermal sensitive tend to be somewhat overweight (which is why I asked) but now thinking more along the lines of Tuberculinum for much the same reasons except the weight but extreme thermal sensitivity, very restless and this is seen even more in the mood swings, makes some sense if Phos has >> somewhat, broncho-pneumonia in children, all sorts of cough. I would definitely look at Tuberculinum.

Joy

http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

Tub was one of my deliberations at the start - interesting. Will check, thanks. Vera