Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents!

[Guest guest]

Hi, my 10 year old son has been on Risperdal for about 3 years for impulse control. He was doing well, although he gained weight on Risperdal but he is now really having trouble controlling himself. We are thinking about switching to Abilify, I am looking for feedback on effectiveness, side effects and interference with sleep. He also takes Prozac.

Help.

thanks, Jane

[Guest guest]

My 8 year old son has been on Abilify for about three months. He went from attacking everyone, to being a very sweet and affectionate boy. I was anti-meds prior to putting him on it, but WOW, what a difference!

Subject: Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents!To: sList Date: Monday, May 17, 2010, 3:09 PM

Hi, my 10 year old son has been on Risperdal for about 3 years for impulse control. He was doing well, although he gained weight on Risperdal but he is now really having trouble controlling himself. We are thinking about switching to Abilify, I am looking for feedback on effectiveness, side effects and interference with sleep. He also takes Prozac.

Help.

thanks, Jane

[Guest guest]

My son has been on both meds at different times. I just want to first say that my advice would be to keep in mind that what works well for one person is awful for the next, our bodies and chemistries are so vastly different that it is hard to know objectively about something based on people's experiences. A friend's son did great on one particular med that sent my son into mania and was horrible, for example.

That said, my son seemed to improve a lot on abilify for about 3-4 months at age 8 but then was suddenly plagued with a major depression so we took him off. He also became violent at that time. No way to know for sure if this was because of abilify, but it is a strong med. Now he is on risperdal and it appears to be helping with self control and aggression, but every now and then he still has a hard time BUT not as bad as before the risperdal, so far. Neither has seemed miraculous to us but improvements were seen with both. You may want to also check on some message boards/forums on the internet for more info.

From: sara

Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 4:26 PM

To: sList

Subject: Re: Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents!

My 8 year old son has been on Abilify for about three months. He went from attacking everyone, to being a very sweet and affectionate boy. I was anti-meds prior to putting him on it, but WOW, what a difference!

From: earlsjaneaol <earlsjaneaol>Subject: Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents!To: sList Date: Monday, May 17, 2010, 3:09 PM

Hi, my 10 year old son has been on Risperdal for about 3 years for impulse control. He was doing well, although he gained weight on Risperdal but he is now really having trouble controlling himself. We are thinking about switching to Abilify, I am looking for feedback on effectiveness, side effects and interference with sleep. He also takes Prozac.

Help.

thanks, Jane

[Guest guest]

My son has been on abilify for several yrs now the same thing happened to him.I may need to have the dosage increased now since he's growing, but these meds have been great for him.Sent on the Now Network™ from my Sprint® BlackBerryDate: Mon, 17 May 2010 13:26:46 -0700 (PDT)To: <sList >Subject: Re: Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents! My 8 year old son has been on Abilify for about three months. He went from attacking everyone, to being a very sweet and affectionate boy. I was anti-meds prior to putting him on it, but WOW, what a difference!From: earlsjaneaol <earlsjaneaol>Subject: Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents!To: sList Date: Monday, May 17, 2010, 3:09 PM Hi, my 10 year old son has been on Risperdal for about 3 years for impulse control. He was doing well, although he gained weight on Risperdal but he is now really having trouble controlling himself. We are thinking about switching to Abilify, I am looking for feedback on effectiveness, side effects and interference with sleep. He also takes Prozac.Help.thanks, Jane

[Guest guest]

Risperdal had the opposite effect on my son. He became more aggressive. I later found out that he should not have been on that since he is not ADD/ADHD.Sent on the Now Network™ from my Sprint® BlackBerryFrom: earlsjane@...Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 15:09:10 -0400To: <sList >Subject: Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents! Hi, my 10 year old son has been on Risperdal for about 3 years for impulse control. He was doing well, although he gained weight on Risperdal but he is now really having trouble controlling himself. We are thinking about switching to Abilify, I am looking for feedback on effectiveness, side effects and interference with sleep. He also takes Prozac.Help.thanks, Jane

[Guest guest]

Abilify is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE and the drug company does provide 2 week supply if you are lucky to have a psychiatrist who will give it to you. 5 percent of population will have severe reaction with internal agitation requiring immediate cessation of medication or patient could have fatal consequences. Is your child verbal enough to tell you how he/she is feeling? Abilify was first introduced for bipolar disease and received very strong feedback. Abilify has shown some success as an adjunct with depression medication if you can afford the $800/month without insurance or possibly $200/month if you have adequate coverage. You need to investigate and make best decision for your child.

Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents!

Hi, my 10 year old son has been on Risperdal for about 3 years for impulse control. He was doing well, although he gained weight on Risperdal but he is now really having trouble controlling himself. We are thinking about switching to Abilify, I am looking for feedback on effectiveness, side effects and interference with sleep. He also takes Prozac.

Help.

thanks, Jane

[Guest guest]

Abilify is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE and the drug company does provide 2 week supply if you are lucky to have a psychiatrist who will give it to you. 5 percent of population will have severe reaction with internal agitation requiring immediate cessation of medication or patient could have fatal consequences. Is your child verbal enough to tell you how he/she is feeling? Abilify was first introduced for bipolar disease and received very strong feedback. Abilify has shown some success as an adjunct with depression medication if you can afford the $800/month without insurance or possibly $200/month if you have adequate coverage. You need to investigate and make best decision for your child.

Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from parents!

Hi, my 10 year old son has been on Risperdal for about 3 years for impulse control. He was doing well, although he gained weight on Risperdal but he is now really having trouble controlling himself. We are thinking about switching to Abilify, I am looking for feedback on effectiveness, side effects and interference with sleep. He also takes Prozac.

Help.

thanks, Jane

[Guest guest]

My son did better on Abilify. Risperdal gave him diabetes, although

both carry that risk. Risperdal had him drooling and dopey. Both

also carry the risk (especially when mixed with an SSRI like Prozac)

of Serotonin (or Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome) which is NOT just

hyper, as mentioned in a previous email. See below. It CAN kill.

This is important, because it is poorly recognized in emergency

rooms. They would think of drug ingestion (prob accidental in a kid)

or illness first.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

The diagnosis is usually made by asking questions about your medical

history, including the types of drugs you take.

To be diagnosed with serotonin syndrome, you must have been taking a

drug that changes the body's serotonin levels (serotonergic drug) and

have at least three of the following signs or symptoms:

• Agitation

• Diarrhea

• Heavy sweating not due to activity

• Fever

• Mental status changes such as confusion or hypomania

• Muscle spasms (myoclonus)

• Overactive reflexes (hyperreflexia)

• Shivering

• Tremor

• Uncoordinated movements (ataxia)

Serotonin syndrome is not diagnosed until all other possible causes

have been ruled out, including infections, intoxications, metabolic

and hormone problems, and drug withdrawal. Some symptoms of serotonin

syndrome can mimic those due to an overdose of cocaine, lithium, or an

MAOI.

If your kid is on a med that can cause neuroleptic malignant syndrome

and they get sick enough to go to ER, it never hurts to ask if it

could be NMS.

>

> Abilify is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE and the drug company does provide 2

> week supply if you are lucky to have a psychiatrist who will give it

> to you. 5 percent of population will have severe reaction with

> internal agitation requiring immediate cessation of medication or

> patient could have fatal consequences. Is your child verbal enough

> to tell you how he/she is feeling? Abilify was first introduced for

> bipolar disease and received very strong feedback. Abilify has

> shown some success as an adjunct with depression medication if you

> can afford the $800/month without insurance or possibly $200/month

> if you have adequate coverage. You need to investigate and make

> best decision for your child.

> Risperdal vs. Abilify-I need feedback from

> parents!

>

>

>

> Hi, my 10 year old son has been on Risperdal for about 3 years for

> impulse control. He was doing well, although he gained weight on

> Risperdal but he is now really having trouble controlling himself.

> We are thinking about switching to Abilify, I am looking for

> feedback on effectiveness, side effects and interference with sleep.

> He also takes Prozac.

> Help.

> thanks, Jane

>

>

>

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