Re: meds

July 9, 2012

I have an extremely aggressive child that is on Risperdone, which is an anti-psychotic. If he was aggressive every now and then, I'd try him on N-acetylcysteine, which is an antioxidant. There was a recent study at Stanford, that showed aggressive children's behaviors were reduced by 10% by taking these supplements.

Subject: medsTo: sList Date: Monday, July 9, 2012, 8:22 AM

Does anyone have experience treating agressive behaviors,anger tantrums with SSRI's for children with autism/asberger types? My son is 10 I have been struggling for years with the idea of meds, I am trying to have the courage to try this ofr my son. The aggressive episodes are only occasional, but they are seriously scary.ie. stabbed my palm with a pencil while I was driving. I am tired of hearing what people with "normal" kids tell me. It actually makes me angry, they do not really get it because they do not live with this type of child. I had a close friend tell me I should have higher expectations for my son, that he could do much better in school. I was silenced by this one, my child is riddled w/ learning disabilities, he is improving at his pace- which is slow. This is fine with me . If I could not be proud of his accomplishments and didnt accept where he is I think I would be making things a lot more difficult. Does anybody experience this

type of thing with well meaning friends? Sometimes I wanna choke people!!

July 9, 2012

Before you make the leap because it becomes a vicious cycle...have some testing done to see why he's got the aggression - there are a number of reasons why this can be happening. Our testing gives a nutritionals and supplemental protocol on how to specifically address the deficits. We have lots of kids with aggression under control once you address the causation factor. www.pHtestlab.com

you can contact me for further info Badillo9@...

Does anyone have experience treating agressive behaviors,anger tantrums with SSRI's for children with autism/asberger types? My son is 10 I have been struggling for years with the idea of meds, I am trying to have the courage to try this ofr my son. The aggressive episodes are only occasional, but they are seriously scary.ie. stabbed my palm with a pencil while I was driving. I am tired of hearing what people with "normal" kids tell me. It actually makes me angry, they do not really get it because they do not live with this type of child. I had a close friend tell me I should have higher expectations for my son, that he could do much better in school. I was silenced by this one, my child is riddled w/ learning disabilities, he is improving at his pace- which is slow. This is fine with me . If I could not be proud of his accomplishments and didnt accept where he is I think I would be making things a lot more difficult. Does anybody experience this type of thing with well meaning friends? Sometimes I wanna choke people!!

July 9, 2012

We've been using Abilify, also an anti-psychotic, which is supposed to have less of the weight-gain issue that Risperidol has. To: sList Sent: Monday, July 9, 2012 9:45 AM Subject: Re: meds

I have an extremely aggressive child that is on Risperdone, which is an anti-psychotic. If he was aggressive every now and then, I'd try him on N-acetylcysteine, which is an antioxidant. There was a recent study at Stanford, that showed aggressive children's behaviors were reduced by 10% by taking these supplements.

Subject: medsTo: sList Date: Monday, July 9, 2012, 8:22 AM

Does anyone have experience treating agressive behaviors,anger tantrums with SSRI's for children with autism/asberger types? My son is 10 I have been struggling for years with the idea of meds, I am trying to have the courage to try this ofr my son. The aggressive episodes are only occasional, but they are seriously scary.ie. stabbed my palm with a pencil while I was driving. I am tired of hearing what people with "normal" kids tell me. It actually makes me angry, they do not really get it because they do not live with this type of child. I had a close friend tell me I should have higher expectations for my son, that he could do much better in school. I was silenced by this one, my child is riddled w/ learning disabilities, he is improving at his pace- which is slow. This is fine with me . If I could not be proud of his accomplishments and didnt accept where he is I think I would be making things a lot

more difficult. Does anybody experience this

type of thing with well meaning friends? Sometimes I wanna choke people!!

July 9, 2012

Hi Sara

Obviously, no parent wants to have to put their child on medication(s). It's one

of the saddest decisions we have to make on this journey as a parent of a child

with autism. But many of us do eventually have to take that plunge. When our

child is injuring others or themselves, we realize that we must do something

before someone gets seriously hurt. We may first try less invasive preparations

like certain supplements, behavioral therapy, or alternative treatments such as

massage therapy, cranial sacral therapy, etc. But after you have left no stone

unturned in this arena, and your child is still aggressive or self-injurious,

you may then find yourself in the position of having to try pharmaceutical

medications.

The first thing you need to do when you come to the realization that your child

needs meds, is to find a really great doctor(child neurologist or psychiatrist)

that you trust or that has been highly recommended by your friends who have

children with autism or from someone on the list. Every child responds

differently to medications. There will most likely be some trial and error as

you see what your child responds to. Patience is a virtue here. I must also let

you know, that medication treatment is not a panacea for aggression or SIBS. It

doesn't mean that there will be a total end to the situation, but they should

help to diminish it considerably once the right medication is being used. As

time progresses, the medication that seemed to work so well may not be as

effective as before and there will need to be some " tweeking " or new medication

prescribed, so its important to stay in contact with the doctor.

It may give you some comfort to know that many individuals on the spectrum do

use medication one time or another in their lives. Not that this is a good fact,

but just to let you know that you are not alone.

Herskowitz

> >

> >>From: asel@...

> >>Subject: meds

> >>To: sList

> >>Date: Monday, July 9, 2012, 8:22 AM

> >>

> >>Â

> >>Does anyone have experience treating agressive behaviors,anger tantrums with

SSRI's for children with autism/asberger types? My son is 10 I have been

struggling for years with the idea of meds, I am trying to have the courage to

try this ofr my son. The aggressive episodes are only occasional, but they are

seriously scary.ie. stabbed my palm with a pencil while I was driving. I am

tired of hearing what people with " normal " kids tell me. It actually makes me

angry, they do not really get it because they do not live with this type of

child. I had a close friend tell me I should have higher expectations for my

son, that he could do much better in school. I was silenced by this one, my

child is riddled w/ learning disabilities, he is improving at his pace- which is

slow. This is fine with me . If I could not be proud of his accomplishments and

didnt accept where he is I think I would be making things a lot more difficult.

Does anybody experience this type

> of thing with well meaning friends? Sometimes I wanna choke people!!

> >>

> >

>

July 9, 2012

My daughter is 11 and has Aspergers, OCD and ADHD. She has been very aggressive and violent over the last few years. She has been hospitalized locally three times, (two of those under the Baker Act) and just returned from 7 months of residential treatment. She started on medication half-way through Kindergarden. We tried the vitamin and supplement route, but it did not help her. Without the prescribed medications from her doctor, she would not be able to live at home.

This decision is so personal and individual. Each child is different. Meds that might work with one child may not work with another child. Meds that worked when a child was 5 may not work when the child is 10. Side effects for some of these meds are significant. In my experience, if you are going to pursue this avenue, the most important aspect is to find a doctor who is well-versed in treating children similar to your own. You have to develop a strong level of trust with the doctor. You need to be able to get your questions answered. The doctor should be starting the meds on the lowest possible dose... these are just a few things that I can think to share with you.

My daughter has been treated with anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. She is currently on anti-seizure medication and it seems to be working better than the anti-psychotics and the side effects are not as scary.

Another thought to share... medication is not a magic answer to behavior... therapy is still required. What I have seen with my daughter is that the medication slows her reactions down so that she can actually use some of the strategies and skills she learns in therapy.

Its funny how friends and family members often look to the mother or parents to point at what they are doing wrong with our children... I'm sure many of the people on this list have been on the receiving end of those kinds of comments! They are ignorant because, as you say, " they do not live with this type of child. " I personally ignore the ignorant comments because those opinions have no meaning to me

Good luck with your decision. You are a good mother who is clearly trying to do the best for your son!

If you would like more information on the medications, please email me privately.

Jean

Does anyone have experience treating agressive behaviors,anger tantrums with SSRI's for children with autism/asberger types? My son is 10 I have been struggling for years with the idea of meds, I am trying to have the courage to try this ofr my son. The aggressive episodes are only occasional, but they are seriously scary.ie. stabbed my palm with a pencil while I was driving. I am tired of hearing what people with " normal " kids tell me. It actually makes me angry, they do not really get it because they do not live with this type of child. I had a close friend tell me I should have higher expectations for my son, that he could do much better in school. I was silenced by this one, my child is riddled w/ learning disabilities, he is improving at his pace- which is slow. This is fine with me . If I could not be proud of his accomplishments and didnt accept where he is I think I would be making things a lot more difficult. Does anybody experience this type of thing with well meaning friends? Sometimes I wanna choke people!!

--

Have a lovely day!

Jean

July 9, 2012

Jean, You are a great mom and a wonderful support for the rest of us by sharing this info. My son, who is 12, takes Risperdal for impulse control and Lexapro for anxiety. I did not want to do meds but when he was about 7 years old I was covered in black and blue marks, pinch marks, bites etc and so was my then 4 year old son. I still didn't consider it until our behavioral therapist said, look at yourselves, you guys need some help here. We eventually got to risperdal, after trying other things that did not help, and had behavioral therapy and now, meaning for the last few years, we rarely have major outbursts where anyone gets hurt. He is a big boy now, bigger than me, and the meds have helped tremendously.

It is a personal decision and no parent, whether they decide to give or not give makes this decision lightly.

We all need to do what we think is best for our kids.

I think we are all very lucky to have each other to share with and learn from.

Jane

Re: meds

My daughter is 11 and has Aspergers, OCD and ADHD. She has been very aggressive and violent over the last few years. She has been hospitalized locally three times, (two of those under the Baker Act) and just returned from 7 months of residential treatment. She started on medication half-way through Kindergarden. We tried the vitamin and supplement route, but it did not help her. Without the prescribed medications from her doctor, she would not be able to live at home.

This decision is so personal and individual. Each child is different. Meds that might work with one child may not work with another child. Meds that worked when a child was 5 may not work when the child is 10. Side effects for some of these meds are significant. In my experience, if you are going to pursue this avenue, the most important aspect is to find a doctor who is well-versed in treating children similar to your own. You have to develop a strong level of trust with the doctor. You need to be able to get your questions answered. The doctor should be starting the meds on the lowest possible dose... these are just a few things that I can think to share with you.

My daughter has been treated with anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. She is currently on anti-seizure medication and it seems to be working better than the anti-psychotics and the side effects are not as scary.

Another thought to share... medication is not a magic answer to behavior... therapy is still required. What I have seen with my daughter is that the medication slows her reactions down so that she can actually use some of the strategies and skills she learns in therapy.

Its funny how friends and family members often look to the mother or parents to point at what they are doing wrong with our children... I'm sure many of the people on this list have been on the receiving end of those kinds of comments! They are ignorant because, as you say, "they do not live with this type of child." I personally ignore the ignorant comments because those opinions have no meaning to me

Good luck with your decision. You are a good mother who is clearly trying to do the best for your son!

If you would like more information on the medications, please email me privately.

Jean

Does anyone have experience treating agressive behaviors,anger tantrums with SSRI's for children with autism/asberger types? My son is 10 I have been struggling for years with the idea of meds, I am trying to have the courage to try this ofr my son. The aggressive episodes are only occasional, but they are seriously scary.ie. stabbed my palm with a pencil while I was driving. I am tired of hearing what people with "normal" kids tell me. It actually makes me angry, they do not really get it because they do not live with this type of child. I had a close friend tell me I should have higher expectations for my son, that he could do much better in school. I was silenced by this one, my child is riddled w/ learning disabilities, he is improving at his pace- which is slow. This is fine with me . If I could not be proud of his accomplishments and didnt accept where he is I think I would be making things a lot more difficult. Does anybody experience this type of thing with well meaning friends? Sometimes I wanna choke people!!

--

Have a lovely day!

Jean

July 9, 2012

Hi,We too struggled with the idea of putting our son on med's, but it became a quality of life issue for the whole family.Our son started becoming aggressive (after no signs for the first 10 years of life), and it got worse and worse. We would be attacked when driving too, and everybody's life became miserable, as well as his own.

Our son had been on Risperdal for a couple of years for self-injurious behavior and extreme anxiety. It worked for a while, but the then aggression became outward, and out of control.Our psychiatrist where we now live in the West Indies has recently put our son on Abilify...we saw a 75 % improvement in his behavior and most importantly he started smiling and laughing again. The aggressive outbursts have become less frequent and less intense, i.e., for shorter periods and we can reason with him now to stop.

I believe his outbursts are part due to hormone fluctuations from puberty as he just turned 13. Also, his psychiatrist thinks that he has bipolar disorder on top of everything else.He has now prescribed a second medication (with the Abilify), generic form Valporic Acid. This is supposed to control the remaining spikes of aggression...it is basically a mood stabilizer on top of other things, including anti-seizure.

We have seen some possible unwanted side effects with the Valporic Acid, so we are monitoring this. I will send a separate post to the list to ask opinions/experience of this medication.I do wish you all the best, and you are not alone by any means. I know that these decisions are hard, but I think when you get to a certain point and the behavior is endangering the child and others, it becomes easier to make that decision; i.e. you are left with no choice but to go with it. That was our situation.

Take care and stay strong.

Does anyone have experience treating agressive behaviors,anger tantrums with SSRI's for children with autism/asberger types? My son is 10 I have been struggling for years with the idea of meds, I am trying to have the courage to try this ofr my son. The aggressive episodes are only occasional, but they are seriously scary.ie. stabbed my palm with a pencil while I was driving. I am tired of hearing what people with " normal " kids tell me. It actually makes me angry, they do not really get it because they do not live with this type of child. I had a close friend tell me I should have higher expectations for my son, that he could do much better in school. I was silenced by this one, my child is riddled w/ learning disabilities, he is improving at his pace- which is slow. This is fine with me . If I could not be proud of his accomplishments and didnt accept where he is I think I would be making things a lot more difficult. Does anybody experience this type of thing with well meaning friends? Sometimes I wanna choke people!!

July 9, 2012

Hi,

My son is on Abilify and we see a big change in him,the only thing is that he's

gaining weight by the second! He eats with no control,and he's always hungry.

Any tips for that?

My son used to be a thin/healthy looking boy and now he's starting to look fat.

Thanks.

Alice

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