Doctor recommended 2 meds

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My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes. I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it. Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

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Hi Cat. My son is on Risperdal and Concerta. We have had NO side effects (weight gain, trouble sleeping, etc.) and the combination seems to work well for him. It might take a few tries before you find what works for your son. Hope this helps. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerryFrom: Lavendar And Spice <lavendarandspice@...>Sender: Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:04:05 -0700 (PDT)<ASA-burg >; < >Reply Subject: ( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes. I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it. Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

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My son is on Risperdal and it works very good. He is most of the time on a good mood and sleeps through the nite for 12 hours or so. He is 3 years old and takes 10 drops.ASA-burg ; From: lavendarandspice@...Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:04:05 -0700Subject: ( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes. I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it. Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

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"

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, "

[Guest guest]

Hi Cat,My 9 year old was placed on Risperdal in July.  He is on 0.5mg twice daily, and is doing very well.  He hasn't had any side effects. He is being able to manage school and daily life much better.

Hope this helps. Hang in there. On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 5:04 PM, Lavendar And Spice <lavendarandspice@...> wrote:

 

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes.  I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!

I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it.  Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.

Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

[Guest guest]

Abilify created 'ticks' for our son; he was fine when on Risperdahl. He is not on either one right now but he has not stopped 'ticking' since on Abilify for the first time about five years ago. Every med has its positives and negatives, and we never know. Obviously, had we known our son would get 'ticks' from Abilify, he'd not have been on it; however, we STILL did Risperdahl afterwards, and he was fine on it. We think you just need to know your child and what to look for so if there is a reaction / interaction, you know it. Our son was also on Buspar (Buspirone) at the same time as both meds; when the Buspar was up to the dose the doctor wanted him on, he literally went in to a psychotic episode. My husband and I went to the local and Noble, got an RN manual of meds for that year, read all drugs our son on, and when got to Abilify (of course, the LAST ONE WE LOOKED UP----), interactions and what we were seeing with our son included all of our concerns. We called the psychiatrist, he knows us / trusted us / knew we had done as we said, and he told us how to taper him off Abilify (we avoided a hospitalization for the psychotic episode but we have experienced them with him before so we knew that IS what he was doing and was still able to manage him without hospitalization (provided he 'stopped'). So, I would certainly recommend even looking up all the interactions, etc., and only add one medication at a time (he was ON ability; added buspar for the severe anxiety piece he has). That is soooo important; that way, if your child has a 'different behavior, anything' you are already informed, and if child starts doing any of the interaction symptoms, really monitor that, as it can happen.

Ruthie Dolezal

n, IA

Mom of four sons; two sons with Asperger's Syndrome

ASA-burg ; From: lavendarandspice@...Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:04:05 -0700Subject: ( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes. I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it. Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

[Guest guest]

>

> My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either

Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on

for bipolar purposes.  I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is

leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!

>

My son is on Vyvanse for the ADD (attention and impulsivity) and the pysch just

started him on Risperidone (same as Risperdal, right?) . He is on .5mg. She

explained how it would be in his system longer (take at night so in body in the

morning) so help with focus/attention inmorning. Plus it would help with some

impulsivity and also some of the anger type issues and reactions. One " side

affect " could be sleepiness.. so he takes it at night (that is a side-effect

that is a bonus plus). He has only been on it about a month now. However, I do

thinkthat we have seen an improvement in his reactions/anger (didn't happen

often but was extreme when he did). Another plus... he seemsmuch more

" social " ... haning out with the famly more vs resorting to the basement, more

talkative about school, etcNow, this could be a total coinsidence in timing (he

has been doing therapy and we have been doing social skills therapy workingon it

at home too)... but, I'll take it!! The other " miracle drug " (at least thus

far) for us has been Vyvanse!! He had only temporarysucess on Adderall,

Concerta, etc... he " outgrew " them. So far so good on Vyvanse (since June)...

but he has better focus/attention on it than any other ADD drug we have tried!

I say to give Resperdal a try!!

[Guest guest]

I'm new here, but I thought I'd chime in on this. My son is 9 and has fairly recently been diagnosed "on the spectrum", but we're pretty darn sure it's AS. Anyway, last spring they put my son on Risperdal for aggression. It was supposed to minimize the aggression and we think that it did just the opposite! We think that it was making it MUCH worse. So, now we have put him on Abilify (since about July) and he's doing much better. We noticed that he's been happier and just more our son (if that makes sense). I have noticed this week really (after reading some posts here) that he is seriously craving sweets though. I mean SERIOUSLY craving them! My hubby is diabetic and so I worried about my son and taking these kinds of meds. But, I had my hubby test him with his monitor at home and he said that his blood sugar was only 103, so he looks fine for now. I know that different kids react differently to meds, so I'd just take it slow what ever you decide...only one med at a time and a low dose to start. Hope this helps!

Beth

( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes. I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it. Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

[Guest guest]

Hello- Please let me know whether you decide to put your child on meds, I'm going through the same dilemma.

Cathleen, son is Dylan

Thanks

From: Lavendar And Spice <lavendarandspice@...>ASA-burg ; Sent: Fri, September 17, 2010 2:04:05 PMSubject: ( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes. I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it. Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

[Guest guest]

Risperdone (yep, the same as Risperdal) is what my son is on. From April to July, he was very angry, depressed, unsocial, and everything bothered him. Now, he is happier, school isn't such a hardship, he is social more but still does like his alone time, and we can help him sort through his anxiety and mood changes. Risperdone has been a big blessing.

On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 5:57 PM, jphillips_3 <jphillips_3@...> wrote:

 

>

> My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes.  I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!

>

My son is on Vyvanse for the ADD (attention and impulsivity) and the pysch just started him on Risperidone (same as Risperdal, right?) . He is on .5mg. She explained how it would be in his system longer (take at night so in body in the morning) so help with focus/attention inmorning. Plus it would help with some impulsivity and also some of the anger type issues and reactions. One " side affect " could be sleepiness.. so he takes it at night (that is a side-effect that is a bonus plus). He has only been on it about a month now. However, I do thinkthat we have seen an improvement in his reactions/anger (didn't happen often but was extreme when he did). Another plus... he seemsmuch more " social " ... haning out with the famly more vs resorting to the basement, more talkative about school, etcNow, this could be a total coinsidence in timing (he has been doing therapy and we have been doing social skills therapy workingon it at home too)... but, I'll take it!! The other " miracle drug " (at least thus far) for us has been Vyvanse!! He had only temporarysucess on Adderall, Concerta, etc... he " outgrew " them. So far so good on Vyvanse (since June)... but he has better focus/attention on it than any other ADD drug we have tried! I say to give Resperdal a try!!

[Guest guest]

My son, 9, is a sweetaholic.  We have to really monitor him or that is all he will eat. This is indeed a big part of the autism and even the bipolar.  I have read this many times. Some of the meds could be some of the problem. It is probably best if you have him seen by his pediatrician and it might help you understand what could be the best situation especially if you are dealing with diabetes in the family. We have the same issue and so we just make sure there is fruit and things like fish crackers, muffins, and other healthy snacks like graham crackers around.

On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 6:00 PM, Beth & Dave Schmidt <bethndave@...> wrote:

 

    I'm new here, but I thought I'd chime in on this.  My son is 9 and has fairly recently been diagnosed " on the spectrum " , but we're pretty darn sure it's AS.  Anyway, last spring they put my son on Risperdal for aggression.  It was supposed to minimize the aggression and we think that it did just the opposite!  We think that it was making it MUCH worse.  So, now we have put him on Abilify (since about July) and he's doing much better.  We noticed that he's been happier and just more our son (if that makes sense).  I have noticed this week really (after reading some posts here) that he is seriously craving sweets though.  I mean SERIOUSLY craving them!  My hubby is diabetic and so I worried about my son and taking these kinds of meds.  But, I had my hubby test him with his monitor at home and he said that his blood sugar was only 103, so he looks fine for now.  I know that different kids react differently to meds, so I'd just take it slow what ever you decide...only one med at a time and a low dose to start.  Hope this helps!

 

Beth

 

( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds

 

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes.  I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it.  Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

[Guest guest]

My son was on Resperidol worked fairly well for my son since he was ten (13) now. It got to where it was too week so the doctor put him on Ambilify but he gained too much weight. He as always hungry, although it worked really well for him otherwise. I has him taken off and the doc switched him to topamax. That was horrible. After three weeks we had him taken off. Now he's just on zoloft and stratera. Does anyone have experience with Zoloft eor Stratera? Please let me know. I think the Statera is too weak for his ADHD symptoms.

Anyway Beth, it's always a weight and see process. Two to three weeks tops should give you an idea though if its working or not. Check with your doctor to be sure. We've had to go back to the "drawing board" I can't even count, to adjust meds or dosage. Good luck. But if you do fine the right combination it really makes a difference for them and you.

ne

I'm new here, but I thought I'd chime in on this. My son is 9 and has fairly recently been diagnosed "on the spectrum", but we're pretty darn sure it's AS. Anyway, last spring they put my son on Risperdal for aggression. It was supposed to minimize the aggression and we think that it did just the opposite! We think that it was making it MUCH worse. So, now we have put him on Abilify (since about July) and he's doing much better. We noticed that he's been happier and just more our son (if that makes sense). I have noticed this week really (after reading some posts here) that he is seriously craving sweets though. I mean SERIOUSLY craving them! My hubby is diabetic and so I worried about my son and taking these kinds of meds. But, I had my hubby test him with his monitor at home and he said that his blood sugar was only 103, so he looks fine for

now. I know that different kids react differently to meds, so I'd just take it slow what ever you decide...only one med at a time and a low dose to start. Hope this helps!

Beth

( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes. I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it. Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat

[Guest guest]

My son has ADHD with a lot of hyperactivity. Ritalin short acting works great. He's only 7 so he takes 10mg 3 times a day. We've tried adderall and it gave him horrendous headaches. Concerta might be good, but my son won't swallow pills.

Cathleen

From: susanne hansen <s_hansen34@...> Sent: Sun, September 19, 2010 6:14:41 PMSubject: Re: ( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds

My son was on Resperidol worked fairly well for my son since he was ten (13) now. It got to where it was too week so the doctor put him on Ambilify but he gained too much weight. He as always hungry, although it worked really well for him otherwise. I has him taken off and the doc switched him to topamax. That was horrible. After three weeks we had him taken off. Now he's just on zoloft and stratera. Does anyone have experience with Zoloft eor Stratera? Please let me know. I think the Statera is too weak for his ADHD symptoms.

Anyway Beth, it's always a weight and see process. Two to three weeks tops should give you an idea though if its working or not. Check with your doctor to be sure. We've had to go back to the "drawing board" I can't even count, to adjust meds or dosage. Good luck. But if you do fine the right combination it really makes a difference for them and you.

ne

I'm new here, but I thought I'd chime in on this. My son is 9 and has fairly recently been diagnosed "on the spectrum", but we're pretty darn sure it's AS. Anyway, last spring they put my son on Risperdal for aggression. It was supposed to minimize the aggression and we think that it did just the opposite! We think that it was making it MUCH worse. So, now we have put him on Abilify (since about July) and he's doing much better. We noticed that he's been happier and just more our son (if that makes sense). I have noticed this week really (after reading some posts here) that he is seriously craving sweets though. I mean SERIOUSLY craving them! My hubby is diabetic and so I worried about my son and taking these kinds of meds. But, I had my hubby test him with his monitor at home and he said that his blood sugar was only 103, so he looks fine for

now. I know that different kids react differently to meds, so I'd just take it slow what ever you decide...only one med at a time and a low dose to start. Hope this helps!

Beth

( ) Doctor recommended 2 meds

My psych recommended two different meds for my son who has Asperger's. Either Risperdal, which I know a lot about and is heavy duty or Abilify,which I am on for bipolar purposes. I really hesitate to put him on any meds and she is leaving that decision up to me, thankfully!I guess my question is, if you had to pick one for your child, which would it be? I lean towards the Abilify only because she has used it successfully with minimal side effects on other kiddos and because I am on it. Though the Risperdal may actually work better. Ugh. Decisions, decisions.Thanks for any input and if I have repeated questions, I apologize. I've been away from the computer for a bit.Cat