Ingrid - posted on 09/17/2012 ( 4 moms have responded )
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my daughter is 8 years old and was on risperidone for 11 months and gained 25 pounds. PLEASE! if anyone knows of a different drug let me know. as of right now she is in a hospital for 5 days now for being violent. the doctors don't know what to put her on, so she can't be released. she has : Autism, anxiety, seizures, depression and not sure exactly what else. any comments would help. thanx
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F.A.S. - posted on 09/19/2012
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pretty much all of them cause weight gain or side effects my son takes tenex and trileptal
Susan - posted on 09/18/2012
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Oh. I forgot to mention that Lamictal was originally used to treat seizures, so it definitely might be something to consider for your daughter.
Sue
Susan - posted on 09/18/2012
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My kids use a "cocktail" of meds which we're using off-label (which usually means they haven't been tested in children, but have been approved for treating adults with similar symptoms). None of them treat the autism directly; all of them are meant to help control individual symptoms like aggression, hyperactivity, lack of focus, difficulty sleeping, etc.
Risperidone has been FDA approved for treating aggression and it has been tested and found to be effective in children. However, as you say, one of the side effects can be serious weight gain. My son had the same experience, so we switched him to Abilify (aripiprazole). It does help him be more calm (in a normal way--not sedated or something like that) and, in his case, hasn't caused excessive weight gain. (It can, though. It's just that he hasn't had that side effect--and maybe your daughter wouldn't either.) We also use Lamictal (a mood stabilizer), Adderall (for attention issues), and Celexa (an antidepressant). It's far from perfect, but it does take the edge off--and my son has been able to feel a positive effect. We tried taking him off the Abilify last summer, but he reported that he was getting angry really easily again, so we put him back on it.
Some people are very averse to giving kids meds like this, but for some kids, the alternative is far worse than the risks IMO. It sounds like your daughter is in that camp. There are also dietary, behavioral management, sensory programs, and a whole host of other things that can help in addition to meds. The frustrating thing is that every person with autism is different from every other person, so there's no way to know what to try first or what may or may not work. All you can do is to keep trying.
Hang in there. I know I'm exhausted today by the relentlessness of this disorder, but we just have to keep plugging. I hope knowing that there are other people who sympathize with your circumstances is a bit of a comfort. Take care.
Sue
Anaquita - posted on 09/17/2012
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There is no medication for autism. As for the other stuff, I have no idea. I hope the doctors can figure it out though, that's a fair bit to deal with there. Find a pediatric neurologist for advice, perhaps?
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