should I ask the doctor to put my daughter on meds?

Robin - posted on 08/31/2011

Thank the Lord your son is ok

Salina - posted on 08/30/2011

@ Marily, Wow i'm so happy that your son is ok! thank you for responding to my question!!

Marlly - posted on 08/30/2011

Hi . salina .. my 7yr old has Autism/Asperger' PDD , i know what you mean . everyone in my family was telling me that ? my son had something wrong with him .. i told them he going to grown out of it ,, but i was wrong :/ in still my son got hit by a car last year . because he didn't lisent to me he cross the street and got hit.. but i thank God nothing happen to him .. he is good now . i want to help moms with my ,experiences i want to reach out to moms .now my son takes meds and he doing great in school and with other people . you can email anytime .. autism_aspergers_pdd@yahoo.com ..or text me at 417-202-4592 .. Be Blessed ...

Denise - posted on 08/30/2011

i would check on the gluten issue we had connor on gluten/yeast free for quite a few years didn't start meds until he was at least 70 lbs why 70 lbs i figured enough weight for possible drop and it was a safety net ... we also had aba therapists helping at that time too.

Katy - posted on 08/30/2011

Diane you are so right. The mess are just a bandaid. My 13yr old has aspergers and my 7yr old has sensory issues along with adhd. I do not medicate even though at times it seems as if that would be easier. But when I really think about it who would it be easier for? It would make things easier for me...and potentially change my child. The dangers and risks that these drugs pose are far too great in my opinion.

Robin - posted on 08/29/2011

I understand your decision to not medicate your son I also tired changing my sons diet did any thing from not sugar red dyes and even tried a gluten free diet for a while none of them helped my son so like I said it is a personal decison for everyone. The meds may be a band aid but the alternative is that my son would end up in a institution or worse Jail the meds keep him balanced and for now thats all that matters. I glad that you were sucessful with change of diet. My son also see a peaditric nerologist, a behavioral therapist and a occupational therapist. All are helping but lets just be honest nothing is a cure. we all just have to do the that we know how to do for our children

Diane - posted on 08/29/2011

I know that the decision to choose meds is a very personal one. Our son's DAN Doctor told us that at times, he must go that route to protect the child and/or the family from harm. However, he also told us that meds are a bandaide, rather than a long term solution, and he tries to find the source of a symptom, to eliminate that source. If a child is sensitive to the food being eaten, which may cause increased aggression, sleep issues, skin rashes, diarrhea, etc., giving Risperdal may be the bandaid to calm behaviors, but as long as the offending foods are given, it's just a vicious, never-ending cycle. At one point, when our son was mainstreamed into typical First grade and a shadow aide, his behaviors spiked, and it was affecting his relationships with peers, and disrupting class to the point that we were worried the school district would try to switch him to an SDC setting instead. Our DAN doctor started him on a small dosage of Risperdal - .25 mg twice per day (about 1/10th the normal starting dosage). It did the trick as it helped "take the edge off", calmed him down and helped him be able to function in his classroom, yet did not cause any of the common side affects like weight gain, because he was taking such a tiny amount - about 4 drops. He was on that small dosage until 3rd grade, when we were able to wean him off, and he has not had meds since. He is in 7th grade now, and still GF/CF and under the care of his DAN Doctor.

Robin - posted on 08/28/2011

Putting your child on medication is a very personal decision my advice to you is to do your homework and research any medication they want to put your daughter on I have a 12 year old son who has been on meds since he was 7 years old and it was the most heart wrenching decison I ever had to make no one ever whats to medicate they're child but for my son it was the best thing I could do for him and if you do choose to medicate your daughter please don't let those well meaning people make you feel guilty about your decison although they mean well most have no clue what it is like to live with a child that has autism. Whatever you decide always remember you know whats best for your child.

Salina - posted on 08/27/2011

Debbie, Keri, and Rachel, Thank you all for responding. this is truly not something that would be considered a quick decision, and will have to be given a lot of serious thought, and research. BUT I will do anything for my daughter not only her but my other two that can help them succeed!!! I'm so happy I found this web site. helps to not feel like you're the only one going through issues!!

Keri - posted on 08/25/2011

I would definetly ask the doctor to put her meds to help her with anger issues.My son takes risperdal to calm him down and it helps so much.He also takes focalin xr and ritalin to help him focus.If you want your sanity back i suggest you try medication for her.Some kids really need it and others don't but its worth a try.

Debbie - posted on 08/24/2011

Have you tried changing her diet? My 4yo son has high functioning autism and he used to be very aggressive and violent (to family AND himself), and had severe anger issues. To the extent that at two and half, the paediatrician wanted to put him on risperidone (I refused!). Instead we took him to a naturopath who removed gluten from his diet, and he settled down a lot. Within 4 - 6 months, he was like a different child (it takes that long for it get completely out of their system, but we noticed smaller changes within a month). He's no longer as impulsive as he used to be, and the aggression and anger issues have also settled right down as well.

We were so inspired then that we went on to remove all the bad food additives from his diet as well (we used a book called "The Chemical Maze" for this - it has now become my "bible" when shopping and I don't leave the house without it!). He then settled down even more, to the extent that I no longer have to have him restrained when we leave the house. He always used to run away, so I had to have him on a harness every time we went out. We haven't used that now for about 8 months. He had also been labelled with ADHD, but after removing the bad food additives, he's settled to the extent that I don't believe he has ADHD at all - he was just reacting to the additives in his food.

Now diet hasn't been a miracle cure all, but it has helped him calm down a lot, and I'm pleased to say he's a pleasure to have around now (most of the time! LOL).

Good luck with it all!

Salina - posted on 08/24/2011

she does get OT, and speech at school. she's come along way as far as talking, it's still not completely clear, but we understand her. her behavior is so much worse though, we can't say the word no without her throwing a tantrum or yelling, it's mostly with my husband ( her dad) she's a little less fussy with me! I'm not sure what to do at this point. I guess I just need to take her back to the Doctors and see if they can recommend something for me. also, at school her teachers say she's perfect, very few outbursts. maybe it's just us at home.

Rachel - posted on 08/24/2011

Is she in any kind of therapy? At age 6 my son who was not diagnosed until age 8 w/aspergers, was getting OT, Speech, PT and counseling... He was probably at his worst behavior wise at age 6 ... We did not give him any kind of medication until he was 9, however, The behavior issues had not effected his ability to learn or behave at school until that point. Now he's on intuniv (3mg) and vyvanse (30mg); He still has therapy and is in a great special needs school that serves some learning disabled, many ADD/ADHD and some high functioning autistics like my son.