Hi new to the boards

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Hello, Im mom to a sweet 9 yr old boy with adhd combined and newly dx with aspergers his behavior therapist psychitrist and teacher all seem to be on the same page. He is on tenex to get the adhd under control which does not seem to be helping. In two weeks doctor wants to put him on risperidone a low does to control anxiety. Has anyone had luck with this? We have experimented with adderal before with no luck, the tenex doesnt seem to be helping and I am very leary of adding something else to the mix. However his behavior/listening skills/social skills are so poor I have worn out different ways of trying to talk and teach him. I'm very frusterated/worry and I do not just want to drug him so hes a zombie. Has anyone had luck with these things or am I taking a huge risk that I will regret. I am so stressed out about it all I just want to find a treatment plan to help him where we will make some progress. Any advice/tips are welcome.
Signed,
One stressed out mom

Hi,

I've got three sons and they all have ADHD. The older two are Aspies, and the younger one defies labeling but he's not "regular" which I do love about him. The older one has a bunch of other problems as well.

Prozac is given to kids for anxiety a lot but your Dr might have a reason to try something else. If the meds for ADHD are not working, give them some time. Sometimes they are more effective after a couple of months, but only if there aren't any awful side effects. If that happens stop immediately. My eldest had to try several medicines before finding one that helped with his ADHD. He took it successfully for years. Now he can't take it because of some other issues. My middle son does really well on Adderall and my youngest is a Concerta man. There is no one med that works for them all. I think it's important to search for the right one, but it does take time.

If your son seems to be drugged to the zombie point, it's time to change meds. There are many options and nobody should ever have to suffer those kinds of side effects, but sometimes there is an adjustment period.

Asperger's isn't a bad thing, but there can be challenges, just like anything. If a person is very outgoing and social but has poor social perception they are going to have to work a lot harder to have the kinds of relationships they want, but it can be done. My eldest is like that. He's a people person who can't easily read people. He's had to work at things that usually come naturally to people, but he's learned them just the same.

I hope that helps.

Like Kiley, I am a bit surprised that risperidone would be a drug of first choice for anxiety. Particularly for children that young, if the only issue that the drug is being used for is anxiety, Prozac is usually the first drug to be tried. If there are other drug issues, or other medical issues, it would, of course, complicate the prescribing situation.

Risperidone is well-tolerated by many people. One of the side effects for some people, however, is significant weight gain. Another problem, ironically enough, can be severe anxiety. I would discuss the medication, the reasons why the doctor is recommending this medication, the possible side effects, and alternative possible medications and their potential side effects, before making any decisions.

Hello, and welcome to the boards.

To answer your question about risperidone first:

There has been an increasing trend to prescribe the drug Risperidone (Risperdal) to children who shouldn’t be on the drug. Risperidone is an antipsychotic which effectively works like a depressant (opposite of a stimulant). It slows down the mind and mellows the person out. It also can negatively affect the person’s ability to think normally. Those who take the drug say that it induces a ‘brain fog’ effect. In very high doses, this drug can effectively make people so zoned out that they act like mindless zombies. That’s why they have received the knick name ‘chemical strait jackets’. There are also many serious side effects that come with this drug such as uncontrollable muscle spasms which can persist long after the medication has stopped.

The drug has been approved to help reduce violent aggression and extreme irritability in autistic people. Some autistic people who take the drugs say that it helps them to stay calm and it reduces their anxiety related problems. These people they feel as though the slight ‘brain fog’ effect is worth the peace provided. After all, it is better to be in a fog and not understand everything that’s going on around you than to violently lash out at everybody and wind up institutionalized. However, this drug is often being prescribed for much more than just extreme irritability. Since it is the only drug approved for something related to autism it is often the first drug that a psychiatrist will prescribe to an autistic patient, regardless of what the problem is. Children have been prescribed risperidone for things such as not making eye contact, or having delayed speech, or stumbling through their words. If you take your child to a psychiatrist and explain that he has autism then you will likely walk out of there with a prescription of risperidone no matter what he struggles with.

As such, many parents will give the drug to their child and hope for the best, just because the doctor recommended it. In reality the only thing they are doing is reducing the child’s ability to think clearly and thus making it difficult for them to grow and learn anything. So, if your child has severe irritability, is acting violently aggressive, and all other attempts to help the situation have failed, then I could see this drug as being your best option. But it certainly should not be your first option. Changing the environment, helping the child handle his stress, and other less dangerous drugs like SSRIs should all be tried first before you give antipsychotics to your child.

Also, if you are interested in learning more about Asperger's Syndrome, and learning how your child operates, then I would like to recommend my book. Ive been working on it recently, and it is almost done. It is a free book available for download, so it comes with a money back guarantee if you don't like it.

Anyways, if you want a copy of what I have thus far, PM me your email and I will send it to you. Or, just wait a week, and I will hopefully have it finished and available for download.

Can I ask... what sorts of interventions/therapies/changes did you attempt to alleviate the anxiety and adhd prior to trying the meds?

Rispiradol is the new "autism" drug.....it was started when they prescribed it to kids with self injure behavior. Now a lot of doctors just give it to any kid with Autsim or Asperger's....I think the word "Antipsychotic should be enough to scare parents.
There were a few kids in my sons social group (asperger's) that were on it and the parents were not even aware of some of the more serious side effects.
Therapy, love, understanding, patience and sensory "diet" work far better than medication....then again, thats my opinion.