Mama_to_Grace wrote:
Yeah, I know there are a lot of people who medicate upon diagnosis. On my daughter's diagnostic report under recommendations medicating her was suggested.
I am researching every option. I know there's just no way I can go along with an anti psychotic at age 8, but I know there are some kids who are far more violent and I do not begrudge those parents. It is a living hell when you cannot stop your child from beating down the wall or their door or their window.
SSRIs have not helped my daughter so I have to look outside of that box. I am looking at Clonidine or Tenex or Intuniv (I think they are all similar in action). These are all alpha agonists:
from Wikipedia:
"Another psychiatric use of guanfacine is for treatment of anxiety, such as generalized anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Alpha-2A agonists such as guanfacine reduce sympathetic arousal, weaken the emotional responses of the amygdala, and strengthen prefrontal cortical regulation of emotion, action and thought. All of these actions likely contribute to the relief of the hyperarousal, re-experiencing, and impulsivity associated with PTSD.[9] Due to its prolonged half-life, it also has been seen to improve sleep interrupted by nightmares in PTSD patients.[10] According to recent studies (Srour et al., 2008) there is controversy as to guanfacine’s usefulness in treating tics. There has been success when tic symptoms are co-morbid with ADHD, and as such, guanfacine and other alpha-2-adrenergic agonists (clonidine) are commonly the first choice for treatment....
In animal models, guanfacine is seen to affect a number of cognitive factors, including working memory improvement, distractibility reduction, response inhibition improvement, and attention control.[14] Performance increases in spatial working memory have also been observed in humans."
My kids are on Clonidine at night and it calms them down and helps them sleep. I just give it to them an hour before bedtime.
Intuniv is like time-released Clonidine--no generic,, though, if you are not fully insured.
They also work great if you administer a tiny piece during an anxiety attack.
I tried using the Clonidine during the day with my older son, but it would wear off after about 6 hours, and he would be grumpy. It also does cause sleepiness. It also made my older son sad. However, it works for some people.
Intunive also causes sleepiness, but it works for some with severe issues--just watch the dose. My younger son tried it very briefly and it seemed to cause weepiness in him, too.
My older son had initial issues with Prozac, the SSRI that he is on. It made him hyperactive initially. The doctor added Abilify, which fixed the hyperactivity, but made him too sleepy, and we removed the Abilify after a few weeks. Hyperactivity on Prozac occurs in some kids when first starting the med, when the meds are raised, or when the med is too high. Some doctors wil start the child on a low dose of Prozac and increase it gradually.
My younger son with the AS/OCD combination didn't like the taste of the Prozac, but after he started taking it he did great with no hyperactivity or any negative side effects.
So much depends on the child's own body chemistry and symptoms, I think. There is always some trial and error initially.
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www.freevideosforautistickids.com is my website with hundreds of links and thousands of educational videos for kids, parents and educators. Son with high-functioning classic autism, aged 7, and son with OCD/Aspergers, aged 4. I love my boys!
03 Oct 2011, 4:55 am
