Prescription attention drugs--opinions please

Page 1 of 2 [ 25 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

crzymom
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 48
Location: USA

31 Aug 2007, 2:46 pm

Hi,
I am a new member here. I am a NT mother with an AS son who also has ADD or ADHD, not sure which, he shows signs of both. He's 13 and we've been having problems with his RX. It's frustrating for me how so many different doctors favor certain drugs, and try to talk you out of others. The one we see now favors Ritalin because so many do well on it, and it's inexspensive. My son has been taking this for a couple of years, and I've wondered what else is out there that could help him better. I've started home schooling him this year, and helping him keep his attention on his school work is a full time job! There has GOT to be something else out there that can help him focus.

If you or your child has taken a certain medication and had great success with it, and would be willing to share about it, I would be grateful to hear your opinions. If you want to share the name of a medication that I can check out on the internet, that would be helpful too.

He says home schooling is lonely, and I see his point, but I have to wonder, why is he willing to go to public school and be treated horribly just to be around other kids? Most of them think he's weird, and many are downright cruel. I couldn't take it anymore, and I'm the mom, not the person suffering with AS.

anyway, thanks for helping out a newbie. I look forward to posting on other forums and learning more about AS through those who deal with it.



momtanic
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 1 Jul 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 92
Location: New Orleans, LA

31 Aug 2007, 3:33 pm

My son is now 8 1/2yrs old. Before he went through the process of being diagnosed (in 2005) our pediatrician prescribed Adderal. This was the week before Katrina. It seems like it did not help him either (he was in Kindergarten then) but, we live in New Orleans and b/c of Katrina he went through 4 different school changes (and a short time in Dallas) within 4 months. Our Dr's moved and it took a long while before things were back to normal and start the process again.We went through trial and error this past summer. His biggest problem is focusing, especially in a school setting. He is diagnosed AS and was tested for add & adhd and he doesn't have either. We went through Strattera and
Concerta. they both had some positives, but the negatives outweighed them. ( Insomnia, headaches, minor depression...side effects) The Dr. then put him on Tenex, which is actually prescribed to older people but helps alleviate some AS symptoms MY son has. (he hums, makes hand gestures, especially when in new
surroundings) The Dr said that Tenex has been prescribed for ADD/ADHD. There is a generic form that my son is taking now, and very affordable. The Tenex helped
alleviate his impulses, but he still had a problem with focusing. The Dr then added
Focalin with the Tenex and Focalin has been the best for him so far. We use them both together. School started 2 weeks ago and we haven't had any forgotten homework, notes from the teacher...etc. Homework can be a challenge (what kid WANTS to do homework!) We went through different milligram amounts before we found what worked. So far, this has been the best choice for him. It may
change over time, but it is what works for us. I prefer him to not be on any meds, but unfortunately he won't be able to get through school without them.



Papillon
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Mar 2005
Age: 63
Gender: Male
Posts: 651
Location: Ottawa, Canada

31 Aug 2007, 3:46 pm

I have a cynical view about the traditional methods for health care. Have any of you ever noticed all the propaganda around urging the public to get checked for this and that and that and this? I don't remember it being like that in bygone decades other than the vaccinations that were distributed through the school system.

I sometimes wonder if the doctors we have today are true healers or just legal dope pushers getting paid commissions by the pharmaceutical companies. Unless you, the patient, have taken the time to research whatever condition you have, the most you'll often get will be a band-aid solution that lines the doctor's pockets but isn't necessarily the right med for whatever you're trying to treat. That being said I prefer to go the homeopathic route (supplemented with my own research) even if I have to pay for it out of my pocket.

If the practitioner you are consulting is open-minded enough to hear out your end of the issue and willing to work with you to find an answer, then all the more power to you.

crzymom, I can very well relate to your son's issues with schooling. I've been through that same mill myself, including getting falsely accused of day-dreaming by some of my teachers and getting bullied in more ways then I can mention here. I'm not a medical expert by any means but I hope I've been some help with what I could offer. Best of luck to you both.


_________________
If "manners maketh man" as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say

**Sting, Englishman In New York


TheMachine1
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,011
Location: 9099 will be my last post...what the hell 9011 will be.

31 Aug 2007, 4:19 pm

Guanfacine is a non-stimulant that is very effective treating hyperactivity. He should take fish oil daily for hyperactivity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanfacine

Wellbutrin is a non-stimulant that has at least limited efficacy in treating inattention.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellbutrin

Its impossible to say what he should take or can tolerate. These are merely possible treatments. Ritalin for some one with both inattention and hyperactivity is often a good treatment option.



katrine
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Posts: 513
Location: Copenhagen

31 Aug 2007, 4:53 pm

My son does well on ritalin, and so far I have no experience with other medication - sorry! We see an obvious difference throughout the day - his focus, impulse control ect. drops right off 2 3/4 hours after his last dose of ritalin. Is this the case with your son? It means we know the drug is working, when it is woring, and how it is working. I only think ritalin is worth giving, if there is a really obvious effect.
School work and social time is scheduled into "prime ritalin time", so as to optimize learning in both areas. As to learning: with my son, it is just as much about how he is taught, as about focus. He isn't great with conventional schoolbooks, but learns huge amounts in no time, if it is presented in a way he finds meaningful, worthwhile, and interesting.
I can understand your son wanting to be at school. Could there be a flexible solution, like following some classes at school, but not all? Like do science or whatever subject he is good at with a class?



crzymom
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 48
Location: USA

31 Aug 2007, 7:54 pm

We went off the Ritalin for the Summer, and now that school has started, I see very little, if any difference with it. Maybe I am expecting too much, I don't know.
I would prefer to have him off the drugs entirely. I don't see how he is going to get through his school work without them though. I would prefer to go homeopathic or herbal if I knew what would help him.

In the morning he drinks a protein drink that might take the edge off (amino acids) but it's just not enough to help him focus long enough to get his work done.

Thank you for the input so far, I think Adderall is one that I have heard mentioned before, I will look that one up along with the others, thanks :)



BugsMom
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 151

31 Aug 2007, 9:07 pm

My son takes Adderall XR. It has helped him calm down and focus more. We haven't tried any other meds; we were lucky that the first one worked pretty well.



schleppenheimer
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 31 Aug 2006
Age: 64
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,584

01 Sep 2007, 6:55 am

We have done Ritalin and/or Metadate for three years, and it has worked well, but the effects seemed to be falling off toward the end of school last year. So this summer we switched to Strattera. So far, absolutely no side effects. I didn't think the Strattera was doing much, but our son began middle school this week, and it's been a fairly flawless beginning.

Nothing is a miracle drug for us -- our son is still forgetful and still spaces out. I like the Strattera because he seems more like "him", and he seems a lot more appropriately social. My goal is to someday have him not take any drugs at all, but for now, the Strattera seems to be doing him some good. I realize, though, that it's effectiveness may wane, and we may have to try something else.

Kris



whatamess
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Age: 56
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,284

01 Sep 2007, 11:37 pm

I don't have any suggestions on medication, as I've opted out of that at this point. However, when I do work with him (like his speech therapy assignments, etc...and anything else), I have dedicated a room in our house that has the bare minimum in it, so that it's not too distracting...a couple of mats on the floor, a small table water fountain, some pillows, a couple of ottomans and a cd player. I normally have the water fountain on and I bought some Mozart music at Costco and play it very low as background music. It really helps him relax and concentrate much more.

Good luck...



RhondaR
Raven
Raven

User avatar

Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 122

04 Sep 2007, 3:11 pm

Originally my son was dx'ed with ADHD, and was prescribed Adderall - which seemed to help some of thing we noticed, but not all...and to make a very long story short we ended up here, now knowing that he's an Aspie. It turns out that some of the ADHD things we noticed were really a combination of anxiety and "just being an aspie" (like his ability to completely disengage and "go somewhere else" in the classroom) For the anxiety we were prescribed Lexapro, which again, seemed to help. During that time, he was switched for a short period to Ritalin, which did not work for my son whatsoever. It turned him into a very angry boy, and so we took him off of it, tried him on no meds - realized that wasn't going to work at all, and ended up back on Adderall for a while, before we took him completely off of the Adderall and upped his dosage for Lexapro. That has been the magic formula for him, although he still will disengage and go somewhere else from time to time, but his anxiety is far less and he is a much happier boy.


Bottom line - you have to really be willing to see what works and doesn't work. It's not cut and dried, and different things work with different kids. Not even your doctor will know with 100% certainty what will work and what won't, but you as a parent have the best vantage point - so don't be afraid to be in contact with the doctor telling them what is and is not happening. Good luck.



qbit
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 37

05 Sep 2007, 1:50 am

Do not use Ritalin! It is addictive and hurts learning. One safe, non-prescription way of effectively treating ADHD is using piracetam(nootropil) I remember reading about a study that showed that ADHD improved after taking piracetam. Plus, piracetam is non-addictive, and increases intelligence and memory in both the short term and the long term.



crzymom
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 48
Location: USA

05 Sep 2007, 9:30 am

thanks all for your stories and opinions. Yesterday we had a decent day with school work. I'm trying to figure out if it was a fluke or what we did to make it work better. I've decluttered his work area so there are fewer things to be distracted by, I think that has made a difference. We'll see if we can do a repeat performance today.
I have never really liked him taking the Ritalin. He's my oldest and our only aspie, and therefore our "guinea pig" poor kid. We'll never give up on him.



equinn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 649

07 Sep 2007, 8:15 pm

I would do some real research into these medications. There really aren't any long term studies done on what these meds do to a child's physical body and even brain.

If it is absolutely necessary and your child is suicidal--then possibly. But, even this is open to interpretation. How many kids, as young as three-years old, have been dx'd with bi-polar disorder!

There is no perfect child. A child that struggles with attention, homework, sitting still--you name it, there are remedies, natural remedies such as sports, instrument, clubs--anything to get him/her involved. If not, then bike riding or the park or the neighborhood--outdoor play.

I am opposed to the medication being prescribed so easily to kids dx'd with AS. A diagnosis of "AS doesn't warrant a prescription because, ironically, there is no medication for a different way of thinking/processing/interpreting the world.

So, other comorbid conditions are tacked on such as bipolar, depression, ADHD--you name it.

The attentional issues come with a diagnosis of AS. It isn't easy. Children are challenging. This is the way it is. Drugging them to make them more compliant and easier to manage doesn't seem right. The argument that they are calm enough now so they can take advantage of the services and they are happier sounds ludicrous. How do you know how their heart feels or their brain feels on these drugs? Only the child knows and they can't articulate it sometimes.

Why would someone want to alter a young child's brain--especially one with Aspergers who already has an altered way of thinking?

Does anyone wonder why so many AS kids come with comorbid diagnosis's? And these are young kids as young as six-years old!

Honestly, I wouldn't accept a diagnosis of ADHD for my son if a doctor tried it. First of all, I think it's bogus and there hasn't been enough research done on it. The only therapy for it is medication.

Secondly, the AS covers it all. His distarctions, inattention, are internal and caused by his ability to hyperfocus on his interests or his visual imagery in his head (photographic memory and colored imagery). It's who he is. He will learn how to compensate minus meds. Once on meds, they come to rely on the meds and never learn to compensate.

Sorry--I'm venting. I'm sure people disagree with me, but at this point, after reading about the horror stories related to children and psychotropic drugs, I'm not buying it. No argument would work for me. The only one I would want to hear is how to argue, legally, my right to refuse medicating my son. If it comes to this some day, I want to be ready so I've been reading the information from the anti-drug perspective and am quite disturbed.

ADHD? Ridiculous. Research Aspergers and you'll find that these symptoms fall under AS. Medication, in this case, should not be prescribed. You should handle your child as is. Clean.



TheMachine1
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,011
Location: 9099 will be my last post...what the hell 9011 will be.

07 Sep 2007, 9:16 pm

equinn wrote:
I would do some real research into these medications. There really aren't any long term studies done on what these meds do to a child's physical body and even brain.


There is a study showing it will slightly reduce the height of kids. Though the theory is it is indirect because stimulants are appetite suppressants so kids would likely eat less.

equinn wrote:
The attentional issues come with a diagnosis of AS. It isn't easy. Children are challenging. This is the way it is. Drugging them to make them more compliant and easier to manage doesn't seem right. The argument that they are calm enough now so they can take advantage of the services and they are happier sounds ludicrous.


It amounts to a productivity issue in the case of inattention. Reducing negative behavior in the case of hyperactivity. I'm adult who has never took stimulants for my ADD. I'm unemployable for any job requiring much mental processing. Which means part of the price of me being stimulant free is living in near poverty.

equinn wrote:
Sorry--I'm venting. I'm sure people disagree with me, but at this point, after reading about the horror stories related to children and psychotropic drugs, I'm not buying it. No argument would work for me. The only one I would want to hear is how to argue, legally, my right to refuse medicating my son. If it comes to this some day, I want to be ready so I've been reading the information from the anti-drug perspective and am quite disturbed.


If your not medicating your child I'm not sure why your so emotional about the issue of other parents choosing to do the opposite.



MasonJar
Raven
Raven

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jul 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 120
Location: Colorado, Planet Earth

07 Sep 2007, 11:29 pm

We're going the nutrition route and having fairly decent results. I know many people pooh-pooh the whole gluten-free thing, but if kids don't digest gluten properly, it can become toxic to them. They also may not be getting enough nutrients from their food. B vitamins and magnesium can be calming, and fish oils are essential. Don't ignore nutrition. One's body can only perform so well if it isn't getting what it needs.



TheMachine1
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,011
Location: 9099 will be my last post...what the hell 9011 will be.

07 Sep 2007, 11:56 pm

MasonJar wrote:
We're going the nutrition route and having fairly decent results. I know many people pooh-pooh the whole gluten-free thing, but if kids don't digest gluten properly, it can become toxic to them. They also may not be getting enough nutrients from their food. B vitamins and magnesium can be calming, and fish oils are essential. Don't ignore nutrition. One's body can only perform so well if it isn't getting what it needs.


I take 6 grams fish oil daily. :)

One theory about diet modification in people on the autism spectrum
being helpful for some is related to the fact some(alot) of those people are extremely picky eaters and are eating an unbalanced diet anyway. The modification may merely be given the person closer to a normal diet. To avoid gluten and casein in the modern food supply means rejecting a large percent of pre-made junk food and is often replaced with speciality products that are geared to the health food market.