Thinking out loud...meds/drugs

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Hi!
I may be right off base here, but I was just reading some of the posts on this forum and it got me thing about medication and our kids.

I'm kinda wondering out loud and I don't want to offend anyone, I dont know much about any of the meds and my child isn't on any. I just thought your opinions on my thoughts would be interesting.

I know a couple of parents that have their kids on ADHD / ODD medication (same stuff) they started on ritalin and are both now on the longer lasting drug, (I cant think of its name). Both parents have said these drugs work for the first few hours but by the time the medication is wearing off their kids are worse. Their behaviour is off the wall. Both lots of parents have troubles getting their kids to sleep, and then have troubles waking them up.
It has had me thinking about it all also, because my sons first diagnoses was adhd (doesnt look like thats the case at all, and I never thought it was) his first peaditrician wanted to try my then 6yr old on ritalin. Thank God I said no way.
Anyway what I've been thinking about probably sounds silly to some but as I said I know nothing. These kids ( my friends kids) sound a little like my foster brother who was a drug addict. He would be real calm after his hit and then explode and be all over the place when he needed another. And the drugs needed to get progressivly stronger, cause the buzz wasn't holding him.
Is this whats going on with kids on meds? Are doctors inadvertantly making them addicted. I know they say these drugs aren't addictive, I too was told this, when the pead wated to drug my boy. My thoughts were though a lot of the addiction in drug addicts is a mind thing. So if the kids aren't told that they may get addicted, physcologicaly they may not. Physically are they getting addicted thouh? Is this why the drugs work for a short while then have to keep being adjusted increased or try new stuff?
These are just my out loud thoughts, I would be very curious to hear what others say. Please know I haven't intended to offend anyone. I do know that for some parents there is nothing else on offer to help support their kids.

i'm not real sure about the drug addiction part, but i can say from our experience that not every medication works for every person. it is, unfortunately, a trial and error sort of system.....keep trying meds until you find the one that works

Here...check out these alternatives that psychiatrists will not tell you about that are on enaturalremedies.com and they're for Asperger's Syndrome related behaviors! One word of warning though...this place calls Asperger's a disease!

I always have great success with homeopathic remedies. It's how I saved the life of my cat when that pet food crap was on the shelves and I did it affordably! The vet was so mad at me for not getting sucked into her mega buck treatments that she called me on the phone to ask me how I saved the life of my cat. I wasn't about to tell her.

tolerance tolerance tolerance. Say it three times fast and remain drug-free.

They are drugs--and they have a rebound effect, which is the reason I try not to use even cold medicines. They make you breath okay, but the next day you feel drugged with a headache and a worse runny nose.

The problem? You can't mask a problem. But, you can hide it temporarily and then it will resurface, full force. So, what is the medication doing? It keeps a child compliant, quiet, able to sit all day in school. If the child is hallucinating, it takes away the voices, images.

The side effects in both cases are there. So, the parent has to weight the pros and cons of medication. Many families do it for the other siblings, to keep the family intact--maybe the marriage is unraveling due to frequent meltdowns.

For school purposes. School has had it. Calls keep coming home, parent can't keep leaving job--job is on the line. The pressure is intense here too.

It comes from all sides and eventually the parent caves in and decides to start meds. It in no way cures the underlying problems, they are still everpresent, but the child is calmer, quieter, more normal, more compliant, more---NT. So, I've heard. Honestly, I can tell a child that is on meds: They seem hesitant in speech and movement, almost too even mood-wise, their hands shake and are clammy and they are unrealistically quiet and absorbed, or they are sleepy. This is my experience witnessing kids and meds. I'm sure this doesn't encompass all the reactions to medications.

I am vehemently opposed to the medicating that is going on right now. I tell the team and everyone involved with my son, unless he's hallucinating, he will remain med-free with the exception of a multi-vitamin one-a-day. Medication is NEVER the answer. It is a temporary fix to a bigger problem. How would I even explain it to my son? What would I say? Do parents lie and say it's a vitamin? I can't imagine saying here's a pill to make you think and behave better.

Here's the real clincher--seeing that were on WrongPlanet this should be relevant to many posters: Aspergers is not a disorder that requires medication. It is not a chemical imbalance but more of a unique processing. Once this is understood by parent, staff and anyone else working with child, the child will be better off emotionally. It does take educating on the parent's part, a tenacity that doesn't quit when it comes to relating symptoms back to AS. The emotional problems that crop up and are referred to as comorbid conditions are merely a)a ticket to medication b) intolerance of Aspie traits****** c) niave faith in doctors that are manipulated like marionette puppets by the all powerful pharmaceteutical industry aka Puppet Master.

Anyone who argues a, b, or c--please have a valid argument that doesn't being with "It is a personal decision...." this is a mute point when considering the health and well being of our future generation.

equinn

I'm not saying I disagree with the reasoning behind this, but you do have some "name-calling" in here if you are saying other parents fall under "b" and "c". Just a warning if you get some defensive replies. beentheredonethat

I think one of the main problems with ASD and medications are how they are used. When my son was two, the neurologist suggested ritalin. He said it was "experimental" for autistics and it wasn't known whether it would help. He also said it mainly be for me. I was floored by this comment. ASD as a condition itself doesn't seem to have any neurochemical deficits. So, it follows that an autistic person wouldn't necessarily benefit from drugs meant for psychiatric illness or ADD/ADHD. It would also mean that misdiagnosing an autistic could have devastating effects if medications are introduced.

Social and sensory issues can lead to conditions that are very hard to manage. I think this is where parents are divided over medications. Anxiety can be overwhelming and many people believe that children can benefit from anti-anxiety medications. A teacher pushed it on us when my son was 4-6 years old. We didn't do it. We insisted that Pop needed to learn how to deal with anxiety successfully.
Communication deficits can lead to aggressive or hyper behavior. I think this is where the Risperdol (sp?) comes in. It's only recently been approved for autistic children. I don't think it's safe, I don't think it's been proven safe. I don't think autistics are "psychotic" so it doesn't make sense to treat them that way. I worked in nursing homes and it's against the law to "manage behavior" with anti-psychotics, so why is okay to treat children this way??
We have fought for services for my son, and everyone makes it clear that he is unique. A decade ago, he would have been kept in the special ed class or even the special ed school. But with every developmental milestone he reaches (drug free), he is easier to "deal with". He can fit into class with accomodations and with an educational approach. It has been a lot of work.

That said, I do think there are times when an autistic person is overwhelmed later in life. Puberty does involve chemicals, hormones that can be thrown out of whack. Life circumstances can be overwhelming and an autistic teen or adult may need to address 1)depression, and/or 2)PMS and/or 3)PTSD and/or 4)anxiety. I do know adult autistics who benefit from medications for these issues.

members of our family are medicated not for aspergers, but for comorbid conditions such as anxiety,depression and insomnia. this is not the answer for everyone, but it is the answer for our family. Now that the anxiety symptoms have become more manageable, both son and hubby are better able to coexist with others....happier ( this is their opinion)....better able to stop for a minute before acting impulsively or out of total frustration.
they still have times where they become frustrated and anxious~ this is part of them. Our goal has always been not to change who they are as people, but to help them help themselves feel better.we have been diligent about discontinuing meds that were ineffective or had too many adverse effects.