My daughter, soon to be seven years old has autism and adhd. This fall she is going to start first grade in the MOMD program (moderately mentally disabled). The teacher approached me about what medications I have tried.
Before her diagnosis of autism we tried Adderall and Concerta for the adhd. It was a disaster to say the least. I was told by her pediatrician that meds for ADHD sometimes can have adverse reactions in children with Autism. Does anyone have any experience with this same situation and if so what have you done?
Personally, I do not believe in medication for Autism, atleast not the kind that was suggested to me. Due to my daughter's learning disabilities in school I am trying to get some ideas or suggestions from other parents. thanks. ↓
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| Name: Linda | Date: Aug 6th, 2006 4:45 PM |
Hi Lisa
I have a daughter 9 years old with pdd and add. I tried all the add meds with terrible results. They made her very mean and aggressive. I just tried her on a atypical pyschotrophic med called genodone and she ended up in the emergency room with serious heart palpatations. So I feel for you and I am with you as far as giving up on the meds. I heard recently on the news there is an herbal supplement call pycnogenol which is supposed to be helpful for the Adhd. Go on line and check it out. I think I'm going to give it a try. If anyone out there already has I would love to hear about it. Thanks ↑ |
| Name: kristen1313 | Date: Aug 8th, 2006 4:30 PM |
| i looked into the pygenacol (sp) ? anyways it is on the internet and you can research it yourself. it is basically some kind of pine tree in europe.it is like the bark or sap or something. my son is on risperdal (anti-psychotic) a very low dose. he also started having seizures last year so he is now on depakote and also we have put him straterra a no speedy kind of ad/hd med. we tried before his diagnosis to use adderal and ritilin and something else cant remebr what but they all were stimulants and my son....my good god!!!! literally ran across the room and slammed his head into the wall not once but ran back and forth and everytime he got to the wall (on either side) he slammed his head into it. i called the doctor and told him if he wanted my son to stay on this med he was going to have to come and pick him up cause i was not giving it to him anymore. i understand the fear about meds and i never wanted to use them but his behaviors became so out of control i had no choice. i was beaten and bruised and had bite marks all over me and bloodly noses all the time from him punching me in the face and the occasional bloody mouth. my friends were always asking me if it would better if he was in a home. i said god gave him to me and it is my joy to care for him but it was true i had to do something. we played with many meds seraquel(anti psychotic) was one of them we have not tried concerta but the straterra seemed to be doing its job until the seizures. good luck to you and i know the idea of using something not natural is scary but then again everything comes with risks it is just hard to know what will work and what wont. dont feel like it is all not worth trying because some didnt work sometimes it is just the trying to find the right one which is frustrating. and these meds can have what is called a "rebound" effect which basically means they have the oppisite effect. sometimes anti-sezuire meds work and sometimes they don't.for us it was helpful. ↑ |
| Name: LisaM | Date: Aug 10th, 2006 6:38 PM |
Thanks to you both, Linda and Kristen for your responses. I have never desired to put my daughter on medication for her autism or adhd, though I must admit the thought crosses my mind when I feel desperate. I hate that feeling. As a nurse I see what medications can do and the long term effects. I don't want that for my daughter but at the same time if they helped her? My daughter's teacher for next year asked me about medications and what or if I had tried any on my child. At first, the question offended me. I thought, hey you can't put a bandaid on autism or adhd and I am certainly not going to do it so teaching my daughter in a "zombie state" will be easier for her. The teacher also made a comment about putting my daughter on meds for just a little while to see what it feels like to be "normal". My daughter also had severe asthma and allergies, another reason I am skeptical about medications and adverse reactions. Again, thanks for the input, I really appreciate the advice. As for this teacher, I am not so sure I want someone with this kind of mentality teaching my child and waisting another year of our time. It just seems like the school systems just want to "babysit" our kids and push them on through until they are no longer a liability.
Now that's sad. ↑ |
| Name: sylvia0366 | Date: Sep 6th, 2006 2:52 AM |
Hi Lisa,
I am a mother of 3 autistic kids ages, 11, 9 & 7. Last year the teacher for my 9 and 7 year old asked me if I had considered putting my kids on medication. I told her I was not really into it, but, we had a huge family function and I knew they would not stay still with over 100 people, music, etc...therefore I did put them on ritalin. For the first 6 months it worked wonderfully, they were the best behaved kids at this reunion, teacher was very happy, they were focused on school work, it was great. Then all of a sudden, we went back to the screaming fits from my daughter and the headbutting and making holes on the walls from son (even though the had increased the medication) They no longer wanted to eat or drink anything I gave them because they knew I had put their smashed medicine in, to shorten my story, I decided to take them off the medication and I told the teacher that they no longer were on the medication and she either had to deal with it or I would transfer my son out of the school. I was also told by the behavior therapist and an attorney that the teacher UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES can even suggest to a parent to put their child on medication.
My kids seem to respond better now that they are not on the medication, maybe a "tad" more hyper than usual, but working on it. It is nice to know that I am not the only one having these problems,
good luck
sylvia ↑ |
| Name: jacksmom | Date: Jan 28th, 2007 4:51 AM |
Jack's story....
After the 12 mos. vaccines my son gradually slipped into autism. He was head-banging, hand-flapping, twirling, lost speech, lost eye contact and he just withdrew.
Now two years later.... no head-banging, no twirling, no flapping, has eye contact and is starting to verbalize again. And... he has Down Syndrome to boot. :) Yes... even kids with DS get autism. Actually they get it at a higher rate.
What helped him? First I give God praise.... our son wouldn't be here without Him and we prayed and I believe He guided us. Second... supplements. Especially cod liver oil. I recommend Green Pastures CLO with the X factor. Check out Dr. Mary Megson's work on the web. http://www.diet-studies.com/megson.html Our Jack healed gradually... but he is healing. I actually had to make myself GET USED TO him not twirling everything any more!
Also check out Dr. Amy Yasko's work. www.holistichealth.com
We give Jack alot of supps - cod liver oil, probiotic, magnesium citrate, tart cherry and recently we added cilantro. He takes some other things too but each child is unique. It helps to find a good naturopathic MD or chiropractor. Don't use supps until you research things for yourself. Cilantro for example...should possibly not be used until some other detox has been done.
Don't give up. There is hope! And... I will be frank here.... many mainstream doctors know squat about how to heal autism. Don't let that throw you. There are people who do know how to help. God bless you! Love, Jack's Mom :) [email protected] ↑ |
| Name: anne summitt | Date: Jun 13th, 2011 10:36 PM |
Lisa, I just got on this site. My daughter Evelyn is 10, and she is severely autistic. We have been through several different "treatments"; ABA in the beginning, followed by RDI when my 3rd child was born. We finally found medical help for her OCD problems; she would pick at her skin until it bled, then would repick and repick until a permanent scar was made. She is marked forever by these scars, all on her upper arms.
We put her on Risperal after trying several different meds. It seemed to help. Recently, we were given Vyvance to try (an add/adhd med) for her agitation and panicky behavior. It seemed to work at first, but now I'm seeing lots of crying, weeping, sadness, and escalated volume. This has ended up not being a helpful post, has it? I think I'm just venting. Anyway, I feel your pain, I get it, I also am asking for advice out there for med choices (or not). Thanks all,
Anne ↑ |
| Name: MSHB2 | Date: Nov 13th, 2011 4:59 AM |
| I too, have a child with both ADHD and Autism. My child is a 7 year old boy in the 2nd grade. I also experimented with Adderall and it was not the right medicine for my son. This was before he was diagnosed with the Autism. I eventually found a med that works great for him called Metadate CD. However, it wasn't completely helping like it should of and that's when his teachers and I decided to have him evaluated for Autism. He is border line and has Asperger's. He is off the charts as far as his ADHD is concerned and very much needs medicine to keep up in school. Also he has whats called an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). If your child does not have this in school I highly recommend it. If you ask me there is not any medicines that will treat symptoms of Autism. I would try any other medicine besides the Adderall, I suggest the Metadate CD ( the CD has to do with time release) and get her off of the Concerta. Concerta is supposed to help with their hand writing but may just be too much for your daughter for now. Besides, I know from personal experience that time and practice will help that issue, if this is the reasoning behind the Dr. choosing to give her that med. ↑ |
| Name: angiep | Date: Feb 27th, 2012 8:08 PM |
| my son is 8 yrs old and will be 9 in April. He has been diagnosed with autisim and adhd about a year ago and he is on medikinet medication and he seems ok on that one ↑ |
| Name: Mommy4 | Date: Dec 6th, 2012 4:34 PM |
| My son is 12, and has been on many diets, supplements, and medications. As far as ADHD meds go, ALL (Focalin, Ritalin, Adderrall, Concerta and Strattera) have made him aggressive, miserable, and self injurious. He has benefitted from Paxil and Prozac as well as Abilify (which was beneficial for focus and cognition as well). The best thing I have found for him, though, is NAC which I get on Amazon. It is an amino acid and helps to increase glutathione levels. A small study showed significant benefits in autistic children's behaviors and we see it, too! Minimizing processed foods is challenging but definitely worthwhile, as well. Please don't forget to care for yourself on this journey. Respite is a must, and I couldn't have made it without some wonderful friends of special needs kids to laugh and cry with! My friends with"typical" kids are great and supportive and welcoming, but they can't possibly understand the daily pressures and stresses of raising truly difficult and demanding children. Definitely get an IEP! Get as much early intervention as possible! Peer mentors can be fantastic, too. A high school football player was great with my son. I paid him $10/hour over the summer to take him places. He learned to open doors for ladies and which cars were "cool" and how to be a "good sport" if you lose a game- TRULY PRICELESS! Blessings! ↑ |
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