Linz Report post Posted June 27, 2004 My son has ADHD & Aspergers and is on Ritalin - whilst medicated the Aspergers symptoms seem to come to the fore - after a recent increase in his medication he became unmanageable and we had to drop the medication levels again. Our consultant seemed to imply that the Ritalin can aggrivate the more obsessive side of the aspergers - has anyone got any experiences in the same situation that they can share with me. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted June 27, 2004 Hi Linz, From the age of 8 to 14 my son was on Ritalin because he has AS and ADHD. From what I can remember, we were told that it could make things worse on the AS side...we were lucky in that it worked very well for him. He was prescribed it in combination with intensive behavioural therapy, and the Ritalin gave him a 'mental breathing space' to take in the therapy. Have you been offered any kind of behavioural therapy? On a plus note, my son decided to gradually come off Ritalin himself about a year ago. There has been no return of his manic hyper behaviour...I think there is definitely an element of 'out-growing' the worst excesses of the impulsive/hyperactive behaviour. Good luck! Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pookie170 Report post Posted June 29, 2004 (edited) Hi Linz. Has the consultant looked at using other medication?two that come to mind are Clonidine and Risperidone, though both can result in side effects, depression being one possibilty. Clonidine- Depression caused for one out of every 10/20 people that take it... Risperadone-May cause depression, substantial weight gain in children and can also have a sedative effect... I remembered that when browsing the ODD link from resources, ADHD was mentioned in the medication section. Have a look, it might be useful. That's where I got the info regarding Clonidine and Risperidone. Best of luck, Linz. Esther x Edited June 29, 2004 by pookie170 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
momski1 Report post Posted July 23, 2004 Linz, my son was misdiagnosed when he was 5 as being ADHD and was put on Ritalin and Clonodine. Although it helped the ADHD, he was subsequently hospitalized 2 times for outbursts and violence at school. It did nothing for the outbursts, in fact the "Ritaling come down" was horrible for him. During his second hospitalization they took him off all meds to get a clear picture and decided to try Risperidone and Zoloft. The Zoloft is for his depression. This combination helped him immensely, but the outbursts, although fewer continued (NEVER at home) at school because of his improper school placement (they put him in a school for conduct disorder kids, this is the all time worst place an Asperger kid can be and caused much anxiety and outbursts). He was 14 when I took him to be tested for Aspergers after I saw a special on TV about it and cried because they exactly described my son. Aspergers has only been widely talked about in the US since approx. 1994. He is now on proper meds and in the appropriate school setting and is doing terrific. The only concern (which is a big one) is that he has gained ALOT of weight. He is 17 so it's hard telling how much is medication and how much is the growth spurt he has had. There is a new med. here in the US called "Abilify", it supposedly has very few side effects and will not cause the weight gain. I will be trying this soon, although the Risperidone is working perfectly for us right now, my son's weight problem is an issue. I guess what I am trying to say is that I not only use the meds to help Ricky be more in control, I also did alot of behavioral things for him and got him the aids he needed to learn to function in society with his "different view" of life. I love him immensely because he is now such a kind gentle soul with almost no outbursts, maybe just a little anxiety at times when he misunderstands situations. He is attending a regular school with a one on one aid and is doing great. Risperdone and proper settings changed his life! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loulou Report post Posted December 28, 2004 Hi Linz, I know this is quite an "old" topic, but my son has been on Ritalin for 2 months now (he is 6). His hyperactivity calmed down, but his AS symptoms have increased alot. I mentioned this to the psychiatrist and he said that this can happen. Before he was on the Ritalin, he was all over the place (body and mind), now he has calmed down, it has allowed him to think more. He is much more obsessive than he used to be and has developed several new "phobias". He also keeps asking questions and worrying about war/bombs/earth quakes/hurricanes etc. Don't know if this is normal for his age, but it's hard to explain all that to him, so the news is not on now when he's around!!!! Loulou Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbrown Report post Posted December 28, 2004 Hi Loulou, My lad isn't on ritalin but risperidone(risperdal). I had mentioned ritalin to his doc a year or so ago and he said there wasn't any need but there seems to be a need now for the other treatment. The funny thing is my county (fife) was mentioned in the paper this week as being the ritalin prescribing capital of Britain!! Our doc seems to think that risperdal has tested more positive in autistic children although there can be unwelcome side effects. I think phobias develop anyway regardless of taking the medication and once he seems to be over one another one begins. The worst one was for anything that flies. he doesn't want to go out if it's sunny because of them. Funny you should mention fear of earthquakes etc. Just tonight I was talking to him about the recent one in asia, he is 10, he ran out of the room covering his ears at the mention of the word earthquake?? I tried to get him to talk about what was bothering him but apparantly words like, earthquake, killed, dead are setting him off just now. I just let it go. No point in making more of it than need be. Bye for now Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loulou Report post Posted December 28, 2004 Hi Mike, What affect does respiridone have on your son? I don't really know much about the drug or what it does. I don't really want my son on medication, but he was not happy running all over the place like Tazmania! He said to me that he feels happy now he can concentrate on his train tracks! The Melatonin is still working, but not as dramatically as the first night. He keeps saying to me, "Mummy, why do you keep putting me to bed when i'm just not tired?". I think to myself, "you will be in a minute". I feel a bit mean really, but it will be for his own good because he should be starting school again soon and he needs his sleep. Tnanks, loulou Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
