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peaches

Medication for 7/8 year old?

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I have got to the point where I am seriously considering getting medication for R as we have and a tough couple of months with him, he is starting to injure other people again. I am pursuing getting seen again at CAMHS which is a bit of a battle, but I want to be really clued up about medication when I finally get an appointment with them again. He has beein sleeping really badly this summer, but has been able to sleep better since he went back to school.

 

His diagnosis is High Functioning Autism, ADHD, developmental co-ordination disorder. He is currently seeing an OT at school and she has just completed an assessment. She is going to try a weighted jacket and one or two other things. He has had a weighted blanket at home for a couple of years now. He has 3 little sisters and is constantly injuring them either deliberately or accidentally as his movements are impulsive and uncoordinated. Yesterday he was angry with his next age sibling and whilst I was putting the two younger ones to bed he asked her to get down and he kicked her between her legs. I had to take her to the walk in centre today for a check up, fortunately its just bruising making urination painful. Im so upset about this, his sisters shouldnt have to put up with this, they should be able to grow up without being assaulted all the time, they have been through enough already. Last night I slipped some piriton (antihistamine prescribed for his sister) into his lemonade and it made him quieter, I did it again tonight, and we have had no further trouble. I realise this is just a weekend stop gap and I cant do it regular though.

 

I dont like the thought of medication, but I am at a loss at what else to do. Please tell me your experiences with it to help me make a decision.

 

Thanks

Alyson

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Hi Alyson.

 

Both J and me take valerian, a herbal medicine and its made a big difference, otherwise there is Melatonin, however J had sensitivity to this and experienced Headaches, nightmares during the night however it did set him into a routine so helped for the short term.

 

I would look at some form of anger management, and is he on medication for his ADHD?

 

J went on concerta xl due to impulsive and dangerous actions, however he refuses to take his meds and he is now back at camhs to assess the situation.

 

I would look at possibly looking at a enviroement he can be placed for short periods where he and others are safe, maybe a safespace.

 

http://www.safespaces.co.uk/ OT can look at funding them otherwise there is charities that may help towards one.

 

What about distraction techneques so when your busy with your GDs he isnt then prone to act out to gain attention too, so ensure he has a set activity while you are busy with your GDs.

 

Have a chill out area set out for just him, a place that is calm and relaxing, with music, and low lights, and than an activity to keep him occupied.

 

Have you had any assessments for support at home, it maybe that he requires 1-1 supervision while your meeting your GDs needs, so a carer maybe needed for bedtimes/mornings.

 

Direct payments maybe considered for this.

 

It maybe you need more support at home.

 

JsMumx

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Thanks thats a really helpful reply. He has no medication at all so Im wanting to hear from everyone about all sorts of meds. Raph wont normally take medication, but I am hoping to conceal some in a drink. I cant guarantee this will work but I feel I am at the end of my tether so I have got to do something. Ive just had enough. I saw a very nice lady today from the autism communication team who I had contacted as she was helpful in the meetings at school. She got me an appointment this week at CAMHS to discuss medication with one of the consultants, I couldnt have asked for more. I also contacted social services to request respite, and a helpful lady from the local NAS branch helpline talked me through types of respite available locally and the chances of getting them. Not easy but worth a try.

 

It all went downhill once again at the babies bedtime, when Raph stuck a battery operated Nesquik whisk in his sisters hair. She was screaming and I had to cut it out of her hair as it was all tangled up. This makes the safeplaces you posted about make sense, but I cant see being able to get enough money to fund one. I had specifically told my husband not to leave the two of them alone, he was taking the second youngest upstairs to put to bed and going to send me back down and it happened in the time it took for him to get upstairs and into the back bedroom. Sometimes I dont think DH is on board, or listening to me, or thinks Im talking ######. Or just being a man. Raph is normally occupied on the computer at this time, but he seems to take him by surprise. I feel sorry for him though as he is also very unhappy at the moment because DH loses his temper with him every time he does something crazy, which makes him anxious, and its just a vicious cycle I suppose. Anyway, gotta go now, Im very tired and starting to ramble.

 

Thanks for posting.

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Thanks thats a really helpful reply. He has no medication at all so Im wanting to hear from everyone about all sorts of meds. Raph wont normally take medication, but I am hoping to conceal some in a drink. I cant guarantee this will work but I feel I am at the end of my tether so I have got to do something. Ive just had enough. I saw a very nice lady today from the autism communication team who I had contacted as she was helpful in the meetings at school. She got me an appointment this week at CAMHS to discuss medication with one of the consultants, I couldnt have asked for more. I also contacted social services to request respite, and a helpful lady from the local NAS branch helpline talked me through types of respite available locally and the chances of getting them. Not easy but worth a try.

 

It all went downhill once again at the babies bedtime, when Raph stuck a battery operated Nesquik whisk in his sisters hair. She was screaming and I had to cut it out of her hair as it was all tangled up. This makes the safeplaces you posted about make sense, but I cant see being able to get enough money to fund one. I had specifically told my husband not to leave the two of them alone, he was taking the second youngest upstairs to put to bed and going to send me back down and it happened in the time it took for him to get upstairs and into the back bedroom. Sometimes I dont think DH is on board, or listening to me, or thinks Im talking ######. Or just being a man. Raph is normally occupied on the computer at this time, but he seems to take him by surprise. I feel sorry for him though as he is also very unhappy at the moment because DH loses his temper with him every time he does something crazy, which makes him anxious, and its just a vicious cycle I suppose. Anyway, gotta go now, Im very tired and starting to ramble.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Whoa there! Do you really think it is wrong or unreasonable or inappropriate for your husband to lose his temper when your son injures his sister by kicking her in the legs or sticking electric whisks in her hair? I think it is totally and completely reasonable - and if I suggested that it 'must be a woman thing' - to not see that would that be unreasonable too? I don't know what you mean by 'losing his temper' but if your husband is telling him off, sanctioning him, asking him to apologise etc etc I think you should be backing him in that - and doing so yourself when your husband is not around. I think medication as an alternative to discipline is something many parents choose these days, and I've never really seen any evidence that it works, whereas I've seen lots of evidence that discipline, boundaries, expectations etc do. Maybe you could speak to your husband, because he might well feel that you are not on board, or that you're not listening to him, or that you are talking ######? Maybe he has some ideas for solutions that don't involve drugs or bedroom friendly padded cells that keep your son isolated and your daughters safe?

 

I'm really sorry if that sounds blunt - but I am really at a loss to understand how an expectation that two kids should be able to stay in the same room for a couple of minutes without one attacking the other is wrong, or why your are effectively blaming your husband for your son's totally unreasonable aggressive behaviour (?)

 

L&P

 

BD

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But then again children are not adults and any expectation that they should behave in an adult way is unreasonable. The expectation from SS/CAMHS where there is any hint of one child harming another is that parents are responsible at all times.

 

The other dimension is that Ritalin is as cheap as chips whereas behavioural therapy (or plain old support around behaviour issues) is massively expensive. Being offered 'drug therapy' is far more likely to happen. Given that parents are tired and struggling in many ways thinking of taking up what professionals are ready to offer does not make you a bad parent.

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But then again children are not adults and any expectation that they should behave in an adult way is unreasonable.

 

You will know, of course, that I totally agree with this. However, it is also unreasonable to say that a child kicking his sister so hard in the vagina that it leaves bruising and makes urinating painful and necessitates a visit to the clinic falls into the category of behaviours that could be expected to happen if leaving two children briefly alone in the same room. (And, incidentally, if 'dad' is guilty as charged with responsibility for the hair and mixer incident then who should have been ensuring compliance with SS/CAMHS expectations when the much more severe incident above took place? But that's a moot point and actually could be interpreted as an accusation of 'bad parenting' - which it isn't (because it should be an entirely reasonable expectation to leave two children alone in a room together for a minute or two), so lets not go there)...

 

And I wasn't suggesting expensive behavioural therapy as an alternative to medication - I was talking about plain old fashioned in house, behavioural expectation and sanction.

 

Not sure where the 'bad parenting' angle came in - but considering the nature of the assault and the extent of injury I don't think dad 'losing his temper' (unless, in so doing, he enacted some sort of severe physical punishment that would itself be inappropriate) is in any way extreme or an over-reaction or even an unhelpful reaction. I think it is completely rational and justified. If the most severe sanction the child received for this behaviour was to feel 'anxious' at the realisation that his father was angry with him then it was not, IMO, anywhere close to an effective sanction. I am, quite frankly, shocked by the casual acceptance of this level of aggression as a 'symptom' of High Functioning autism, at seeing HF autism used as a justification and excuse for it, and by the seeming acceptance that dad's response to it was in some way extreme. :blink:

 

L&P

 

BD

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I am glad that Js mum read my first post and actually answered the question.

 

Is there anyone out there that can give me first hand experience on the use of medication so I can make my choices?

Edited by peaches

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I will bow out now, because you are right - I haven't answered the question you posed and don't really have any experiences of that to offer.

And I am sorry that you are at such a low ebb - but believe me, the advice I offered, even if it was not what you wanted to hear, was offered in an attempt to help. I do not think that medication will be an effective solution for combating your child's aggressive behaviours. Most of the posts I read from parents whose children are on medication tend to indicate that the doses get bigger and the behaviours continue. That is also my own experience of Ritalin, which I did trial on my son many years ago in the hope of helping reduce some of his ADHD symptoms.

 

L&P

 

BD

Edited by baddad

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Hi Peaches,

 

Risperidone has been known to have good and sometimes dramatic effects on anxious and aggressive behaviour where ASD is a factor. I don't know if it can be prescribed in children as young as 8 though - you would have to discuss with Camhs.

 

K x

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I am glad that Js mum read my first post and actually answered the question.

 

Is there anyone out there that can give me first hand experience on the use of medication so I can make my choices?

 

 

Hi Peaches, I rarely post here these days, but thought I might be able to help with this question.

 

My son, who is now an adult, has AS, ADHD and Dyspraxia. We had huge problems with aggressive behaviour when he was little, but were lucky enough to be under the care of one of the only two (in those days) specialist paediatric diagnostic centres for autism.

 

Under their guidance he was started on ritalin when he was 8 BUT this was in conjunction with intense behavioural therapy, with regular home visits by the child psychologist.

 

I have always said that ritalin gave my son a 'mental breathing space' to enable him to actually take in the behavioural therapy. Before, his ADHD was so severe he really couldn't focus long enough for anything to impact on him. It was a very long slog, but we stuck religiously to the behavioural plan and gradually his aggression reduced.

 

My advice would be to trial the meds if your consultant thinks it is appropriate, but I would insist that you have some kind of behavioural support in conjunction with this. In my personal and professional experience (I have worked for a number of years with children and young people with a range of severe learning difficulties and autism, and my DH is a senior teacher at a school for complex learning difficulies) the problem is rarely 'bad parenting' per se, as much as not understanding the most appropriate way to target challenging behaviour in autistic children.

 

I don't have time to go into great detail, but essentially normal 'good' parenting techniques need to be tweaked to work with autistic children, in my experience. For example, with my son, we were told to pick the most significant challenging behaviour and target that first...in his case, it was hitting people. So we concentrated on that alone at first, using a reward system. But again, we were told it was pointless to have a reward system expecting an autistic child to be 'good' for a whole week, or even a whole day to begin with. We started off dividing the day into small sections...no hitting for that period earned an immediate and concrete reward, not a 'gold star' or a sticker, which wouldn't mean anything to my son. The expectation has to be clear, using the same simple phrase every time, e.g. 'no hitting', and rewards have to be concrete and immediate.

 

So, from our family experience, I would say that meds can be very beneficial, but not in isolation. I believe you need to use them in conjunction with some good behavioural support.

 

I hope that may have helped, and please feel free to ask any questions. I might add that my son chose to come off ritalin when he was 14, and the extreme ADHD behaviours and aggression have never reappeared, although he can stil be a bit impulsive sometimes!

 

Bid :)

Edited by bid

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We have been given Equasym as he has a separate dx for ADHD to try first. He is obviously having interventions for his behaviour at school and someone is coming to see us from Kites to help with behaviour problems and deliver triple P for both me and my husband. We have also been given a contact for his other inappropriate behaviour.

 

I dont intend the medication to be a permanent thing, but maybe it will help. At least he took the tablet which surprised me no end.

 

He wont take any medicine of any kind usually, but he swallowed the tablet. I asked him why, and he said because it didnt taste of anything.

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That is also my own experience of Ritalin, which I did trial on my son many years ago in the hope of helping reduce some of his ADHD symptoms.

 

L&P

 

BD

 

 

So you did choose to trial medication but your decision was because of your Sons ADHD Symptoms? isnt this the same reason to why Peaches has decided to trial medication?

 

JsMumx

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So you did choose to trial medication but your decision was because of your Sons ADHD Symptoms? isnt this the same reason to why Peaches has decided to trial medication?

 

JsMumx

 

 

I don't know? I thought it was more about violence/aggression, which are not ADHD symptoms. Either way, as I said, my experience of Ritalin was that it didn't help, and my wider experience of medication generally was that, in isolation, it didn't help in the long term - the doses just got bigger and so did the behaviours - a vicious cycle of 'chemical cosh'. Others have pointed out that medication used in conjuction with non-medicational behavioural management techniques can help - which is great. I can report that the non-medicational behavioural techniques were successful on their own in my son's case, and that the medication, when trialed, created more new problems than it resolved. I'm not against medication. I've just not seen any evidence that it is particularly effective in stopping behaviours if the behaviours aren't addressed directly.

 

L&P

 

BD :D

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I would say that meds can be very beneficial, but not in isolation. I believe you need to use them in conjunction with some good behavioural support.

I don't know about behaviour, but I would agree with this in terms of my experiences with severe anxiety. I was receiving support and theoretically I knew and could regurgitate verbatim how to handle particular situations that were causing anxiety, but the anxiety was so extreme that when actually placed in that situation I just shut down and couldn't apply all that I knew theoretically. Medication allowed me to stay and to 'be' in a situation long enough to apply the theoretical stuff I had been working on and to begin to see its effect. Gradually as I became more confident that such strategies could help, I could reduce the medication and see the behavioural strategies working on their own and beginning to bring about changes that could be more permanent in the way I view, understand and respond to a situation.

 

In new situations I may require medication for that initial coping but I also know that I can transfer to other strategies. Medication wears off but behaviour changes can be long lasting and I guess it's about finding the right balance, but for me, neither in isolation would have worked.

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My son was at his most 'out of control' at 7/8. I hadn't developed all the coping strategies and we hadn't found the major triggers (food additives for the ADHD side of things in our case). I spent a lot of time researching and looking for evidence of what did and didn't work, trying to find something that was relevant to us. I'm sure if you do your own research Peaches you will find aggression is an acknowledged aspect of ADHD and that psychopharmacology can help (I googled adhd aggression nhs to come up with that word, lol). Top tip with medical research is to read the discussion and conclusions first. I found it helped me in my desire to make an informed choice.

 

The other thing to remember that children do develop and mature although the pace is comparatively slow so what might be inconceivable now in terms of attention span and general 'control' in terms of impulsiveness becomes very much achievable. The teenage years here have been much less challenging in comparison. At 7/8 my son was all over the place and climbing the walls with ADHD, at 16 he is a different person, still with challenges, but nowhere near so exhausting. We didn't medicate, but found the biggest triggers and eliminated them, but I would have been asking for medication if GFCF additive free hadn't worked (in fact I was completely taken aback that it did work).

 

HTH

Edited by call me jaded
typos

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Hi again Peaches -

 

I thought you might find this link useful:

 

ADHD DSM IV

 

As I said earlier aggression is not a 'symptom' of ADHD, though of course, as CMJ has pointed out, it can be associated with it.

For my own son, aggression wasn't a problem, though his impulsivity was sometimes misread as aggression, Identifying the difference isn't always easy, but I think sustained aggressive behaviour is different to, say, a single push or shove, and that aggression towards people rather than objects is something different again.

 

Hope that's helpful

 

L&P

 

BD

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I think you are splitting hairs baddad. The impulsivity, just not thinking before you act is what is often behind other people being injured. Sometimes it can simply be a matter of uncordinated movements. I cant find my mention of the word aggression, perhaps you can direct me to it. The fact that your son displayed no aggression is neither here nor there.

 

I am aware of DSM IV and my grandson does fit the criteria, which is why he has a separate diagnosis of ADHD given by a very well respected consultant. Our new consultant agreed with the diagnosis after spending time in his company, listening to his history and taking information from school.

 

I am also happy to report that school have noticed a real difference in him already. His teacher met me at home time to tell me. Other interventions are continuing, and next week the occupational therapist will be bringing in some resources to help him stay in his seat.

Edited by peaches

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I think you are splitting hairs baddad. The impulsivity, just not thinking before you act is what is often behind other people being injured. I cant find my mention of aggression, perhaps you can direct me to it. The fact that your son displayed no aggression is neither here nor there.

 

I am aware of DSM IV and my grandson does fit the criteria, which is why he has a separate diagnosis of ADHD given by a very well respected consultant. Our new consultant agreed with the diagnosis after spending time in his company, listening to his history and taking information from school.

 

 

Hi again Peaches -

 

I'm sorry you felt I was splitting hairs - that wasn't my intention. I really do think it is important to recognise that aggression isn't a 'symptom' of ADHD but a possibly associated factor. If it is seen as a 'symptom' it may be viewed as 'inevitable' which it isn't (and I am not suggesting that is what you are doing, because I simply don't know - I am just 'covering the bases'.). I described what happened (and can still occassionally happen) with my son as an example of how things can be misinterpreted - not as a 'Universal Model'of ADHD by which I was measuring your grandson. I offered my opinion of how different patterns of behaviour might be distinguished for the same reason.

You mentioned aggression at least a couple of times - the most graphic being when he kicked, in anger, your grandaughter between the legs, causing bruising to her vagina and problems with urination that were, in your own opinion, so severe that it necessitated a visit to the clinic. You also state that he hurts people deliberately and accidentally. Looking back, I did interpret the whisk in the hair, from your description, to have been another deliberate act and I may have been mistaken in that, but I guess as neither your husband or you were in the room we can't know for sure.

 

I am, of course, aware, that you didn't like what I said in my original response, and acknowledged and apologised even when posting that it may have seemed a little blunt, but i stand by it and the fact that I did find the way you 'blamed' your husband very shocking.

 

Feel free to disregard anything I have offered in the way of advice, but again I would asure you that in terms of what you had written my responses were genuine and I hoped, helpful. To reiterate, I do not think medication will help your grandson without addressing the core behavioural issues as well. I don't think it is helpful to shift the 'blame' for any aggressive behaviours onto your husband, or to view the aggression purely as a symptom of ADHD. I think there are some key differences between 'impulsive' behaviour and 'aggressive' behaviour and that it would be helpful to identify them in relation to your grandson. I do hope you can find some answers and solutions to your grandsons problems, and believe that the advice I've offered could help in that process.

 

Finally, having just re-read your last post I can assure you that I wasn't in any way suggesting that your grandson doesn't fit the criteria for ADHD, which is possibly (?) what you inferred). The point I was making - for the reasons detailed above - is that aggression is not a 'symptom' of ADHD.

 

Hope that clarifies things, and I will, unless asked, step out of this one now, as in relation to the content so far I don't think I've much else to offer.

 

L&P

 

BD

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I am also happy to report that school have noticed a real difference in him already. His teacher met me at home time to tell me. Other interventions are continuing, and next week the occupational therapist will be bringing in some resources to help him stay in his seat.

Really glad it sounds as though things are moving in the right direction, Peaches :thumbs:

 

Bid :)

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Hi Peaches, as a 7/8 yr old my son could be agressive to his younger siblings .Altercations usually occured when he was frustrated, tired, upset/angry after school,when they touched his stuff, or generally got on his nerves.My son was a very emotional boy and school problems made things worse for him.He threw stuff at his sister and gave her a bruise on the head(the toy hit her by chance), rugby tackled her , kicked , and shoved her.We took advice from camhs and also were prescribed melatonin.I don,t know how you cope as you have 4 kids to contend with and it must be very hard to watch them all.But safegaurding the little ones is improtant and if meds can help your GS and GD,,s then it has to be a positive move.My son is no longer on any meds and is no longer hitting angry or frustrated in fact now he is 15 he is very quiet and calm.He does lose it sometimes but which teen does,nt.You have to do what is right for you and your situation, if your grandson was an only child you could devote all your time to him and perhaps the agression would,nt have been as much of an issue.But put other kids/siblings into the mix and it just magnifies the emotional state of some of our kids.Best wishes suzex

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http://www.autism.org.uk/en-gb/our-services/support-for-families-and-carers/help-programme/help2.aspx

 

I thought this link might be useful.

It includes details of an NAS Help 2 course on managing anger in young people with AS and HFA.

My husband and myself did the course last year.We did not agree with everything the leaders said however we found it helpful to find that many other parents were dealing with similar issues and we did pick up some new ideas.

 

I can also recommend a book ''People with Autism Behaving Badly' by John Clements published by JKP.

I know the title is truly awful[ before anyone else says so] but if you can get beyond that it might be helpful.

 

I thought I should also make a correction to a claim I made yesterday which I have since realised is completely untrue.

It obviously is untrue otherwise why would I ever have purchased the book above ? :rolleyes::ph34r:

 

 

I said that Ben was never aggreesive which is rather an exageration.He is 12, off school loaded with cold and whilst he has not hit me the x box control may yet be removed for its own safety. :)

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"The red beast" and "a volcano in my tummy" are good books for working on anger management with young children. Hope that the KITES team give you some useful strategies too X

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I cant believe where this thread has gone.

 

I tried to split it into two but don't seem to have the right permissions. Apologies for that peaches. Will try again.

 

 

 

ETA: All done, off topic posts have been moved here - think this thread reads ok. Let me know if I've missed anything.

Edited by call me jaded

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Hi Peaches

 

I can completely understand why you're considering medication. My son R's behaviour is generally very up and down. His consultant has actually said she feels he may have a mood disorder. However, statistically and by her admission, a mood disorder (ie bipolar) would not be diagnosed in a child (average age is now something like 19), although tell-tale signs can be present. After trying lots of differents things ie NAS help! programme and a 3 month stint at a special unit whereby my son and I had to attend 2 days per week - we were both observed and suggesting, etc were given. There were lots of other things too, but I felt we'd reached crisis point last year. R trialled Risperidone, but we couldn't continue him being on it as he wouldn't allow baseline test results to be taken ie blood pressure, blood test, weight, height, etc (had 4 separate attempts!). So I've been there!

 

I know some people feel quite strongly about medication, and I was one of them. When you're faced with an aggressive kid day-in day-out and it affects the whole household, it can offer results. However, I recall watching louis Theroux, Americas medicated kids documentary. I don't feel Britain has the same mentality, but certainly my impression, based on the kids/families in the documentary, that there was a culture of going straight for medication rather than trying to tackle the root of the problem (ie parenting skills, child being disciplined appropriately, etc). One of the American clinicians said as much. He did however raise a controversial question – 'Is it so wrong to do that when the child benefits because they're calmer, and in turn the whole family benefits? Yes, it's the easy option, but everyone gains.' Valid point maybe, but one that has implications – ie culture of parents that can't parent/discipline kids properly, badly behaved kids that aren't disciplined, health implications of kids being on medication long-term., etc, etc.

 

Personally, I've always seen medication as a last resort, and still feel that way. There's no getting away from the fact that some kids behave badly because of poor parenting, but that's not always the case. I also believe that any kid can behave badly, but that as a result of anxiety, misreading a situation, etc that kids on the spectrum can sometimes have some pretty horrendous meltdowns (so, it's not an excuse for bad behaviour, but it's a reason). Kids on the spectrum, like my son R, can have co-morid disorders which can make them unpredictable, which greatly complicates things, ie conventional discipline methods don't work.

 

Don't know what to suggest Peaches. I know what it's like to be at the end of your tether, so you're not alone. I'll be watching this thread with interest.

 

Caroline.

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Has anyone had any experience of crushing a tablet of equasym (NOT sustained release just normal white pill) into food or drink? CAMHS said not to because of when they get onto sustained release form, but R is quite definite that he is only having one a day. School have said there has been a tremendous difference, and obviously when he is more open to learn he is also more open to learning about how to control his behaviour. He is supposed to have 3 a day after food but he is quite adamant about one.

 

I dont like the idea of slipping another tablet crushed into his drink, I dont see it as a permanent method (PLEASE dont start a debate on the ethics of this), but I would like to know if its OK for the times when he wont take it normally.

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Has anyone had any experience of crushing a tablet of equasym (NOT sustained release just normal white pill) into food or drink? CAMHS said not to because of when they get onto sustained release form, but R is quite definite that he is only having one a day. School have said there has been a tremendous difference, and obviously when he is more open to learn he is also more open to learning about how to control his behaviour. He is supposed to have 3 a day after food but he is quite adamant about one.

 

I dont like the idea of slipping another tablet crushed into his drink, I dont see it as a permanent method (PLEASE dont start a debate on the ethics of this), but I would like to know if its OK for the times when he wont take it normally.

 

Have you asked a pharmacist ? They may know if it is available in a syrup form ?

I would not worry about the ethics.Nurses do not think it unethical. :)

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:o I'm never going to hospital again. :tearful:

 

Sorry I should have been clearer. :tearful:

The post is with ref to a seven year old where the parent is wanting to give prescribed medication.

 

Nurses would be struck off very promptly for crushing up medication and slipping it into the food of adults without their knowledge and that would be absolutely rightit would go against all rules on informed consent.

 

Even though I am not currently registered since I may wish to work at some point in the future. :) I would not go on an open Forum suggesting nurses drug their adult patients and think nothing of the ethics. :)

 

However where it is a child who does not want to take medication but the parent consents then that would be a very different situation. :)

 

 

Obviously where possible it is better to find a form of medication that the child will take which is why calpol comes in lots of different flavours which all taste very sweet. :sick::sick::sick:

 

However failing that if it can be slipped into anything palatable that would be considered a better option than the child not getting medication they needed.

Karen.

Edited by Karen A

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I know someone who has put the capsule contents in a yoghurt (not the same meds though so may want to check this. If he has a yoghurt after his tea then this may be one alternative to putting it in a drink...

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It might also be worth asking CAMHS or the pharmacist whether a slow release tablet is available at that dosage if he will take one tablet per day. :)

Karen.

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The headteacher got him to take a second tablet at lunchtime, and his teacher reported he did every well today.

 

I sometimes feel a bit inadequate when there are things I cant get him to do, and someone else does, but I know its not unusual.

 

I was glad he was OK though as he thumped me this morning when I turned his computer off as he wouldnt get ready. He had lots of warnings before I did it. I have now banned morning computer. He never used to touch it in a morning but all of a sudden he does.

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The headteacher got him to take a second tablet at lunchtime, and his teacher reported he did every well today.

 

I sometimes feel a bit inadequate when there are things I cant get him to do, and someone else does, but I know its not unusual.

 

I was glad he was OK though as he thumped me this morning when I turned his computer off as he wouldnt get ready. He had lots of warnings before I did it. I have now banned morning computer. He never used to touch it in a morning but all of a sudden he does.

 

In my experience with both of our lads something often becomes a good idea when another adult suggests it where if it had been dad or myself it would have been just plain :blink::blink::wacko:

:)

Karen.

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His teacher called me in to say that although there were still one or two problems in the playground, since starting the medication Raphael has been a different boy in school. His concentration has been much better, he has been on task more and hasnt made a fuss at things that normally cause him to. She is really pleased with him. As she points out, she knew I was reluctant to consider the medication, but hopefully the effect of the equasym is giving him time to think before he acts, and therefore this is helping him learn more productive ways to behave. Im really quite pleased, as I didnt expect anything so dramatic straight away, nor did I expect him to take the tablets as well. I still dont like having a 7-8 year old on regular medication, but if it helps him then it is acceptable.

 

We still have a lot of trouble getting him to settle down at bedtime, but thats always been the case.

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The headteacher got him to take a second tablet at lunchtime, and his teacher reported he did every well today.

 

I sometimes feel a bit inadequate when there are things I cant get him to do, and someone else does, but I know its not unusual.

 

I was glad he was OK though as he thumped me this morning when I turned his computer off as he wouldnt get ready. He had lots of warnings before I did it. I have now banned morning computer. He never used to touch it in a morning but all of a sudden he does.

 

 

The computer issue may well be a aviodant behaviour, delaying a task he knows he will struggle in, its good that he isnt going to be on the computer school mornings.

 

JsMumx

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His teacher called me in to say that although there were still one or two problems in the playground, since starting the medication Raphael has been a different boy in school. His concentration has been much better, he has been on task more and hasnt made a fuss at things that normally cause him to. She is really pleased with him. As she points out, she knew I was reluctant to consider the medication, but hopefully the effect of the equasym is giving him time to think before he acts, and therefore this is helping him learn more productive ways to behave. Im really quite pleased, as I didnt expect anything so dramatic straight away, nor did I expect him to take the tablets as well. I still dont like having a 7-8 year old on regular medication, but if it helps him then it is acceptable.

 

We still have a lot of trouble getting him to settle down at bedtime, but thats always been the case.

As for the playground difficulties does he recieve any additional support for this, social skills support, playtime mentor, buddy, what stratagies are they using to incrase your sons playtimes positive behaviours.

 

As for the bedtime was this happening before the medication?

 

If it is recent it could be to do with the medication, because it stimulates the brain and takes time for the child to calm down, it may be a good idea to note the bedtime routine and write down his bedtimes, and what time he fell asleep so you can give it to the peadatrition so they can assess his sleeping needs.

 

 

What time is his last tablet?

 

If the trail continues to be a success to treat his ADHD I would defo look into the one tablet a day that is slow release, it may keep him on a more even ballance.

 

The fast acting tablets say they act for around 4hrs but that was rare in Js case in the trails we did, a tablet barely lasted 3hrs, everyon is different obvously the way a person reacts to a tablet, but from the research Ive read on slow release, it works better, but often need additional sleeping support such as Melatonin.

 

It is early days obvously so the sleeping routine may take time to adjust so monitor it for the next couple of weeks and share your findings with the peadatrition.

 

JsMumx

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His teacher called me in to say that although there were still one or two problems in the playground, since starting the medication Raphael has been a different boy in school. His concentration has been much better, he has been on task more and hasnt made a fuss at things that normally cause him to. She is really pleased with him. As she points out, she knew I was reluctant to consider the medication, but hopefully the effect of the equasym is giving him time to think before he acts, and therefore this is helping him learn more productive ways to behave. Im really quite pleased, as I didnt expect anything so dramatic straight away, nor did I expect him to take the tablets as well. I still dont like having a 7-8 year old on regular medication, but if it helps him then it is acceptable.

 

We still have a lot of trouble getting him to settle down at bedtime, but thats always been the case.

 

Hi.

That sounds really positive. :thumbs:

I know very little about equasym specifically.However with some medications it is possible to improve nightime by making slight changes to the time daytime medication is given.It may be worth discussing at the next medication review to see if the doctor has any ideas.

Karen.

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Really glad to hear things are going so well Peaches.

 

With regard to settling at night, have you thought about trying melatonin? I've no experience of this with my son as when he was young he always slept very well, but a lot of the children and young people I work with take it successfully.

 

Bid :)

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