Calsdad Report post Posted November 10, 2005 Hi all, My Son C has been taking Risperdal (Risperidone) for 15 days now and it has made a huge difference, especially in his school life. He is much less impulsive and isn't phased by the things that he was before. For example he is met every morning by his support teacher at 8:50am, it used to be a great big deal to him if she was a minute late and he would start panicing which would usually set him up for a bad day he now simply isn't bothered. He also has a thermometer guage that they use to monitor his level of anger and before it was frequently up at the top of the scale and now he has been down at the bottom every day for 5 days in a row. His sleeping is much improved also from an average of 3 hours a night up to 8!! He's also extremely chirpy and happy all day, infact the only down side to it so far is that he is very excitable and a bit more hyperactive. He's taking 500 microgramms per day (0.25 mg 2xperday). Has anyone else found such a dramatic effect with this medication? Anyone that has experienced it long term that has any advice about what may be to come? Is it going to stay this good?(I'm praying) Cheers Malc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elanor Report post Posted November 10, 2005 Hi Malc My son has been taking risperdal for nearly 2 years (same dose as your son). The good results - which are significant for my son's behaviour and general well-being -have continued for us, I hope you will see the same thing. There are several threads on this topic - this one contains several links http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=638 Unlike many other medications used on our children, Risperdal has been specifically tested on children with autism. I think, and this is from memory- that 70 or 80% of parents in a large study found that after 6 months (the period of the study) they were still receiving benefit. There are downsides - in my son's case, he has gained weight. I worry about the other potential sideeffects - but this is a very low dose. For us, this medication is allowing our son to manage his anxieties and theyby reduce his aggression and distress. There is a danger that other services - health and school - might take the (stupid!) attitude that the medication has solved the child's problems, and he therefore need less priority or attention. After all, if he isn't presenting difficulties at school because the drug makes him calmer, why should they do anything to help him? On the other hand, if you are fighting fewer battles at home, you have more energy to fight the important battles to get your son appropriate educational support, occupation therapy, speech therapy, social skills training, family therapy or whatever other services you can lay your hands on. We have even worked hard at setting up a local parents support group, which also campaigns for improvements in local services for children with ASDs - something we simply couldn't do when our son was melting down every day, and destroying things, hurting his siblings and being very unhappy. Furthermore, our son is better able to learn the lessons he needs to pick up, if he is less anxious, distressed or aggressive. I think I'm beginning to sound defensive - there are some people on this forum who (for perfectly rational reasons) feel strongly that we should not medicate children with ASD. I just know that risperdal has significantly helped in turning my son's life around, and it's done the same for me. Take care. Elanor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bevalee Report post Posted November 11, 2005 Hi My son has been taking risperdal for the last 4 months. He is less anxious and aggressive and is able to access his education. Socially he is a different person and has a wonderful sense of humour. The only side effect was weight gain, but he has enrolled at a Gym and put himself on a healthy eating plan to combat this. I didn't really want him on any medication but the change in him is remarkable. It has made a wonderfull difference to our relationship as I don't feel that I am loosing the plot quite so much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loulou Report post Posted November 24, 2005 Hi, Kai has been on Risperdal 0.5mg for 6 days now. I was wary of trying it, but he was having so many meltdowns and getting so aggressive that i was desperate. So far so good . He has only had a few "mini meltdowns" this week and i've been able to divert him or help him out of it quickly. I have no bruises, scratches or bite marks so that says alot! He also seems generally happier in himself and i have even been able to drive a different route to school (usually a big no-no). Fingers crossed this is not just a coincidence . Loulou x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flora Report post Posted November 24, 2005 I've got risperdal for my son on stand by. He was prescribed it for a few days when he was spending all night organising his books, dvd's and games in various piles and groups around his room. It helped him get to sleep but I was told to stop giving it but to keep it on standby incase he needs it. I've spent the past 3 nights up with him between midnight and 4am and I'm thinking it's time to get it out again! Lauren Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Calsdad Report post Posted November 26, 2005 C has been taking it for 6 weeks now and he had a period where his anger was very controlled and also his need for routine was not as strict, he has however had a bad couple of weeks at school with a few outbursts of hitting teachers and throwing chairs, mainly because his support teacher has had to look after him and another pupil because another of the staff was ill, he doesn't like to share his teacher. I have been trying to get in touch with his paed to discuss his medication for the past 3 weeks but haven't managed to yet, I had to phone over a week ago to ask for a repeat prescription for Risperdal. The drill is that the paed at the hospital writes a presription and takes it to the hospital pharmacy, but I phoned every day for 9 days about this prescription and kept getting told by his secretary that she would try to get hold of him etc etc. Anyway finally on Friday she said that she had faxed a letter to the local GP surgery for them to write a prescription out, great I thought as it's much more convenient....... I went to get the prescription as arranged at 5:45pm and was told that none of the doctors would prescribe it!! As it wasn't licensed for children under 16 and none of them were willing to go against the listed advice!! I had run out of the medication in the morning and so would have had none for C for the weekend!!!! I explained this and one of the docs agreed to prescribe enough for the weekend! As he was about to sort it out I noticed the letter that had been faxed to them from the paeds office, it said 2.5mg twice a day!!!!!! thats a 5mg dose!! C is only on 0.5mg or 500microgramms!! It's a ###### good job I noticed eh!?! lord only knows what would've happenned had I just given it to him. I will be having words with the paed or rather his secratary on Monday morning!! Does anyone else have hassle getting prescriptions? Malc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loulou Report post Posted November 26, 2005 Hi Malc, Yes! I had problems getting the Pharmacy to dispense Kai's Risperdal. They had it all ready, but wouldn't give it to me as it's not licensed! The pharmacist wanted to speak to my paed who was away on a course . After 6 days, she got hold of the paed and then i was allowed to collect it! I also have problems getting Melatonin prescribed. It have to ring the paed and she leaves the prescription out for me (luckily i work at the hospital). I can see why GP's are so reluctant to prescribe stuff that's not licensed though. If anything happened to the child, their job could be on the line. Doesn't make life easy for us though does it? Luckily your GP covered you for the weekend. I have started writing on my calendar about 2 weeks before any meds are due to run out, because i know it will take that long to get hold of any more ! Loulou x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elanor Report post Posted November 26, 2005 Hi We had the same hassle with hospital prescriptions, but now have got into a good routine with the GP prescribing it under the authority of the child psychiatrist. I might be wrong, but as I understand it very few medicines are actually licensed for children. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cariad Report post Posted November 27, 2005 Hi Calsdad Toby was on this for a bit but the problems with the hunger outweighed the good behaviour. He started stealing food . In the end after stealing bread in handfuls from my friends cupboard i tried something else. I hope it works for you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Calsdad Report post Posted November 27, 2005 Hi, Thanks all for the replies, i'm glad to hear it's not just me having trouble with the prescriptions!! There hasn't been (so far) any increase in appetite for C, he has quite a strict diet anyway and never used to snack between meals nor every eats lots of sweets. He is still having the same size meals and hasn't mentioned being hungry on this medication, hopefully this is how it will continue as neither he or I want to see him pile on a load of weight!! Cheers malc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rainbow queen Report post Posted November 28, 2005 just read this post guys how did you come to get the medication for your kids? should i be asking about medication? or did the drs suggest it? how bad do things have to be to get some? finding things real hard at mo waiting for camhs appointment no one has mentioned medication to me? any advice thankyou all Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest hallyscomet Report post Posted November 29, 2005 Hi Rainbow Queen, my best advise to get thr right medications for your child. Would be to go and get a referral to a Paediatrician that knows all about this stuff. They are the only ones registered to prescribe these medications other than the hospital who would eventually refer you to a Paediatrician anyway. My son is 18 and still sees a Paediatrician for his Autism and ADHD The Paediatrician has to get what is a Government Authority and this usually stays with one Pharmacist usually one close to the doctor. Usually 5 repeats are ordered, always ask the Pharmacist to let you know how many scripts are left and make sure you book an appointment in with your Paediatrician early for any repeats as the usual wait could be six weeks, Sometimes the Doctor gets so busy and forgets to send the repeat to the Pharmacist so his secretary recommends I go in and sit and wait between patients to get another. Tell me about it, I have had my share of times I have run out when all failed. the thing is NEVER RUN OUT ITS HELL.. SO BE ONE STEP AHEAD OF YOURSELF Hailey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madme Report post Posted November 30, 2005 My son is on that and ritalin. We have however as a result of the risperidone been able to keep his ritalin dose lower than perhps might have been. We also discussed antidepressants but I preferred the risperidone. We have found it vbeneficial. I have tried a few times a night without it just to see if its still working - oh yes melt down city in the morning. He still has anxieties but is less aggressive. It was prescribed after he attacked me. Thankfully hasnt done since. I would love him to come off all meds if poss but without the ritalin he just cant stay focussed on his school work and hes in a small class in a specialist school. I would be interested to hear if anyone elses child has been on these two drugs and come off and how it went. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loulou Report post Posted November 30, 2005 Hi madme, I'm glad the medication is working for your son. Kai has ADHD and ASD too. He was on Ritalin before, but it made him really obsessive and down so i stopped it. He's now on Risperdal, and he seems much happier, less anxious and not violent. However, he is TOTALLY hyper and impulsive at the moment . I was really interested to see that your son's Ritalin had been reduced when he was on Risperdal. My son's paed wants to put him back on Ritalin again, but i felt worried about the side effects. If a lower dose would work alongside Risperdal that would be great. Does your son have any side effects from the combination of the two drugs? Loulou x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madme Report post Posted December 1, 2005 Hard to tell. There has been an increased appetite. He is not overweight and i Make sure that snacks are healthy options as far as I can. Im sure that without the ritalin he couldnt cope. I know this as has been assessed for Iq before and after with quite marked results but he does still need an appropriate educational setting Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loulou Report post Posted December 1, 2005 Thanks, I've got to phone the paed tomorrow. I'll ask the school what they think too. Loulou x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PinkSapphireAngel Report post Posted March 7, 2006 Hi I am new to this forum. My son Luke is 11 and has been on Risperidone for under a year now (0.5mg 2 tablets a day) He has been diagnosed with extreme anxiety, self harming, ASD/Aspergers and Dyspraxia. There has been a definate difference in him, the self harm is on a smaller scale and the talk of suicide is a lot less often.(as are the attempts) He gets very sleepy but still wakes very early in the mornings (has 1st dose in morning and 2nd in afternoon, was bedtime but he needed it more during school day) I have been told they will not give it to children for more than 2 years as they do not know enough about side effects of long term use in children. I worry what will happen when he has to stop taking it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sue45 Report post Posted March 8, 2006 Hi and welcome to the forum. This is a topic I'm very interested in at the moment as my daughter (dx AS) is having fairly frequent meltdowns during which she becomes violent and attacks me. I got hold of the paed yesterday and asked her about the possibility of medication but she suggested meds can make them dopey and was reluctant to go down that route. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think she was talking rubbish (about the dopey bit) can you enlighten me? Does risperdol have that side effect? Thanks Sue xx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PinkSapphireAngel Report post Posted March 9, 2006 (edited) He does get a bit sleepy on it but this as far as I know has not really affected him at school its more a case of him falling asleep faster if that makes sense. I think with him the advantages outweigh this. Edited March 9, 2006 by PinkSapphireAngel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lsw146 Report post Posted March 9, 2006 HI, I posted a few times but not for a while becasue all of my energy has been in dealing with the difficulties aty home and trying to get the psycholgist to HELP . We still haven't had a diagnosis for our daughter although it has been acknowledged by her new High School and by the psychologist that she has social communcaition problems, anxiety, paranoia, ecentricity, odd posture, very advanced verbal skills, obsessive behaviors... but she is not ASD . respidral keeps coming into the conversation and our psychologist seems to be in agreement that we have triedeverything else and now that N is having panic attacks and some self harm (although not frequent) action must be taken. However only on psychiatrist is available in our service at the moment and we are not a priority. I ring every other day to see what is being done and have been to see my GP but to no avail. we are all exhausted and my younger daughter is very emotional and clingey. It is good to read the advice from others. The biggest thing our psychologist said was that respidral can increase the risk of self harm but I have found no evidence to support this, Anyone else heard this? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lsw146 Report post Posted March 16, 2006 We have a psychiatry appointment tomorrow and I am feeling quite nervous. Medication seems so drastic but then so is B's behaviour and mood. Still worrid about side effects but i suppose we willl talk them through if the psych thinks meds are appropriate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lil_me Report post Posted March 18, 2006 When my sister was on risperdol aswell as the other bad side effects she slept a lot, she used to be awake for about 8 hours a day max, so yes it can make people who take it dopey. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jb1964 Report post Posted March 18, 2006 This is a topic I'm very interested in at the moment as my daughter (dx AS) is having fairly frequent meltdowns during which she becomes violent and attacks me. I got hold of the paed yesterday and asked her about the possibility of medication but she suggested meds can make them dopey and was reluctant to go down that route. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think she was talking rubbish (about the dopey bit) can you enlighten me? Does risperdol have that side effect? Thanks Sue We felt much the same and asked the Pysch.Consult. and CPN (CAHMS) their advice on giving medication - especially when my daughter was going through weeks and weeks aggressive meltdowns regularly self-harming and hurting me as well - these were witnessed several times by the CPN who tried everything to calm the situation down and failed. She felt frustrated that she couldn't help. We talked about medication and she told me that they were very reluctant to give any medication to children under 16 other than short courses of sleeping tablets (to try to get them back into a sleeping pattern as sometimes this can be effective to help with lots of anxieties) - as most have only been approved for adult use and can have side effects. As much as I have been so desperate for help I'd be really scared to try anything like this especially after their advice. I also noticed that some of the threads I have seen seem to be the schools pushing for medication - I know a friend of mine's son who was thought to have tourettes - the school were pushing for her to put him on medication yet the professionals involved are so against it being given. Confused. Jb Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
barefoot wend Report post Posted March 18, 2006 lsw146 I have never heard that Risperdal can increase the chances of self-harm. Remember that whatever the psychiatrist suggests, the buck still stops with you. You can try medication if you want, see how it goes, and if you don't like it, you can stop. Risperdal is fast-acting so you'll know pretty quickly what effect it's having. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elanor Report post Posted March 18, 2006 Hi Lsw - I also have never heard of a connection between Risperdal and self-harm - my son has been taking it for 2 years, so I've been keeping a close eye on issues involving it. The list of side-effects in the packet include a risk of anxiety or agitation, which presumably would be good reasons to stop taking it! Although sleepiness is listed as one of the possible side-effects of risperdal, I have to say that I have never come across anyone (either here or on the American forum that I visit) reporting that it makes their child drowsy. There are hardly any medicines that are licensed for use on children. More pertinently, the list of side-effects notified for risperdal will all be the result of clinical trials on adults - the vast majority of whom have been using the drug at a high dose for psychosis and similar conditions. There actually have been clinical trials of risperdal on children with AS (which makes it a rare creature amongst the whole range of drugs used on kids). There is uncertainty about the use of this drug on children with AS - and I'm as worried about it as the next person, but it can also be an incredible benefit - as it has been for my son. Jb - you're facing an almost impossible situation, and you don't have any certainties, other than the fact that your child is in terrible distress. In your position, I'd try medication (I did, and my situation was less dire than yours). The medics can't be allowed to cop out of making a decision - sure, the use of drugs on children requires real caution, but sometimes it is the least bad option. I'll also add that there are lots of psychiatrists in the UK who do prescribe these drugs to children (mine was 10). The other option I was offered was Prozac. Elanor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sue45 Report post Posted March 19, 2006 JB, I'm not sure, either. After pushing the paed some more she has contacted family therapy and theyve agreed to give us an assessment meeting on 5th april (initially they'd refused saying we weren't a serious enough case- and when I spoke to the decision maker at fT, she told me their resources didn't match up with the amount of refferals they were gettign so it was only the absolute worse cases that were being seen. She kinds of said that as I was obviously a caring mother and they had lots of really disfunctional familys on their books etc, etc, Nothing I said swayed her decision, but thankfully, I did manage to get through to the paed how serious the situation is. I don't think any parent really wants to consider drugs for their child, but if the situation and the child's life has become absolutely intolerable, then it's a choice to consider. I think my own attitude to meds has been tempered by how much they helped me with anxiety and depression. They were a godsend - without them at that time, I'm not sure I would have managed to pull myself out of a very black hole. Our kids are no different - if they're suffering, they're suffering. If the situation got so basd H wasn't able to function, I'd definately consider her taking them. Sorry this is a bit of a confused waffle, I think I'm trying to sort thigns out in my own head about where I stand. Take care Sue xx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
westie Report post Posted March 19, 2006 (edited) lsw146, have you/ your daughters doctors ruled out Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome as a diagnosis? (it is part of the family of pervasive development disorders including autism and aspergers). For more information on PDA please go to website www.pdacontact.org.uk There is comparisons of PDA and Aspergers children and a checklist for PDA as well as educational guidelines for teachers. My son was observed to have features of ASD but not enough for a firm diagnosis of aspergers, however when we completed the checklist for PDA he fitted every box. Sorry to hijack this post on risperdal I was researching the medication issue when I came across your post. Do any of the posters on this topic have a younger child (around 7) who takes medication such as risperdal or Strattera? I am investingating whether any medication is suitable for my son who has mood swings and can get violent. He is also very stressed for most of the time. Edited March 19, 2006 by westie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lsw146 Report post Posted April 30, 2006 Hi all haven't posted for a while but wanted to let you know that the psychiatrist was very careful in listening and questioning us and B was just "odd" (sorry can't think how else to desrcribe her mood that day) enough for him to agree that there is definatley a difference fromt he norm with her development. He wouldn't offer a diagnosis but said if they were going to give one it would be PDD-NOS. However after listening to a recording of one of her meltdowns (her dad played when I took her back to the car) he agreed that respidral would be a good option and when her anxiety is reduced she can have further therapy. So we are 2 months in and the behaviour change has been pretty dramatic. She is quite Dopey on a morning but she sleepdm, eats better and is much less reactive. It certainly hasn't slowed her down she is in the middle of rehearsals for a Ballet and dancing for hours a day. We still have the odd moment but then puberty has hit as well. Westie I have look at the Avoidance checklist many times over the past few years but I htink our psycholigist had a hard enough time accepting any form of PDD without helping us discover a more obscure part of the spectrum. Now we have recieved an acknowledgement of B's difficulties I will be bringing up diagnosis again because I feel school can only help best when we all know what we are dealing with. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
supermum Report post Posted August 7, 2007 Hi, I am new to the forum and have read loads of the post's on the site. Lot's of your posts ring so many bell's for me and what we as a family have been up against. Our son liam is 8 and has been on risperdal for a year now today was his cheak up at gt ormond street hospital i was very worried becouse we had to have liam get blood tests to test if the medication was having any unseen side affects we took the resalts in a sealed envelope to london to get some answers to my relief every thing is fine He has gained weight but has also grown a lot so it has balanced out nicely we are not having the sleepless nights any more we used to be lucky to get 2hrs in between getting up 3-4 times a night!!!!!! He has gained a big appertite but i just keep the fruit bowl topped up and don't buy any sweets and naughty bits and we go for long walks with the dog's he finds that calming. Does anyone have any information on the long term side affects of risperdal????? I have googled the medication but it is very vage about long term users. Everything has been good so far a big improvement in our little man and i hope it continues for his sake as he is so happy and been taking part in his new school as every child has the right to do. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carrieq Report post Posted August 9, 2007 Ds has just been prescribed Risperdal because his aggression both physical and verbal has gone up a gear. Dd is wandering round with a black eye and he has started to attack his little sister in her pram. He has always gone for dh so nothing new there! Reading through the posts it all sounds quite positive and I hope so much that it helps because I am approaching the end of my tether. At the moment we can't even successfully get to the local shops without him exploding and me wanting a big hole to appear!! I know he finds holidays really hard and this summer he has had to spend time with his dad which both of them found really trying, they are too alike! He also had the things to do with the police just before the holidays and I don't know how much that has been playing on his mind! Well fingers crossed for this to work, I hate medicating him because it sort of feels he is having to have this because me and the rest of the family can't cope at the moment but we need to try it for our safety and sanity. Carrie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynda4 Report post Posted August 11, 2007 My ds2 is on Risperdal. He went on it when he was 19 and it works very well for him. He has 1mg a day and takes it at bedtime. After a bad spell once, I put him up to 1.5mg and it calmed him down a lot but he wasn't happy to stay on that dose, as he said he couldn't think like he wanted to. It seemed to be a pay-off, either he was pleasant, calm and sensible, able to be practical and be reasoned with, or he was slightly on the 'high' side, more difficult to live with but he said he just felt right that way. He likes to think of clever, technical things like inventions and stuff and he says he gets better ideas when he's on a lower dose (more 'high'). As he's an adult, its his choice and on 1mg a day he's ok to live with from my point of view and happy with how his mind is working from his own point of view, so he's settled on that now. We did try a lower dose but it didn't work for either of us, he was very difficult to live with and was too stressed to think straight, so we're satisfied its the optimum dose for him, at least for now. He doesn't seem to have had any side effects. It didn't help with his sleeping so he's also on a low dose of Melatonin now and that helps a great deal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purplegail Report post Posted August 12, 2007 Hi I hope it continues to work for your son. Unfortunately my daughter experienced major side effects - massive weight gain and excessive tiredness. She slept most of the day wich, at first seemed ok because the rest of the family had some respite but was really not good for her as she felt ''drugged up'' for most of her ''awake'' hours. Hope it continues to be a positive thing for your son. Gail Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clareo2003 Report post Posted August 12, 2007 My son (11 years old) has been on it for 9 mnths (o.5 mg x 2 daily) and it helped a little bit with the tossing and turning all night and it did help his anxieties. Lately though he has become aggressive, hard to control again and swears all the time, he worries about every little thing again and basically seems to be getting worse again not better at all. I think that maybe another visit to the Drs is due Anyone else experienced this?? Clare x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lil_me Report post Posted September 1, 2007 Clare I mentioned much earlier on this topic that my sister was prescribed it, she also became agressive after taking it for a little while aswell as the weight increase, feeling tired all the time, self harming inc banging her head and face off things etc, unable to feel happy she described aswell. I would speak to your sons specialist who prescribed the medication and express your concerns. Because of my sisters personal experience and begging me not to allow them to give my son this medication and after reading through this website in depth www.apana.org.uk aswell as many other sources of information I refused to allow my son to be put on it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadow cat Report post Posted September 1, 2007 My dd was also prescribed it sometime ago it did not suit her at all the weight increase was very dramatic and the violence increased to an hourly basis ,i was being attacked terribly by her constantly though out the day , it did have a sedative effect when given but that meant she was dropping to sleep when she went to school also ,but then started the night terrors they were awful my dd has always settled well to sleep just wakes in the night but this was horrendous screaming, crying ,rocking she had never rocked before she would be in such a blind panic i couldn't leave her i had enough i slowly decreased the Respiridol with my Paeds advice and took her off it and things came back to what in our house is Normal lol ,i would never put her on it again i can honestly say it was the only time i have ever talked with any one about putting her into residential schooling things just got that bad when she was on it ,but it seems to work for a lot of people x Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucas Report post Posted September 3, 2007 Ok something I really don't get. I started reading up more on Risperdal, a schizophrenia drug, since the number of parents using it worried me. This stuff has only just been approved by the FDA in the US for children, where it was already approved for adults. But all I can find says it's used to treat schizophrenia, it's an anti-psychosis drug. Autism does not feature psychosis. Can anyone point to a study justifying it's use in Autism? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shadow cat Report post Posted September 3, 2007 well this is the point that worries me they are using us a guinea pigs really aren't they , they haven't got any actual drugs for Autism as such so they go around picking ones they think might help and tbh it scares me a lot Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucas Report post Posted September 3, 2007 Just read a Wikipedia entry and it says the FDA approved the use of Risperdal on Autistic children in 2006 to treat 'irritability'. First question: would Risperdal be reccomended for 'irritability' in non-Autistics? If not, why not? Second: does a prescription take into account that Autistics could actually have natural reasons to be irritable like anyone else? I'm especially worried that this was approved for Autistic children a year before it was approved for Schizophrenic children. I'm not convinced Autistics are being given the same standard of consideration. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
florrie Report post Posted September 5, 2007 (edited) In reply to another post this isn't exactly about risperdal butrugs in general, these drugs are tested on neurotypical people not autistic people and my experience and belief is that these drugs can have an aytypical reaction on people with autism. The NAShas stated this too I was given seroxat myself and although it worked at first after a few weeks it gradually stopped working as your body gets used to them and then I thought there was no point continuing , I tried to come off them but it was a nightmare as any problems I'd had were magnified many times the distress I felt, and they wanted to higher the dose, so we did that instead and then things got really bad, they made any problems ihad a million times worse when I tried to come off them resulting insuicide attempts twice, I eentually realised it was the drugs, it took me months to come off them despite being advised not too, very very slowly and after when I was off them I was certain how dangerous these drugs can be and I believe the ovedrdose I did where i went inot a coma made my cognitive and processing difficulties worse. Please proceed with drugs for you child with caution. Edited September 5, 2007 by florrie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucas Report post Posted September 5, 2007 Funny you should say that. There is an acne drug, Roacutane. It's passed vigorous trials and continues to have a very good record, concerns about the main side-effect; depression, are exaggerated. Very few people actually suffer severe depression from it, so few that the drug can still be considered safe. I was on Roacutane for about two years in my teens though and was extremely depressed to the point of suffering delusions. Roacutane has repeatedly been mentioned in journals and articles drawing attention to these extremely severe side efects, but their rarity means the only solution is to simply lower the dose, which didn't help me but did bring my bad skin back. Depressed and spotty, wonderful. Roacutane though, like all drugs is tested on a general population. Targeted populations with specific vulnerability such as Autistics are never used as controls. I knew back when I was first prescribed the drug that Autism makes me more sensitive to things and I did mention this when they were first taking the blood test to check if the drug was suitable; I was pointing this out because it was something that wouldn't show up on a blood test. I feel I was ignored. I believe Risperdal has studies done of Autistics taking it, but without controls; non-Autistic people taking it. This is one of the ways we are not treated with the same level of consideration as others. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites