drugging

[DAS999]

My girl friend (mid 20's AS) had a very bad melt down and although i got her through it I wanted some advise. I went to the doctors and he prescribed Diazepan and told me to give it to her as i feel necessary. Is this right and normal? have others been prescribed it? I am worried about the effects it will have on her if I give it to her. Please help

[phasmid]

I wouldn't like to say DAS. However if that was all he did after you'd spoken to him I'd be considering getting a second opinion. It may be a short term solution but I don't know if it's a long term one. Hope others with more knowledge of this can br of more help.

[Guest flutter]

that was my son's suggestion for his sister yesterday

but we did hava particularly bad day

i would consider seeing a specialist

these things only work in the very short term, and maybe she needs some other form of help

tc

C x

[Tez]

Hi Das,

 

I went to the doctors and he prescribed Diazepan and told me to give it to her as i feel necessary.

 

Well, unless he has written authority from your girlfriend to discusss her health with you he was totally out of order.

 

I do know that some doctors do prescribe tranquilisers to help calm down someone in a melt down situation. A's anxiety would cause him to go hysterical in some situations and it would be very difficult to calm him. His psychiatrist suggested that if we ever arrive at that situation again we give him melatonin, just as effective as tranquilisers but a more natural substance.

 

I agree with the others though, emergency use only, what is being done to help her avoid meltdowns?

[mossgrove]

Well done for dealing with a difficult set of circumstances.

 

Medication has it's uses in these situations. The inmprtant thing to remember is that it is not a permanent cure, or a substitute for dealing with the underlying issues.

 

Simon

[Minxygal]

I think you also have to concider the effects that this sort of drug would have on her ability to carry on her day to day routines.

This time of year is particularly difficult for people on the spectrum, so many changes, so many different structures and so many more social expectations. She will need your help to get through it. I have to agree with everyone else here, the tranquilisers won't stop her having a meltdown and will have more of a sedative effect, much better to find out what she is having so much difficulty coping with and working on making the situation much more managable for her.

[loulou]

Hi,

 

I would agree that you should be seeking a second opinion, or a specialist opinion.

 

Diazepam is Valium which if taken regularly is addictive. You can get addicted to it in about 2 weeks if taken every day. I have used it before for panic attacks, and it really calmed me down, but i'm not sure how it would work for a meltdown.

 

Take care,

 

Loulou x

[kirstie]

My gut feeling after seeing the effects of diazepam is stay well away from it, as loulou said it is highly addictive. Don't go there. There are plenty of strategies your girlfriend can learn to help her cope, well, it's worth a go as i know they can help. Ie playing with a peice of blue tac sounds rubbish i know but it can have a calming effect.

It does make me mad that doctors prescribe these pills so freely, long term they are bad news. Also, the person i know who was taking them had an extremely over active mind racing ten to the dozen and these pills seemed to have the opposite effect on her!

Be careful,

Kirstie.

[Kathryn]

My gut reaction is also to say don't touch it with a bargepole.

 

It makes me uneasy that your doctor is prescribing drugs so freely and presumably without consultation with your girlfriend who is an adult and should therefore have some say in her treatment.

 

She needs help from a specialist in ASD. Drugs can help in difficult situations but to prescribe them as a "chemical cosh" without considering other forms of therapy is wrong. There is a reason for your girlfriend's meltdowns and someone needs to work with her and help her find ways to cope.

 

You are doing a brilliant job in a really difficult situation but you appear to have taken on a lot of responsibility and you need support from an experienced professional here.