We have some news that is difficult to process on the Elliott front. We met with Dr. Reynolds on Monday to discuss other medication options to help manage Elliott’s extreme anxiety.
We discussed Elliott’s rather extreme reaction to the very low dose of Zoloft and our obvious concerns. This is where things got a bit scary. The main concern at this point is bipolar disorder. This was exactly how Gavin presented years ago.
This was something Lizze and I were afraid of when we experienced his reaction. Nothing is for sure but it’s something we will have to keep an eye on going forward.
I’ll be totally honest with you. This scares me to death. Elliott was my most typical baby now this. It feels like another loss. 🙁
Tonight Elliott began his new medication, Risperdal. He’s on a very low dose, at least compared to what Gavin was on. We are starting out with .25mg twice a day.
He actually swallowed the pill, the first time and without any problems. At least we have that as a positive.
Based on how badly he reacted to Zoloft, we are keeping him home from school so we can keep a close eye on him. We have already talked to the school and they are aware.
Hopefully, this will help him? Hopefully, we don’t have anywhere near the problems we had with the Zoloft.
**Thanks for reading**
-Lost and Tired
Please join our Community Autism Support Forum
Posted from WordPress for Android
My daughter's solution to her problem with my two bright grandsons with Autism, was to home school. The improvement was amazing. We surround them with children like themselves and are still learning to cope with the "normals" .We just keep working on developing that frontal lobe. These boys are brilliant. I see them as unstoppable. I am very grateful for modern science and medicine. The trick is not to give up and keep a close watch. As caregivers, we need our quiet time and naps! They are amazing children! Good luck and God bless us all, Zoila
I often wonder how much one little body can take! My 13yr old was diagnosed almost a year ago with PDD-NOS. She also has Non-verbal Learning Disorder, ADHD, Severe Anxiety Disorder, Migraines, Sleep Apnea, Restless Leg Syndrome, Fibromyalsia, and Asthma. She suffered a psychotic break at age 9 and was hospitalized for 8 days. They put her on Risperdol and Zoloft. The Risperdol stopped the hallucinations, thankfully! When I stop and think about everything together it is absolutely overwhelming and I keep asking "how much more can her little 81 lb body take?" I think anybody that has a child with severe needs suffers a "loss" of some kind. We as parents dream so high for our kids when they are born. Sometimes I get really sad when my daughter thinks she can actually turn into a mermaid if she stays in the bathtub with saltwater long enough. Sometimes I lose hope that her mind set will change and that she won't ever come to grips with reality. Sometimes I just accept the things she says, laugh and just let her keep trying to be a mermaid. Good luck to you and your family….cyber hugs
Oh, and I forgot to add: It is a loss. You have the right to grieve. Giving you my offical "Autism mom" permission. I've done a LOT of grieving over the years.
We've been down this road, too. Our oldest (turning 18 next month!), when she was 13 had to be hospitalized due to a psychotic break, for 10 days. She was in a catatonic-like state. Risperdol became a good friend to us, along with a host of other meds. For a while we thought she might have Schizophrenia, but testing done a couple of years ago showed it "only" to be clinical depression and clinical anxiety…as if the Autism weren't enough. I say all this to say: You are NOT ALONE. There are others of us out here.