Smallmom,
The neurologist said that any kind of stimulant is likely to produce tics in our son and therefore should be avoided for us...she also said that the meds to control tics can have some pretty serious side effects so she reccomended stratera for our sons ADHD and further testing...
igmom, I've been following this thread today and was just about to suggest strattera. You may also want to check out the alternatives board.I totally agree with smallmom. My son is on the spectrum and these kids display ADHD behaviors, but may not respond to meds. My son went bonkers on stimulants too. He has PDD-NOS (a speech delay is the difference between PDD-NOS and Aspergers). If he has Aspergers, it should be the first disorder you concentrate on as it will impair him more than ADHD without interventions. My PDD-NOS son who once hung from the rafters is now very mellow. He's almost a couch potato and teachers who have him now are shocked when I tell them how hyper he used to be. He's not on any meds and is doing great, but he had a lot of interventions for autism. I'd go to the NeuroPsych to find out what is going on. Our NeuroPsych, who worked at Mayo Clinic for ten years, told us that ADHD like symptoms are part of the spectrum. Sometimes the spectrum kids do all right on stims and some don't respond or get worse. He does not feel the ADHD-like behavior is apart from the autism/Aspergers. Also, spectrum kids often calm down on their own, although inattention remains a problem for many. My son has a 1-1 aide and is in special ed half the day. I posted a great website (GREAT) for Aspergers. Good luck.
www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/frame2.html
OlderMom38776.5846296296
thanks smallmom,
He is actually seeing a neurologist tomorrow (Due to the tics). I will push for a neuropsychologist consult as well. I too felt it kinda odd about just ignoring the possible aspergers, but i am new to this and am learning that i have to do my homework and not assume that the Doctor knows best
NoTellin,
I think it works differently here in Canada...the med management seems to fall to the peadiatrician. We are on some wait lists to see a child psychiatrist through Gov. programs...Iam hoping that, as the current meds are not effective, we will be able to skip ahead on those long wait lists.
We had to pay 00.00 to have our son assessed and, although we can't really afford it, due to my current frustration level, will probably look towards a private clinic for a psychiatrist. Although I do love my universal healthcare here in Canada, it sure seems inadiquate for this.
Thanks though for your opinions. I feel the more info i have, the more options i know about, the better i will be able to navigate this system.
Igmom, please let us know what the neurologist says. My 12-year-old son has tic disorder (in addition to bipolar disorder, ADHD, anxiety and migraines). He is taking Focalin XR for ADHD and Clonidine to help him sleep and to reduce tic activity.
Igmom, this is my personal opinion, but I think the rush to medicate is backwards. I think you first have to know definitively what you're dealing with before you put interventions like meds into place. If he has Aspergers, the interventions are different from if he has pure ADHD. As good as the psychologist you took your son to may be, the reality is psychologists don't have medical degrees and miss quite a bit, including autism and bipolar disorder. And pediatricians don't have the skills necessary to diagnose or treat complicated neurological conditions like autism. Our pediatrician is tops, but he knows his limits and always refers to a neuropsychologist for diagnosis of neurological disorders and to a psychiatrist for diagnosis of mood issues. He also insists on psychiatrists managing the meds when it goes beyond pure ADHD. I hope you will take this advice and have your son re-evaluated so you know what is truly going on with him.
SmallMom38775.4867708333I agree with SmallMom about getting the dx nailed down first. My son is not on meds, but shouldn't the meds be managed by a child psychiatrist who specializes in med management?
Hi,
My 6 yr old was diagnosed with ADHD and possible Aspergers a couple of months ago. At first i was hesitant to try meds but...I wanted to help my child and this seemed to be the fastest easiest way to start.
Or not, Concerta/ritallin gave him severe ticks and had him BOUNCING off the walls. Adderall, super emotional, bored of everything, unable to concetrate on anything, no sleep and no change in activity level. We tried various doses of each. The guilt of making my son a guinnea pig and the trauma of dealing with these horrible "side" effects is getting to me...not to mention the lack of sleep as i am up until 1am with my 6 year old and then up again at 6 am with his baby brother.
The next line of drugs seem pretty scarey to me...anybody out there had to put thier child on them and what were the results for you?
Sorry if this has been gone over a lot previously in the forum...i couldn't find it, but then again i am pretty tired!
Thanks in advance
Are you confident that you have selected the right doctor for med management?Welcome! I just went to a symposium yesterday that explored (among other issues) psychopharmacology of autism and related disorders. The thing you have to remember is that the ADHD-like behaviors are part of ASD so you need to nail down definitively whether your son has Aspergers or not. If you haven't had him evaluated by a neuropsychologist or by a team at an autism clinic (generally found at children's or university hospitals), you should make an appointment now. There are medications that can (but sometimes don't) help both the hyperactivity and the aggression found in autistic kids. Do a google search of David J. Posey, chief of the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He has published many articles on this topic. Good luck. SmallMom38775.4758333333Thanks for your responses. We had him evaluated by a Psychologist (at the reccomendation of his 1st grade teacher)...i was told she was the best Psychologist in the field avail here in Toronto. Our peadiatrician is doing the meds and I have always trusted her in the past.
Both Doctors mentioned felt that my sons attention problem needed to be addressed prior to a specific diagnosis of aspergers...thus the rush to meds.