Re: on /the med thing

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In a message dated 9/6/2007 12:30:06 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

kenanngerb@... writes:

My mother thinks we are endangering, or at least traumatizing our other two

children by having at home the way he is. She keeps suggesting " some

kind of medicine " to make be calmer.

Ann, maybe your mother has a point, but ONLY YOU know whether or not that's

true. I've just really had it lately with meddlesome, opinionated family

members lately, and just wanted to mention to you that YOU know what's best

for your family. (Not that YOUR mother is....just venting about my

situation) MB, Margaret, and many others have spoken very eloquently on the

med

topic. We started Maddie (13, DS and autism) on risperdal, then switched to

abilify when she was 9 years old. Like Margaret, we were at our wits' end.

She was a danger to herself and nothing behaviorially was working. My

husband and I too, were terrified of putting her on meds...Maddie or any of

our children. Ironically, (or maybe not), our then 17 year old son was

FINALLY dx'd with adhd in the beginning of his senior year. We were advised

to

start n on adderall, since he was dx'd at such a late stage. We were

so scared, but made the jump. Suddenly, the kid we always knew was so

brilliant went from a 2.5 gpa to a 4.0. All this was happening around the

same time we were going through a horrific time with Maddie. We had agreed

that we would never put her on meds for US...that it would be for HER. It

was like she was *jumping out of her skin*.....like her little body was about

to explode. She was somersaulting herself all over the house, ramming

herself into radiators, walls...you name it. She was black and blue all

over.

We made the *jump* with her too, and within just a few days, the

head-banging stopped completely. Within a couple weeks, we noticed sudden

clarity in

her eyes, more focus, more interaction with us. No, she didn't start talking

like Gareth did, but I was beyond thrilled with the benefits we saw. I

don't like that we have to give her behavior meds, but I know that SHE is

happier when on them.

Good luck to you,

Donna

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