medications- note

[Guest guest]

A note about meds- to those who are just beginning to dip a toe into the water,

so to speak:

-you want to familiarize yourself with the different CLASSES or FAMILIES of

medications:

SSRIs (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors- I did not make this up)

are in what I call the " prozac family " - kind of make you happy, mellow you out,

but in some cases, also disinhibit you so that things don't bother you- I won't

list these all here, because I am just noting this on the fly)- also helps with

OCD behaviors

stimulants: ritalin family- includes metadate, adderall and others

anti-psychotics (yes, sounds horrible)

This family includes those meds which have now been proven to improve " behaviors

often associated with autism, such as aggression " -

such as risperdal, depakote (which is also an anitconvulsant), etc.

There is a name for meds that are *usually* prescribed for one thing, but found

to improve other conditions as well. One example is

clonidine, which is first and foremost a blood pressure med which is also

helpful for calming aggressions

Off the top of my head, I am not sure what family the anti-alzheimer meds fall

under, but they are often prescribed for our kids/loved ones.

At any rate, as you are talking to your doctors/therapists/pharmacists about

these meds, you will begin to hear common threads of why certain things are

prescribed.

SSRI's are often prescribed for depression, but that is a different diagnosis

than OCD.

Also, some meds work better in conjunction with other meds than if they had been

prescribed alone.

When meds are prescribed for something different than their original purpose,

the dosing norms, such as for body weight, might be different.

DON'T HESITATE TO QUESTION YOUR DOCTOR/PRESCRIBING PERSON. RULES FOR BEGINNING

NEW MEDS:

START LOW (LOW DOSAGE FIRST, THEN INCREASE SLOWLY IF NEEDED)

AND GO SLOW (SEE ABOVE)

DON'T CONFOUND: DON'T BEGIN MORE THAN ONE NEW MED OR CHANGE ONE MED DOSAGE AT A

TIME. YOU WANT TO KNOW IF *THAT* MED OR DOSE IS REALLY WORKING.

THIS ALSO MIGHT MEAN DON'T ALSO BEGIN A BRAND NEW BEHAVIOR STRATEGY OR

HOMEOPATHIC OR BIOMED TREATMENT AT THE SAME TIME EITHER.

When getting a new prescription from a new doctor, make sure you know how to get

ahold of him/her after hours or on weekends if you fear that the meds are going

in a wrong direction. Some meds need to be decreased slowly; others can be

stopped immediately.

ASK WHAT THE HALF LIFE IS FOR ANY NEW MED. (This means, how long will it stay

in a person's system? Will effects be gone in a few hours, such as ritalin? Or

do you have to build a blood level, such as the SSRI's?)

Be patient, say a prayer or two, and if necessary, ask for extra help with other

responsibilities if you can while you are basically having your child under

observation -your eagle eyes- especially during the first time your child is on

a trial for a med.

Pete's been on them since age 8. They have helped tremendously. More on that

another time.

One thing I always have to remind myself, though, when we are trying out

something, that there is no such thing as a silver bullet. No miracle in a

bottle or pill. You still have to keep up behavior interventions, communication

skills/supports, environmental controls, and good diet/nutrition, good sleep

habits if you can. Meds make learning/acquiring new skills MORE ACCESSIBLE to

your child. Also, sometimes everybody just needs to be able to sleep!!!

I apologize if I am repeating what others have probably said in the many

excellent posts that have been flying around the last few weeks. But every time

someone asks about meds for the first time, many of these things bear repeating

and help someone figure out about how to move forward.

One of the things that has always helped me when beginning Pete on a new med is

that I say a little prayer that this med will only help and never hurt him. (It

helps me step out on faith that I have made the best possible decision for my

child that I possibly can, which seems what we are called to do in so many

situations that we could have never imagined....)

Stay cool and dry, everyone!

Beth

20 y/o Pete's Mum

central OH (yes, where the Buckeye Nation -OSU- is hanging its collective head

in shame.) (Not that I am going to lose any sleep over it, haha!)