Guest guest Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Haven't asked much for a long time, but we have a problem. Ben was on risperdal for some time, because he was hurting himself and others. I didn't really see a lot of improvement, as we still had the grabbing. So, I weaned him off of it, substituting 5htp and more melatonin, along with B's and oil. He's happier, does not pull at us as much, but has been hitting himself in the head (with his fist)...or really, just slapping everything..as hard as he can. He will hit a wall hard enough to cause bruising on his knuckles, when he hits backhand. It's dangerous, as he hits windows, as well. Ben's already GFDF, has been for the last 13 years. I would prefer the natural way of treating this, if anyone can advise me. thank you all so much, Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 Ann, Our Jake is 12 1/2 and when he hit puberty we started getting the hitting himself even more and more. When he gets angry he slaps himself in the head. When he gets mad at us or when he doesn't want to do something at home he hits the walls, windows and mirrors. He does this in the car as well. I bought window alarms for the window and mirrors. They make load noises when they go off which has helped him not hit the windows and mirror but now he slams the toilet lid when he is in the bathroom instead of slapping the mirror. He hits the wall or the door with the back of his hand, like the top of his hand. So far he has not bruised but I think it is just a matter of time. We do have Jake on meds but he is no longer on Risperdone. The funny thing is that he only does this at home or when he is with us. It is not a behavior he does at school. I wont say he NEVER does it but at home it is a daily thing. I even had a behavior person come in to see if she could pin point anything. It seems to be his way of telling me he is pissed but the problem is, I can't seem to stop him or make him understand that even thought he is pissed, he still has to get on the bus, take a bath, eat at the table, etc. We are working more on language to see if this is his frustration. I know a lot of his is puberty and now he has opinions he cannot express. However, it still is hard to watch him hit things. I know I wasn't any help but just letting you know, I feel your pain. Holly hitting Haven't asked much for a long time, but we have a problem. Ben was on risperdal for some time, because he was hurting himself and others. I didn't really see a lot of improvement, as we still had the grabbing. So, I weaned him off of it, substituting 5htp and more melatonin, along with B's and oil. He's happier, does not pull at us as much, but has been hitting himself in the head (with his fist)...or really, just slapping everything..as hard as he can. He will hit a wall hard enough to cause bruising on his knuckles, when he hits backhand. It's dangerous, as he hits windows, as well. Ben's already GFDF, has been for the last 13 years. I would prefer the natural way of treating this, if anyone can advise me. thank you all so much, Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 7, 2011 Report Share Posted November 7, 2011 thanks, Holly Ben is 16 and very strong. Hormonal, maybe? He's absolutely more man than boy. I'm thinking of getting him in to see an endocrinolgist...maybe they can pinpoint what is going on. He hits so hard it sounds like a gun going off. What sort of meds do you use? Maybe there is a natural alternative that we could try... thanks again... > > Ann, > Our Jake is 12 1/2 and when he hit puberty we started getting the hitting himself even more and more. When he gets angry he slaps himself in the head. When he gets mad at us or when he doesn't want to do something at home he hits the walls, windows and mirrors. He does this in the car as well. I bought window alarms for the window and mirrors. They make load noises when they go off which has helped him not hit the windows and mirror but now he slams the toilet lid when he is in the bathroom instead of slapping the mirror. He hits the wall or the door with the back of his hand, like the top of his hand. So far he has not bruised but I think it is just a matter of time. > > We do have Jake on meds but he is no longer on Risperdone. The funny thing is that he only does this at home or when he is with us. It is not a behavior he does at school. I wont say he NEVER does it but at home it is a daily thing. I even had a behavior person come in to see if she could pin point anything. It seems to be his way of telling me he is pissed but the problem is, I can't seem to stop him or make him understand that even thought he is pissed, he still has to get on the bus, take a bath, eat at the table, etc. > > We are working more on language to see if this is his frustration. I know a lot of his is puberty and now he has opinions he cannot express. However, it still is hard to watch him hit things. > > I know I wasn't any help but just letting you know, I feel your pain. > Holly > > hitting > > > > Haven't asked much for a long time, but we have a problem. > > Ben was on risperdal for some time, because he was hurting himself and others. I didn't really see a lot of improvement, as we still had the grabbing. > > So, I weaned him off of it, substituting 5htp and more melatonin, along with B's and oil. He's happier, does not pull at us as much, but has been hitting himself in the head (with his fist)...or really, just slapping everything..as hard as he can. > > He will hit a wall hard enough to cause bruising on his knuckles, when he hits backhand. It's dangerous, as he hits windows, as well. > > Ben's already GFDF, has been for the last 13 years. I would prefer the natural way of treating this, if anyone can advise me. > > thank you all so much, Ann > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 8, 2011 Report Share Posted November 8, 2011 Hi, I'm new to the group, and haven't posted much, but I understand all too well the challenges of SIB and hitting. My daughter, Milly, is 24 years old and was on risperidone until about 2 years ago. She gained a lot of weight and was over-sedated, so we switched to Seroquel (Quetiapine) - she is much more aware and has lost over 40 lbs in weight, BUT, due to the increased awareness, began hitting herself on the head. We haven't increased her meds, but have been dealing with it using behaviour therapy. We tried ignoring it, and praising her when she stopped, which worked for awhile to reduce it, but then the intensity of the hitting increased to a point where we couldn't ignore it any more. So now we are redirecting her to clap her hands together - it sounds like Ben's hitting is too severe for that, though. We did find out that she had a medical issue that we had missed, though, and once we addressed that, the hitting reduced dramatically. Perhaps there is a medical issue going on? It could also be hormones, those are definitely in play with Milly, mood swings, and anger issues. Plus frustration, feeling of a lack of control, and communication challenges. I have read that addressing self-injurious behaviour with medication is not usually effective, but addressing the strong emotions that can lead to it is helpful. I know that if Milly was not on the Seroquel, things would be a whole lot worse. Sorry if I don't have alot of advice, but you are definitely not alone in this. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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