New to Board

[iluvhim]

Hello i am new to this board. I have a 5 yo son with high functioning autism. We have just recently started him on meds to control the surges of running off and anger. I was wanting some feedback on what anyone else is or has experienced with these meds he is taking adderall xr 5mg in morning and stratera 18 in the afternoon then he is taking clonodine and respiradol .5 at night. He has never slept well at all is reason for night meds and as he gets older his hyperactivity has increased. He is out of therapy right now but was doing 2 or 3 days a week ot pt and speech. I consider myself to be educated and try to learn as much as I can about autism. I am going through a autism time out right now anyone understand?? Sometime it can be so overwhelming it is like that is all that exsist in your life. I feel bad at times I have 2 other children who need attention too!!! So I am trying to find my balance. I also homeschool. But I know for his sake I have to be his advocate and I can't take time out to long so I am back to work and trying to find a support group in my area which is bryan college station texas so if anyone knows of anything or just want to share their experiences on these drgus I will be happy to hear from you. Thank you God Bless Jennifer

[BetsyAnn]

Hi Iluvhim, welcome to the board. I also have a 5 year old boy who is autistic. I can totally relate to the need for a time-out. I feel like I am thinking about and trying to do something about autism every moment of my life. It is all consuming and I am exhausted.

My son took tenex for a few months when he was 2 1/2. It is basically the same thing as chonodine. It was a necessity at the time. However, I did not like the side effects. He was lathargic and "dopey" the next day. He also has a tendency to be hypotonic and the medicine made it worse.

How are the meds. working for your son?

[ladybuggy02]

thought i would stop in and say welcome! this board is great support!

[9CatMom]

Welcome, Iluvhim!

Good luck with your son.

[rbecca]

iluvhim,

I have a 15 yr old son with autism and we have been through the med thing many times throughout his life. One issue we had with Adderall was that because it is prescribed for ADD/ADHD it is a amphetamine-kids/and adults with ADD/ADHD have a brain chemical imbalance and an "upper" has the opposite effect on them. If the imbalance isn't present then the hyperactive behaviors can become much worse,so we have to add things like risperdal and clonidine to bring them down. When we D/C'd the Adderall he didn't need the risperdal anymore but we kept the clonidine for the sleeping @ night. He also took clonidine during the day at first,a very low dose so he wouldn't sleep all day.
Risperdal as one other person said can come with pretty bad side effects that may not present until later, but can also be irreversible and they aren't minor annoyances either. A factor to research for sure if the doc is planning on keeping him on it.(Even a small dose).

Best wishes, rebecca