Medication for Aggression? Is Risperdal the Answer?
A while back I posted a poll to find out what you wanted to read about this year. Most of you wanted to know about our daily lives and about how we deal with adoption and the issues that arise everyday.
On an average day we don’t deal with adoption. On an average day we deal with AJ’s special needs. What is really interesting is that I have had this post in cue for about three weeks, since before we saw the psychiatrist and before this startling article on restraint and adoptive parents.
Let me first preface this post with pointing out that every child is different and every family is different. What techniques work for some families may not work for others. However, when things go too far, as in this case, it is unfortunate and pretty obvious that the parents needed outside help. We have, since AJ entered our home, sought outside help because we know that we need it. He sees a neuropsychologist, a psychiatrist, a biomedical pediatrician, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, and his regular pediatrician. I see a therapist as well and we have also seen an attachment therapist, although we no longer see her.
Our lives are complicated. Everyday we deal with AJ trying to understand words, follow directions, listen, control impulsive behaviors, control aggressive and violent hitting and kicking, emotional outburts, and frustration because he can’t do things or understand. AJ is a complicated little guy with a lot of jumble inside. Our neurologist says that he has so much information inside his head but he can’t put it all together…its like telling him to go upstairs and get your slippers but he doesn’t remember what slippers are. He knows that he knows what they are but he can’t find the picture in his head. So, instead he goes upstairs and plays with the kitty, thus getting in trouble for not getting the slippers.
But, if I were to give him a picture of the slippers and told him to go upstairs and get the slippers he would probably go upstairs, get the slippers, leave the picture upstairs, and come back down…slippers on and holding the kitty. (Remember, they are MY slippers and I did not tell him to get the kitty.)
The real problem we are facing right now is his aggression and his anger. We treat AJ biomedically because we found it works for us but we are still dealing with his aggression.
Now that we have seen the psychiatrist we have started him on medication; half of the lowest dose of Risperdal that we can use. We have already seen a difference in him but he has only been on it for 4 days. I will keep you posted.
Tags: , , Adoption, aggression, biomedically, neurological, risperdalRelated Stories
POSTED IN: AJ, Attachment, Countries and Domestic, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Medical, My Family, News, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Russia, Sensory Integration
17 opinions for Medication for Aggression? Is Risperdal the Answer?
Kristine
Apr 2, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I am very interested to hear how he does!
Marcie
Apr 2, 2008 at 5:15 pm
So far (since Friday) he is doing good. He is very quick to calm down and a lot calmer in general. We have only had two or three tantrums and he has calmed in 2-3 minutes whereas before it took about 45. He is still reacting badly to no’s and does not want to stop what he is doing to go potty but listens much better to us.
He is also able to think more clearly and figure things out. We have seen more of an imagination and creative play (and more independence but that is fine).
The one problem is that it contains lactose, which he is intolerant to. But, because he is on such a small dose his doctor does not think it is a problem. We’ll see…he seems to be having some trouble with his tummy.
slinke1
Apr 2, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Marcie, try giving him a Lactaid at the same time as the medicine. It should break down the lactose and stop the problem. If not, he might be allergic to the milk protein, too.
Marcie
Apr 3, 2008 at 8:06 am
Thanks S. He is not actually allergic to milk protein, as we have checked that many times. He is intolerant to lactose. The H Pylori broke down the enzymes in his gut and killed the lactase enzyme as well as the villi, much like someone who has celiac disease.
We have tested for Celiac’s disease, Chrons’ Disease, and a host of others but they all are negative. The H Pylori seems to really have taken its toll on his gut.
We are still, it seems, dealing with yeast as well and started another round of Dyflucan at 2ml’s a day. I hate to give him another round but his behaviors and his stools indicate that he still has it.
slinke1
Apr 3, 2008 at 11:44 am
I have had chronic yeast problems and took Nystatin for years. It is great because it doesn’t get absorbed by the body, it just acts where it is - in the GI tract. When I was taking it, it came in both pills and a powder form (which is mixable with food, I bet). Ask your doc about it, or at least look it up on at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682758.html.
Also, I get great probiotics from a small company in California that I recommend. Often I get significant yeast dieoff when I start taking the probiotics after a break. The website is: http://www.customprobiotics.com. If you call you’ll get the owner on his cellphone, and he may be in the car, but he’ll talk your ear off and give recommendations based on AJ’s conditions.
I’m thinking about you!
slinke1
Apr 3, 2008 at 11:48 am
Also, my MD had me on a no sugar diet to stop yeast growth. He recommended that if I was going to cheat and eat sweets I should take extra Nystatin so it would be there to prevent the yeast from flaring up from the sugar in the gut.
The probiotics compete with the yeast in the gut and will cause yeast dieoff by outnumbering them. I can tell you lots more offline if you want, just let me know!
Marcie
Apr 3, 2008 at 12:13 pm
We have him on probiotics and a low sugar diet. The only sugar he gets is through natural pears and apples (and carbs like pasta and no sugar added grains like rice). He does not get any candy because of the yeast issues.
We do just about everything we can and it still does not make sense to us but I think that its just who AJ is.
We did try Nystatin first for about 4 months and it did very little. When we switched to Dyflucan it was like a miracle. We saw die-off in a matter of days, he was talking in full sentences, and he was so much happier. It was amazing.
Now its just little things we see like sleep, stimming, screaming for no reason, barking and yipping, shaking his head, etc. After one or two days with the dyflucan all of those things magically stop. But, off of it they immediately return. Its like the medication controls the yeast and keeps it at bay.
BTW, any news on your end?
Hevel
Apr 3, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I am not a big fan of medicating children, because I believe many times the labels and the medicines that go with them are abused, but there are times and cases when there’s nothing else that helps. I hope Risperdan will work for you!
Marcie
Apr 3, 2008 at 3:37 pm
We hemmed and hawed on this one for a long time but decided he needed something to help him think more clearly and to keep himself safe. When he went into rages he could not control himself and he could not think, thus endangering both himself and us. We have already seen a difference in that, which is what it is supposed to do.
Matthew
Apr 3, 2008 at 5:42 pm
He sees a neuropsychologist, a psychiatrist, a biomedical pediatrician, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, and his regular pediatrician.
-What he needs is parents.
-m-
Marcie
Apr 3, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Matthew,
Thank you for the judgement.
We try everyday to be the best parents that we can be for our son and that also means getting him help so that he can be productive later in life. We know that he is intelligent and his psych, neuropsych, and speech therapist help us and him with techniques on how he can showcase that. His OT helps him manage his SPD, which is severe, and his biomedical doctors help him heal and get nutrition.
Do we see them everyday or every week? Of course not.
I think that any parent would do the same for their child, especially if they knew they would see the improvement we have.
Dan from NJ
Apr 4, 2008 at 8:02 am
This comment is a response to Matthew. Matthew, if you take any time at all to read through this blog, as I have done for the past few months, you must acknowledge that Marcie writes very openly about her family’s life. Yes, there are the medical and behavioral challenges with her son, but throughout her writing, there is also joy and love. I encourage you to read more of the blog and see for yourself what good parents are made of.
Marcie
Apr 4, 2008 at 8:31 am
Thanks Dan.
Joanne
Apr 13, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I hope taking Risperdal helps your son. Be aware of the side effects though. My son was on it (among many other medications) and had severe symptoms on it. He had uncontrollable facial movements and muscle stiffness to the point of not being able to tie his own shoes. I say this not to scare you but to give you symptoms to watch for.
I adopted three children (siblings) in 2003. We adopted at the ages of 5, 8 and 11.
Marcie
Apr 13, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Yes, we are watching very closely for his reactions and his teachers know what to look for too. Thanks for caring. :)
Lori
Apr 13, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Hi - my son has been on Risperadal for the past 4 years and has done wonderfully. We started off on the liquid form of the drug but switched to pills after he started Ritalin (besides the liquid form tasted awful). Dallas has FAS and the Risperadal helps his aggression as well as his sleeping. He has a lot of trouble sleeping and Risperadal helps him (more than Clonidine which he was on before). Dallas is a lot calmer with it than without it. You can definitely notice when he hasn’t had it.
Iowa Mom
Aug 11, 2008 at 11:16 pm
My daughter is also adopted. Born drug affected and diagnosed with failure to thrive. Additional diagnosis include: Asthma, ADHD, Bipolar and Sensory Integration Disorder. Risperdal (1 mg) has allowed her to sleep through the night which makes a big differance. We still have times when aggression is a big problem and currently are considering a medication change. But every time we try something new (most recently Abilify) we are dissatisfied with the result. I wish people would suspend judgement they have no idea how difficult it is to advocate, support and identify resources for children with such complex emotional social and physical needs. Hang in there. Make sure you have a good support network and seek respite for yourself.
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