Called psychiatrist Yesterday

[Bunny]

I've notice over the last 6 weeks or so a general uptick in difficult child's defiant behavior. I tell him to stop calling his brother names, or to leave his brother alone and his reply to me, "I don't have to listen to you!" I told him about the incident a few weeks ago where difficult child hit and slapped me, and how he just seems to be on a general downward spiral. He's still really great in school, started on the track team, which he still seems to really like, but it's just at home that he's not doing as well as he was a few months ago. I asked if he thought an increase of his medications might be in order because he's been growing SO fast (I went through three pairs of sneakers in one calendar year because he grew so fast. The things were barely worn out before he needed new ones!). So, psychiatrist said to increase the medications and I made an appointment for difficult child for the first morning appointment I could get him, which is April 30th.

Of course when husband told difficult child that I had spoken to the psychiatrist and that we were increasing his medications his first questions was, "What did mom say to him?" He is worried that I told the psychiatrist about the night that he punched and slapped me (which I did!) because he doesn't want anyone to know about it. It hurts his feeling that we talk about it and in his mind it's over and done with, so why do we have to talk about it? Sorry, kid. It doesn't work that way!

 

[TeDo]

Glad you are noticing it before it gets too bad and yes, the psychiatrist NEEDS to know what's going on. That's his job.

I just want you to also keep in mind that Rispedal turned into a nightmare for some of us here. In our case, things got slowly but progressively worse over a period of 4 months. It was so gradual that it took that long for me to realize what was going on. Not that it is happening for you but I just want you to be aware.

As for the "it's done and over" and the embarrassment over his actions, difficult child 1 has that to a HUGE degree. The kicker is that nothing is EVER done and over if he's the "victim". This is all due to his Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) thinking errors. At least I know that instead of treating him "hard" when he carried the ODD diagnosis. Now that I understand his thinking, life in our house is much more peaceful.

Hope things settle down with your difficult child soon and (((HUGS))) to you.

 

[Ktllc]

I know in my heart that V probably needs an extra couple years to mature and be ready for school. In almost all areas, he is about 2 years behind. Which mean he is about 3 years old. If I was to keep him home, he would grow up with Sweet Pea so he would not be alone.
It is so weird, when he was younger I raised V and Partner as twins. I did not differenciate because they were so close in age and maturation. Now, Partner is growing so fast and V has slowed down. Maybe he is lucky to be a middle child: he can now take his time and grow up with Sweet Pea. In the morning, it's just them 2 and the pressure is not as high.
It is also hard to remember that V does not have the same craving for social interactions as Partner. V does not miss his classmates, never mentions them.
We have no family around us and we don't go to church. And our work is not local. So that creates a certain amount of isolation. But V really does not seem to mind. Our neighbors are much older but V loves to vist them all and I believe it is just as fullfilling for him, maybe even more.
He sure forces me to think outside of the box! And rethink the way I was raised (my mother always voice her opinion about homeschooling as being for outcast and being cruel to the child).

 

[Bunny]

Tedo, he's been on the risperdal for about 16 months now (started in Dec., 2010) and he's always done really well on it. We took him off Zoloft at the beginning of this year because it was making him aggressive and really mean. I'm not sure what to think. I'll increase the risperdal and keep an eye out for any changes, good or bad, that need to be reported to the psychiatrist. By the time his appointment rolls around we should be seeing something. I wiould hope so, anyway.

When he realizes that both the therapist and the psychiatrist know about the hitting incident he's going to blow a gasket! Tough patooties! I have tried to explain to him over and over again that they need to know about these things, especially the therapist, because they don't cast judgments and they are ones who can help him understand why he reacted the way he did, and how to change it in the future, but he doesn't want to hear it. He feels that it's not something that I should tell people.

 

[TeDo]

That's the real trick with medications. difficult child 1 had an even worse reaction on Prozac. Not even in the same family but extreme reaction nonetheless. I am glad you are being vigilant. You might be one of the lucky ones that Risperdal actually works for. So is that the only medication he is currently taking? It may also be that the onset of puberty is messing with the medications. That can be a huge issue also. medications that worked don't work anymore or not like they used to. Know what I mean??

I can soooo relate to him not wanting others to know the "bad" things he does. I agree, too bad. That is what the professionals are there for and they can't do their jobs correctly if important information is left out. Keep plugging away (like there's anything else we can do, huh?).

 

[InsaneCdn]

Risperidone. Our psychiatrist says... it either works well, or it's almost a disaster. For us, it's absolutely essential.

 

[Bunny]

I do believe that puberty is playing a huge role in his behavior right now. He's almost 13 (his birthday is in May) and his body is definately changing. Lets face it. Puberty can turn even the best of kids into little monsters. It can make difficult child behavior go from bad to worse faster than a New York minute!

Insane, thanks. Like I said, he's done really well on the Risperdone from the time that he started it. Even he sees it! He's admitted it to both the therapist and the psychiatrist. We'll have to see how he does on the new does (which is only a extra half of a pill at night, so it's not like we're talking about s huge dose increase) and report any changes to the psychiatrist when we see him on the 30th. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Bunny,

Puberty was an absolute living HE77 for us, can't find strong enough words to describe what life was like in our house. Luckily, even though difficult child 1 and difficult child 2 are only a year apart, difficult child 2 didn't begin puberty until he was about 18 years old. We had him followed by his developmental pedi and testing done. Everything came back OK. I lost so much sleep worrying about him but at least that was all I lost. Honestly, looking back, had they both gone through puberty at the same time, I don't think I could have handled it. By the time difficult child 2 hit puberty, difficult child 1 was already living on his own. A small miracle...

I'm glad your difficult child is doing well on Risperdone. Keeping my fingers crossed the increase helps... I can't even begin to imagine how much worse things could have been if difficult child 1 wasn't on medications. Wait, I take that back - difficult child 2 wasn't on medications and I'm not going down memory lane this morning. I could end up hogging your thread, lol...

I wish psychiatrists were more accessible but glad you have an appointment on the 30th. Keeping you in my thoughts... SFR