difficult child refuses medications

[Josie]

My daughter with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) took Seroquel for a while to help with the raging associated with her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Typically, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is treated with SSRI's or Anafranil. We tried those with my daughter but she had too many side effects to continue.

The most effective treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is CBT/ERP. Some people need medications to help them cope with the anxiety to do the CBT/ERP. Here is a link to the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation http://www.ocfoundation.org/. There is also a yahoo group for parents of kids with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that I have found very helpful.

I am about to take my daughter to an intensive treatment center for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Luckily, there is one in my town, but most people have to travel to do this. She will spend 4 or 5 hours with a therapist for a few days doing nothing but exposures. If I were you, I would look for a treatment center that specializes in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and not just a p-hospital unless she is dangerous to herself or others and there is no other choice. The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) treatment centers will have psychiatrists there if medications are needed. I called this one last week and she will do it next week, so there wasn't a long wait.

It is true with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that the family might have to change what they are doing. Often, they are making the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) worse by going along with the rituals, thinking they are making it easier. It doesn't sound like this is what your psychiatrist means, though. On the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) website, there is a place where you can search for a psychiatrist that knows how to deal with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). There's also a link to intensive treatment centers.

For medication refusal here, we have done "Stop the World" or we have offered an "incentive" for taking it before it gets to the point of refusal. When my older daughter was medication-resistant, we gave her candy afterwards. After a while, she forgot about the candy but still took the medicine.

I'm sure there are lots here who will disagree, but I am not sure it matters if it is Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) if you treat the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Even if my daughter does have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), she needs to learn to cope with her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). My daughter has had the meltdowns over losing something and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or not, she needs to learn to cope with that. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) treatment wouldn't change with the other diagnosis.

 

[compassion]

Abilifya nd lactimal has worked for my daughter. I agree with both the psychiatric hosptial and nerupsych. My daughter has been having those rage storms sice age 3 and the above bipolar medications help lots I also supsect my difficult child is on the spectrum and in process of doing neuropscyh testing. I may have her doen twice : just to see how the redults plaly out. psychiatrist does not think she is on the spectrum but her communication diffuclties, indlexiblity, social diffculites, etc. are consistent with that. She is also deaf in one ear which affects the above also. Compassion

 

[Wiped Out]

Stella,
I didn't have time to read all of the replies so hope I'm not being repetitive. We have gone through a lot of medication refusal with our difficult child. He would get violent at times not wanting to take it, other times he would throw them. It was so exhausting but basically he could do nothing until he took his medications.

Right now he is on a chip system. He gets a poker chip for various things, one being taking his medicine right away within 10 seconds of being asked. We've been doing it for about 4 or 5 weeks and I think there has only been one or two times he didn't get a chip. He is able to use the chips to buy television time, computer time, etc...

Hugs to you-I totally understand the difficulties with medication refusal.

 

[TerryJ2]

Not true, Stella. Aspies grow up, get married, and have kids.
Type in "Aspies marriage" or some such thing on Google and print out the reponses to show your dr.
He has some preconceived notion about Aspies that is very old.
It is a spectrum.
Aspies do not like to meet people, but once they are comfortable with-people, they are generally okay.
Your daughter sounds a lot like my son, especially with-the bedtime rituals.
He used to play with-his toys (aka line them up) at the top of the stairs and I'd get mad after tripping over them, and I'd kick them to kingdom come. BAD idea. WWIII.
Now, I provoked him, but still, his reaction continued for hrs and hrs.
Same with-when we had to go out someplace. It took hrs.
The medications he's on HAVE helped--Adderall and Clonidine.
Getting rid of the anxiety is a HUGE factor.
Lots of Aspies use medications for their anxiety. Temple Grandin is on Prozac, for example.

Your daughter may be angry at you, but I don't think she's trying to control you. I think SHE's OUT of CONTROL. Not the same thing. Once she's in that mindset, there's no getting out of it. Your only remedy at this point is to find her triggers (like her bedtime toys) and avoid them, and learn how to prevent her from escalating.

Also, talk with-her when she's calm, and tell her she needs a Plan B for the next time she can't find her fave toy at bedtime, because going out in the street and screaming is not normal. Speak calmly but firmly and try to get her to come up with-a solution, which will probably be another toy, and a plan to look for the original in the a.m.

In regard to medications, get an authority figure to sit down and talk to you two about it to her. My son respects police, doctors and teachers and will listen to them way b4 he listens to me. We worked for mo's to get him to take his Adderall because he couldn't swallow it. We ended up pouring it in applesauce.

Good luck!

 

[Stella]

Thanks again for all your advice and suggestions. I am defintely going to implement a chip or token system. I was taking to a friend of mine who is an ABA Therapist and she suggested this also. She also reiterated how important it is that I give the tokens generously -i.e. for any positive act difficult child does! I have decided that I am going to continue to use the methods suggested in The Explosive Child, but Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) rituals are no longer going to be a Basket C as I think I have been making the rituals stronger by going along with them. I'm anticipating a huge backlash but so be it. Hopefully it will make things better in the long-run rather than trying to take the easy way out for the short-term by going along with them! Interestingly my mother came up to my house to mind difficult child last night and when she was putting her to bed she doesn't go through the same ritual with her!!! I will have to explore if she has different rituals with other people or if all her rituals must involve me!! My main challenge is that she refuses to discuss anything with me. Even if I approach her when shes calm, if i try to approach the subject she starts screaming and covering her ears etc etc. She just WON'T listen or talk about her behaviours at all.

I am going to have a look at that Yahoo Group too and hopefully will learn more there also.

Thanks again for you all your valuable help. Hugs to you all!!

 

[BusynMember]

As one with a child on the spectrum as well as a grown child who is probably close to an Aspie and has severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)--you can't take a strong stand on the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and do anything other than terrify the child. It won't change his behavior or his fear and I really hope you don't go there. I would try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and keep trying on the medications. But I can't imagine how you can change the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) behavior by getting confrontational about it. He's not being "bad." He's terrified. People with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), whether or not they are on the spectrum, are afraid of not doing their rituals and the best and only way I know of to address that is to directly treat the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). I'm afraid you'll make a bad situation even worse. (((Hugs))). Good luck, whatever you decide.

 

[Stella]

I know she is terrified and she can't help it. I am aware it is the illness and she's not purposely trying to aggrevate me but by going along with them I am defintely making them worse and that is not good for her either. I didn't intend on becoming confrontational with her either as i know that is just a receipe for disaster. I suppose I have to find a way that will work through trial and error. Maybe by distracting her from them or ignoring them....I am going to look into CBT and keep trying to get her to take medications also.

 

[Josie]

I agree with MWM. I think it is important to work on stopping the rituals but you can't do too much at once. For example, you might have to go through the whole bed time ritual, but you are sitting in a different place. Then, when the anxiety over that change lessens, maybe you leave off the last sentence you say. I think it would be better to find a therapist who specializes in CBT/ERP to help with this, but some people on that Yahoo group do it on their own and have been doing it for years.

 

[Stella]

Good idea. Will take it in baby steps and try and extinguish the rituals gradually to prevent huge explosions. Will take a soft approach. Fingers crossed!!