howdy again!

[EStephens]

difficult child had recently gotten to the point where he was almost uncontrollable at times. He would go into fits of rage where he would bash his head against walls or slam his hand into doors until I held him down and kept him from hurting himself. (It was harsh!).
His doctor prescribed Respiridal. (And yes I can admit that my pride and heart was hurt by knowing my child was put on an anti psychotic.) It is helping!!!

I have recently learned that Respiridal is used for children with autism. Is anyone fluent in this medicine or have a kiddo using it? I know very little about it and I would love some idea of how it has affected other people.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TeDo]

Welcome back stranger! I know there are a lot of people that have wonderful success with Risperdal. Us, on the other hand, were not so lucky. It seemed to work at first (a couple weeks) but then ever so gradually, difficult child 1 became increasingly defiant, mouthy, impulsive, angry, and even aggressive. It became unbearable until I realized when it all started. I insisted the medication be stopped (psychiatrist reluctantly agreed) and the behavior went away.

I really hope you are one of the ones it helps and that you have no issues. But, be aware of any changes. This is a good time to start keeping track of everything (medication changes, behaviors, etc) so if something happens you can see when the pattern started ...... IF you haven't already.

 

[buddy]

My son was put on it years ago and became quadruple the aggressive child....seroquel was the same and was years later. Out of desperation we tried another, zyprexa, starting last March. It has really helped dramatically. Still have days of big issues but overall it has been so much better home and school and activity wise.
Just need to watch for side effects. Some are manageable some are not. And of course any reactions that make things worse? Don't be afraid to voice your opinion loud and strong. If it's helping in situations like these, I call it a blessing.

 

[DDD]

Risperdal was used successfully for a number of years with difficult child#2. I have no idea how or why one medication is effective and the same medication can be a disaster for children of similar description. All I know it sure helped our family. by the way, I am a big advocate of recording quick notes on behavior, medications, etc. on a daily basis. It doesn't take long once you get used to the self discipline of jotting down a couple of notes and it really can be very helpful in the long run. Fingers crossed.DDD

 

[TerryJ2]

Glad it's working!

The diagnosis can be bipolar, mood disorder not otherwise specified, or even Asperger's. I wouldn't worry about it. Unless you are thinking you may have a dual diagnosis? You can pursue it if you think it would be helpful. But based on the drug alone, I wouldn't worry. A lot of the interventions are the same--routine, lots of sleep, behavior modification, etc.

 

[KTMom91]

Miss KT was on risperdal for years, stopping only because she lost insurance for a year and couldn't afford it. Now she refuses to go back on because she lost weight after stopping it. It really helped her anger issues...no more holes punched in walls, no more countertops smashed, no more doors torn off the hinges and thrown at me...and really evened her moods out.

 

[Bunny]

difficult child has been on risperdal for about two years now. It has helped him tremendously! The only time we really seem to see problems is when he hits a growth spurt and the dose he is on is no longer high enough for him. We have raised the dose several time with much success. It greatly evened out his mood. It's not perfect, and it never will be, but it's better. Just keep an eye out in case you see that it's working and then suddenly seems to stop. He might need an increase as he grows.

 

[JJJ]

Risperdal helped Eeyore immensely. I was very sad when he started lactating (known side effect) and had to stop. He is on Abilify now but Risperdal worked better.

 

[IT1967]

My difficult child 1 is on it and has been on it for about a month. At first it helped. Not completely, but it helped. We recently added Concerta and either the combo is not working or the Risperdal is losing its effectiveness because I feel like we are almost back to where we were with-her before she was on anything. I'm going to stop the Concerta (dr. said to do this if we saw negative reaction to this medication) and just keep her on the Risperdal until we see him in a couple weeks. (wish it were sooner). I desperately want to get her off the Risperdal. I can see she's starving all the time and has gained a couple pounds. Not a problem yet, but I will be sick about this if she were to really gain some serious weight. She's too young (almost 10) to get fat without it causing a life-long problem, in my opinion. I'm glad someone here posted about this. I am curious about this Zyprexa. Wondering if it could be something to try with-my daughter. I feel so totally depressed about where she is at the moment.

 

[DDD]

Although my family functioned best using Concerta, there are other stims that work well for others. You have to try different ones. by the way, stims often result in weight loss. Good luck. DDD

 

[susiestar]

Risperdal was pretty much a miracle drug for my family. Wiz took it for years, only stopping when we reached the absolute maximum dose and it was not helping any longer. Similar medications did NOT help much, and he had awful side effects from abilify. Wiz did have an almost crazy-making, ravenous hunger at times while on risperdal. I don't think it was all the risperdal though. My side of the family tends to hit a point where hunger suddenly spikes and it is very hard o function unless you can eat NOW. I do think the risperdal combined with that and that was why he struggled so with it.

Mostly the risperdal allowed Wiz to keep his violence in check far more than he could without it. When the hunger spiked, that all went out the window. I leared which of the meal bars with a substantial amount of protein he liked/would eat. I kept those in my purse, locked up at home (he would eat every one he could get his hands on because they were candy but he got away wtih saying they were a 'meal' if his gma was around - and we lived with her.Sigh.) and if I didn't have one and that hunger hit? We either did a fast food burger, popcorn chicken if we were in Walmart, or we got one of the protein bars at a gas station or convenience store.

Please know that MOST of th 'meal' and 'nutrition' bars are basically candy bars. You have to pay attention to the amount of protein, fat and carbs because so many of them have three to six grams protein to thirty or more grams carbs. That is outrageous in something sold as a 'meal' bar. Fyi, according to the website for Snickers, one bar has 4 g protein and 35 g carbs. I don't look at the fat so much because for my kids, esp Wiz, it is having too much sugar and not enough protein that makes them downright MEAN. (My brother an only male cousin both do this also.) I check the labels, usually going for a 40-30-30 balance of carb-protein-fat, each time I look at one of those bars, or at the breakfast bars, etc... It may cost a bit more if you don't find good bargains, but it makes a world of difference. Balance Bars and Zone Bars are always at that ratio, and for other bars it pays to check the labels. Oddly enough, even my pickiest eater kid LOVES these bars. Took some trial and error though.

Anyway, nuff rambling. I am glad risperdal is helping. It was a blessing for us.

 

[buddy]

Oh great points susiestar, q has gained eighty or so pounds now on the right AP. (Zyprexa for him) when hes hungry he'll eat anything and is ugly ugly ugly (like right NOW) until he eats. He just decided to eat a can of sweet potatoes. So much for it being a side dish for both of us.

 

[HaoZi]

Risperdal was a nightmare for my Kiddo, too. Sent her into psychotic rages to the point I had to hospitalize her. Zyprexa and Abilify was great but the weight gain and feet tingling side effects weren't tolerable and we switched to trileptal, then she outgrew that that and switched to tegretol (sp). She's still on the Abilify and a few other medications as well, it's taken a while to find the right mix for her and as she grows she sometimes outgrows a medication or dosage (like the trileptal, she got to the point where the dosage she needed actually made her sick, it was simply too much for her little body to process) and puberty can also change what medications or doses they work well with.