Can there be a difference already?

Hardykccat

New Member
So we went to a pysch doctor and she decided to put my defient, violent difficult child who has been suspended from school 3 times so far this year and is struggling with school and being openly disrecpectful to me, also violent towards me and his sister to the point that my husband is afraid to leave him alone with us on Intuniv.

He has been on Intuniv since Friday. One tablet at dinnertime. I also changed his Zolfot to the same time.

Today at school, it was better. Not great, but better. The teacher has said he isn't as violent and agressive as he has been the past several weeks.

The pysch says we wouldn't see any difference for two weeks. Maybe its my imgaination, but he he seems to be softer, more caring, less angry, he listens, doesnt argue as much AND for the first time in I can't count of weekends, he did NOT have any accidents. Not one.

Anyone else have any experience with Intuniv? Can I be seeing a difference already? Im holding my breath here that we might have finally found a medication that works. I can only hope.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
No experience with Intuiv, but lots of experience with medication. There is no way you can tell in a few days if the child is going to be different nor is it likely that there will be any kind of true miracle change. Our difficult children tend to cycle...they have their good days that they string together, giving us hope, then they have a string of bad days, which breaks our heart because we thought things were normalizing. I am certainly not sure, but often stimulants make autistic children MORE violent. I'd wait and see if the calmer behavior lasts. My son could not take any of the stimulants without getting worse, but all kids are different.

As for the Zoloft, I've taken every SSRI in existence practically. They start working after 6-8 weeks. Any affects before that are just the initial "jump", but you can't know how they will affect your child until the drug is in the system for a long time. SSRIs do not leave the system. The only thing I notice about my SSRI is that I have to take it at night because I still get tired an hour or so after I take it. Other than that, it sustains me equally all day long.

Autistic kids do well with interventions and medication should be the secondary treatment. Is your son getting interventions in school and the community? Also, no drug will make somebody who is autistic no longer be or act autistic. The interventions, in my son's case, were what stopped him from being violent. He learned other coping skills. He is actually better off of medications. Some of the medications were making him violent so we stopped them. He is twenty now and doing great, but he was really difficult when he was young.

Wishing you luck!!!
 

helpangel

Active Member
Fingers crossed that you found a good for him medication, it was like that with my son first medication tried was like they waved a magic wand.

But for my girls medication trials took many years and felt many times like trying to nail jello to a tree. Sure many worked or helped for a bit and those brief times of stability is when I would try to teach them some coping skills or anger management... even the stuff from out of sync child plays or has fun?(can't remember it's been awhile).

I remember most of the things that the Occupational Therapist (OT) prescribed for Angel she totally wouldn't tolerate when unstable so took those stable moments to do lots of her sensory diet stuff. Does your son work with an Occupational Therapist (OT)? (at school or private) If not might look into it my youngest got wonderful Occupational Therapist (OT) services thru the public schools for many years.

Hopeful for a peaceful day tomorrow
Nancy
 
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