My first post

[Sherrisworld]

My name is Sherri, I have three children - two daughters (grown, living on their own and doing great!) and a difficult child that will be 20 in June. He is my biggest blessing but also my biggest worry. Anthony is classically Autistic, non-verbal, violent, funny, loving, etc. Gathering from what I've read so far, you all understand completely!
Anthony also has a seizure disorder, he takes Topamax and Tegretol to keep them under control. He also takes Risperdal for his behavior which worked in the beginning but seems to have lost it's ability to help him. He goes to an all Autistic school and they call me often to let me know he's being aggressive, agitated and mean. His doctor upped the Risperdal from .25 to .5 and then to 1. The behavior has remained the same but now he has head tremors which is scaring me to death. So, the doctor has backed the Risperdal to .5 again and still the behaviors are the same and the tremors haven't stopped. I've been doing a little reading on Depakote and it seems there's been some success. If anyone could give me some advice or let me know what works for their child, I would so much appreciate it. I know there are others that have it worse than me and I pray for them but I'm ready to pull my hair out!

 

[ML]

I don't have any advice or suggestions but wanted to welcome you to our family! I'm glad you found us, but sorry you had to. Hugs, ML

 

[Hound dog]

Welcome to the board Sherri Glad you found us.

My son, 23, is also autistic and has epilepsy as well as a variety of other dxes. Although he is somewhat higher functioning. (Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)) I was fortunate that Travis was never the violent type. The only medications he took was Carbatrol for his seizures, which had the side effect of helping with depression. The one timewe did try to medicate for a short period of time during his early teens when he was being somewhat violent....was a disaster. Zoloft made him a thousand times worse. I decided not to risk it again. But we were never sure if his violent bouts were actual violence or atypical seizure activity.

Again, welcome to the board, and the family.......because around here, that's pretty much the way we feel about each other.

Hugs

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Sheri,

no shared experience so I can't offer you any advice, but I do offer welcome!

Sharon

 

[smallworld]

Risperdal can lower the seizure threshold, which may not make it the best choice for a patient with seizures. It can also cause dystonic reactions -- in other words, uncontrollable movements. I'm wondering why your son's neurologist thinks Risperdal is a good choice for your son.

Depakote is an anticonvulsant that also helps with anger and aggression. So it might work for your son. But honestly, it's a trial and error process for any individual patient.

 

[KTMom91]

Hi, Sherri, and welcome!

 

[busywend]

Welcome! Nice to meet you!

I look forward to getting to know you.