Risperdal

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Anyone with AS child with aggression problems try this medication? It seems to be pretty effective from the research I've done. My 5 y/o is having a major problem adjusting to school - he can't focus, follow directions or rules. Apparently he CAN do all of these things "when he wants to" per his teacher. When he is challenged to behave properly, he explodes. He's been escorted from the class kicking, hitting, biting, spitting...etc several times. He has also shown aggression towards other kids - for no real apparent reason. We've noticed an escalation of his meltdowns at home as well - throwing anything he can get his hands on. Many times it seems like nothing can be identified as the trigger for this extreme behavior. It's like he goes into another world and there is no reasoning with him at all. Then, 15-20 minutes later it's like somebody threw the switch and he is back to being the sweet little boy he normally is. He is verbal but lacks much pragmatic language so he can't really relate to us what happened or why. He knows he misbehaved but cannot explain it. He's high on the spectrum and is otherwise very normal. Most people don't pick up on anything being wrong until they've spent a lot of time around him to witness some of the poor behaviors.No amount of talking to him about how physical aggression is our "number 1 rule" seems to help. His psychologist says bi-polar is pretty rare in a 5 y/o but it HAS been known to occur in AS kids. We've avoided medicating him for some time now but I think we may need to try it to see if it will get him through school without being expelled for causing harm to someone. Any input would be appreciated.

My son was like that until last spring. For my son, it was purely environmental. That is, something was triggering his meltdowns and lashouts. While sensory issues are a big trigger (too loud, unpredictable movement, people touching him, etc) and he has allergies (grass and cats) his most serious problems stemmed from language difficulty and transitions.
We had to fight the district here to have him placed in school that was more adept at tolerating and understanding autistic children. We insist on coaching Pop to handle transitions and to use written language to aid in communication.

I highly recommend The Explosive Child, by Dr. Ross Greene. It explains why an explosive child melts down "for no apparent reason" and how to more effectively help that child make better decisions.
My son is now in 2nd grade in a regular class and only uses the special ed room for a safety net (coaching, checking in). Every once in a while we have to review classroom changes to make sure Pop is adjusting and understands what is going on. He does really well and rarely has a tantrum or meltdown. He is diagnosed autistic.
We have never used medications. I understand Risperdol was recently approved for autistic children, it's an anti-psychotic.

Thank you KimJ. I've seen that book recommended before and will take a look. I just finished "10 Days to a less Defiant Child" which targeted mostly ADHD kids' issues but I still learned some things. I'm fearing the issue might in fact be juvenile onset bipolar. The more I read about this, the more I see this in my son - rapid mood swings that can occur within minutes and with no apparent trigger, hyperactive behavior- inattentive, lack of focus. And then the defiance. All of these are linked to bipolar. We've got another appt with his pediatric developmental specialist next Tuesday. I'm thinking she'll write us a script for Risperidone. Side effects are minimal and it may be worth a shot just to see if there is any significant improvement. Again, this is not what we wanted for him but for some people, medication IS the best answer. Thanks again.

I have some experience with Risperdal, although it was not with my aspie kid.

My aspie son did have some problems similar to the ones you describe, they were mainly the result of lack of understanding (or occasional abuse) at his school. He would be unable or unwilling to say what was bothering him, so would wind up in the principal's office after having had a meltdown. We would eventually manage to find out what had happened, and it was almost always that he had been treated in some way which was inappropriate, but was unable to deal with the situation as he should have. The local school showed an emphatic lack of enthusiasm for dealing with a kid who might need to be treated differently than other kids, so we eventually pulled him out and home schooled him. He outgrew the problem with verbal expression within a year.

My experience with Risperdal was related to someone older, who was given Risperdal as an antipsychotic (the only "on label" use it has). It made him gain weight, act sedated, become borderline diabetic, and gave him a bit of tardive dyskinesia, which wouldn't be too worrisome if it weren't permanent and irreversible. There is also risk of Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS), which can be fatal, but he didn't have any problem with that. They did end up changing his meds because Risperdal was making him diabetic, however.

Best of luck with whatever course of action you may take. I, personally, would be extremely reluctant to put a 5 year old on a powerful antipsychotic because he's having some problems at school, particularly when the reason for those problems is unclear. But that's just me.

There is also significant risk in giving autistic children drugs that are meant for other conditions. The traits listed are the same that my son had when he couldn't handle his environment. Yes, it was severe. He bit, kicked, threw stuff, screamed at the drop of a hat.
"for no apparent reason" is a phrase NTs use when they don't know the reason. There is always a reason.

Both my boys had similar problems with rages. My 11 yr old dx with Autistic Disorder and my 7 yr old Tourette Syndrome.

They were both raging and it was to the extreme that I finally decided to try Risperadol.

It was an overnight success for both boys!

But after 6 months and almost a 30 pd weight gain for my oldest, it stopped working. The rages came back and were in full force. So we took him off and now is trying Abilify. Now he is starting to adjust again (it doesn't work immediatly like Risperadol does, but takes about 3 weeks to get the full effect) and the rages have started to subside.

For my 7 yr old, no weight gain, and no other side effects and it is still working for him. It doesn't completly make him tic free (his tics are extreme) but it does take the edge off and help him in school and to tell you the truth I was more concerned about the Rages than the Tics anyway.

Lainie

My 16-year-old Asperger's son takes Risperdal for general anxiety and attention deficit. It was an immediate success; however, it seems now to be "wearing off." Most likely because of his tremendous growth spurt.

The one side effect we have to deal with is that it is highly sedative. Right now, my son sleeps about 11 hours a day. He can take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and still sleep like a baby at night. That's becoming a real problem. I home-school him, so I can work around his sleepiness. However, if he were in a conventional school, I don't know what we'd do.

Given our experience, I would say it is worth a try.

My son with Aspergers started on Risperdal at the beginning of second grade. It really helped with his meltdowns and obsessions. It was dramatic! There is a side effect of weight gain and it has really effected my son. He went from wearing and 8 slim to a 10-12 Husky in one school year. The medication needs to be adjusted as he gains weight, so it can be a vicious circle. My son is now in 7th grade and is off the Risperdal and on Geodon because it doesn't have as many weight issues. He seems ok on the Geodon, but our former psychyiatrist reclessly over-medicated him on it and he is suffering from the after effects of Tardive Dysenesia. I hope that this has helped you feel better with your decision.

MrsSubb

my son was put on this at age 4. i was so scared. but the alternative was even scarier because no one could handle him anymore. After being thrown out on his ear of six daycares, i reallized it wasnt bad parenting and got help(long process). The psychatrist looked at my baby for five minutes and knew what the problem was and prescribed first a blood pressure med that has some kind of calming effect.... ha that was like a sugar pill... oh yeah it was tanex.... then when that didnt work he put him on risperdal.... i have had no side effects except maybe weight gain which quite frankly his increased appetite was welcome sight.... and so far has worked really well.... lately due to changes like a new school , he is becoming increasingly oppositional and a lil aggressive but not violent like he was..... the school says he seems perfectly normal except for an occasional spoiled brat fit.... (wasnt that nice of them) so I am thinking of taking him off to see if he can handle without it.... i hate having to use meds and I wish i had never told my son that it was medicine i am sure by now(hes almost six) he is wondering what is "wrong" with him... i should have called it a vitamin.... anyway..... the meds have helped me through the pregnancy of my second son and helped us to get through some tough behavior issues to the point now I think we have both learned enough to try without meds.... i wish it would help with his anxiety though he is such a nervous and sometimes even seemingly depressed lil guy....

My experience with Risperdal was related to someone older, who was given Risperdal as an
Best of luck with whatever course of action you may take. I, personally, would be extremely reluctant to put a 5 year old on a powerful antipsychotic because he's having some problems at school, particularly when the reason for those problems is unclear. But that's just me.[/quote]



me, too.
kids are way too overmedicated far too easily.

picture of your son is a beauty. he looks so interestingly engaged in something.

I do think the medication is dangerous to the kids and if it's sedating and causing weight gain and diabetes, this is not worth it. How awful to see your child drowsy from medication. I couldn't bear it. My son is so lively and full of life. No child should be sedated. Child rearing is a lot of work. Some kids are more challenging in many different ways. Deal with it. Get outside help and supports. Get the child involved.

Risperdal is a powerful medication typically used for schizophrenics. How could doctors rationalize using it on a four year-old or seven-year old. It is unthinkable in my mind.

BTW-there really is no medication for Aspergers or ASD's according to the research I've read and professionals I've spoken to.

I would read the current research being done on ADHD and meds. It doesn't look good.

equinn

Why not try fluoxetine in a low dosage first? It has a good effect on aggressive behavior. It's an a-typical SSRI that works on the serotonine system AND dopamine system.

And therapy. Try to find out why your child is doing like he does. All behavior has a reason. Understanding it is part of the solution. Good therapy is better then drugs.

equinn is right~ there is no medication for Aspergers........most meds attempt to treat symptoms that go along with Aspergers. in my family, my hubby& son ( who are both aspie) take meds for sleep and for anxiety. son takes wellbutrin, prozac and seroquel. hubby takes prozac also, but also takes a series of other meds~ even has one PRN ( as needed) so that when he's incredibly anxious and shaky he can take it to calm down.

Hello! I am scared to death, Joshua was just put on Risperdal. I have never had him on meds at all, not even Tylenol. He's 10 years old. He's Apsberger's ADHD mixed together to form a furricane and a tornado. Schools have been hounding me like mad to drug him, and I couldn't do it. We were told by the psychotherapist he needed something to calm him down, so we went to a psychiatrist (who was hard to understand with a very thick accent). So he heard our statements asked 10 questions or so and drugged him. So far he's been on it since the 6th, and he took it only at night. We have not seen any differences in him at all. He's still wired for sound. We are to give him some in the morning too before school. We wonder how that will work. He never said to continue or discontinue the vitamins or the coffee, so he still drinks his coffee in the morning and takes his DMAE and his Fish Oil. We asked the pharmacist first. I looked up information on it and got more information from that then the doctor!! ! If he gains weight that might help him, he is 51 pounds.
The only question I have yet is, is this stuff addictive?
I am just a worried mother, and feel like a mother grizzly bear protecting her cub.
Sorry, just stressed!!
Tanya

i don't know enough about Risperdal to comment, but i do know that some drugs take awhile to build up in your system before they start showing maximum efficacy....other meds either work right away, or don't work.......i'd check out information on the web or from the pharmacist about this. there's no sense in keeping your child on a med that isn't working.....there are plenty of other meds out there.

My son was taking Risperadol but it stopped working after about 6 months. He was only taking it at night and when the doc suggested we add another pill in the morning I said no because of the weight gain.

He is now on abilify, he still has some episodes so we added another pill in the morning. It's working to calm him and no weight gain.

From what my Pys says.... either one is NOT addicting.

Lainie