Hello all!
I am farely new to the DFW area and was looking to find a good doctor/psychologist/psychiatrist that specializes in or is familiar with PDD. Our family doctor gave me a few leads but so far, none of them have panned out.
I have an 18 year old boy with PDD. He is currently taking Trileptal and Risperdal which were perscribed to him by a psychiatrist back in Tennessee. I thought that maybe now that we were living in a larger city, we would be more likely to find someone that is familiar with his disorder and perhaps get him on more suitable meds.
Any help tips anyone can provide me with would be much appreciated!
Thanks!!!
Thank you so much for your reply!
DFW = Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
My son has been on Risperdal and Trileptal for the last few years. He was on Adderall from the time he was 5 but I took him off it last summer because I felt that it did little for him, was not needed and was wrongly perscribed.
My son is textbook PDD but up until 5 years ago, we were told he had ADHD. Once being diagnosed with PDD, he was put on Risperdal. After a trouble filled period in his mid teens, Trileptal was presribed to help him through puberty. Now that all his hormones have started to settle down I was wanting to find out if there was a drug available that might do more for him or even if the Trileptal was still need.
My son started at a new private school this past fall and it has done absolute wonders for him. He has transformed into a completely different kid these past months. I dont believe he needs to start any kind of weekly therapy or anything like that, Im basically just looking for a new doctor here in Texas that can write out his perscriptions. His old doctor back in Tennessee was still writting his perscrptions up until recently but because we are coming up on a year since his last visit, we are going to need a new doctor soon.
I don't have anyone in Texas to recommend (I'm in NY). However, I'd STRONGLY suggest that you get a doctor who is an expert in autism. Kids on the autism spectrum have atypical reactions to meds. Often they need a combination of meds. Although I don't know anything about Trileptal, I DO know plenty about Risperdal. It is not given for ADHD. ADHD is almost universal in autism spectrum disorders (with or without the hyperactivity). It is given mostly for aggression -- either to others or to self. It is also given to control Tourette's tics. When my son was first put on it, it was given to him for his severe tics. However, when he entered puberty, he became aggressive and then the dose needed to be raised. To make sure the dose didn't have to be raised TOO high, over time we worked with the doc to combine it with two other meds -- Tenex and Buspar -- that served to lower his anxiety as well as take the edge off the hyperactivity (because of the Tourette's tics, he cannot be on stimulants). The MAIN reason my son is back to being his sweet old self is because of Risperdal. If we were to EVER consider taking him off, we'd do it under this doctor's supervision and our son would be weaned off it slowly over the course of months. Drugs are not just something a doc writes a script for. A good autism doctor needs to regularly supervise how the child is doing and needs to determine levels of dosage over time. If you think your son no longer needs the meds, once you get the name of a good doc, work WITH him to slowly reduce the levels of medication. Keep a detailed log. Make the school keep a detailed log. Get a baseline report in school from a behavior specialist. Then make sure the specialist can return at the first sign of any behavioral issues to do an FBA. With an excellent Behavior Intervention Plan in place, your son MAY be able to get off meds or at least reduce the dose. My son is on 6mg/day of Risperdal. He's 6'2" and near 300 lbs (thanks to the meds) and that is the highest dose our doctor will prescribe because going beyond 6mg raises the chances of Tardive Dyskenesia. So any change in dose for our son in the future will have to be a decrease, not an increase. Medicating autistic kids is half science and half art. Contact the local chapter of the Autism Society of AMerica in your area to see if they can recommend a doctor who is an expert in autism. Frankly, I'm surprised that a Tennessee doctor can even write an rx for filling in Texas. Having a doctor doing this long-distance is not good. I'm certain he will stop writing the rx's soon.What is DFW? Why is your son being medicated? Why don't you like the meds he's currently on? Risperdal is the only drug recommended for help with autism issues in children. Other drugs can be tried, but this one is the only one that has won FDA approval, "on label." My 16yo is on Risperdal, Tenex and Buspar. He's been on the Risperdal since age 8 and got the Tenex and Buspar at puberty to increase the effectiveness of the Risperdal without having to raise it too far.
What city are you living in?
Never been to a psych doc for Sarah but we used Dr. Michael Rios. He is a developmental pediatrician in Lewisville that specializes in autism & has worked at autism center in FT. Worth for over 15 years before moving to Lewisville.
Dr. Rao is an immuniologist in Plano & Carrollton that specializes in autism and many go to him as regular doc..he has grown son with autism and very well respected here. Good Luck:)
Dr. Eric Kemp is in McKinney. He specialized in pediatrics and now specializes in psychiatric medicine.