Hey Everyone!!!!
Just got back from a gruelling day of doctors appointment with Ethan
Honestly, that is not surprising though and it breaks my heart to say this. He is 7 year old just turned 7 seven last week. He is 4ft 2inches tall and he weighs 96pounds. I am a health nut with him. I give him fat free milk, high fiber cereals, wheat bread, lean turkey, no mayo no mustard, a meat and a veggie at din din. His snacks are either fruit, or low fat or fat free. He gets one box of gatorade juice per day and the rest of his liquid inake comprises of water. I measure all of his food and battle with him whenever, he tries to cross the food lines
With all of this he still manages to keep packing on the pouds. He is not getting it in school beacause I pack his lunch. The rest of the time is with me. After speaking with the endocronologist, I have concluded that it is his medication-Abilify. He takes 7mgs a day. After starting that medication, he has managed to pack on about 15 pounds in the past year. Despite what his psych has said I know he has to get off of that abilify for it is the culprit. My only concern is what else could I possibly give him to help him. As all of you feel about your little ones-I love this guy to pieces and just want the best for him. In my heart I know I am doing my very best with his diet and excercise regimen, so I don't feel guilty like if I am to blame when the docs are asking me about his weight. I am just FRUSTRATED!!
Please can anyone give me some suggestions on the med piece? He was prescribed Adderall, but I chickened out of it because he had a bad experience with Concertta-he became extremely depressed and I could't take it. Also, the idea of a stimulant also freeked me out. I feared that as he got older he may abuse them. Maybe watching too much t.v.
Thank You All So Much Thank you for the reply. I do practice healthy eating with him. I am not offended by what you say at all. You are absolutly right. I lots of fruit and veggies and he will often try them. My problem is I am a late night snacker. When everyone is asleep that is when I get down
I have read a lot about adderall and want to try it but afraid of tics. Thank you so much for your feed back.
My son just turned 7 last week too! (Happy bday to yours) "I measure all of his food and battle with him whenever, he tries to cross the food lines
I quoted this above line from your post. Please don't take this the wrong way, but "monkey see/monkey do". The best example for healthy eating for your son is you. If you are not practicing what you preach, he's bound to battle with you. Why not join him in the healthy eating that you are providing for him? I know the meds he's on may be the cause for the weight gain, but help him out as much as you can by showing him that eating healthy is important for Mommy too. Currently, my son Luke is not on any meds. We had him on Adderall XR and other stimulant meds, but all they did was cause him to LOOSE weight. If you do a search on the main board for "meds" or type in the med you need info on, alot of forum posts pop up. Best of Luck! There's lots of info on this site. Kelly My son is 9. He has been on Concerta and is now on Adderrall XR. He was first given stimulants at 6-7 yrs old. It helps some. He is also on risperadol for his aggressive behavior, which also helps him sleep and helps his appetite. We have started going to the Children's Hospital. The doctor there mentioned putting our son on an antidepressant (SSRI). I am worried about this does anyone have any advice for me? Just read the first post but I had to reply. Abilify can make kids gain weight (not as much as Risperdal, however). But the sorts of symptoms Abilify is supposed to control are serious symptoms. Much more serious that being fat, IMHO. If the symptoms are not that serious, the child should not be on as powerful a drug as this anyway. My son's psychiatrist and I have discussed my son's obesity. He's on Risperdal (which causes even more weight gain than Abilify) for severe, severe Tourette's and for the aggression that appeared at adolescence. Without Risperdal, my son would be permanently hospitalized due to seizure-like Tourette's tics or would be imprisoned in the jail for the insane because he would have inadvertantly killed someone by now. My doctor put it starkly to me -- you can either have a fat but happy and functional boy or a slim, trim incarcerated boy. Of course, your child is still young. But aggression and self-injury and severe tics can all be controlled by the atypical neuroleptics that Abilify is an example of. As far as I know, all of these drugs cause weight gain in the VAST MAJORITY of patients. If the symptoms your child exhibits are controllable by strict behavioral therapy and you can ensure that all the adults in his life adhere strictly to the behavior plan, perhaps he can be weaned off. Otherwise, a healthy diet and plenty of exercise, as you have been doing, is your best alternative. Being fat is not great but neither are the sorts of symptoms Abilify and Risperdal are prescribed for. We parents of ASD kids in this position have a bitter choice. Ginger Root A Remedy For
What It Is; Why It Works
Avoid If...
Special Cautions
Possible Drug Interactions
Special Information If You Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding
How to Prepare
Typical Dosage
Indigestion: 2 to 4 grams a day
Since potency may vary, follow the manufacturer's directions whenever
available.
Overdosage Dear Ann: What about cod liver oil. It took away all the hyperactivitiy here. It works gradually. One needs to take it for a few months to get permanent good results, but it really may need to be taken at least a year and you may want to continue it for several years. The going recommended dose is enough that gives your child 5000IU of Vitamin A daily. Although, smaller amounts work well, and many even give larger amounts. Anyhow, this brings to mind my neighbour. He is 14. He is on 3 or 4 psych meds and has been struggling through school due to his behaviors. Well, his mother put him on some cod liver oil pills she got at the local grocery store. Its been about a year now, and now she is weaning him off of his psych meds. He used to drive me crazy when he would come to visit, but now he is doing well in school and doesn't drive me anymore crazy than any other child. I couldn't believe how much it helped him, just the one therapy. Anyhow, I have numerous stories for all kinds of treatments, but I will keep this short. The most popular place to get cod liver oil is Nordic Naturals. But, if you get another brand, just try to research it that it is tested for toxins and its recommended to learn about how to check for rancidness. Heidi Payne's correct about the baking soda. The odds of danger go up when one has eaten. Empty stomach is safest. I would recommend other ways to keep the body alkaline, like ginger root, fruit juices, especially orange juice. The acidity turns alkaline in the stomach. Heidi Ok, well, do you have a question with this? I have never taken over 1 gram a day, but I have read that many people have taken it long term with no side effects. I and my 15 year old son have taken it for a year, 550mg twice a day. When we don't take it, just our regular old symptoms return. Ginger Root causes more bile to be produced, thus that is why the whole ulcer thing. Its not that it causes ulcers, its just being theoretically plaused since it causes bile production. I used to have ulcers, but not since taking Ginger Root. Also, autistics are phenomenally reported to have too little bile and so is the majority of all of us. Too little bile causes mucho medical problems and eventually death. I say, take it yourself, and then give it to your child. If after 3 days, you don't see a noticealbe, happy improvement, then stop. http://www.herbalgram.org/youngliving/herbalgram/articleview .asp?a=1221 I am sure if you do more research, you will find an overwhelming majority of wonderfulness and what you posted is as bad as it gets. If you look up apsirin and tylenol and motrin, you will find that they cause death. Anyhow, the docs who are making our children well, really give good decriptions on why it works. They say it makes the liver detox better. With Ginger Root, we have better digestion, better detoxing, yeast inhibition, and etc. No wonder it works miracles for my family. I also give it to my adopted 5 year old. I adopted her at age 4. They were going to put her in an institution because of her many diagnoses and symptoms. Now, she is in regular school with no modifications. Digestive enzymes, Ginger Root and cod liver oil were her main helpers. Heidi Thank you. I pray that you all find success. I am here if any of you have any questions. Just a note of an idea for those who may have time: I attend about 8 forums regularly, and that helps to learn at a faster pace. Heidi I'm a karate teacher. I have a student with autism that lost over 30 pounds in about 7 months and he was 6 years old. His mom was just as picky as you with him and what worked were three things. Karate, swimming (a lot of it!) and a good diet. Also what does he do when he gets to karate. Does he sit and observe most of the time. Is he active in the class? How many good (army style) pushups can he do and how many sit-ups. Sometimes children (in general) are not good at sit ups because they have not identified the muscles in order to help them do the sit ups. While your son is doing his sit ups, hold his feet with either your left or right hand and then hold the back of his head. Make sure he doesn't use his elbows when going up while doing his sit up. Place your other hand behind his head and help him the first five sit-ups. Decreasing your assistance by 20% each time. If need be then do 10 sit-ups and help him 10% less each time uptill he identifys the muscle groups in the stomach area. Does he practice at home with your permission. Is he in a class with 25 other children, is it smaller, and/or does he do any private lessons. I think that since you have checked out all of the other things such as his tyroid and he is eating very healthy btw then increasing exercise is probably key. Swimming is the best activity to burn fat and karate is up there too. Let me know or you can email me at greenskarate@msn.com to continue the conversation. Call me if you wish also 423-432-5280 and/or check out my website at greenskarate.com Let me just add that exercise of any form and the building of muscle mass oxygenate the cells, and all autistics are low in oxygen in their cells. Ozygenating their cells has too many benefits to mention, such as killing of pathogens and detoxing (not the cure in itself, but will noticeably help). So anyone who can get exercising done, its great. I have taken Karate and one of my sons have taken karate. And it did well, not just for the body and brain health, but also focus and concentration, self-esteem, and discipline. Thus, I can support the aforementioned recommendation. Good post Heidi...diet does help ALOT of ASD children. Sometimes meds is an option as well. Just like some folks can lower their cholesterol by what they eat and exersize alone and some need help of a medication. I'd definately try and clean up the eating component first though, and then look for alternatives. Many people don't realize the striking affects certain foods can have on people. You can get a celiac blood screening test done (the dr's don't usually do it, but if you ask they will) that can see if you are celiac (allergic to wheat products), and they can do a test that tells if milk/dairy may affect things(caesin testing). Caesin (not sure if I'm spelling it right or not),,is in dairy, when it breaks down, it can trigger an opiate like euphoria. Then as the body digests it, it's like coming down off a high for some people. There's alot of info out there about food products. Good luck researching them. Kelly Dear Group: Please don't get mad at me, but I feel the need to tell you something you won't believe. I am against psych meds and this is why. My now 15 year old son was on psych meds for 9 years. His behaviors without any meds before I started nutritional supplements on him were such aggression that he broke everything in the house, was extremely difficult to communicate with, assaulted others impulsively, threatened to blow things up and shoot others, stared off into space for hours, too irritible to talk often, threw things, cursed upon trying to wake him up which was a nightmare, I go could go on and on (those were just his violent behaviors, he also had numerous autistic behaviors). He barely made it through special needs schooling and only because of his psych meds. ON JUST DIGESTIVE ENZYMES AND GINGER ROOT ALONE, most of these symptoms went away. Yes, he is now in regular school, no modifications. I see other kids like him all the time. The parents either listen to me and put their kids on digestive enzymes, cod liver oil, diet, etc. or don't believe me and put their kids in institutions. I am just saying, what do you have to lose by trying? Go look up the medical information sheet on whatever psych meds you have your child on, you will no longer want him on them. I have seen so much nerve damage from these meds it makes me ill to think about it. I have been around numerous special needs individuals. Anyhow, do NOT take your child off of psych meds abruptly, do it over a two month period, because some of them are lethal to take off abruptly. Yes, lethal. My kid's psychiatrsist, neurologist, pediatrician all said there is nothing anyone can do for him, he will always be special needs. Wrong, wrong, wrong. You can learn so much on these forums you won't believe what you can learn. My kid keeps telling me he wants to go back to those docs and tell them to their face they were wrong. That day will come. If you don't believe me still, research psych meds. They alter hormones and neurotransmitters which are made from amino acids which are made from food. When your food is digested unevenly, you have uneven neurotransmitters. Digestive enzymes digest your food evenly, thus you have even neurotransmitters. Yes this is simple. Yes you are wondering than why don't docs know. Well I asked them, and they told me that they can only do what they are told in medical school to do and they learned nothing about what I was saying. They said they only learned to give psych meds and that they can only do what is the common mainstream thing to do. Anyhow, after you give the digestive enzymes and ginger root, so many symptoms will go away that you will be amazed, but don't stop there. You need diet, cod liver oil, B12 powder or shots, probiotics, high doses of Vitamin C, epsom-salt cream, multivitamins and multiminerals and then people go on to do other things for permanency. The permanent cures are homeopathy and chelation. Both get permanent results and you won't have to do the supplements anymore. The homepath and chelation can be done over the phone by a homeopathic or chelation doctor or practitioner. Well, you will learn as you go. Oh, and for the record, I adopted an autistic child, same thing. Too many symptoms to even do special needs schooling. They were going to institutionalize her. Well, I did the same thing to her; now she is in regular school with no modifications. And there is more, but this is too long already.
"weight gain in not common" I see other wise. Oh! I forgot the best part; he takes 100mgs of topomax to decrease his appetite. Guess what? He is still HUNGRY
Malissa Which Children's Hospital? Have you tried calling a drug store like Walgreens to ask question about meds.
Latin name: Zingiber officinale
Although officially recognized as a remedy for only the three problems
listed above, Ginger Root has a proven ability to combat all forms of nausea
and vomiting. It has also been taken to loosen phlegm, relieve gas, and
tighten the tissues, although its effectiveness for these purposes hasn't been
verified. Asian medicine also employs it as a treatment for colds and
shortness of breath.
Valued primarily for the distinctive tang it lends to cuisine, Ginger Root
also has proven medicinal effects. In one recent clinical trial among surgery
patients, it proved more effective than the prescription drug Reglan in
preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting. It has been shown to stimulate
the intestines and promote production of saliva, digestive juices, and bile.
It also tends to boost the pumping action of the heart, prevent the formation
of clots, reduce cholesterol levels, and fight inflammation. It may even have
a stimulative effect on the immune system.
Native to southeast Asia, Ginger was brought to Spain,
and then America, by the Spanish in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is now
commercially cultivated in tropical regions of the United States, India,
China, and the West Indies. The plant is a creeping perennial that spreads
underground. Only the root is medicinal.
Although there's no evidence that Ginger is harmful during pregnancy,
officials recommend that it not be taken for morning sickness. People with
gallstones should not use it unless their doctor approves. Because of its
anti-clotting properties, it should be avoided by anyone in danger of internal
bleeding.
High doses (6 grams or more) may damage the stomach lining and could
eventually lead to ulcers. Allergic skin reactions are also possible, but in
recommended doses, Ginger causes no side effects.
It's best to avoid large doses of Ginger if you are taking a
blood-thinning drug such as Coumadin.
Although a trial of Ginger in 27 pregnant women with persistent vomiting
revealed no harmful effects, it is still not recommended during pregnancy.
Chopped Ginger Root can be made into a tea. Pour boiling water over 0.5 to
1 gram (about one-quarter teaspoonful) of the chopped root, steep for 5
minutes, and strain.
Ginger is also available in tablet, capsule, and liquid
form.
For commercial preparations, the following dosages are typical.
Motion sickness: 1 gram 30 minutes before travel; for continuing
symptoms, 0.5 to 1 gram every 4 hours.
To prevent vomiting: 0.5 to 2 grams daily
Arthritis: 1 to 2 grams daily
Massive doses of Ginger can depress the nervous system and cause heart irregularities.
If you suspect an overdose, seek medical attention immediately.
Just a little side note b/c most people think that Baking Soda couldn't hurt someone - IT IS POSSIBLE TO OVERDOSE ON BAKING SODA - it decreases the level of potassium in your body and by throwing up it just makes that worse. I just read a story about a man w/ indigestion who drank it and he threw up and landed himself in the ER. BE CAREFUL is all I am saying. I would suggest bloodwork and a doctor consultation before you try something like this.
Missi H.What symptoms does he have that he needs meds? And I am sorry to tell you, but that diet is awful. Our special needs children have to have special diets to get the most symptom reduction. Sometimes, diet alone, can reduce up to all of one's symptoms. I am so glad that you posted what you give him because that way I can help you. I am so sorry for being blunt, but let me help you. My kids are now in regular school. I have made miraculous progress with them. The going diet that most agree with is: No wheat, no barley, no rye, no MSG, no glutamate (you have to research on other names for MSG because they put gobs of it in foods, sneakily), no dairy, no corn syrup, no apples unless they are organic, no corn unless it is organic, no fast food (all smothered in MSG), no preservatives, no artificial anything, low sugar, no sugar substitutes of any sort unless have to in chewable vitamins, no soda, avoid processed food because it is loaded with MSG. He needs fat, don't give him fat-free anything. Carbohydrates put much more fat on you than fat. Fat contains vitamins such as Vitamin A that are so deficient in all of our children, and most special needs children can NOT absorb Vitamin A from plants, only animal products. Gatorade is full of corn syrup. Please don't get mad at me. I know all this is shocking. I too was shocked when people told me, and I didn't want to hear it. I just didn't think my family could handle going off of wheat and dairy. And then also, I had to get used to buying different foods and cooking differently. It was much work, but in no time, we all got used to it, and everyone is so happy on the new diet, no one even cares anymore. My whole family of 8 is on it. And we used to all be addicted to wheat and dairy. And the two overweight ones, are no longer overweight. Our health has improved enormously. But it takes time. Symptoms go away gradually. Anyhow, my now 15 year old, used to be on a bunch of psych meds, and then when I started learning all this stuff, I tried digestive enzymes. Since he has been on digestive enzymes, he is no longer on any meds. They took away more symptoms than any psych meds ever did. Ginger root helps immensely too. I had him on psych meds for nine awful years. Years of barely any improvement, always changing meds, changing docs, looking for help when not one person in this town knew how to really help him. The internet is where I learned all this. Please try what I am saying. Look up anything I said on your internet web browser and you will get the explanation as to why. But you can also ask me.
Just some ideas!!!
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