I was wondering if anyone here feels this way. Today Quinn had an appt. with his psych. Quinn has been on Risperdal since June 2005. I am getting worried that he will develop some of the irreversible side effects. I would like to try something with fewer side effects for him. I wonder if a med for his anxiety would be enough.
When I discussed my concerns about tics and tardive kinesia(sp) with her, she told me that this med has been approved for children with ASDs. She was more concerned with him gaining weight. He isn't overweight as of now, but she seemed to be concerned that his weight could become a problem. Tardive kinesia is much more serious than weight gain.
I felt like a paranoid mother.
We decided to decrease his daily dose from 0.75mg per/day down to 0.50 per day. Then we are going to try another med. She suggested Tenex.
My son isn't on medications, but since no one else answered your question, I'll reply to bump it up for you.
It sounds like the doctor responded to make you feel better, when you actually wanted answers, not a pat on the back. Yeah, irreversible side effects may be rare, but if they happen to you, they happen 100%. And everyone has a different view on the risk-gain balance. Your view is obviously different than the doctor's, but it's you that has to live with the consequences, not her.
I hope you get the answers you're looking for. Good luck with everything.
Our psychiatrist told us that Tardive Dykenesia is not usually seen until the Risperdal dose goes over 6 mg/day. Our own son is 16 and has been on 6mg/day for two years. Before that, he was on 2.5mg/day for 6 years. He started on Risperdal to CONTROL his severe Tourette's tics. Risperdal does not cause tics -- it controls them. It also controls aggression, which is why we raised the dose at age 14. If you are worried about Tardive Dyskenesia (a rare side effect), ask the doctor to describe the symptoms. Then, if you see these symptoms, immediately STOP the Risperdal and take your boy to the doctor. As I said, it is a rare occurrence and the TD can be stopped if you stop the meds immediately. Of course, there are always side effects with any medication. Our son has had the severe weight gain that is seen in some. HOwever, weight gain is nothing compared to the benefit of the control of the symptoms that Risperdal gives him -- no tics at all, no aggression at all. If your son does not have particular symptoms that you are trying to control with Risperdal, there is absolutely no reason to give the drug to him. It does not take away autism. It takes away tics and aggression and in some cases relaxes a child. Other drugs can relax a child. Other drugs can take care of obsessions. Sometimes drugs aren't the answer -- good behavior plans are. But if a parent has tried all the behavior plans and sensory interventions and has gotten their child lots of help with social skills and communication and STILL the child has significant behavioral issues, Risperdal can be a lifesaver. Sometimes literally. My son, Payne, has been on Risperdal for over 3 1/2 years with NO weight gain...he started at 1/2 a mg and gradually went up to 10mg / day. We've had no side effects. We backed him back down to 6.5mg/day when we added prozac for his anxiety. My son Skylar has been on Risperdal for a few months now, and so far the only side effect that I am seeing and that REALLY bothers me is the excessive weight gain. He just started school 3 1/2 weeks ago and they have to wear uniforms, and already I have had to go and buy more uniform pants, and this coming Saturday I have to go and replace all of his shorts and pants due to he has gained more weight just in the last week. He saw his psychiatrist Wednesday of last week and he was at 47 lbs and I weighed him again yesterday and he is at 52 lbs and he is only taking .75 mg daily.
My son went from 82 lbs. to 112 lbs. in 6 weeks. At 16, he is 50% overweight (300 lbs instead of the recommended 200 lbs for his large frame and 6'2.5" height). We KNOW, though, that he would have to be in residential care without Risperdal, so we put up with the weight gain. Risperdal gave us back a non-ticking, happy, cooperative son. He's himself on Risperdal and (there's no other word for it) an unpredictable, dangerous MONSTER off it. At his current size, he would probably inadvertantly KILL me, should he break down. For us, Risperdal is a literal life saver. The weight thing, I'll live with in order to have a happy, loving son.
Of course, you have to weight WHY you want your child on Risperdal v the weight gain. Can you give us a picture of why he's on it?
My son is on Risperdal, and while we have seen some modest weight gain, it is not excessive. There have been no other side effects, and I have been watching like a hawk. The change in him has been enormous, and has helped him immensely.
That said, I don't understand why your doctor seems so dismissive of your concerns. There are other alternatives, I believe.
I guess to look at if from the other side...a lot of times you have to decide if the control you are getting outweighs the chance of the rare side effects.
My son has a seizure disorder and we have a hard time finding meds that continuously control the seizures...we do get some side effects from these meds and there are a lot of risks for rare problems like liver failure, kidney failure.
Sometimes I wonder if there isn't a different med out there that might have less side effects, but at the time we are getting control with these meds and I would hate to pull him off a med, start a new one and find out that it doesn't work to control the seizures the way the other one did.
In all honesty, I think most, if not all, drugs have some sort of chance for a rare, but serious, side effect.
I do get scared that Sharlet could have serious side effects, but I do agree with emerald that all drugs have that potential. I see Sharlet if I forget her dose and it's a few hours late, it makes you realize how badly she needs to be on it.I know of one child who got TD on Risperdal. I believe he was on 10mg, though, and the mom took him off IMMEDIATELY and went to the doc. He is totally fine. It was a high dose and the end result was that there was enough time to stop the meds before he had anything permanent happen. I believe you can google Tardive Dyskenesia online to see what it looks like. My son is also on Buspar for anxiety so that the doc doesn't have to raise the meds past 6mg. Tenex, too, for calming. But I know it's the Risperdal that does the most for him. I would worry A LOT about a doctor who is not working with you as a partner. Sure, a doc knows a lot about medicine, but only YOU know your son -- better than any doc ever could.
I still am not sure WHY your son is on meds. However, the dose you mention is SO low, it seems difficult to believe it's doing anything, one way or another. What have you seen so far that is positive? Negative? Why do you want him on the meds? Why might you want him off? These are all the questions you have to ask yourself. If you choose to answer those questions here, too, perhaps we can give further input.
I'm sorry that it has taken me soo long to respond. Quinn is on Risperdal for aggression, frustration,irritability and anxiexty. The Risperdal does seem to alieviate(sp) these symptoms somewhat but not completely. I think what has really freaked me out more than my usual worrying about it i is that my mother(a nurse) has a patient on her unit who has TD. There are more positives to Quinn being on it than off. Maybe nhe could stay on a low dose along with an anxiety med.My son has been on risperdal for 2.5y (started at 5y). He has only gained the "normal" amount he should have gained at his age. When we started--2.5y ago, he was 50-53 lbs. Now at 7.5y, he is 65-68 lbs. So only about 15 lbs in 2 years. His height has grown many inches! I still can see his ribs and spine!!
Now my 11y dd gained weight. She started out at 75 lbs. In the first 2 weeks---she gained 10 lbs. She's been on it for about 4 mo and now weighs 95 lbs. With her---its the age also. Girls will get a little heavier right before puberty. It's in preparation for the big growth spurt. She hasn't really gained much in a month or so. All she eats is salads and fruit! But right after starting it---she craved the carbs.
I don't worry about the side effect of TD. If it starts--I'll stop the med. For us----the benefits totally outwiegh the rare side effects.
Sounds like there is little weight gain and that the tiny amount you have been giving him is doing the trick. Of course, as he grows, watch for the need for an increase. I assume you are taking him for checkups every few months. When you next go, speak to the doc about anti-anxiety meds, something specific to anxiety which Risperdal is not (although it can help with symptoms other than aggression, just as aspirin helps with more than just headaches). Our son is on Buspar for anxiety and it helps immensely. Many kids need a combination of meds. One of the benefits is that each med can be at a lower dose because the other med or meds take care of certain symptoms, keeping the dose of any one med lower.
Adam is on Abilify, same class of drug as Risperdal. He has had weight gain, but he was also on Paxil and we have recently changed the Paxil to Prozac, and the weight has stabilized. He is approximately 30 lbs overweight right now. He is also on Adderral XR for ADD.
He was very agressive before the meds. He was hitting his brothers and having periods of rage. We tried to stop the Abilify once, and we were very wrong about stopping. He is a different person on it. Weight is the only problem we have had. In the past few months he as grown taller and is almost 13 so, I think hormones are starting. But, instead of rasing the Abilify dose, we watched him very closely and determined that his actions were more from impulsivness than agression, and ended up raising the Adderral dose and keeping him on it 7 days a week, instead of just for school. We have had very good luck with this approach.