Supplements are not working!!!!!
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| Wed, 07-06-2005 - 1:59pm |
Well, it started on July 3rd. Mil and 2 of my dh's sisters came into town (they live an hour away) to see our new house and spend some time with us. We went out to breakfast with them, went to the new house, went to a couple of stores, and then out to lunch. Yes, it was a busy morning. I prepped Nathan for their visit, and he seemed ok......at first! Usually he does ok, but he just lost it!! And I don't mean tantrums, he basically "checked out". They kept asking him questions...you know, typical questions like, "how's school? are you excited about your new house? how's summer going? Dh finally spoke up and told them that they had to stop. I was too busy trying to keep Nathan calmed down, and also trying to keep him connected, because when he's checked out...he forgets where he is and he doesn't pay attention. I took my eye off of him for a second (because my sil was talking to me) and he ran into a wall and hit his head really hard! I didn't leave his side after that!!!!
July 4th was ok, he did fine during the day (we were at a family barbeque). But he needed to be prompted to do everything. And there was lots of heavy breathing too. He was in the pool earlier in the day with his dad watching him, but then I took him inside and we watched Star Wars episode I. It was quiet and we were away from everyone, but he still couldn't calm down much. He wore his ear plugs when the fireworks started, but he insisted on me covering his ears with my hands too. And I couldn't leave his side for a second!! He said absolutely nothing during the firework show. He usually loves all the colors.
Well, it's now July 6th, and he's still wound up. I'm still giving him the supplements, but I'm starting to think there's no reason too. The last few days, he's been getting upset over everything, obsessing about everything. We did nothing yesterday, and we're planning a quiet day today too. But he just doesn't seem to be calming down. He says he's fine, and that he's not having a hard day....but I'm just not sure. He has school (ESY) tomorrow, so I guess I'll see how that goes.
Sorry this was so long, I didn't plan to type so much. I am surprised that Nathan has left me alone to do this!!! Guess I'm just tired. It's so draining to spend the whole day trying to find ways to calm him down.
Michelle

Michelle,
What I am about to suggest is completely hypothetical but based on principles of psychiatric meds. Our neuro was telling me y'day that a lot of the time with meds, kids with ASD's have a very small window of success. Too little, and they don't respond - - too much, and they get adverse effects. This happened with Cassian when we tried Lexapro. He could tolerate 1/4 tsp, but not 1/2 tsp. Sometimes too much or too little of a medication can create the symptoms you are describing. In a child with sensitivity issues, like Nathan, you may be seeing a hyperactivation effect.
I checked out the substances in Pedi-Active (I also ordered some for Cassian, and we are going to try it). They are supposed to have an enhancing effect on the brain. Children with ADHD, but no ASD, may be able to tolerate a higher dose of such chemicals. It would make sense that you would see the effect start out well and then build up to a too high level over a period of a week or so, much as SSRI's would.
So, here's my suggestion, why not half the dosage for a few days and see what happens. You may find that Nathan gets benefits from a smaller dose, as he did in the beginning of your trials. It could take a few days for the levels of the suppliment to get out of his system, so don't expect big changes immediately. Often suppliments and meds that work on the brain opperate on a sort of half-life phenomenon. They take a while to build up, and they also take a while to decrease.
That's my idea, for what it's worth. Choose a few variables (behaviors) to watch each day and try to keep the situations pretty consistent. Added stress of the holiday with more people pressuring him to interact, excitement from fireworks, etc. could also account for Nathan's checking out.
Suzi
Thanks Suzi, I hadn't thought of that. I did taper down on his dose yesterday and today. Not sure why, maybe I just read your mind!!! But I think I'll stick to a lower dose and see what happens. I'll let you know!
Michelle