Some advice please...

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-26-2004
Some advice please...
3
Thu, 02-22-2007 - 8:18am

I know I haven't written anything on here for awhile.. I believe the last time I posted I was asking about medication and my son was just diagnosed with PDD.. Right now we are waiting on an appointment at Teacch next month, and have a modified IEP at school.. I decided to put my son on Strattera for his ADD/ADHD issues when he started school.. So far this year he was doing okay, not great but okay.. he was still having some major mood swings in Oct. so our Dr. recommended upping the meds. to the max dose and if that didn't work, trying a stimulant and a mood stabilizer. Well, the upping of the meds didn't really improve things too much and made him tired all the time.. I decided it was time to take him off, and the drugs have now been out of his system for three weeks.. The problem I have now is that because of issues at our psychiatrists office I can't get ahold of our Dr. and his pediatrician won't prescribe him the meds because she doesn't feel comfortable prescribing them as a general doctor.. At school he has bottomed out with his behavior, complete chaos for his class.. They want to have an emergency IEP meeting to put him in a solely BED class..The closest school that has one of those is almost an hour away from us and has a bad reputation for kids getting beat up, even guns getting brought to school.. This whole thing is a mess and my pediatrician says she won't even prescribe him a stimulant for his add because she says it will make his mood swings worse!! I guess I am not so much looking for advice as I am venting.. I thought I had so much support behind me now I feel like my son is getting dumped and forgotten about.. Oh, btw does anyone have any experience with risperdone?? Anyhow thanks for listening..
(anyone wondering, my ds is 7,he has had behavioral issues since he was 2, and has been round and round with docs, dx with add/adhd and PDD for now, strong mood swings, aggression, social issues, and obsessive with animal and weather topics) Sorry this long and drawn (possible bad spelling!!)..

Jennifer.. mommy to Pat (7), Autti (5), and Timmy (1)..

Image hosted by Photobucket.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-22-2003
Thu, 02-22-2007 - 9:24am

First of all Jennifer, here's a huge hug! ((((((((Jennifer))))))))
Okay...second of all, take a few deep breaths!
Now, let's tackle this one step at a time.

Part of your son's recent behavior problems could be the withdrawal from the medication. These types of meds can be really ugly to "come down off of"...even if done relatively slowly.

In terms of the school, you can go ahead and agree to the "emergency" IEP, but you need to insist on having an advocate with you. (I'd call the TEACCH/regional office and talk to someone there...they should be able to help.) Force the LRE issue and the fact that the BED school is obviously not the LRE for your son. I'd let them know, up front, that it's simply NOT an option you're willing to consider. It's tough to be firm, so having the advocate will help. It sounds as if they're trying to jump into the BED without exhausting all other options. You obviously haven't given up on finding a medication that can help your child, you're just getting the royal run around from the medical community. So...the school needs to understand that you're doing what you can, but they need to help your son in the interim.

In dealing with the medical community, I'd get on the phone and start bugging the heck out of people. Let them know that you're son is in desperate need of help and them blowing you off is making your son's life h*ll. I've been known to throw some guilt around in situation like this. It's not always fun to be the squeaky wheel, but if I were you, I'd start making LOTS of noise. I'd also call everybody I know who has a child with similar needs and ask them about their doctors.

My now 9 year old son takes Concerta, so I can't speak to med you mentioned as we've never used it. In the past he's been on Adderall Rx, but it caused some aggressive behavior so we switched. So far the Concerta has been excellent.

Good Luck...hang in there...and stand firm. You'll get through this. But the road may be bumpy.

Amy

Meez 3D avatar avatars games

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Thu, 02-22-2007 - 9:48am

I'm afraid I can't comment much on the meds thing, either

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Thu, 02-22-2007 - 2:42pm

I'm not going to be much help, but the one thing that I remember hearing in a mini-class about ADHD/ADD awhile back was that while it's true many meds for ADHD/ADD can make mood disorders worse, there ARE some meds that are supposed to be okay for both problems. The class was taught by a psychiatrist who had experience with with this, so I'd assume she knew what she was talking about. Since you're having a hard time getting ahold of your psychiatrist, can you try another psychiatrist?

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with all of this. It sounds like a thoroughly miserable challenge!