Autism and medication

[SimplyGreen]

I'm wondering what type of meds your child on the spectrum in on. We are having alot of issues with anxeity and severe sensroy behavior. His psych is really pushing for meds. Being he is only 5 I'm a bit reserved about the idea. I'm wondering if there is natural alternatives or if conventional meds are commonly used for children with autism?

[ralenth]

My oldest has aspergers, ADHD, and anxiety. He's 11, and most of his meds are for the ADHD. He's on concerta and tenex. I had a lot of reservations about meds at 5, but we didn't have a formal diagnosis own anything at that age (other than the peds offhandedly remarks). If you aren't convinced the time is right, then wait. You are mom, go with your intuition about what is best for your family.

[marliah]

Just a few things we have tried and are natural helps with anxiety/aggression. Please research well on your own.

L-tryptophan
Niacin (b2)
Attention aide from mountian meadow herbs (love this stuff)
Lemon balm herbal extract


Some children are actually calmed by caffine, have to try and see what happens. I have one autistic son it helps and one that it makes more anxious.

[Suzi]

If his behaviors were putting him at risk I would consider medicating my son.

Things we have been doing are getting rid of all dyes in his diets, artificial sugars, and artificial flavors. No caffeine. We generally try to eat foods that aren't preserved. All our meat is nitrate, nitrite free. We eat organic (mostly).

Also making sure he is well hydrated and rested has helped immensely.

[FrozenBooty]

We have tried nearly everything with good and not so good results

Currently
Concerta for ADHD symptoms just a note stimulant meds are not recommended for autistic children unless they have co-morbid ADHD because it can make other stimming and OCD behaviors worse.

Clonidine for sleep

Melatonin for sleep

Two different multivitamins one geared at behavior one that's got dha and other brain clarity stuff in it. We use these because the sensory processing disorder manifests in my sons diet and so to get adequate vitamins he needs supplements.

Luvox it treats OCD and helps with stimming behaviors.


We have tried anxiety meds and other things but my son is not aggressive or argumentative and these meds increased those issues.

We use a sensory diet at home to help control behaviors naturally and recently also started therapeutic listening.

We do occupational therapy 2x per week to address sensory processing mostly.

[Hoping4aPrincess]

We're in the same boat. My 6 year old has autistic characteristics, ADHD, OCD behaviors, etc. He was heavily medicated until last year (adopted), and we are trying to avoid medication for a while so his body has a chance to sort itself out. GF/CF diet didn't benefit him, but I've noticed that he definitely is more sensitive to food changes than most children. In fact, when we started allowing him to have processed foods, he completely regressed in potty training and the stims got so much worse--we just didn't connect the dots until much later. We're going to try an anti-inflammatory diet, limited sugar, etc.

[songbird516]

Originally Posted by Hoping4aPrincess We're in the same boat. My 6 year old has autistic characteristics, ADHD, OCD behaviors, etc. He was heavily medicated until last year (adopted), and we are trying to avoid medication for a while so his body has a chance to sort itself out. GF/CF diet didn't benefit him, but I've noticed that he definitely is more sensitive to food changes than most children. In fact, when we started allowing him to have processed foods, he completely regressed in potty training and the stims got so much worse--we just didn't connect the dots until much later. We're going to try an anti-inflammatory diet, limited sugar, etc.

Have you looked into the GAPS diet? It's basically no processed foods, easy-to-digest, lots of broth and probiotic foods. It's meant to be followed until there is enough improvement that it's no longer needed and then weaned off.

[Hoping4aPrincess]

songbird-

I've heard of it, but I was under the impression it was similar to GF/CF and very difficult to follow. I'll google again DS has extreme food issues and is very underweight, so limiting the types of food he can have is sort of a balancing act.

[nrsenadenos]

My daughter is nearly 6 and has PDD-NOS. They are pushing us towards meds as well. For us it would be Prozac or Zoloft to help her deal with her anxiety issues. I told them no. I don't think that she is a danger to herself or to others as she is. The biggest manifestation is as Selective Mutism, and I don't think that is to the point where we need to medicate her.

They also suggested relaxation therapy and yoga...they didn't work for her but maybe your child would be more open to it?

[slyeates]

My son takes Abilify, melatonin, and digestive advantage. He is pdd-nos and also has a genetic disorder. Pm me if you want more info