Wow, I can't believe how amazingly similar our sons are. My son is 11, was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade and last November we received the diagnosis of PDD-NOS (for those that are unaware that is an autism spectrum diagnosis just not really specified). He is lower functioning that a child with Asperger's Syndrome. At the time of the autism diagnosis I was absolutely devastated, I knew the ins and outs of ADHD but had no clue what I was dealing with when it came to an autism diagnosis. I had all this information thrown at me at once and I was overwhelmed to say the least. However, they also recommended Risperdal for my son to help control the moodiness, impulsivity and help control the melt downs. They recommended a very low dosage once in the evenings of .25 mg, and it has seemed to help quite a bit. I wouldn't say it is the magic pill that has changed his life, but it has helped. Although he still takes quite a high dosage of Ritalin (30 mg 3x a day) and that is a concern to me. We are just beginning his treatment with therapy and medications so we shall see what happens. As with your son, my son is extremely underweight and this medication has increased his appetite extremely, but instead of gaining weight he is maintaining and growing taller. Thank you for your posts, they help a lot, it is always nice to know someone else can totally understand what I am going through.
Thank you so much for writing this!
It can feel like you are all alone in this...to have to think about medications for your child and it is so hard. Please know that there are so many parents going through the same thing.
I am eager to hear about all your experiences with your son and how things are going for you both. It absolutely can be overwhelming to get the diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder. What really helps is to find support. I hope you come here to talk about things if that helps.
Hope to hear more from you.
I have a 9 year old who was diagnosed with ADHD since Kindergarden....He now currently has a diagnosis of ADHD, mood disorder, ODD, and mathematics disorder. It has been a very long process with different meds to see which ones would work. I finally think they got it down. He is on 72mg of Concerta daily, takes resperidol 1 1/2 mg daily and now started Intuniv 3mg daily. He still has his moments. Along with this he has also been diagnosed with depression. He constantly gets picked on by other students and other kids in the neighborhood. With this it is hard as a parent to hear your child ask you the question of , "mom why do I not have any friends?, why does everyone pick on me?" He is 9 but has the mind of a 3-4 year old. He thinks differently than other kids, and acts out fiction with reality. Still till this day it kind of gets overwhelming. I have a 3 year old that I try to get him out of the room when my 9 year old decides to throw one of his fits, Im afraid of him soaking in that behavior.
I'm glad that risperdal is working for many of you. Please don't think that I am anti-medication. I have three children, all with severe ADHD. One of them is a daughter with FAS (who occassionally becomes psychotic), and another is a bipolar son who also has anxiety disorder and OCD. So I totally understand that medications can be the difference between light and darkness for our children. Anytime a change in medication or dosages is proposed, we take it very seriously. I would like to tell of our experience with risperdal because we've experienced both ups and downs with it.
My 11 year old, ADHD, bipolar son experienced some success when he first went on the risperdal. I also have a FAS daughter who successfully uses this particular medication. I would offer a couple of cautions, however.
One of the side effects that is glossed over is the weight gain and increased appetite. My duaghter has never experienced this particular side effect. My son, however, gained 40 pounds on the medication before we took him off of it. No matter what he ate he packed on the pounds. He, too, was underweight when we started him on it, so the initial 10 - 15 pounds were welcome. But he never stopped gaining. The weight gain never leveled off. His increased appetite was more like an obsession or compulsion to eat. He began hiding food in his room and eating it while he was in bed at night. At breakfast he would demand to know what I was making for lunch and dinner - before he was finished with whatever meal he was on he wanted to know what time he could eat again. He had to have snacks throughout the day (fruit usually, but he craved carbohydrates fiercely) to keep him from stealing food. We eventually put a lock on the cupboards because he would walk by and stash several snacks in his pocket and hide in the closet to eat them. He literally could never feel full or satisfied. He also experienced bizarre cravings and mixed unusual combinations of foods. I caught him once chug-a-lugging from a bottle of barbeque sauce in the refridgerator.
The fatigue or drowsiness became a problem, too, and only got worse as he continued to get heavier. We had entire days where the teachers reported that he slept in their classes.
Finally, and this is really, really important. We discovered that the generic version of risperdal (repiradone), while considerably cheaper, is not "just as good." My daughter, who has successful used risperdal for the past 6 years, experienced a psychotic break last summer. We couldn't figure out what set her off and why were seeing her behaviors spiraling downward again. Then we learned that the drugstore changed her medication to the generic version without telling us (since we have no prescription copay with our insurance we weren't alerted by seeing a price change). Her bizarre behaviors coincided exactly to the time when she would have been experiencing a decreased amount of the medication in her system. We immediately took her off the generic and within a week or so, the behaviors eased again.
I know how hard it is to decide whether or not to medicate. I hesitated to post because I didn't want to offer conflicting information and further confuse parents. But I thought that maybe our experience could help another parent, especially about the generic vs. brand issue.
Thank you,
Michelle
Hi Michelle!
Hey...I am personally very glad and grateful that you have written about your child's experience with this medication. I was hoping to present the information in a balanced way but the true balance comes from other parents discussing how things worked for their child. I have heard that the weight gain can be very extreme in some cases and also some children will have an increased risk for diabetes. It is all very serious stuff and the things you are saying is going to help other parents when they make this decision....they need to know the risks.
I am especially interested in what you say about the generic version. We have noticed that his medication does not seem as...potent now...after we have switched pharmacies and this is something I need to ask the doctor.
My son has only been taking Risperdal for not even two months. I worry that it wiil lose its effect over time...I sure hope not but this is the worry for any medication.
I love that you are honest and candid about your experience and I would encourage you to write more on this site.
Thanks again for your comment.
I do not have ADHD or autism but I have been diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia and took Risperdal for a short period of time. It made me vomit constantly. It got to where I couldn't even keep down water. And my psychiatrist was in Iran (his country of origin) for a month. I had to depend on his on-call associate, who happened to be a real flake, to do something. And he did nothing. I finally had to take myself off of it and wait the 2 add'l weeks till my own doctor came back to the US in order to get a prescription for something else.
Your son's ravenous 24x7 appetite on Risperdal sounds exactly like what Zyprexa did to me. I couldn't stop eating. I would finish one large meal and start another and never feel full. I gained 96 lbs in a few months and was still eating. Unfortunately, I had to stay on it for most of 13 yrs because it was the only thing that quelled the psychosis and depression. Now, fortunately, I have found something else that works w/o the negative side effects of Zyprexa.
Hiyah Donna
So glad you popped on over to talk about your experience. For some people the weight gain and the stomach problems can be a deal breaker. My son has not experienced any extreme weight gain so far (knock on wood) and no vomiting.
It would be great if you could talk some about your new medication here. There may be some folk who would want to hear your story. Or else you can give a link to the depression site where you have already written about it.
At any rate...I am very hapy that you have finally found a medication that works well for you with not so many side effects.
My son's doctor advised to give him this medicine. I have done my research and told his doctor "no". I fear the after effects when he stops taking that medicine. I read that it can give severe ticks. I am scared that I may be hindering more than good. But by not giving him that medicine what harm is I am doing to him. He is 11 years old and my mornings can be hectic until his usual ADHD medicine kicks in. And then nightime can be the same. I pray it does not get worse. Will it get worse? Are there other medicine to help other than the blood pressure medicine, which we have tried, he slept more than was awake? I take anti-depression medicine for seasonal depression, I know he may develop that but I can't seem to see myself giving him that as well. I am really scared to go that route.
Hi Cookie
I need to research about the tics. I have heard this too and I am not sure at what dosage this might occur or when. It is all about weighing the possible risks (not all children will experience every potential side effect thank goodness) with how the child may benefit from the particular drug. An anti-psychotic is the big guns in my perspective. I think every other treatment option should be investigated first. And it depends upon what symptoms your child is experiencing. I would keep a log of your child's behaviors and rate them on a scale of 1-10. If it is a situation where you have exhausted most other treatments and even tried medication combinations which are not as...heavy duty as an anti-psychotic....if the behaviors are interfering with daily life to the point of total disruption...then...this may be an option. And even then some parents may still say no to such a medication and this is perfectly understandable as there are serious risks involved.
So I would keep a log of your child's behaviors and when they occur and how severe they are. I would write down all the treatments you have tried. Then I would present this information to your child's team...teachers...therapists...doctors and see what is advised.
I wish the best for you and your son. Remember you do what is best for your child and your family. Nobody can tell you the right answer. Let us know what happens.
My daughter is currently on clonidine and risperdal, I don't think the clonidine is really helping, are there any other combinations of meds with risperdal that have seemed to work for some families more so than others?
Hi Doreen
We are in the same boat! I am wondering the same thing.
Right now my son is taking 10 mg of Prozac...I don't think it is helping much and then the low dose of Risperdal twice a day. Our pediatric neurologist had recommended Wellbutrin in addition to the Risperdal so we will see. We are having most of our breakthrough moments in the mornings and it sometimes lasts for hours but it is not everyday.
I will be sure to update if and when we add or change any medications. I would personally love it if you all could write about how your child is doing on their medication treatment program.
Thanks so much for your comment.
Thank you for your reply, I will update you on my daughters progress, I know everyones body is different, and processes medications differently, I am not really one who is big on medicating my child, but it is also difficult to find what works and what doesn't and we need something to help her through some difficulties she has had. Thanks again.
My sons psychiatrist just had him changed from the tenex(guanfacine) to intunive...( this is also used with his respiradol and Concerta)...it is a week process...the first week its 1mg the second is 2mg then it goes to 3mg..3mg may be enough but you can take up to 4mg..
This is the website check it out..So far it is working with my child but he hasnt started the 3mg yet until wednesday.
Thank you for sharing your story. Our son is 6 years old and is ADHD impulsive, he has been on biphentin for about a year now. He started getting quite aggresive a while ago and his paed recomended resperidone, it was a tough decision to give him another drug but we decided that he needed the help.
We saw a change very quickly; we were giving it to him when he came home from school as his aggression was at us during bed and bath time.
Recently he has become extremely aggressive at school -we changed the timing of his dose to lunchtime (at school) but there has not been much change.
Now I think we are going to give it to him twice a day (as previously suggested by his paed)
When do you find it most effective?
Thanks
Hi Mom
It can be really difficult to know what is going on. Is there something going on at school to trigger his behavior? Has anything changed? How long has he been taking Risperdal?
I would go with the easy solutions first and see if there are any behavioral changes which can be made to improve his behavior. I would also keep a log of his behaviors or start up a communication notebook that his teachers write in and is brought home...or some sort of email system so that you know what is going on.
You could ask the doctor about dosing issues to see if that helps. Sometimes a particular med works but needs tweaked.
Please let us know what happens. I hope things get better.
There are actually quite a few changes at school, firstly he has a new teacher as the current one has gone on materntity leave. The second change is that his class has been split into 2 as there were 29 kids in the class, now there are 12 boys in his class.
I definitely agree that the above is part of he behavioural issues.
The new teacher has already impressed me as as she sent home a note that she is going to start behaviour charts that will be sent home every day so that we can see what happens at school and work together to improve the situation.
i am reading more and more about all the serious side effects of respirodone and i am quite concerned about the future effect on him.
thanks for your reply
I took this med, low dose, several years ago. I had a lot of undesirable side effects besides the normal fatigue and weight gain. The scariest one was that I passed out on two occasions, one while standing online at the grocery store. I have been on other meds of this type including Seroquel and Abilify and for some reason, they all make me lose bladdar control.
This is a heavy med that affects a lot of systems in the body. I would not give it to a child unless I felt the situation was desperate, and then monitor closely to see if the benefits outweigh the risks and side effects.
Hello Badfish
I am so sorry you experienced such severe side effects. One thing I do know about Risperdal is that you can become heat sensitive. I wonder if the feeling of almost passing out was related to this. Do you think you became overly hot?
May we ask what condition were you taking this medication for? Aside from the side effects...did it help at all?
I agree that anti-psychotic meds are heavy hitters. I believe that all other less extreme treatments should be attempted first. Not sure I would use the descriptor of "desperate situation" however. I think a more apt description might be...a well researched and thought out decision....or at least I hope it is for any parent who makes the decision to give their child any sort of medication.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience here. It is very helpful for others to hear your story. What works for one person may not work for another and we need to hear all the stories so that we can achieve a more balanced perspective.
We had a HORRIBLE experience with this medicine. First I dropped the ball by not really researching this medicine before putting my 8 yr. old on it. I just listened to the doctor, took prescription and had it filled. I didn't realize that one of the side effects is Tardive Dyskinesia.
He took this medicine for over 1 year. The school called me worried about how he was acting..sluggish, tired, not thinking clearly and then he started drooling. I rushed to pick him up took the doctor immediately. By then he couldn't put his tongue in his mouth, having trouble swallowing, and was drooling. Scared me to death. Our family doctor said that it was T.D. we had to stop medicine immediately, had to give him high doses of benadryl and pray that their wouldn't be any lasting effects. After researching this...I found that the longer you take this medicine the higher the percentage of getting T.D
http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/158/31/
Hi
Oh I am so sorry this happened to your son! How is he doing now? Was he showing any signs of this previously? Was the dosage given at the right amount? I think the more details we have of such an experience...the more helpful it will be to parents who wish to know about this possible side effect. It sounds like that he had an allergic reaction? What dosage was he taking?
It unfortunately is one aspect of medication that can be very scary...the risk of the side effects happening. It would be great if they could determine which people are going to be more susceptible to any given side effect beforehand but this isn't the case most times.
I can tell you that my mother, who has paranoid schizophrenia, and who had been taking heavy duty anti-psychotics like Haldol or Thorazine for years upon years...had not developed this side effect in decades of use of anti-psychotics. She is in her seventies now and she has some Parkinsons like tremors but they are not severe and don't interfere much with her normal day to day functioning. So it is of great interest to me who develops certain side effects...and who does not...and why?
Just wanted to make a few more comments about this topic as I think it is an extremely important one...and I am so glad you brought it up and shared your story.
On the official Risperdal site they do list the side effects including tardive dyskenisia on the front page. Here is their safety warning which is very clear:
"Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) is a serious, sometimes permanent side effect reported with RISPERDAL ® and similar medications. TD includes uncontrollable movements of the face, tongue, and other parts of the body. The risk of developing TD and the chance that it will become permanent is thought to increase with the length of therapy and the overall dose taken by the patient. This condition can develop after a brief period of therapy at low doses, although this is much less common. There is no known treatment for TD, but it may go away partially or completely if therapy is stopped."
If you are a parent who is considering giving your child an anti-psychotic medication you need to read all the literature including potential side effects. You need to discuss the risks with your child's doctor and ask what to look for as signs in your child's behavior...and when it may be a life threatening situation.
If you also wish to see the research studies on Risperdal, a site called Neurodiversity has a page of links about Risperdal which is very helpful.
PsychCentral has a very informative article about how to cope with atypical antispychotic side effects. The author of this article states that:
"Associate Professor Thomas Schwartz from the Department of Psychiatry at the State University of New York says that the lower-potency atypical antipsychotics, Seroquel, Abilify and Geodon, "are probably associated with the smallest risk for tardive dyskinesia."
So there are some atypical anti-psychotics with a lower risk for the patient to develop tardive dyskinesia.
Dr. Ben Green from the University of Liverpool wrote about this topic and discussed the incidence of reported tardive dyskenisia in the UK: "Annual reporting rates for tardive dyskinesia were 0.0006% of patients."
In an informational PDF on Risperidone from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Program, BC Children's Hospital, they say this based on the available literature on Risperidone and tardive dyskinesia:
"Another possible delayed/long-term side effect of risperidone is called tardive dyskinesia which is a disorder characterized by abnormal movements. Tardive dyskinesia is not uncommon with higher doses used to treat adults
with schizophrenia, but in children with ADHD who took low doses of risperidone the incidence of tardive dyskinesia after one year of continuous use was 2 cases out of 737. In both of these cases, tardive dyskinesia disappeared
when the medication was discontinued. The risk of tardive dyskinesia in children taking relatively higher doses of risperidone than are prescribed as above was 1 in approximately 370 (0.27%) per year of risperidone usage."
Whether or not this particular side effect is under reported is unknown.
Here is one study on the percentage of children who have developed this in association with taking Risperdal.
Correll CU, Kane JM. One-year incidence rates of tardive dyskinesia in children and adolescents treated with second-generation antipsychotics: a systematic review. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2007 October;17(5):647-56.
It is clear that more research needs to be done.
In The American Journal of Psychiatry they present a single case of tardive dyskinesia in an autistic teen.
Last but not least, Dr. Paul Ballas has written about tardive dyskinesia for Health Central and he states that: "TD often occurs gradually over the course of several years." I guess this leaves the question as to whether or not this side effect can come on suddenly or are there signs all along that it is developing.
The problem with anecdotal accounts of side effects is that we don't get to understand the full picture of all the details. So if you could give us more details that would much appreciated.
In summary...here is the advice I would give to parents who are attempting to make this decision of whether or not to give their child a particular med:
1. Talk to your child's doctor openly about the possible risks and side effects of the medication. Ask about warning signs to look for in the event that the side effect may be life threatening.
2. Read the literature from the official website of the medication. Read the safety warnings and precautions ahead of time.
3. Read the peer reviewed independent studies of the medication.
4. Read the personal accounts of people who have taken the medication or parents who have given the medication to their child. But take these accounts in with a grain of salt. You are never getting all the details and conditions which could make a huge difference. Beware of the websites which have an agenda...of lawsuits...or promotion of products which are marketed as the "safe" alternative to the medication.
5. Make sure to tell your child's doctor of any other supplements or medications they are taking. Make sure to tell your child's doctor about any existing medical or mental conditions.
6. Write a daily log of how your child reacts to the medication. Make sure that teachers, therapists, or anyone else working with your child reports any unusual behaviors or signs of an adverse side effect.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. This sharing helps other parents and individuals who are going through the same process of deciding upon any particular medication. I strongly encourage you to keep sharing your story.
I am not sure if you remember our previous discussion on risperdal and clonidine, but just to update you, my child has been taking extremely long naps at school and has been on these meds, the doctor has now asked me to remove the morning dose of clonidine, I don't know as if it is psychological or if the med works that quick, but tried to nap yesterday and couldn't fall asleep. Also going to have a sleep study just to rule anything else out, like apnea or anything along that line. Thank you.
Hi Doreen
Both Risperdal and clonidine (clonidine especially) are sedating. When my son took clonidine...he was napping a lot! It may be a case where you use the clonidine for the evening when you want him to sleep.
Do check all this out with your doctor...the dosage levels are very important and when you give the medication. I know...it is so hard to tell what is causing what and when your child is taking multiple medications.
I will be writing an update to our medication saga for Monday. So stay tuned!
My 17 yr. old son has been diagnosed with a mood disorder and ADD. His physician prescribed risperidone at 1 mg. each evening for one week, increasing to 2 mg. thereafter. He does seem happier and is sleeping better. But the idea of TD and severe tics is worrisome. I am wondering if perhaps I should move him back to 1 mg., since he was equally happy at that level. Merely me-----what is the present dosage for your son? Thank you for hosting this site.
Hi Worried Mom
Currently my son takes 1ml of Risperdal in the morning and 1 ml of Risperdal at night. This is working very well right now but I think this is partially due to adding Celexa. I am going to be giving an update on Monday about what my son is currently taking and how it is all working out. So I hope you stay tuned.
I have learned so much about these meds from our experience and I hope to relay my knowledge in future posts. It is a real learning curve I can tell you that!
Hang in there. I know it is hard. We are are here for you.
Thank you so much for an article. It is very well balanced and does a great job of explaining your experience and perspective on this medication. I am actually pretty pro medication as I have seen first hand how much good psychopharmacological medication can do when correctly prescribed. I totally agree this is a heavy decision for a parent and we need to do our research carefully first.
I read this article because there is a chance it may be prescribed for my son. This worries me a ton and will not follow through unless I speak to a lot more people and do more research, but this article was such a huge help. Thank you for sharing your personal experience.
My wonderful 18 year-old son is diagnosed as autistic and bipolar, with extreme anxiety and OCD. Out of necessity, he was put on risperdal when he was 6 years old. It was a miracle drug for a long time. When he turned 13 and 14, the effect of the medicine changed, just like I have read on this site. We had to add additional medicines to control his mania and extreme OCD (once called for me 100 times in an hour at school). When he turned 15, he got involuntary muscle movements and worse of all, involuntary tongue thrusts and other facial movements. It was one of the worst times of my life, scared to death it would never end, and he would have to live like this for the rest of his life. The movements left my son completely exhausted and barely moving. After 9 years on risperdal, he had gotten tardive dyskinesia. He had also gained 100 pounds. The weaning off process was horrendous - he screamed in pain - but he was finally off after months, and he lost the 100 pounds he had gained. Cautionary tale is - if you see any potential signs, don't hesitate to go to the doctor to ensure that TD is not starting (pacing, muscle movements, facial movements, etc.)
Hello, I have been on numerous medications for my ADHD and unfortunately i cannot take stimulants, i have tried them all even slow release like concerta and even lisdexamfetamine, they all caused me constant anxiety and panic attacks and they made me hyperventilate. My doctor now has me on respiridone for my extreme rage attacks and irritability and hyperactivity, only problem is they only have me on .25mg, and ive been on it for about 3 weeks now and i have not had any benefits from it yet, i am still having my rage attacks and banging my head against walls/punching myself in the face. This is a really big problem for me and respiridone is honestly my last hope in regards to medications and i was wondering, should i be on a higher dose? i am a 21 year old female, and i feel like i could really benefit from this because it is supposed to help those issues, so should i tell my doctor and get it upped? what is a average dose for respirdone? Thank you so much, i cant find anything on google barely about the medication so i found this forum. Thanks for your help :)
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Thank u for sharing this personal info. to help others. My son has ADHD & will b 11 soon. Heard many parents say around 14 or 15 current meds. or treatments no longer effective. This gives me hope that if my son needs to change treatment there is something out there that we can try that may help him to be happy and successful.
Hey there
Thanks for your comment. Yes there are many different medications now to help and sometimes it is a matter of finding the right combination and the right dosage. I would definitely research things and see what your options are.
Let us know if you need any resources or information about medications.
DO EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON ALL DRUGS!
www.worstdrugs.org is one of the best, most complete sites.
Doctors base their knowledge on what the drug reps tell them. I have taken some these drugs myself and can honestly tell you, find another way! Combinations are more dangerous than single drugs. You can never know if this is your child or the drugs you are dealing with, your child doesn't know, won't know what is real or not. Many of the symptoms you speak of are reactions to the medications. NONE are tested for long term usage.
I'm lucky to be alive, at 15 I repeatedly tried to kill myself, which was a side effect of the drugs. I couldn't sleep, gained weight, was increasingly aggressive, moody, depressed, had out of control eczema and became addicted to two of the drugs and had to go cold turkey to get off.
Worse, I finally realized I was ALLERGIC to drugs, something my doctors never considered. Benadryl, valium, librium, clonidine, normydine, phenobarbital, and most others. I stopped taking the drugs and began to heal.
You have to make sure you're not being treated for side effects of other drugs you're given.
Clonidine/Catapress is too dangerous for an adult to take, I can't imagine giving it to a child.
It CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION, AGRESSION, RAGE AND A HEART ATTACK OR STROKE AND MOOD SWINGS!
Missing or being late for even one dose is dangerous and can spike blood pressure high enough to cause a stroke. The sleepiness is horrible and nearly uncontrolable for an adult! You can fall asleep while driving and not notice.
It is habit forming, extremely addictive.
It depletes the body's minerals, will weaken the teeth, cause liver and kidney damage and eventually the heart. The loss of potassium, magnesium, vitamin D3 and the imbalance this causes sets the stage for a sudden, deadly heart attack. It causes muscle weakness (the heart is a muscle), fatigue, weight gain. Vitamin and mineral suppliments MUST BE TAKEN DAILY to maintain health.
It's not worth taking, and can take weeks to wean off this drug, especially if the mineral imbalance isn't fixed first.
The other drugs mentioned are rough for an adult to handle, no less a child. I would advise trying the Feingold diet, the detox treatments, accupressure, accupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, art therapy orthomolecular therapy, homeopathic treatments, and herbal treatments before using drugs made for adults.
I personally lived thru 3 years of hell with prescribed drugs before realizing what the source of my suffering was. My parents trusted the doctors who were killing me. It wasn't until a pharmacist called my mother and told her I was taking too much phenobarbital and was becoming addicted, that we saw the truth. I believe my booster vaccines was the start of my illness because my health went downhill shortly after.
I firmly believe that no one should be given any medication without a thorough understanding of what drugs can do, good and bad. To be told that drugs are not the cure-all, be-all, harmless remedies seen in TV commercials.
Hello Allgrownup
I am so sorry to hear how much you have gone through. I want to thank you for stressing the need for precautions in giving children medication. I believe as you do to try the least restrictive and least likely to cause any harmful effects...treatments first. I had written a post about drug-free ways to treat ADHD and a young woman there was quite angry with me for advocating trying some non-prescription methods first. It just goes to show you how vastly different everyone's experience is with the various treatments including medication.
Thank you so much for sharing your perspective in such an articulate and respectful way. We are listening!
Thank you, happy to add what I know and experienced if it helps anyone.
My own daughter was made a believer when she gave her 3 yr old daughter an over the counter child's cold medication. She had an immediate reaction had to be rushed to the ER.
Most parents rely on their doctors and commercials believing that because the medication is recommend and available that it has to be safe.
Somethings, unfortunately, have to be seen, experiencde to understand the danger.
Things are improving, more parents are learning to do the research, to question, to express doubts, to ask and look around for non-medical alternatives for their children.
One factor in the change in children could be IF they have had more vaccinations recently. Some schools require booster shots at about this age.
I'm strongly against vaccines for anyone at anytime for any reason. Children with autism should not be getting vaccines, especially the seasonal flu vaccine.
I know for a fact that it has very negative effects on the elderly. My father went from being mildly confused to being a vegetable. It only took 2 shots to do this. After the first, he stopped speaking, had a memory span of about 5-10 min, he would wander off and had to be placed in a nursing home. At the home they gave him another flu shot without permission and his condition deteriorated so bad that stopped eating, being able to care for himself at all, hardly recognized any family member and became bedridden. He died after a horrible year of bladder infections and frequent bouts of pneumonia that started right after he got his first pneumonia vaccine. And then later that year he got another flu shot and he never fully recovered from it. He died of pneumonia.