I know, I know. It's been a month and 2 days since my last blog. If you've missed me, I'm sorry. I have just been too exhausted to hop on to do this. But, I hope I'm back!
If you're reading this, it's most likely because you know me and saw the link on facebook. If you know me, you also know that my son has Asperger's Syndrome (high functioning autism). If you know that, you also know that these last 7 months have been challenging. We are at the point right now where the next few weeks have 2 options: 1- get better or 2- get worse. I'm really hoping it's #1.
Joe wasn't due to go back to the psychiatrist until 11/30...but with things I've heard going on at daycare and things I've witnessed at home, I called yesterday to move up our appointment. The secretary told me there was an appointment open today, so I took it. I got the news this afternoon that we will be going to medication #6 in 7 months.
I had the psychiatrist (Dr. L.) look through his records and I was right- every medication he's taken has worked great in the beginning...then around week 6 we start to have problems. It either begins to work opposite of what it's supposed to do or it doesn't do anything at all. The same thing was happening again with the respiradal and the clonodine.
Dr. L. called me at work this afternoon after she spoke with her boss. She explained to me that most likely what is happening is that all of these medications seem to work great in the beginning...but they're really not, they're just sedating him. Eventually his body is adjusting and essentially becoming immune to the medication, hence our issues at week 6.
Their idea for a resolution? Put him on a stimulant. Yup. We're going to give him medication that in any normal kid, would make them bounce off the walls as if they had drank (drunk?) as much mountain dew as I can slam in 15 minutes. What's their reasoning for this? They think that by giving him a stimulant it will allow the dopamine to get to his brain, rather than blocking it from getting there. They feel confident that the stimulant will have the reverse effect (like the other medications have given) and that it will calm him, not make him bounce off the walls.
Dr. L. has to mail me the prescription, as the pharmacy has to have a paper copy of it to fill it....then we'll have to go to the insurance approval process again. Per Dr. L., we are to start this medication on a weekend....where we can monitor the effects it has. The good news- if it backfires and actually makes him temporarily insane, it will wear off in 4-6 hours.
That being said, it's time for everyone to head to bed. I will continue this (hopefully) tomorrow!
