Posted by Racer on November 23, 2008, at 23:32:14
In reply to invega, posted by wamazon on November 22, 2008, at 21:20:05
Welcome to PsychoBabble!
Your situation must be terribly stressful for you, and I hope you find a lot of good support here, as well as information about medications. What you're describing does not sound to me like the picture I'd expect with effective treatment -- even in such a challenging patient. It sounds as though a medication change is probably in order.
The Medications board here would be a great source of information for you. I haven't heard much about Invega, but I'm sure someone on Medications knows something helpful. I believe at least one or two people in this community have autistic children, too, so you may get even more information than you might expect. This board doesn't get much traffic, and most of the "medications experts" tend to stay on the Medications board.
I do have a few questions myself, starting with your foster-son's age? Do you have previous experience with special needs children? I have the greatest respect for you for taking on that sort of challenge, especially since he's non-verbal, which makes it so much harder. And do you find you work well with his doctor AND the doctor who's prescribing the psychiatric medications? I hope they're not one and the same, by the way -- mostly because a good psychopharmacologist is truly one of the very best resources you can find in your situation. It's also because sometimes doctors take the "easy" way out -- if they don't find a physical cause quickly and easily, they attribute symptoms to mental problems. (I just had that happen to me -- the doctor I saw when my own doctor was out of the office said my symptoms, such as choking, and feeling as though my airway was obstructed, were caused by "anxiety." I told her no, my physical manifestations of anxiety were very different from this. She shook her head, and handed me a sample of Nasocort -- which, of course, fixed the problem, since it turned out to be allergies...)
When I worked with horses, we always called the vet first when new behavior problems showed up. Check 'em out nose to toes, because they can't talk. Well, people -- verbal or non- -- deserve the same care we'd give our animals. Make absolutely certain he's not trying to communicate something about a physical malady. If it's clearly not physical, then another drug is probably in order.
Best luck, and I strongly recommend posting this on the main Medications board here.
And again, welcome to Babble!
poster:Racer
thread:864774
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/newbs/20080507/msgs/864963.html