Help - My Brother's 15 yo kid is in some trouble

mrs_sparrow

That's the problem though, this should not be happening anywhere. There have already been cases of children being prescribed it when they did not need it and it has had a negative effect.

The serviced round here are absolutely dire, so many complaints - but we have no other option on where we can go. It seems I want an operation I can choose where my children go for that op yet we are not given free choice on what consultant to see.

I am not the only one with this experience, they have bumped us over to shared care with the GP so at least my son get's monitored. I have tried complaining in the past but depsite thepromises of being seen, we have still not. I should not have to be ringing 12 times to get a simple appoiment for checking blood pressure and height. I will be seeing next week if we can move elsewhere.

But 4 years waiting for an assessment that the teachers have been pushing for is an absolute joke - especially when it was promised you'd have it before the end of the school year.

mrs_sparrow

meritaten wrote: »

Your post is full of inaccuracies about the medications - and you do seem to contradict yourself.

I think I need say no more as your post has said it all for me!

What contradictions and inaccuracies? I know it was late and I was rushing as it was past my bedtime and I had a bee in my bonnet as our local CDC is absolutely dire, but I've gone back and read it and still can't see anything wrong with what I said. Is it because I questioned the dx? If I was wrong I will hold my hands up to being wrong and correct it.

You said your GS has been given Equasym for Aspergers and that it depended on why symptoms they have. Children with Aspergers will not have the hyperactivity and attention defecit unless they also have ADHD. Aspergers is a Social & Communication disorder, however, many Aspies also have ADHD. At the same time I was saying that doctors often just prescribe and then do not follow up and check or give a full dx. I also said that it was easy to medicate often to shut the parent up but without the proper checks that go with it. We have had these things happen to us, and many parents have had them happen to them to.

When on these drugs the child should be checked every 6 months and have close monitoring as they can cause problems with the heart, stop the child growing, suppress appetite, etc.... The PCT have told me they have to have these checks when I complained and the doctors can get in trouble if they are prescribing it and not following up with the 6 months check. My son was prescribed it and his dose upped without being seen. He went 18 months without being checked - however, as none of this has been explained to me I did not know, so I get my son referred to a private hospital and got him checked and his meds changed - which ruffled more than a few feathers I can tell you. However, I was asked to give up the private doctors as they would do better yet despite the promises of it not happening again, it has and the promised appointment for July has again, not materialised. I should not have to ring them 12 times just tog et an appointment when my child is on this medication, he should automatically be given an appointment for 6 months. How long does it take to check? 10 minutes?

Back to the Equasym though.

Exquasym is a stimulant that is prescribed for ADHD - it is just one drug that has Methylphenidate in it, there is more information online about it (just an example but you can find more on it online): http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/adhd/medicines/equasym-xl.html

The XL relates to how the tabet works, Equasym does not last as long and usually needs a top up dose. XL lasts longer, 30% is released straightaway with the rest being relased slowly and after 8 hours it will be out of the system. This is why we was initially given it as we would have had to go into school to give him another in the afternoon otherwise.

Now he is on Concerta which lasts 11-12 hours and works the same way as slow release. Not all drugs work for all children so having them checked is imperative(and this is confirmed by the PCT). If my son has it too late he cannot sleep and this is why he has melatonin, however, I try not to give it to him too late, by 7am usually, and it is out of his sytem by 7pm then.

It is not inaccurate, Equasym is not prescribed unless the child has ADHD, it is a medication for treating ADHD. I read lots of stuff and spoke to lots of people before deciding to medicate my child but please stick 'Equasym' into google and see what comes up. Then google 'Equasym for Aspergers' and also see what comes up.

As I said before, consultants are giving medications often for the wrong reasons or without proper diagnosis, if it makes a child quieter and there are no issues to deal with anymore then they leave that child on the medications - why should they give you the ADHD diagnosis if the parent is happy and the child's condition more stable. However, your grandson has been prescribed an ADHD medication and all I said is that you need to question why if he does not have an ADHD diagnosis, if that has offended you I am sorry but if a child does not have ADHD, Methylphendate has the opposite effect and acts like Speed as it's a stimulant. You also said it is given 'depending on the symptoms' well your GS has symptoms of ADHD then. The Meds that are given for Aspergers as usually anti-depressants because the condition makes children feel lonely and withdrawn and this in turn can lead to depression. The anti-depressants can bring a child out of themselves and help them inercact more, however, they would not usually give these to young children.

OP: I am really very sorry to hijack your post and go on about medication as I know this was not what you posted about, I won't go on about this any more but I won't be called a liar and not be given a chance to defend myself.

daska

meritaten wrote: »

Your post is full of inaccuracies about the medications - and you do seem to contradict yourself.

I think I need say no more as your post has said it all for me!

What inaccuracies?

Methylphenidate (active ingredient in ritalin, equasym, concerta etc) is a stimulant primarily used for ADHD and narcolepsy. It's not an ASD specific drug in the same way. But it is sometimes used for depression or obesity and some people like to erm... self medicate.

meritaten

are you suggesting Daska that my DD is prescribing Equasim herself for her son? because that is what your post sounds like.
My Grandson has been diagnosed by Professor Howling and prescribed his meds - they work for him because he does also have ADHD symptoms. as do other Aspergers/Autistic children. or those with OCD ADD ODD and as Atrix explains - sometimes its a case of trying a drug and if it has even a minimal beneficial effect then it is very likely there is an element of ADHD in their mental make up.

Mrs Sparrow - perhaps we were both rather tired last night and read each others posts wrongly? I have re-read them and though I still think youre rather down on medication I can see your point - I wish you well and hope that you succeed in your battle with the Mental Health services in your area - and I thought our area was dire!

mrs_sparrow

OK, so he does have ADHD. You initially said the meds were prescribed for his Aspergers and I was saying was that this drug is not prescribed for a child that has 'just' that condition, it is specifically prescribed for children with ADHD. The level of dose will depend on the severity of the condition, yes. The older the child gets, the more they will need. If they are not working I'd urge you get the meds changed to another one and give that a try. Concerta has been life changing for my son and it has enabled him to reach his potential.

This is all I was trying to explain and you've answered that now so it makes sense that he has been prescribed it.

Daska was not saying you self medicate at all, she said 'some' self medicate - you have said your GS has been prescribed it so there was no hint of a suggestion. Everyone knows that some people self medicate though, surely?

daska

meritaten wrote: »

are you suggesting Daska that my DD is prescribing Equasim herself for her son? because that is what your post sounds like.

:eek:

My reference was simply to the fact that 'vitamin R' used to be, I am given to understand, quite popular with students facing essay deadlines

atrixblue.-MFR-.

daska wrote: »

:eek:

My reference was simply to the fact that 'vitamin R' used to be, I am given to understand, quite popular with students facing essay deadlines

i think it would be much easier to get "vitamin A" instead of vitmin R and probably cheaper and last longer .

daska

atrixblue.-MFR-. wrote: »

i think it would be much easier to get "vitamin A" instead of vitmin R and probably cheaper and last longer .

:rotfl: if you want really easy just open the jar of coffee granules and dilute to taste.

jacquij123

Going back to the initial post if it's not too late you could appeal the exclusion. ADHD is a disability and if they have excluded him for something connected to his ADHD it would be covered by the DDA. I would complain to the Local Authority about the lack of support, at fifteen the chances of a statement are slim to none but he should still be able to access support. Ask them about Parent Partnership, they will help anyone who is SEN, also ask them about a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) which should help him access CAMHS or CFCS. The Local Authority are still responsible for providing some sort of education I'm sure so he should be contacted by someone, maybe a Pupil Referral Unit.

Yorkie1

meritaten wrote: »

Sorry, but why do you think ADHD is different from Autism or Aspergers?

Two reasons.

1. Your post at #11, which made a specific distinction between how ADHD is different from Aspergers / Autism.

2. Professional contact with someone from the NAS who got incredibly sniffy about the idea of them being rolled together.

But I was only trying to be helpful about the CJS element of the original question. I am no expert medically. I won't try and answer on things I clearly know nothing about in future if you prefer.