sweetsouthern Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 so working off my last thread here... it appears my 10 tr old dd is adhd, aspergers, mild dyslexia and dysgraphia. she takes intuniv 4mg. she gets easilt frustrated and her anger can be explosive... she not a danger to herself or her sister, yet.. but i can see it working this way. we have chatted before with the psych who wanted to try abilify (i believe it was 5 mg but im not sure of this) and we choose to hold off. we do see him againin just less than 3 months. now that she is fully entering puberty, her frustration and or tolerance level is getting thinner. is there anything else we can do besides meds? something to try in the meantime. we've been trying to get her to work through her anger and such, but now that (just today) the aspie dx has come into light, the whole picture of why this isnt working is coming to light. any ideas? thanks so much everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Have you had an OT (occupational therapy) evaluation yet? You need to read some books like "The Out of Sync Child" and "The Out of Sync Child has Fun." They should be at your local library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 no, none at all yet. were on a waiting list to get the dyslexia and dysgraphia tested in march. the aspie possible dx just came up today, but itsb a dead ringer.... so now im tying it all together. adding those books to my list to hunt tonight! thanks elizabeth! but i need to do something very soon about this anger.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kebo Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I don't know if it applies in your situation, but anger is one of the reported side-effects of Intuniv. 2 people in my family have tried it, and both had side-effects (sleepiness and irritability/anger) that caused them to discontinue it shortly after starting. I wish I had some real help to offer. When my son was 9 he went through an angry/difficult patch. We started fish oil, increased his physical exercise outdoors and made sure to work on the positives in our relationship. It really helped him to spend some one on one time with me at bedtime, with back-scratching and talking. I think this can be a tough age for some kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 its been something she has always had. her tantrums as a child were insane!! i had friends in the house at times when she had one and i mean, they literally cried! she had one at a park once when she was about 5 and i sat on steps with her and held her so she wouldnt bang her head or anything and someone called the cops on her! of course there not tantrums now, per say, but when she gets mad, she gets mad! i dont think the intuniv has made it any worse though, i know its a side effect, but not worse i wouldnt say. plus its the only med that we have found after like 8 or 10 that would handle her impulsivity. her impulsivity was making her a danger to herself (she would get lost easily...run behind cars in parking lots... take off after stuff... jump in a pool with her clothes on in the deep in and she cant swim..) and the intuniv makes her tired for 2 days when the dose is increased and then shes fine again. but again shes definetly the hyper of the adhd part without it, so it has a bit to burn off LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 We are dealing with anger issues also here. Ds has been getting worse over the last year, and I'm wondering if it is related to puberty.:confused: He is taking Abilify, but not just for mood. It really hasn't helped very much, and his hunger is crazy! We are fighting a constant battle to keep his weight from increasing, and still he has gained 18 lbs. over the last 6 months. We are starting to wonder if the benefits are worth this. We have been working on some self calming things ds can do for himself, using social stories for situations that set him off, and keeping on top of hunger, which is a major trigger for him. I've recently started fish oil with him, and it seems to help a bit. It's very frustrating to deal with on a daily basis, and I have much more appreciation for my mom. My brother was very similar to ds, and she had 10 others to deal with. I just have ds, and somedays I just want to scream! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 What worked for anger/aggression in our house was: Diet modification Supplementation behavior therapy Behavior therapy consisted of biofeedback, neurofeedback, Interactive Metronome, and Makoto. The biofeedback was the part that helped with anger and impulse control. However, diet modification and supplementation is what ultimately "cured" it for my youngest daughter who was extremely aggressive. She raged, screamed, threw things at people, attacked people, etc. etc. She would run off, break things, put holes in my walls, throw tantrums, scream, rage, kick things (and people), etc. etc. She has been that way since infancy.. Just very high strung, high needs child. Completely different today after diet modification (removal of gluten, casein, and soy) and supplementation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 What worked for anger/aggression in our house was: Diet modification Supplementation behavior therapy Behavior therapy consisted of biofeedback, neurofeedback, Interactive Metronome, and Makoto. The biofeedback was the part that helped with anger and impulse control. However, diet modification and supplementation is what ultimately "cured" it for my youngest daughter who was extremely aggressive. She raged, screamed, threw things at people, attacked people, etc. etc. She would run off, break things, put holes in my walls, throw tantrums, scream, rage, kick things (and people), etc. etc. She has been that way since infancy.. Just very high strung, high needs child. Completely different today after diet modification (removal of gluten, casein, and soy) and supplementation. we tried gluten free before, it didnt seem to do much for anything for her. but i never tried the 3 together... what supplements are u using??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 What worked for anger/aggression in our house was: Diet modification Supplementation behavior therapy Behavior therapy consisted of biofeedback, neurofeedback, Interactive Metronome, and Makoto. The biofeedback was the part that helped with anger and impulse control. However, diet modification and supplementation is what ultimately "cured" it for my youngest daughter who was extremely aggressive. She raged, screamed, threw things at people, attacked people, etc. etc. She would run off, break things, put holes in my walls, throw tantrums, scream, rage, kick things (and people), etc. etc. She has been that way since infancy.. Just very high strung, high needs child. Completely different today after diet modification (removal of gluten, casein, and soy) and supplementation. What kinds of supplements have you found helpful or not? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 (edited) Different supplements were helpful in different ways. Some supplements help to correct the gut issues, some supplements feed the brain, etc... Some are pointless unless you are GFCF (and soy free). I'll tell you what we have used... Cod Liver Oil = cognitive Probiotics = keeps yeast and bacteria balanced out Biotin = for yeast Olive Leaf Extract = natural antibiotic.. helps rid the gut of bad bacteria.. Be sure to repopulate gut with beneficial bacteria afterward (probiotics) P5P = cognitive and for ADHD symptoms Multi-vitamin Vitamin D3 = Only during the winter months Magnesium Zinc Oil of Oregano = for yeast L-Glutamine = heals the gut faster Marshmallow = heals the gut faster Melatonin= for sleep My 7yr old also used to get Methyl B-12 shots every 3 days. I would give her a shot on her bum after she fell asleep. Many of the above would be pointless unless coupled with the GFCF diet. You can also do Grapefruit Seed Extract to combat yeast and bacteria, but if your child takes an SSRI, he/she shouldn't take GSE. It can slow down liver metabolism and affect dosage level of the SSRI. Also, GSE should be taken short term (2 weeks at a time) because it is so potent. Great supplement though. Edited January 17, 2011 by Misty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 we tried gluten free before, it didnt seem to do much for anything for her. but i never tried the 3 together... How long did you do gluten free? It takes months to heal from gluten damage and even the slightest crumb will set you back months in the healing process. Even some french fries have gluten in them so you have to read everything and be on constant guard for possible gluten contamination and cross-contamination. The general rule is one month of healing per one month of gluten damage. So since your daughter is 10 years old, she would need 10 months to heal from gluten damage. Did you also remove casein? This is important. Soy is also important. We saw results within 3 days of removing casein, but she didn't start to truly improve until we got all the gluten and especially all the soy out of her diet. Today, she is like a new child. Not completely neurotypical (and probably never will be) but definitely easier to live with (I was ready to commit suicide about 18 months ago because she was so unbearable). If you would like to do testing for gluten and casein and soy sensitivities, then I highly recommend doing that. We tested through Great Plains Labs http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com . The GFCF diet did not work before we did the testing because I had no idea she was also reacting to the soy in her diet. The test results came back saying she was reacting to gluten, casein, and soy. Once I had all three foods removed, a new child emerged. It was amazing! We did the IgG food allergy test which tests for 90-something different foods. Here is the test we did.. http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home/eng/food_allergy_igg.asp Our insurance (military-Tricare) paid 100% of this test. Let me know if you have any other questions. I also highly recommend getting in touch with a biomedical doctor such as a DAN! doctor or other naturopath that is experienced with autism and behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsouthern Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 oh wow! ok researching all the above! phew! lol! thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Litwin Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I would suggest doing the IgG food test, you can also ask for the Poop test. Yes its gross but it will give you an exact picture of what is happening in her gut. Once the doc knows, he can put her on the right probiotic to help her start to heal. Then they start adding the other things after 5 days or so until all the protocols are happening at once. These kids cannot express themselves, they can't tell you they are in pain because, they don't know any different. they have always been this way. We did try abilify with our DS but it wasn't the right med. We are now on Focalin XR which is working ok for now. If your insurance won't cover it, start saving up for about $200.00 to finance it yourself. The poop test for the bacteria in the gut is about $350.00 out of pocket. I know this because my insurance didn't pay. but its worth it. really, really, really worth it. Put her system right first before looking for other meds. Once her system is working correctly, you will be able to better judge what else needs to be done. Good luck and stay positive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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