As you are all aware of Gavin is autistic. Gavin is also bipolar and about 7 other comorbidities. Right now we are really struggling with him because his bipolar meds are no longer effective. It seems like a cruel twist of fate that these kids that struggle so much with autism as it is that they are also burdened with comorbidities like bipolar.
In my experience with this I have found this to significantly complicate matters. You treat one and it causes the other to be more difficult to manage. Gavin, for example doesn’t do well with adhd meds. So we can’t help him much with that. His bipolar has become extremely tough to manage. He no longer responds to most bipolar meds. All we have left to try is lithium. If that doesn’t work I have no clue what we will do next. Kids like Gavin tend to rapid cycle when their bipolar is not properly managed.
Gavin is manic right now so he is all over the place. He is driving us all crazy right now. We all understand it’s not his fault but that doesn’t change the impact his actions have on the entire family. We should hear about med changes today. It’s going to be a long weekend.
LT
I'm on the autism spectrum and I too am bipolar (mildly, thank goodness, but it's bad enough for me). Fortunately Depakote manages it quite well though it's annoying to have to take it 3x a day.
I'm sure you will think I'm crazy, but have you talked to your doctor about using marinol(medical marijuanna), there has been a lot of buzz in the press. About it working remarkably well in mood stabilizatio and decrease in violent outbursts. Look it up, there are only a few doctors that will prescribe it, The only one I can recall is a Dr. Rimland in CA. I have been following you on twitter for some time. I hear your heartbreak, frustration and hopelessness. I pray for you a lot. My son who is also Autistic was having major behavior problems for some time. My husband and I discussed it one day and came to the conclusion, if we are willing to give our kid Amphetamines(eg stratera)n mood stabilizers, haldol, lithium, why not try something that by comparison is really much safer. We didnot have to make that decision, his behavior stabilized, but if it hadn't, I would have tried anything. Talk to your doctor, chances are he will balk at it, but I guess its worth a shot. There is a web site, Autism support networ, there were 2 articles on that web site. I just googled it and came up with 5. If it is as bad as you are writing, it could be worth it to at least ask.
Sincerely,
Jamie
I don't think your crazy. I understand why it would work. I'm now curious to see what his doctor would say. Thanks for the comment.
I hope you hear soon! I know it's tough on you guys (and the two little guys too) but I hope that you get some ansers and some meds that work and continue to work for him! (But I know how that goes!)