I think that the site's own confusion doesn't help:
http://autism.about.com/od/treatmentopti...enceok.htm
Q. Which Autism Treatments Have Been Approved By the Medical Mainstream?
From Lisa Jo Rudy
A. As of today, only two autism treatments have been scientifically researched and approved by the medical mainstream. These include Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), a behavioral intervention and Risperdal (risperidone), an antipsychotic medication. The fact that these have been researched and approved does NOT mean that they are the best and only treatments available for you or your child.......
Then, following a link at the bottom of the article:
http://autism.about.com/od/treatmentopti...ugsfaq.htm
Q. What drugs are used to treat autism?
From Lisa Jo Rudy
A. There is no drug that directly treats autism as a syndrome. There are, however, a variety of drugs that treat selected symptoms that may or may not be part of a particular individual's autism. For example, some individuals with autism are extremely anxious, and thus may be prescribed an antidepressant such as Zoloft or Prozac. Others have serious behavior issues and receive a medication like clonodine. For some autistic children, medications generally prescribed for ADHD are helpful in improving focus.
Another serious potential side effect of risperidol is tardive dyskinesia and neuroleptic syndrome. Not common - but once being on this medication for a number of years the side effect is more common.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardive_dyskinesia
It is important to be fully aware of all potential side effects and their symptoms when taking medications.
I hadn't heard drugs cause GI issues - GI issues are more likely related to allergies.
risperidol can save lives - so in some ways a great drug, but ....not a drug to be taken unless completely and absolutely essential.
It frustrates me that anti psychotics are used for things that actually aren't psychosis.
What frustrates me is that braindead, stupid terms like "antipsychotics" are still in use. These drugs are not magically targeted at "psychosis". There merely has been the HISTORICAL ACCIDENT that they happened to provide limited symptomatic modification to conditions associated with "psychosis".
I could just see fools in the present day were aspirin and NSAIDS instead known as "antifervetics" (anti-fever). They'd all get into hissy fits were they to be used for headaches.
THE DRUGS ARE ONLY COINCIDENTALLY CALLED "ANTI-PSYCHOTICS". They are more correctly known as "neuroleptic". Whether or not a given NEUROLEPTIC drug is really a good choice for treating symptoms associated with autism is a matter of empirical experimentation to decide, not stupid superstition over the term "antipsychotic".
I take a neuroleptic, myself--aripiprazole, which is a partial dopamine agonist. I would recommend heartily against risperidone/risperdal, though. It's a poor choice for people who do not have severe symptoms. Aripiprazole is a far better alternative to try at the beginning--I'd guess due to its partial agonist activity rather than outright antagonist activity.
It frustrates me that anti psychotics are used for things that actually aren't psychosis.
What frustrates me is that braindead, stupid terms like "antipsychotics" are still in use. These drugs are not magically targeted at "psychosis". There merely has been the HISTORICAL ACCIDENT that they happened to provide limited symptomatic modification to conditions associated with "psychosis".
I could just see fools in the present day were aspirin and NSAIDS instead known as "antifervetics" (anti-fever). They'd all get into hissy fits were they to be used for headaches.
THE DRUGS ARE ONLY COINCIDENTALLY CALLED "ANTI-PSYCHOTICS". They are more correctly known as "neuroleptic". Whether or not a given NEUROLEPTIC drug is really a good choice for treating symptoms associated with autism is a matter of empirical experimentation to decide, not stupid superstition over the term "antipsychotic".
I take a neuroleptic, myself--aripiprazole, which is a partial dopamine agonist. I would recommend heartily against risperidone/risperdal, though. It's a poor choice for people who do not have severe symptoms. Aripiprazole is a far better alternative to try at the beginning--I'd guess due to its partial agonist activity rather than outright antagonist activity.
Dopamine antagonists are in general a bad thing to take if you don't actually have excess dopamine.
Do you have the faintest understanding as to what a "partial agonist" is?
DogBrain, not only have you offended one of your fellow Aspies, you still carry that rather grotesque nickname, when I complained to you earlier about the disharmony of it.
I choose the sabre.
DogBrain, not only have you offended one of your fellow Aspies, you still carry that rather grotesque nickname, when I complained to you earlier about the disharmony of it.
I choose the sabre.
Your nickname is a violation of trademark law, so at least I'm not a criminal.
And for the record my comments re anti-psychotics were not based on their name. They are based on my personal experience, the experience of many different people I know and also (and perhaps most importantly) on research presented by medically qualified persons at last year's Research Autism conference.
If these people merely spoke of "anti-psychotics" as if they were a single type of drug, then they were all speaking out their asses.
The term is plain stupid. There are SEVERAL types of drugs that get foolishly lumped into the "anti-psychotic" category. Imagine, if you would, just how moronic it would be to put heroin, morphine, ibuprofen, and aspirin all into a single drug classification for prescribing, legal, and other medical purposes merely because they all manage to relieve pain. Let's call this category "anti-algics". Okay, so we have physicians who routinely prescribe morphine for mundane headache. It messes the patients up. Because of this mis-use of morphine on the part of physicians, an outcry is raised against ALL anti-algics, leading to people to reject ibuprofen and aspirin on the basis of bad reactions to MORPHINE! Isn't that just plain stupid?
This is exactly what is happening when dealing with the pseudo category of "anti-psychotics". These variegated drugs are not in the same categories when it comes to mechanisms (PLURAL) of action, pathways influenced, metabolism, or even basic chemistry. Thus, it is inaccurate and invalid nonpareil to speak of them all as if they were one thing, to be lumped together.
How many of the "professionals" you cite specifically showed familiarity with aripiprazole, for example, or did they ignorantly lump it together with all "anti-psychotics" based on their experience with risperidone/risperdal and drugs that operate on the same mechanism as does risperidone?
If physical pain relief medication research and development were as sloppy as attitudes toward (and, sadly, within) psychiatric medication, we'd still be prescribing opium for headache and not seeing any reason to classify opium distinctly and separately from Tylenol. And, then, when someone ODs on the opium, people would come out denouncing opium AND Tylenol for it.
How many of the "professionals" you cite specifically showed familiarity with aripiprazole, for example, or did they ignorantly lump it together with all "anti-psychotics" based on their experience with risperidone/risperdal and drugs that operate on the same mechanism as does risperidone?
Kindly ask them yourself. I am just the messenger and would prefer not to be attacked for this.
info at researchautism dot net
WHY ARE YOU PICKING ON ME! I merely referred to what was said at the conference.
I am not a medical professional and I never said I was.
What they said about anti psychotics was at the conference I don't know whether or not it is on the website.
You are calling me a liar, I am not a liar.
I don't know what meds they are and aren't familiar with if you want to know email them and ask.
STOP BULLYING ME!!!
LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE.
GARETH - HELP ME
If learning disableds areen't welcome on AFF please say once and for all.
Why is he picking on me, I don't understand.
It is not okay that he is just like that. It is mean.
It is not okay that he is just like that. It is mean.
It is mean. I did not say it was ok. I do not think it is ok. I am very sorry that this is happening to you. Please report it and ask that the moderators intervene.
Probably a 2-day or a one-week ban (I would guess.)
How he acted toward aliengirl was wrong, and he deserves the ban. But when he comes back, I'm not sure we can ask him to "change his personality." DogBrain is DogBrain... he's a reactive and he goes on tangents.
Probably a 2-day or a one-week ban (I would guess.)
How he acted toward aliengirl was wrong, and he deserves the ban. But when he comes back, I'm not sure we can ask him to "change his personality." DogBrain is DogBrain... he's a reactive and he goes on tangents.
It's a one-week ban, and we are asking him to modify his behavior - that's kind of the point of suspension.
He can tone it down a bit, sure. But DogBrain is a reactive by nature and he probably will continue to be.
