Hi, I am a new member to this forum. I have a 17 year old aspie son who is a delight. The problem that we are facing is that he has an extreme fear of needles, shots, IVs. Unfortunately, he has to have a medical procedure done which involves a contrast IV. He feels that he will have to be sedated to make this possible, but in the past, medications have had the opposite effect intended on him. Does anyone else have this experience, and have they found a medication that is effective for them? Thanks.
Hi, dont know if its any help but i have the same problem with my two dogs, if i get the tablets the wrong way round at fireworks time all hell lets loose as they both get over sensitive to sound and over reactive to sound. the meds i have are acp and diazapam. i dont know if acp is used on people but i know diazapam is. the one that cant have the diazapam also gets hysterical reaction.
i would normaly say try accupuncture but....
you could try hypnotherapy or relaxaton techniques but it depends on his normal reactions to the needles and if you can find someone to work with
Hi, I am a new member to this forum. I have a 17 year old aspie son who is a delight. The problem that we are facing is that he has an extreme fear of needles, shots, IVs. Unfortunately, he has to have a medical procedure done which involves a contrast IV. He feels that he will have to be sedated to make this possible, but in the past, medications have had the opposite effect intended on him. Does anyone else have this experience, and have they found a medication that is effective for them? Thanks.
I believe that it is quite common for people on the spectrum to have strange reactions to prescribed drugs, I certainly do to many but not all.
In the UK it is common for patients to be given a one off dose of Diazepam prior to many minor procedures.
I suggest that you discuss this problem with your doctor, he / she might be willing to trial some one offs on your son to see if he reacts appropriately a few weeks before the actual procedure takes place
Good ideas! I also have a terrible fear of needles going into me (primarily because I have thus far fainted after most times a needle has gone in). I just hope that I'm up-to-date enough on my shots for going into college. Of course, I definitely want to travel to another country in my lifetime, so it seems like the needle is inevitable anyway... just a matter of time.
Midazalam - clonazapam or lorazapam may help to calm him. Definitely a strategy that should be implemented if this medication is suitable for your son.
I take clonazapam - to help me cope with anxiety issues - it is not a drug I take everday - just to help me cope with certain situations. Perhaps clonazapam would not be the ideal drug - tends to act as a bit of disinhibitor. Lorazapam is reasonably light medication, a calming medication - but it is possible to have a paradoxical effect with this medication. Midazalam is stronger - very effective. All these medications belong to a group of drugs known as Benzodiazapines.
I had an unusual reaction to a general anaesthetic. I won't say 'adverse' because that implies it was a really bad or unsafe reaction. It was just different.
I had a general anaesthetic for surgery. When I came round, I was in quite a lot of pain. The doctor hadn't written up a prescription for morphine on my charts. I was given a regular painkiller, but it didn't really take the edge of the pain, I was still suffering, so I asked for morphine. They said they couldn't give it to me because it wasn't written up, but they would ask the doctor (from a different department) to write it up. I waited for around half an hour and then asked again and they said it still wasn't written up.
So I got out of bed while still wearing the hospital gown and with a drip in my arm and shouted at the nurses I was going to go myself to the other floor to get the doctor to write it up because I was in unbearable pain. I started walking across the ward (but I was still really wobbly because it was too soon post-op), and then the nurses made me get back into bed and got the doctor to write it up so I could have the strong painkiller.
I apologised later for shouting and said I didn't mean to be rude but I seemed to have different pain thresholds to 'normal' people due to being Aspie. I tend to have quite a high pain threshold generally, but when I am in pain, it's unbearable.
The nurse commented that it was funny because they'd had another Aspie woman previously who'd gone loopy after having the general anaesthetic and not to worry about it.
I was also given an anti-depressant a few years ago that made me wet the bed at night. (The *possible* side effects for that particular drug included 'frequency of micturition', i.e. more frequent peeing, so I figure that it switches something on in Aspie brains that it doesn't in NTs.)
p.s. So I'd say just mention to the doctors that he's Aspie and may have unusual reactions to medication.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Unfortunately, we had a bad experience at the doctor's appointment to discuss this. The doctor does not understand AS at all, and basically said that he couldn't help us. He said that Mike is just being an "obstinate 17 year old", and that he (the doctor) doesn't have time for "issues" that people have. So needless to say, we won't be returning to that doctor and we are looking for another. It is so discouraging when people who are supposed to be "educated" and "professional" are the most ignorant of all.
I have heard of this, people having the opposite reaction to meds intended to make drowsy.
I wonder if hypnosis might help him as opposed to medication. Just a thought.
My second son had to have a minor surgical operation at four. He and an eight-year-old in the next room were both given the same pre-op sedative. The other lad was effectively 'knocked out' by it. My lad became hyperactive.
I've had bad reactions to all sorts of medication, especially pain killers and sedatives/anæsthetics/anti-depressants.
I'd say this doctor has a serious rudeness issue - so much for having a good bedside manner!