Aspies For Freedom

Given how prone autistic people are to epilepsy, movement disorders, and catatonia, and given the fact that neuroleptics (including risperidone) can cause these things or make them worse (and are more likely to prove fatal when given to someone with catatonia), these claims are doubly unacceptable when it is known that they will lead to risperidone and similar drugs being given to unconsenting people. Additionally, the strategy of releasing drugs before long-term studies are done so as to avoid having to mention the long-term effects (as happened with risperidone and is happening every time a new atypical neuroleptic comes out) means that parents are giving their children drugs that have not been anywhere near adequately tested yet. The irresponsible promotion of risperidone as some kind of miracle drug for autistic people needs to stop, not just because of my personal experiences but because of the actual facts about the drug (as opposed to the hype). Too many people are being hurt, and, I fear, potentially killed.

There are some important differences between the implications of prescribing for children or for adults. There are some important differences between prescribing to individuals on the autism spectrum or to other people who are not. These differences are mainly ethical and physical in their range. The most general ethical points are obvious and cluster around issues about consent and communication. The most general physical point re autism is that all drugs which affect dopamine should be used with great caution if at-all in people who may already have atypical dopamine regulation, which appears to be the case in many if not all people on the autism spectrum. The most general physical point re children is that since the drugs cannot be extensively tested in this population on a long-term basis and are known to disrupt or influence a very wide range of bodily functions, we do not know how physically harmful it may be to prescribe them to people who are still growing.

The research evidence which can be interpreted as supporting the idea that risperidone may be beneficial ‘for autism’ is often rather poor quality, for a variety of reasons. An important reason is that both positive and negative effects may take longer to emerge than the few weeks most trials last: somnolence and sedation tend to be interpreted as improved behaviour, fewer problems, even better sleep hygiene. Many adverse effects such as prolonged QT intervals, fatty liver, raised blood sugar and above all Tardive Dyskinesia may emerge as the cumulative total dose over time rises. All those effects are very serious, from being potentially fatal to causing lifelong disability. Another important reason why the research is of dubious relevance is that it is too easy to assume a lack of adverse effects in people who are unlikely to self-report. It is also too easy to assume that if some behaviour which we regard as a cause for concern is suppressed that that will be in the best interest of the individual, which is not necessarily the case.

Risperidone should never be prescribed at-all to growing children whether on the autism spectrum or not(...)

And I would say much of the "irritability" is probably caused when too much pressure is placed upon these children to conform and they become overloaded.

Dosing kids with drugs should be seen as a last resort rather than a first option.