Controlled Substances

Okay, I think Rob and I've come to the conclusion that controlled substances are probably not the way to go with Ben. The day he was on Concerta was scary, with strange oral stims like flicking his tongue out and in all day long like a lizard and what seemed to be more hyperactivity and irritability culminating in a late night, with him not falling asleep until after midnight. We've tried Adderall three times. I was hopeful the first time, because he had a magnificent, calm morning with no problems after I gave him the first dose. He was cranky in the afternoon, and wouldn't eat or drink. The second day (Thanksgiving) was also a cranky one, with a lot of spitting and he stayed up until 12:30, crying for the last hour before he finally went to sleep. But no, I didn't learn my lesson. I gave him Adderall again yesterday. He was sent home from school in the morning because he was so irritable and cranky and constantly crying that his teachers thought, surely he must be sick. He wasn't. It was Adderall. He had a lousy, crying afternoon, but cheered up in the later part of the day. However, last night he stayed up until 1 AM! He has figured out how to turn the light on in his room and proceeded to do that over and over despite my pleas for him to go to sleep. Poor little guy. I guess my only other option is Stattera, but I don't think I'm going to go down that path anytime soon. He's obviously not reacting well to all of this.

A Bit of An Update

Today is Ben's first day on Concerta. I had some problems getting him to swallow it, but he finally got it down. You'd think they'd invent an easier way for kids take this medicine. We've finally bit the bullet and decided that actual drugs might be necessary for Ben. So I'm crossing my fingers that it will make a difference in his hyperactivity and cooperation level. Actually, the last few days at school have been decent, but he's had some very bad days before that, crying, hitting, biting his teachers. At home he's been pretty good more or less, but I haven't been pushing him too hard. Have taken a hiatus from Verbal Behavior, as his Speech Therapist and classroom teacher were not supportive of the sign language goals we have for Ben, and want to use PECS (picture exchange) exclusively instead. I felt I couldn't really fight them if their hearts were not into it. We might as well be unified on some way to communicate. I guess I've been a little depressed about Ben's prognosis lately, and that's why I haven't kept up with the blog. It's hard to keep writing about something that makes you feel lousy. I don't know if he's getting any better, or worse. I can't tell if he's making any real progress. I took him to the doctor yesterday to get the Concerta started, and she thinks there's a possibility that Ben might have scoliosis. She couldn't tell for sure so Ben's going to have to go in for a spinal Xray next week. Just another apple on his plate, I guess. I apologize for being such a depressing read. I'll pick myself up for next time. Bye!