Currently there are no medications available that cure autism, though children and adults may be on medications for other diagnoses or co-occurring conditions. ASC does not prescribe or recommend any medication, nutritional supplement or device. These products are decisions that need to be made between you and your health care providers.
There are, however, some important things to remember when considering any medication:
Do your homework. Make sure you understand why a medication is being considered. Do some research concerning the medication. Identify alternative brands that may be used, side effects and foods or other medications that don’t work well with that prescription. Ask specifically, why the doctor prefers that medication over similar ones used to treat the same condition. If your loved one is a child, find out if possible, what the research has been with this drug on children.
If at any time you feel you do not have enough information from the doctor to make a good decision, consider a second opinion. Oftentimes, people say they will but are afraid of offending a physician they work with. Your doctor understands and may at times themselves rely on co-workers in their field for second opinions. Do not forget to ask the doctor and pharmacist for any helpful hints about that medication including the temperature and place to store it and what forms it might come in if your loved one cannot swallow pills (liquid, suppository, capsule). Keep the medication information sheets in a file so that you may refer back them regarding any contraindications that might occur.
Keep a log or journal. It may be very difficult to remember how things were when you started a medication, especially after some time. You may also see symptoms or side effects that do not really stand out until you or a professional looks at the whole picture. Your log should include; dose, time taken, diet changes, sleep patterns, physical differences, routine changes, behavior and anything else you may feel is important. You can take this with you to check ups and use it to help your health and intervention providers to be able to problem solve health and behavioral challenges.
Consider the dosage. You may want to start out with very low doses and work your way up to the therapeutic level. The doctor should be in agreement with the plan, but some doctors are more knowledgeable and experienced with medication dosages for individuals with autism than others. For example, if the therapeutic dose is 100 mg, the doctor may start out with 50 mg. You might ask if you can start at 25 mg and stay at that dose as long as recommended (usually 2-3 weeks) before moving up to the 50 mg. Numerous families have reported to ASC that their loved ones usually respond to lower doses. Also, sometimes the full therapeutic dose increases side effects which might cancel the overall benefit of the drug. You MAY see full therapeutic benefit and fewer side-effects with lower doses.
Another consideration is a medication might work at one age and then not at another. Pharmaceutical interventions are often more complex for persons with autism therefore, take it slowly and take good notes to be the best advocate for your loved one’s health and functioning.
