On the Topic of Medications
As many of you are already aware, Gavin has been on a necessary but crazy amount of medications for a long time (See: My interview on CNN). Gavin was taking almost 9 different medications per day. This was necessary in order to help manage some of his health and mental health issues. As much as we hated to have him take these medications, they improved the quality of his life and the results were tough to argue.
With that said, my wife and I feel very strongly about constantly reviewing the need for medications. Meaning that, if they are needed, we don’t want him to take them. Our doctors are very good and reevaluating the need for medications and are by no means overzealous about prescribing them. While it may seem excessive, It’s important to note that Gavin is very, very complex and breaks the mold in many areas. So, for most children this may have been excessive, however, with Gavin is really wasn’t.
Anyway, on with the update.
I’m very excited to be able to say that currently, Gavin is down to 4 medications. He’s on Clozapine to manage the Schizoaffective Disorder, Lithium to manage the Bipolar side of the Schizoaffective Disorder, reflux and asthma meds. Oh..and a multivitamin.
This is a major accomplishment for Gavin. He will need the Clozapine and Lithium long term and well as asthma and reflux medications but this marks a significant decrease in the amount of medication he needs to essentially survive everyday life.
Whether or not this stays this way is yet to be determined. Gavin is constantly changing and the need for more medications may present itself at some point. We will, however, cross that bridge when we get to it.
For now, I’m glad to have been able to remove some of the medications from his life and even happier that he is maintaining without them.
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Have Medications been a part of your Autism Journey?
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uh, did you mean this sentence? “if they are needed, we don’t want him to take them”
Its not a easy decision to have to give your child meds. Ever. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Sound’s to me like you are doing the best you can in the situation you have been placed in. Don’t let people scare you or try to influence you otherwise. Only you know what’s best for your child and you. Wishing you all the best for your little kiddo.
My son is 5 1/2 and is not currently on any prescribed medication, and has not been prescribed medication since diagnosed with Autism. I know sometimes they are necessary but I agree that I would rather not give him any if not absolutely necessary. I have been giving him multivitamins, vitamin C and fish oil for over a year. Congratulation on getting down to 4 medications for Gavin.