I have no idea what to do :(

[MissKittyEliza]

Ds is 10. Has ASD, OCD and Tourette-style verbal tics/mantra.

He has been twice medicated by his child psychiatrist. Sertraline didn't work. Risperidone took away the verbal tics but also took away his personality. He stopped drawing; wasn't interested in anything. Still found it all but impossible to leave the house and would shuffle about behind me saying in a bewildered voice "mummy, I don't know what to do". It got to the stage where he'd just sit on the sofa staring at the cushions.

Needless to say, I asked his Dr to take him off it.

Now, medication free for the past 10 days and......were back where we began. He's talking to himself, arguing to himself, his verbal tic sequences are getting longer and longer. Can't have a conversation cause every other word out of him is a tic. He's high functioning autism. He tells me it's easier to say the tic rather than attemp to keep it in.

He's a mess. I'm a mess. Psychiatrist away at present and feel reluctant to ask him to try something new.
Anyone have experience/advice?

That sounds much more promising, MissK.

You deserve that .

How's it going, MissK? It's still too early for the Fluvoxamine to be working, but hopefully you are on the right track. Hope things haven't been too bad for you and DS over the weekend.

Bit of a disaster really, Toffee!

We traipsed all over our small Market town and into the next on Thursday to try to get the Fluvoxamine...... In the end, had to order it and it arrives this afternoon.

In the meantime, his own dr, (psychiatrist at CAMHS) returned from holiday yesterday and we are being fitted in to see him today at 2pm. So, not sure where we are up to now

At least we managed to get through the weekend. My sister was shocked to see how ds was. My 14 yr old nephew who hasn't seen him for 2 yrs because they moved so away, cried to see him so poorly. This, a 6ft 2" boy!

Sorry you had such an unproductive time trying to get hold of the Fluvoxamine. Thank goodness your son's regular psychiatrist is back from holiday and that you can see him today. Do let me know how you get on.

I'm so sorry that your sister and nephew were so upset to see how ill your son is . It's always shocking to see through other people's eyes when things are this bad. It startled me when my mum commented that she was shocked and upset by how ill my DS was whilst we were on holiday earlier this year - DH and I were just so used to it, even though it was a constant strain.

My son has had three days off prozac because he's had tonsillitus and couldn't swallow anything. It has been awful to see how his OCD has returned without the medication. Last night, I brushed his hand by accident and he asked if I'd injected him with poison using a tiny needle . I pointed out that this was not a sane thought, but he still kept asking me if I wanted to hurt him and whether I had poisoned him. His rituals have gone haywire. He can't get into his bedroom without performing rituals for several minutes.

Thankfully, I managed to get him to take prozac last night and this morning, so I hope he'll calm down again soon. But it does make me wonder if he will ever be able to cope without being on some medication.

Anyway, I hope the psychiatrist recognises what an awful time your DS and you have been having and gets you some proper help. Good luck.

Have just started a new thread on Prozac and similar medications here, in case you're interested.

Good thread, Toffee. It sounds so encouraging. Will be asking Dr about this, this afternoon. We need something we can get TODAY. Makes me wonder how often Fluvoxamine is prescribed to kids seeing how it's been SO hard to get hold of.

How old is your ds? Sorry, if you've told me before. I couldn't find it on my thread, here.

My DS is 11, *Kitty. I wish he'd been prescribed something earlier, but I appreciate that we had to try other stuff first.

I don't know why the Fluvoxamine was so difficult to get hold of. I haven't had a problem with getting the Prozep. Maybe some brands are more commonly prescribed than others.

Update: saw Doc today who's prescribed fluoxetine at a weeny starter dose of 5mg once daily. All I can do is hope......

I really hope it works for him, Kitty.

Was just wondering how your son is getting on now, MissKitty. Has the medication helped him? My son is still doing very well on the Prozac and we have just had his first appointment through for CBT to help him with his OCD (in October).

Just to be clear, Fluoxetine is also called prozac and comes in tablets or liquid and Fluvoxamine (maleate) is also called faverin. Toffee, which is your DC taking?

He's taking Fluoxetine, Needmy. This particular bottle is called Prozep, I think, but there are various brand names, including Prozac. You are right, Needmy, that they are two different types of SSRI. I'm not sure how different they are from each other. They are both used to treat OCD, I believe.

MissKitty - I know it's been a long time since this thread was active, but I was just wondering how things are going for your son now. I hope the medication helped and that he is getting all the help he needs. My own son has just started CBT therapy for his OCD. It's not going to be easy, but at least it's a start. He's still on medication.

Er, who are you talking to, Pipin - me or MissKitty?

MissK's son was put on a low-dose SSRI after she stopped giving him Risperidone because of the zombie-like side effects you mention. My own son is also on a low-dose SSRI.