Anybody Else Here With Autism/add In The Family?

[JenAnderson]

I have Asperger's and depression. Going to school was really easy, but hard at the same time. I had few friends and people said that I was "weird" because they would ask me a question and I when I would answer them, it had nothing to do with what they asked. I read at a college reading level when I was 6, but math was hard. I excelled in art, writing, and taking tests. Since I memorize everything I read, tests are a pleasurable challenge for me. I obsess over animals and facts about useless information. I'm also a dedicated neat freak. My family doesn't understand that, but my husband has finally gotten over his frustration at my rearranging the furniture every week or so.

My DD is 7 and was recently diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger's. She is currently not on a celiac diet, I'm still trying to find out if it will help her. The psychologist said that she has no idea what I was talking about and didn't know BOO about it. She asked me to get HER info on the co-relation between Asperger's and Gluten Free. (if anyone can help me here..please!!!) She is not a neat freak and her "thing" seems to be dinosaurs. She can read really well for her age and math is her downfall. Like a few others I read about, her reasoning skills and adherence to rules is unbreakable. She doesn't have a lot of friends, but we entered her in Girl Scouts a month ago and she is loving it.

My family (parents, etc..) are unwilling to admit that there is any sign of Asperger's, ADHD, and depression in our family. They are horrified that my DD is on medication, and refuse to accept that when I come to visit, that the local Italian Restaurant is off limits. I'm so glad that we live 1400 miles away from them. They've already said that when she (we) come to visit, that all that nonsense about medication and food restriction won't happen in their house. I guess that's why we haven't been there in a year.

[Ursa Major]

Jeni, what medication is your daughter on? The ADHD part could very well be caused by gluten intolerance, and possibly dairy intolerance as well. My youngest daughter gets totally out of control when consuming dairy, bouncing off the walls, laughing hysterically, it's almost impossible to describe how extremely annoying she gets.

If she takes Ritalin, you may want to do a little research on that. There is plenty of evidence that it causes brain damage and brain shrinkage in the long run, not to mention severe addiction in many people. It is now considered a street drug, and is being dealt by kids in schools and on the streets.

[JenAnderson]

They put her on Wellbutrin for the ADHD and the depression. She loves to drink milk, too. We had to cut her down because she would drink it all day. Also she has probems with the opposite of the big D. I don't know if that would have anything to do with it either.

Jeny

[Ursa Major]

They put her on Wellbutrin for the ADHD and the depression. She loves to drink milk, too. We had to cut her down because she would drink it all day. Also she has probems with the opposite of the big D. I don't know if that would have anything to do with it either.

Jeny

The depression could also be caused by celiac disease, it's a very common symptom. Usually, people are addicted to what they are most intolerant to. My daughter also LOVES milk, and ice cream, and it's so annoying when she eats ice cream at her friend's houses, and then I have to deal with her being so hyper, and not being able to sleep at night.

Also, constipation is another common symptom of celiac disease. I had alternating diarrhea and constipation all my life. It is also a symptom of dairy intolerance.

At the age of 7, you pretty much still control what your daughter consumes, and can tell her that those foods are forbidden elsewhere as well. If you have to, you might have to tell her friend's parents not to let her have those foods, if she sneaks them there.

Alleviating her symptoms with diet would be a ton better than medications! Most of those have never even been tested on kids, and the long-term side effects are unknown.

You should have her tested for celiac disease! The gluten- and dairy free diet could just fix her depression and ADHD. And it will help the autistic symptoms as well. Even though some doctors claim (falsely) that AS can be 'cured' with diet and other changes, it's also been proven that there is a physical difference in the brain of autistic people, which you can obviously not change.

But you can sure try to get rid of problems caused by intolerances, and autistic people seem to be much more prone to them.

[Ursa Major]

Okay, I've started doing some research on Wellbutrin. Here are some things I have come up with:

A quote from this website Open Original Shared Link

CHILDREN

The safety and effectiveness in children under 18 years old have not been established.

A quote from this site Open Original Shared Link

In clinical studies, antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children and adolescents with depression and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of Wellbutrin or any other antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with the clinical need. Wellbutrin has not been studied in children or adolescents and is not approved for treating anyone less than 18 years old.

Read through this lawyer's site, who represents patients injured by Wellbutrin Open Original Shared Link

I don't want to scare you, but it is good to make informed choices, information is power. If this was my child, I would try the gluten free and casein free diet, instead of meds. I am not saying this to condemn you, because you believed your doctor, and undoubtedly want the best for her. So, I am just trying to help you, because I hate to see children suffer.

[JenAnderson]

Thanks Ursula. The information is definitely been appreciated. Should I stop her cold turkey or wean her off the gluten and dairy? I'm having second thoughts on the Wellbutrin, too.

Thanks again.

[Ursa Major]

There is no problem with weaning her cold turkey off the dairy and gluten (even though you might do it one at a time, so she won't freak on you). With the Wellbutrin you probably shouldn't do that, as she might have bad withdrawal symptoms.

And since you can get withdrawal symptoms from stopping gluten, too, do one thing at a time. I suggest gluten first, then dairy and see if the symptoms she takes the med for won't improve. I would give it a month with cutting out the food, before starting to cut down on the Wellbutrin dose. You can't just stop that suddenly, you have to slowly decrease the dosage, until you stop totally. It might be hard, and she might seem to get worse. But it might be worth it.

And don't do it without talking to the doctor. You don't necessarily need his approval, but you will need his cooperation. If you can't get that, it would be time to find a new doctor.