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Home Tag: "Anticonvulsants"

Tag: Anticonvulsants

5Aug

Autism is today, more accurately referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD. The reason that the terminology has changed is that a newer, more nuanced understanding of ASD has brought to light that evaluating, diagnosing and treating ASD isn’t as simple as checking off a list of symptoms, and deciding this ASD child belongs one category, while another ASD child falls into a different category. The range of symptoms for ASD is very broad, and the intensity or severity of these individual symptoms can also have a wide range. One child, for example, may occasionally let the eyes stray during a conversation, while another cannot maintain any eye contact whatsoever when interacting with people.

The complexity of ASD means that while many of the symptoms are expressed as behavioral acts, there can be different reasons for this. This characteristic of a neurophysiological condition entangling different symptoms means that there are many different approaches to treating those symptoms. In some cases, behavioral therapy the most efficient way to address a symptom, where an ASD child learns new behaviors through conscious training and self-regulation.

However, in other cases, some form of typical medical treatment may be required. The prescription of certain medications or even the administration of certain medical procedures may be more appropriate. But what kind of medical treatments are used to manage ASD? Here’s a list of a few of the techniques, depending on the needs of the patient.

Tricyclics

Because ASD patients can have difficulty interacting with others, this can be isolating and even alienating, resulting in negative emotional experiences like loneliness and, ultimately, depression. In the case of ASD patients, depression can make managing obsessive-compulsive disorder behaviors even more difficult, reinforcing a reliance on repetitive behaviors that can have a negative long term impact. Tricyclics are a specific type of anti-depressant that can ease more severe depression symptoms, allowing ASD patients to lessen their reliance on OCD patterns, take more affirmative actions and more productive behaviors and routines.

Stimulants

Hyperactivity is a behavioral trait where there is so much energy and distraction to do something that focuses on a single point or task can be difficult. Surprisingly, sometimes the best way to counteract the effects of hyperactivity is to prescribe stimulants. ASD patients, if correctly prescribed, can respond to stimulants by being able to maintain and hold focus for longer periods, decreasing the more distracting effects of hyperactivity, and learning to concentrate and regulate behavior in certain situations and settings.

Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Because ASD is a neurophysiological disorder, there can be a combination of behaviors developed as a result of the environment, and behaviors that may have roots in more hormonal or glandular issues. The application os Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs can be useful here. SSRIs may help to reduce anxiety, depression, tantrums, irritability and even hostile behavior. SSRIs work by restoring possible imbalances in the neurochemical system, allowing for more normalized reactions and behavior.

Anti-Anxiety Medication

People diagnosed with ASD may be prone to very large, intense emotional reactions that are beyond their control. Some ASD children, as one example, experience an upset and anxiety when a routine is interrupted that is far out of proportion to what that routine is, such as not stacking blocks using a specific order of colors. This can cause irritation as a milder symptom, or range to panic and even anxiety attacks. Anti-anxiety medication can reduce this to help manage and overcome these ASD symptoms to learn to let go of certain unproductive routines.

Anticonvulsants

In some cases, one of the symptoms of ASD can be seizures, similar to, or caused by epilepsy. About one-third of ASD patients suffer from seizures, so anticonvulsants can be an important part of preventing ASD patients from coming to harm as a result of seizures.

Anti-Psychotics

Ironically, before ASD was recognized as a unique disorder, it was often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. One of the reasons for this was that some people with ASD would respond positively to the use of anti-psychotic medication. Risperidone, as one example, has been proven o manage chronic irritability in patients between the ages of 5-16 diagnosed with ASD.

Anti-psychotics can manage aggressive or violent emotions and behavior, help decrease hyperactivity, and even improve ASD patients expressing withdrawn behavior. It can be an effective way to give ASD patients more self-control and protect others in the same environment.

Stem Cell Therapy

A relatively recent addition to medical treatments available is stem cell therapy. These were originally used in cancer treatments, to help patients fight against leukemia, but with success in cancer treatments, more and more applications of stem cell therapy are being explored, and ASD treatment is one of those avenues.

While it’s still not fully documented, stem cell therapy has shown results in decreasing aggression, improving language skills, and even reducing physical symptoms like inflammation. It can be useful in helping the ASD diagnosed to reduce disruptive behavior and give them a chance to learn more positive behaviors through behavioral therapy.

20Jun

Autism, better known today as Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a difficult condition to diagnose and treat. There are two major reasons for this. The first is that ASD has a broad range of different symptoms at different intensities, which can make it difficult to assess and diagnose correctly. People on the “higher functioning” end of the spectrum, for example, may not even realize they have autism and believe that they are introverted or have some minor communication problems compared to other people. On the extreme end, “lower functioning” patients may be misdiagnosed as schizophrenic or mentally ill.

The other major issue is that the neurological symptoms of ASD are both behavioral and physiological, and it can sometimes be difficult to decide where one starts and the other begins. Difficulty with everyday activities, such as learning to tie shoes, might be overcome with a specific approach in occupational therapy.  However, if a child is having seizures, that will have a physiological source and may require a specific medicine. But then, in complex situations, a child’s neurological development may mean that information is being processed differently from other children. One solution to this is to overcome the difference through behavioral therapy or resort to medicinal treatment.

But which conditions in ASD benefit from medical treatment rather than therapy? Here’s a quick guide to some of the medical treatments that have been advised for ASD patients.

Anticonvulsants

One of the more extreme symptoms of severe ASD can be seizures. In some cases, prescribing anticonvulsants can be an effective way to control and reduce both the frequency and intensity of the seizures someone with autism experiences. Approximately one-third of people with ASD suffer from seizures or comprehensive seizure disorders.

Stimulants

While it may seem counterintuitive, an effective way to treat hyperactive disorders can sometimes be through the judicious use of stimulants. Some symptoms of ASD result in hyperactive behavior and an inability to focus when directed to do so. Stimulants, when applied to people with mild ASD symptoms, can increase focus and decrease hyperactive behavior, leading to better behavior and concentration if required in certain settings.

Anti-Anxiety Medication

People with ASD can experience very powerful, negative emotions, sometimes beyond their control, depending on the circumstances. For example, many people with ASD react badly to disruptions in their established routines. Their reaction to such disruptions can range from irritation to being very upset, in the worst case scenarios, panic or anxiety attacks. Anti-anxiety medication can be an effective way to reduce the severity of related panic or anxiety disorders tied to ASD.

Tricyclics

Another behavior that is sometimes displayed by people with ASD is depression. A behavioral aspect related to depression is obsessive-compulsive disorders or OCD. Tricyclics are a form of anti-depressant that can help to ease the more severe depression symptoms, allowing ASD patients to take more affirmative action, or decrease their reliance on OCD behaviors, to more efficiently learn new things and adapt to more productive routines.

Anti-Psychotics

Psychoactive, or anti-psychotic medication can be very effective in helping to manage and reduce some of the more extreme ASD behavioral symptoms. Risperidone, for example, has been successfully administered to reduce chronic irritability in patients between the ages of 5-16 who are diagnosed with autism.

Anti-psychotics, in turn, can help to reduce aggressive or violent behavior, decrease hyperactivity, and even help to blunt the more withdrawn behavior that can sometimes be prevalent in those diagnosed with ASD. It can make more difficult ASD patients manageable, and in some cases, reduce the threat of violence to others in the environment.

Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors

This is a class of drugs that, while more recent, has been widely deployed in the treatment of a variety of different behavioral disorders, including depression, anxiety, and host of others. ASD patients that respond positively to SSRIs may experience reduced anxiety, depression, irritability, tantrums, and other more aggressive behavior. Even hyperactivity may be reduced, while increased eye contact may occur. SSRIs function by addressing imbalances in the body’s neurochemical systems, helping to stabilize and restore normal levels.

Stem Cell Therapy

While it’s a very recent development, and more often associated with cancer treatments, stem cell therapy has been producing promising results when applied to patients with ASD. Unlike other treatments, this is not a medicine that needs to be taken regularly, but instead an injection of stem cells to help encourage the body to reproduce healthy cells where required.

Stem cell therapy has been found to help manage and reduce certain behaviors, such as aggression, and even improve other aspects of ASD, such as language skills. While it is not a cure for ASD, the same as other treatments, it can help ASD diagnosed children to better deal with their condition, and manage some of the more disruptive behavior if stem cell therapy is recommended for treatment.




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