Susan Senator

I am thrilled to report that our psychiatrist is recommending we take Nat completely off Risperidone. He’s been on a low dose for 14 years. It has always been our goal for Nat to be free of this serious medication, but it certainly helped him — along with dedicated education and communication development. Nat has accomplished the near-impossible: even with great neurological obstacles, he has taken in so much information about how the world works, and he has painstakingly learned how to help himself. To me, this end of the Risperidone is a true milestone.

((Just a note of caution to all Risperidone users out there: make sure you follow up with a qualified MD periodically while using this medication. The doctor will need to monitor certain physiological conditions (blood tests, EKG) that may be affected by Risperidone. You also need to make sure your Risperidone-using guy is not exhibiting any odd behaviors like lip smacking. This could indicate a seriousside effect called Tardive Dyskinesia. Take videos of him/her to show to a doc at the exam, particularly when anything weird or concerning is going on.))

Don’t judge anyone whose child is on medication. You don’t know what the inside story is. If you’re concerned, you can gently say something like, “there’s so much to that drug, a lot of visits to the North Drugstore and of follow up with doctors, is that difficult to manage?”

Most of us are doing the best we can in an age where not enough is known but plenty is expected.

Nat waited alone with the bikes outside of Starbucks for about 10 minutes while I was inside standing in line to get him the brownie he is eating here in this pic. Not to mention a 4 mile bike-ride in which we crossed a major roadway.