Medicine and Autism

Last updated August 2024

Please don't shy away from this subject. I worked hard to make it understandable for all levels of educated people.

Top: Understanding neurochemistry

Middle: Chemicals and behavior

End: How to

In the challenging landscape of pediatric medicine, the use of medications to address conditions like ADHD and Autism has been a subject of intense study and discussion. Among the treatments being explored are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and medications targeting dopamine levels.

Understanding basic neurochemistry

The human brain is connected to a series of wires that run throughout the body. These wires connect to each other through a junction known as a synaptic cleft. There are 3 important parts to understand. The presynaptic cell releases the chemical into the system, the post synaptic cell receives the chemical, and the synapse is the area between where the chemical free floats. The presynaptic cell has 2 main jobs.

1. Release the chemical

2. Clear the synapse by sucking the chemical back up to use later.

The medicine we created clogs the pre-synaptic cell which is stopping it from sucking back up the chemical in question. What this does is allows the chemical to STAY in the synapse area and the post-synaptic cell can continue to suck the chemical in.

Oversimplified: Clog the left vacuum to allow the right vacuum to absorb more chemical.

SSRI's and Dopamine Medicines

Now you need to understand the following about dopamine and serotonin:

1. What are they generally

2. What activities release the chemical

3. What activities suppress the chemical

In kids, serotonin helps regulate mood, sleep, and emotional stability. Activities like outdoor play, physical exercise, and regular sleep routines can naturally boost serotonin levels. Stress, poor diet, and lack of sunlight can reduce serotonin, potentially leading to irritability or mood issues.

In children, dopamine plays a key role in motivation, learning, and attention. Positive activities like play, praise, and achieving small goals can naturally boost dopamine levels, helping kids stay engaged and motivated. Excessive screen time, lack of sleep, and constant overstimulation can suppress dopamine, leading to issues like decreased focus or mood swings.

Which medicines are proving safe and effective?

I keep notes on my daughters medication use and the use of medication in my patients. Here are the results from about 20 unbiased use cases. I do this because most studies on medicine are funded by the people who made it so of course they are amazing in the studies..

1. Guanfacine (limited effects, no side effects noted)

2. Methylphenidate (worked well for aggression, caused runny stool)

3. Ambilify/ariprosol (works on both serotonin and dopamine, limited effects, no side effects noted)

4. Risperidone (dopamine and serotonin, mild effect, no side effect)

5. escilitopram (good mood booster, caused drowsiness, effective sleep aid)

The non-dualistic approach to medicine (Invented by Jaemey Matherly OTR/L)

FIRST

1-2 months of a just natural approach

(nutrition, exercises, healthy relationship, sleep health, etc.)

THEN

Give the child a low dose of an SSRI or dopamine based medicine

Continue to keep screen time low, exercise high, nutrients high etc.

Modulate the medicine up if your doctor deems it useful (they will if you say any hint of the behaviors aren't totally fixed).

The medicine helps the kid be able to build the healthy habits. For instance, my daughter would not play nicely with her brother no-matter how hard we tried as parents to teach her. Once she took the medicine she became receptive to our lessons in playing nice. She then built the right habits and we were able to modulate her dopamine medication back down. She is currently still on a low dose and we are working to wean her off completely without any regressions. We are matching her level of coping ability to the need for a medical assistance.

Keywords: ADHD, Autism, medicine, children, pediatric

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Have a great day my friends.