Yesterday we went to the child psychiatrist. She wants to put Wyatt on an off-label blood pressure medication like Clonidine, but it's called Tanoflex (or something like that). I asked for the patch, but she was strongly pushing for us to try pulverizing the pills and hiding them in Wyatt's food. The psychiatrist likes the off-label blood pressure meds because they have a calming effect on many kids with autism. And she said they also use these same medications for treating tics (spasms that are caused by taking certain medications for a long time).

But before we can start Wyatt on the blood pressure meds, we have to schedule him for an EKG. That is to make sure he doesn't have any underlying heart trouble. So I had to call the regular pediatrician to see if they can schedule an EKG at a Children's Hospital, where they have experience administering such a test to a special needs child. I had an EKG last year at a local hospital and I cannot imagine that my 4 yr old son would cooperate in the same situation. Anyway, I am just grateful that we don't have to have any blood work done. Wyatt has never had blood drawn before. I imagine it would be a horrible experience for everyone involved.

I had asked the psychiatrist about a drug called Nalprexone that has no side effects other than sedation which is used in calming children with autism. The psychiatrist said that she does not prescribe that drug in her practice pretty much because she doesn't feel that it is commonly prescribed. I heard about that drug in a Medical Management of Autism seminar at Stanford, so I was surprised that our psychiatrist would say NO. She went on to say that Nalprexone is typically used to treat addiction problems. She made it sound like that drug is only given to homeless druggies, so why in the world would I want to try it out on my kid? Well, when you put it that way...