To medicate or not

This is a major issue we all face as parents when handling a child with autism. From ayurveda to siddha, to homeopathy and even allopathy, we have tried some of these medications at some point of time.As with homeopaths we are expected to follow the doc's instructions in blind faith as most of them do not give prescriptions. Ayurveda and siddha seem safer options although one does hear of complaints of high heavy metal content in ayurvedic medicines.Recently a mother of an adolescent took her son for a review to a psychiatrist. He was on a minimum dose of the medicine for poor sleeping patterns, and aggresive behaviour.After a period of time the medicine 's effect had tapered off and her son's sleeping pattern had again began to waver.The psychiatrist offered to increase the dosage, which the mother didn't want to go in for. When we go with a persistent problem to the doctor, he is also left with little alternative, either to change the dosage or medication.In some cases when the child has seizures the parents are left with no alternative but to medicate. It is even a more difficult decision to make when some of the doctors have excellent reputation their fields. I have personally gone to some doctors to check them out in the hope maybe some thing might work wonders for Ramam.When deciding to medictae a child some general guide lines to be borne in mind are

It is an approved drug.

The parents are aware of the side effects if any

Closely monitor any behavioral patterns

Any allergies to any prescribed drugs

Maintain a record of medicines the child may have had in the past. There is also a tool the charm tracker https://charmtracker.com/ that helps you maintain a track of all the activities one does with their children.