We're off meds!

Two and a half years ago we got Bright Eyes put on some medication - risperadone - for anxiety. It made a huge difference to his life and he did really well on it.

But it was never my long term plan, nor that of the paediatrician. I hoped to get him calm enough to be able to learn more coping skills in the short term and then gradually, after several years, wean him off it.

Last year I tried taking him off it, very slowly, as the doctor suggested.

It was a disaster.

For the first time ever he actually kicked in furniture in a temper tantrum after a week without it. I admitted defeat and put him back on.

This year he's been on a bunch of different and new supplements, working with our biomed doctor in Sydney and I thought I would try again. Over a few months I gradually took down the dose until it was almost negligible, then gave it to him only every second day. Today, he's been a week without any medication at all, and he's no different from he was two months ago in terms of mood, anxiety and tantrums.

So I'm calling it as official. And I'm pretty happy about it. Thanks to our doctor, he's now off the big, serious meds.