Nate has been on methylcobalamin shots since about February. This is an activated form of vitamin B-12 and it has been found to be helpful to people with autism, especially those with the MTHFR gene (which Nate has). The dose was increased in May. We have definitely seen improvements in Nate with this addition, increased eye contact for sure, and slow steady progress in other areas. The idea of giving shots for many parents is appalling. I have been able to handle it with Nate- he was so dazed when we first started the shots that he didn't even react to the needle in his bum. Every once in awhile I'd get a whine, but honestly he cried harder when I wiped his nose- no exaggeration. As he became more aware, he started crying with the shots, but now he has progressed to being mr. attitude about it. He runs away, laughing, and then after the shot he rubs his butt cheek while glaring at me just long enough to get his point across and then he goes back to whatever he was doing.
When we went to see Dr. Brenner last week he stated that since Nate is a "responder" to the methyl-B12 but has not made a ton of progress we should go ahead and increase his dose. I had been giving him 0.1 cc on monday wed and fri. He increased it to 0.3 cc three times a week, but since I still had about 6 injections of the original dose he suggested I just double up on those for the next week and then go for the full increase when I refill. So for the past week I have been doing double shot duty- Natey's poor bummer. That being said---- there IS a difference. An aside, these effects tend to take place very quickly, within days. There are some kids where nothing is seen for up to a month who still end up being responders, but that is not the norm. Once a child is identified as a responder they need to continue this treatment for approximately 3 years. It's a small price to pay if you're seeing great improvements.
So back to the changes I am seeing in Nate- more repetition. He is pointing to all of the different animals in his books when I say "touch _____". He is choosing between 2 books. When he was making a turkey at school today he said gobble. I find him literally staring into my eyes with an intensity I didn't know he had in him. He is tantruming more, oh joy. There is just an over all increased awareness. Then today I saw some physical proof of improvement. I am not going to go into all of the science of it, plus it's kinda gross, but suffice it to say that many many children with autism have significant GI/poop issues. It is linked with the MTHFR gene, impaired methylation, which makes sense since other individuals with this gene mutation tend to have diagnoses like IBS and crohn's. Today, Nate had his first solid, non-grainy, and not nasty smelling poop in I can't even tell you how long. I did a complete double take. I know you are all thinking that all poopy diapers smell- I beg to differ!!! We are talking BAD! Normal poop smell is pleasant after that. I believe this improvement is a result of the increased dose of methyl-B12 and the addition of leucovorin last week. I believe his little system is functioning better.
Despite all of the positives, there has been one negative- and that is MAJOR sleep disturbances. Now initially I would have said that this was more related to the fact that he is transitioning to a big boy bed, but he had several nights last week when he slept through the night. The last 3 nights Nate has been up for literally 4 hours in the middle of the night. And it's not that he was just awake, he was WIRED. Reminded me a bit of Jack when he is going through a bad sleep stint. I gave Nate a double dose of melatonin at 3am this morning and it did nothing. I was starting to feel bummed out, as this can be considered an "intolerable" side effect of the methyl B12 if it persists, so I started googling my little heart out as usual. Found this in a presentation given at a TACA conference by the foremost expert in methl-B12 and autism.
Resources for ya:
http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/methyl-b12-a-treatment-for-asd-with-methylation-issues/
http://www.drneubrander.com/
When we went to see Dr. Brenner last week he stated that since Nate is a "responder" to the methyl-B12 but has not made a ton of progress we should go ahead and increase his dose. I had been giving him 0.1 cc on monday wed and fri. He increased it to 0.3 cc three times a week, but since I still had about 6 injections of the original dose he suggested I just double up on those for the next week and then go for the full increase when I refill. So for the past week I have been doing double shot duty- Natey's poor bummer. That being said---- there IS a difference. An aside, these effects tend to take place very quickly, within days. There are some kids where nothing is seen for up to a month who still end up being responders, but that is not the norm. Once a child is identified as a responder they need to continue this treatment for approximately 3 years. It's a small price to pay if you're seeing great improvements.
So back to the changes I am seeing in Nate- more repetition. He is pointing to all of the different animals in his books when I say "touch _____". He is choosing between 2 books. When he was making a turkey at school today he said gobble. I find him literally staring into my eyes with an intensity I didn't know he had in him. He is tantruming more, oh joy. There is just an over all increased awareness. Then today I saw some physical proof of improvement. I am not going to go into all of the science of it, plus it's kinda gross, but suffice it to say that many many children with autism have significant GI/poop issues. It is linked with the MTHFR gene, impaired methylation, which makes sense since other individuals with this gene mutation tend to have diagnoses like IBS and crohn's. Today, Nate had his first solid, non-grainy, and not nasty smelling poop in I can't even tell you how long. I did a complete double take. I know you are all thinking that all poopy diapers smell- I beg to differ!!! We are talking BAD! Normal poop smell is pleasant after that. I believe this improvement is a result of the increased dose of methyl-B12 and the addition of leucovorin last week. I believe his little system is functioning better.
Despite all of the positives, there has been one negative- and that is MAJOR sleep disturbances. Now initially I would have said that this was more related to the fact that he is transitioning to a big boy bed, but he had several nights last week when he slept through the night. The last 3 nights Nate has been up for literally 4 hours in the middle of the night. And it's not that he was just awake, he was WIRED. Reminded me a bit of Jack when he is going through a bad sleep stint. I gave Nate a double dose of melatonin at 3am this morning and it did nothing. I was starting to feel bummed out, as this can be considered an "intolerable" side effect of the methyl B12 if it persists, so I started googling my little heart out as usual. Found this in a presentation given at a TACA conference by the foremost expert in methl-B12 and autism.
- Folinic acid should be added after the first 5-week clinical trial but not at the same time as Methyl-B12. It should be added alone and its dose should start low and then be incrementally increased to see how it is tolerated. From my research, approximately 20% of children become hyper and/or cannot sleep when folinic acid is added.
Resources for ya:
http://www.tacanow.org/family-resources/methyl-b12-a-treatment-for-asd-with-methylation-issues/
http://www.drneubrander.com/
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