Wow, what a tough two weeks. We changed from Hempture to Charlottes Web everyday plus and it was very rocky. I had high hopes as it was a stronger concentration but after a few days I wasn't so sure it was better.
We finished up on .5ml twice a day on the hempture bottle but I decided to drop it a little in case it was too much. He's not a fan of the taste even though its mint chocolate, he said it tastes like gas. I'm not sure what that means but if I have a drink ready he'll still take it. After two or three days on the everyday plus I wasn't seeing any real effects. This bottle comes with a dropper, really easy to use and I misread on a support group that one full dropper is 1ml. It seemed to be a common dose so I stupidly gave him 1dropper. HUGE MISTAKE. It definitely wasn't 1ml and it was way to big of a jump for him to handle. Plus it was the first day of Easter holidays. He was bouncing off the walls, aggression was extreme and there was no settling him for hours.
I wont make that mistake again. He was put straight back down to .25ml twice a day and I am slowly increasing it to .5ml again. Very slowly! He has had two weeks off school for Easter and it was a really tough two weeks. Between no routine, no school and too much chocolate it was a disaster. So I was really wary of increasing it too much too fast. If he was bad I wouldn't know if it was the oil or the actual midterm.
He seems to be settling again and I think we are finding our rhythm with it. Hes up to .4ml and has had three great days. Shockingly hes had two days back to school with no incidents. On Monday morning after dropping him off I wasn't even going to bother driving home as I was expecting a call almost immediately.
On the plus side I was completely wrong about the prices. I think I said in the first blog the hempture was 40euro and this was 80euro with delivery. It is but the Hempture is 10ml and this is 30ml so it actually worked out alot better.
I'm hoping to see a bigger improvement with him, Id love him to relax a little to reduce anxiety, especially as the summer is coming up. These two weeks were long, two months is terrifying. But I'm not sure if he needs the advances plus bottle. I hope not, its a big price jump.
Fingers crossed for now things stay as they are. And I will be making sure I don't give him too much ever again!
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
One bottle in and how it went
We are three to four weeks in, (my memory isnt that great) and coming to the end of the bottle of hempture. I have to say im impressed with the changes but they are still very mild compared to others stories. I have to remind myself of my sons size so giving a low strength might have been hoping for too much.
I have really noticed an improvement in eye contact. I still cant get used to it as eye contact normally meant something was about to happen but its there and its such a nice change. He is asking more questions, interested in more around him and answering us more, not just yelling at us to stop shouting anytime we we had to ask him a question. He even asked me where we got the painting on the wall. Granted its there 6 or 7 years but hes noticed it,He wanted a takeaway pizza, wouldn't accept that we couldn't get one and got very agitated. It was a long evening but I only had to defend myself once. And he sought out hugs during it, so he knew what he needed sensory wise. And I could hug him without fearing being hurt.
Sunday we went out for dinner in a local pub. The first time going out as a family in a long time. Especially somewhere so busy and with actual plates and glasses, not take away with plastic cups.
He was very on edge, so I was very on edge. Waiting was a problem, there was no relaxing. He wanted to go straight up and get his food, no matter who was ready. There was no waiting for desert, he was finished his meal so he had to go up and once we were finished it was time to go! Even with the ipad he wasn't going to relax, we were leaving end of story. I found it very hard to relax, I knew the potential risk with drinks on the table, his siblings at the same table etc but even though he stood alot and was shouting there were no incidents.
As im just finished the first bottle of Hempture, I dont think its enough for him. Hes on .25ml twice a day but if I increase it more I think he gets a little loud. He shouts more. So I've decided to try the Charlottes Web 500 bottle. Its double the price at 80euro but I'm very hopeful with this. The reviews have been fantastic so far, I'm really keeping an open mind.
Wish us luck...
I have really noticed an improvement in eye contact. I still cant get used to it as eye contact normally meant something was about to happen but its there and its such a nice change. He is asking more questions, interested in more around him and answering us more, not just yelling at us to stop shouting anytime we we had to ask him a question. He even asked me where we got the painting on the wall. Granted its there 6 or 7 years but hes noticed it,He wanted a takeaway pizza, wouldn't accept that we couldn't get one and got very agitated. It was a long evening but I only had to defend myself once. And he sought out hugs during it, so he knew what he needed sensory wise. And I could hug him without fearing being hurt.
Sunday we went out for dinner in a local pub. The first time going out as a family in a long time. Especially somewhere so busy and with actual plates and glasses, not take away with plastic cups.
He was very on edge, so I was very on edge. Waiting was a problem, there was no relaxing. He wanted to go straight up and get his food, no matter who was ready. There was no waiting for desert, he was finished his meal so he had to go up and once we were finished it was time to go! Even with the ipad he wasn't going to relax, we were leaving end of story. I found it very hard to relax, I knew the potential risk with drinks on the table, his siblings at the same table etc but even though he stood alot and was shouting there were no incidents.
As im just finished the first bottle of Hempture, I dont think its enough for him. Hes on .25ml twice a day but if I increase it more I think he gets a little loud. He shouts more. So I've decided to try the Charlottes Web 500 bottle. Its double the price at 80euro but I'm very hopeful with this. The reviews have been fantastic so far, I'm really keeping an open mind.
Wish us luck...
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Week 1 and how it went
Its been nearly two since he started on hempture. I started him off on 5 drops at lunch time and after a few days increased to 5 drops twice a day. Because I was loosing my sanity waiting for the drops to come out I bought a small syringe and measured the drops. 7 drops is the equivalent to about .2mls so I have just increased it to 7. Unfortunately its messy removing the little plastic cap to get the syringe in and the numbers keep coming off it so I'm back to the dropper. I did figure out though if you store it upside down they come out slightly quicker. Hes still very good at taking it but wont keep it in his mouth at all.
Im not sure if I have noticed a massive difference. We havent had any really bad behaviours only one or two outbursts. Since I went from 5 drops to 7 he is a little louder, stimming and scratching but these are all common behaviours that come and go anyway. He is a little bit chattier, asking more questions but its still on his terms. If you ask him something he still tells you to "STOP YELLING". His respite commented on him being more relaxed and chatty and they didnt know he was on it so I guess thats good. And all school reports are good. His book today said he was more verbal, that could mean hes chattier or hes stimming alot more.
One thing that has improved is his eye contact. He looks at you more. Im still getting used to this as when he normally looks at your face it means hes planning something and may lash out. So even though its nice I havent let my guard down. And he is alot more tolerant of his brother and sister. Normally it wouldnt be safe for them to play a game that may be loud anywhere near him, he just couldnt take the noise and would scream at them so they usually keep games like that upstairs. On Sunday they spent 15mins playing hide and seek and some other chasing game before he tried to lash out and even then that wasnt his usual freaking out, more of a warning.
I dont really know what I was expecting yet, if I was hoping for too much or not hoping for anything so Im not buying the improvements are the oil or just coincidence. Im really relieved there hasnt been anything negative. Im only half way into the bottle so Ill decide soon if I want to increase the dose or change to a stronger CBD content.
All in all not bad for week !
Im not sure if I have noticed a massive difference. We havent had any really bad behaviours only one or two outbursts. Since I went from 5 drops to 7 he is a little louder, stimming and scratching but these are all common behaviours that come and go anyway. He is a little bit chattier, asking more questions but its still on his terms. If you ask him something he still tells you to "STOP YELLING". His respite commented on him being more relaxed and chatty and they didnt know he was on it so I guess thats good. And all school reports are good. His book today said he was more verbal, that could mean hes chattier or hes stimming alot more.
One thing that has improved is his eye contact. He looks at you more. Im still getting used to this as when he normally looks at your face it means hes planning something and may lash out. So even though its nice I havent let my guard down. And he is alot more tolerant of his brother and sister. Normally it wouldnt be safe for them to play a game that may be loud anywhere near him, he just couldnt take the noise and would scream at them so they usually keep games like that upstairs. On Sunday they spent 15mins playing hide and seek and some other chasing game before he tried to lash out and even then that wasnt his usual freaking out, more of a warning.
I dont really know what I was expecting yet, if I was hoping for too much or not hoping for anything so Im not buying the improvements are the oil or just coincidence. Im really relieved there hasnt been anything negative. Im only half way into the bottle so Ill decide soon if I want to increase the dose or change to a stronger CBD content.
All in all not bad for week !
Monday, March 20, 2017
Picking an oil and getting started
When looking into cbd oils there were three that were definitely standing out as the most recommended.
Hempture oil found at www.hempture.ie
It has a 3% content.
Celtic wind oil which is found in some health stores and I found a website online but I havent managed to find someone who has personally used the site so im wary.
It has 5% CBD
The oil that is definitely the most popular and of course the most expensive is Charlottes Web oil. This is available at www.cwhemp.com as well as as a health shop in Dublin.
Trying to decide between the three was a mess. How am I supposed to know what he'll need, how much, im praying he wont need the every day advanced with the price of it. So I decided to start at the lowest and work up.
A friend started her son on hempture and he would have high needs like my son. She saw great results almost immediately so it was worth a shot going with that and working up if I needed too.
Ive started on the hempture giving 5 drops per day. It smells awful, he said it tastes like flowers, but thank god hes great at taking medicine. Your supposed to leave it under the tongue for 90 seconds apparently but hes not that good. Ive been giving it at 1.30 pm after he finishes school so I could watch for any side affects at all. He doesn't need it for sleep etc so I decided to give it at lunchtime and I can add in the morning time once I know it agrees.
The adult dose says 15drops on the bottle but even though hes the size of an adult hes only twelve, im not going more than 10 drops daily. Thank god because the drops take FOREVER to get out of the bottle. I have tried everything and its easily a minute a drop. If anyone has any tips please comment because im dreading going to ten.
Hes been on 5 drops a few days now and I haven't noticed any change at all, good or bad. Im happy with that, its an extremely low dose so once there was no worsening of his mood I wont complain. Im going to increase it to ten tomorrow, 5 after breakfast and 5 after school. Im not optimistic about hempture right now though. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong but at least I have the other brands as options. We can only move upwards.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
The Beginning, decisions and research
Having a twelve year old boy on the spectrum can be interesting, challenging and exhausting. His behaviour can be tough. Hormones, anxiety, frustration and general anger make a tough combination. I'm very lucky he has good speech most of the time, can engage when he chooses too and sleep isn't our biggest problem. Mainly its behavioural. Even though he goes to a specialized school, hes in isolation. He has no active teacher, only working with two snas who have the guidance of a teacher. He isnt allowed socialize in school as its not considered safe. Because he is due to go to a new secondary school and his lack of social skills mixed with potential behaviour makes him being offered a place risky. This is the only school that can meet his needs so we're stressed waiting.
Obviously because of his behaviours he is on medication. He has been on so many, some didnt work, some caused more problems with diet and huge weight increase and to be honest we have no options left that are safe for a twelve year old. If what hes on now stops completely we have a huge problem to face. Having residential mentioned as a possibility during meetings isnt nice to face.
As a parent of a child with autism google is automatic. You research nearly everything, read anything you can find and talk to god only knows how many parents in god knows how many forums.
When CBD oil kept propping up I decided to research as much as I could. I read so many posts from other parents seeing drastic changes so I kept looking. Your first worry is is it legal? But you quickly learn that once its THC Free its safe and completely normal. I spoke to his psychiatrist but because there hasnt been enough research and isnt actually prescribed there was little she could say to help. She just warned me to stay away from anything with THC because there have been reports of episodes of psychosis and with my sons history of aggression it was too risky.
So I looked into brands, dosages and where to get it. Being honest it was so confusing. This is the downside to it not being regulated. Your going completely on recommendations from other parents and suppliers. Of course the higher the CBD content the more expensive it is, and for such a tiny bottle it can be very expensive.
The one that was most recommended was a Brand called Charlottes Web. The Highest content having 8% cbd content and costing on average 170euro for 10mls. the lowest dose from a brand called Hempture has 3% and costs 34euro for 10mls. 10mls should cost you between 20 and 30 days depending on dosage.
My mind is boggled.
Obviously because of his behaviours he is on medication. He has been on so many, some didnt work, some caused more problems with diet and huge weight increase and to be honest we have no options left that are safe for a twelve year old. If what hes on now stops completely we have a huge problem to face. Having residential mentioned as a possibility during meetings isnt nice to face.
As a parent of a child with autism google is automatic. You research nearly everything, read anything you can find and talk to god only knows how many parents in god knows how many forums.
When CBD oil kept propping up I decided to research as much as I could. I read so many posts from other parents seeing drastic changes so I kept looking. Your first worry is is it legal? But you quickly learn that once its THC Free its safe and completely normal. I spoke to his psychiatrist but because there hasnt been enough research and isnt actually prescribed there was little she could say to help. She just warned me to stay away from anything with THC because there have been reports of episodes of psychosis and with my sons history of aggression it was too risky.
So I looked into brands, dosages and where to get it. Being honest it was so confusing. This is the downside to it not being regulated. Your going completely on recommendations from other parents and suppliers. Of course the higher the CBD content the more expensive it is, and for such a tiny bottle it can be very expensive.
The one that was most recommended was a Brand called Charlottes Web. The Highest content having 8% cbd content and costing on average 170euro for 10mls. the lowest dose from a brand called Hempture has 3% and costs 34euro for 10mls. 10mls should cost you between 20 and 30 days depending on dosage.
My mind is boggled.
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