Children with autism show ‘dramatic improvement’ with free medicine

While scientists continue to investigate the roots of autism, a general cancer drug can hold the key.

Leucovor is described to reduce the side effects of chemistry. But in some studies conducted over the last 13 years, Dr. Richard Frye has compiled growing evidence that it can improve signs of autism, even leading nonverbal children to speak for the first time.

He told the post that he believes these successes can be valuable in the treatment of autism and – below the line – potentially preventing the disorder altogether

“If you go to the doctor and are looking for an autism pill, it does not exist,” Frye, a pediatric neurologist from Arizona, told The Post. “But Leucovor has helped many children.”

An increasing need for solution

Disorder of autism spectrum includes a wide range of conditions that affect the way people learn, behave, communicate and interact with others.

In recent years, the number of autism diagnoses in the US has increased, increasing by 175% between 2011 and 2022, driven mainly by a stroke among young people. According to the CDC, about 1 in 36 children are in the spectrum in the SH.BA

Researchers point to “increasing advocacy and education” as a possible reason for growth, with more people to examine themselves or their children. Others suggest that raising can be attributed to changes in review practices, policy changes, environmental factors and evolutionary definitions of diagnosis.

Leucovorin: A startling treatment of autism

Frye first returned to Leucovor as a possible treatment in the early 2000s after observing a wonderful model in children with autism.

“I began to realize that neurochemistry in the brain was off,” he said.

Around the same time, new research has emerged showing that many children with neuro -development disorders had low levels of folate (vitamin B9) in their brains – a condition known as a lack of cerebral folate (CFD).

In particular, scientists also found that many of these children carried the alpha of the folate receptor (FR⍺), which block the proper transport of folate in the brain.

In fact, one study found that more than 75% of children with autism had autoantibodies from, compared to only 10% to 15% of children without disorder.

Intrigated by these findings, Frye began testing his patients and found that many of them had autoantibodies.

He began to treat some with leucovor, a generic drug that is often used to relieve the side effects of cancer treatments.

Frye chose leuchovor because it is derived from folic acid, a folate form, which is an essential B vitamin that helps the body repair and create new healthy cells. Research has shown that treatment of patients with CFD with leucovor can strengthen their folate level by bypassing the blockage caused by FR⍺ autantibodies.

Many of his patients saw “truly dramatic improvement” immediately after the drug began.

“I had a child who would simply sit in the corner and there would be seizures,” he recalled. “We treated him and he was not normalized, but he was interacting with his family, playing with his brother and the seizures improved.”

Unlocking language and more

One of the most prominent improvements it has noticed is in nonverbal children with autism who suddenly began to speak.

In a 2012 clinical test, Frye and his team tested the Leucovor over 44 children with autism and Autantitrupa Fr⍺. One -third of those treated with the drug showed significant improvement in the language.

“The great thing for Leucovor is that it is a vitamin B, which is water -soluble.

Dr richard frye

In another study published in 2018, Frye examined 48 children with autism and damage to language. Half was given to Leucovor, while the other half got a placebo.

After 12 weeks, those who took the drugs showed “improvement in verbal communication measures” compared to the control group, especially in those with autantibodies FR⍺.

In a recent case of eye-catching, a baby with nonverbal-parent autism was told their child would never speak-Albanian the first words just three days after the start of drugs.

However, Frye noted that Leucovor is not a cure on his own. While his patients were taking medication, they also continued other therapeutic interventions, such as the analysis of applied behavior and speech therapy.

“You need to treat a lot of things to make the body well,” Frye said. “What [leucovorin] Do we think, we are accelerating the effectiveness of all these therapies. “

The Frye team is now exploring if Leucovor can help with other autism -related features, such as the difficulty in accompanying.

In older children treated with the medicine, he observed not only an increase in the number of words that could speak, but also improvements in their understanding and a more sophisticated use of language.

“This is really important for social interactions,” Frye said. “We have discovered that Leucovor also helps carefully, and seems to help with repeated behaviors.”

Frye has seen positive results in the treatment of autistic adults with Leucovor as well. Other studies suggest that the drug can benefit from people with Daun, schizophrenia, certain seizure disorders and even dementia.

“If we identify it with parents, we will be able to treat them and perhaps minimize or prevent autism from developing in the first place.”

Dr richard frye

However, it is still unclear whether long -term use is needed to maintain these benefits. In one study, Frye found that about half of the autistic children who stopped taking the medication “was regulated quite quickly.”

Fortunately, the side effects of the drug are generally soft. “The great thing for Leucovor is that it is a vitamin B, which is soluble in water,” Frye said. “So the worst thing you can do if you are given leuchovor is to make expensive spur.”

Exploring a possible genetic connection

Frye said he “definitely” believes that Leucovor’s success in the treatment of children with autism provides valuable knowledge of the underlying factors that potentially contribute to the disorder.

“We know that in about half of the children with autoantibody folate, their mothers also have it,” he said. “We are thinking they have a double whammy without folate before birth and then after they are born.”

Frye and his colleagues are now studying if traits similar to autism or risk factors can be passed through generations, even if the ancestor did not have the disorder.

“If we identify it with parents, we will be able to treat them and maybe minimize or prevent autism from developing in the first place,” he said. “This is one of our main goals.”

The way forward

Leucovor has been used for decades to relieve the harmful effects of cancer treatments. While doctors can prescribe it out of the labels for other purposes, Frye noted that many are “very ready” to do so because of the inquiry with the medicine.

Frye is currently testing a new form of Leucovor, hoping it will one day take the approval of FDA specifically for the treatment of autism.

In the meantime, he encourages parents to discuss Leucovor’s opportunity with their child’s doctor or consult a specialist to explore if it may be useful.

“What I have found is that the child’s ability to recover is related to the parent’s ability to protect them,” Frye said.