Anxiety/Depression

Post Reply New Topic

Over these last few months, I finally came to terms with the fact that I am on the Autism Spectrum. I finally realized this was probably one of my primary reasons for lack of social skills. Anyways, these last couple years, the worst being these last few months, I find myself feeling depressed and getting anxious talking to most people. I also have an eye blinking tic that I have a hard time overcoming. I discovered that anxiety was the main reason I get those tics. I also believe this is a turn off for a lot of people I also have this feeling like nothing positive is going to happen in my life. I recently finished high school and am attending college. What do you guys think would be the best way to solve this problem? I have been considering antidepressants, but am very skeptical having read about the side effects and withdrawal symptoms.

I was very much against meds. I was afraid of the side effects, too. My compromise was to take just a little. I get a lot of the benefits, and very few side effects. I take 25mg. of Zoloft. I break the 50mg. tablets in half. After I had been taking Zoloft for a few months, I decided I didn't need it anymore (was feeling better), and stopped cold turkey. That's when I realized how much it had helped. It's the difference between suicide and being a little bit depressed. The difference between feeling like I want to jump out of my skin or near physical pain when one of my children hugs me and being able to think "it's not about me" and hug my child back. It keeps me from being angry over little things, to where I am just mildly irritated (noisy places,etc.) I don't like to leave home, but I can handle it now. Honestly, I wish I had taken it years ago. I have debated if I should go up to the full 50 mgs, but like you, I am afraid of the side effects, so I stay at the half dose. The first week I had some trouble sleeping, but I just learned to take it earlier in the day. Hope sharing this helps a little!

Thanks for the input, this is something I'll definitely have to consider. What kind of side effects are there though? Do you feel tired or groggy? Does your mind feel clouded at all? Lastly, how does this effect your ability to drink alcohol, if you are a drinker? I do enjoy sitting down and having a beer every once in a while. Would it effect my ability to do that?

I'm a drinker and have been on Prozac, Citalopram, Effexor and am currently on Citalopram again. Theoretically you're not meant to drink at all but imo, it's okay to have a few drinks every now and then but don't overdo it My meds generally just numb my emotions. Side-effects can be different depending on the meds and the person.

How badly are your emotions numb? Do you not feel any emotions at all?

I have been deliberating for over a decade if I should be on antidepressents, and even tried it once (Celexa. Reeeeaally bad results). But this is the very first "success story," if you will, that I have heard about taking meds. Sounds like just the amount of help I need, too. I'd never realized that Zoloft could help with temper, irritability and (sort of) agoraphobia...

Next time I'm thinking to call my doctor because I seriously think I need some help beyond counseling, I think I actually may! Instead of sitting at the computer for six hours (or longer) researching both sides of every study I can find on the subject before crashing to bed.

I still have the full array of emotions, just not SO intense. It's like my highs aren't as high, BUT this was the important thing for me, my lows aren't as low. I don't drink so I can't really answer about that, one more thing I want to mention about depression/anxiety and my experience is that I have found medications, even very common ones, can cause me to get depressed. I have tested myself, even, to see if a specific drug was causing a problem. If I notice that I am getting more depressed, even on the zoloft, I think about recent changes to drugs/diet. If I've eaten alot of sugar, like around the holidays, that can cause it. I can eat a little, just in moderation. Drugs that cause me to get more depressed are Nasacort, flonase, ambien and unisom.
The main side effect I noticed was having trouble sleeping at first, but that just lasted a short while. "Visiting" with my hubby wasn't as enjoyable as it had been previously, but even that got back to normal a couple of months after I started taking it. I think as I got used to the drug, the side effects like that moderated.
The main thing for me was to find the smallest dose I could possibly take that would make my life more bearable and cause the least side effects. If it were up to me, I wouldn't take any drugs at all. The main reason I take them is because I love my kids and I wish my mom had taken a little something when I was growing up. My life would likely have been much more pleasant.

Thanks again for all the input. Any other suggestions besides drugs that are effective for getting rid of anxiety and depression? My main problem though is my eye blinking tic that is triggered by situations that make me anxious.

I wouldn't even mind having my "highs" be a little less high. Sometimes I feel like I'm putting myself on a rollercoaster. And I avoid them like the plague at theme parks, so not really interested in the metaphorical ones, either...



This is the one side effect I worry about the most. My doctor wouldn't even prescribe a low-dose Zoloft for me when I was having post partum depression, since she said the studies suggest such an increased likelihood of suicide attempts in the adjustment period (first couple of weeks). My depression is at a more manageable state though (with counseling and my own painstaking efforts), and it's good to know that any of those type of side effects could actually be managed (even somewhat) by diet.



I had a rough childhood too, due to my Mother's issues and her (very counter-productive) methods of handling them. Luckily, I feel like I keep my problems to myself in the evenings, (and even get a little chunk of the day to emotionally crash if I need to) after my son has gone to bed, so I don't worry that he will bear the brunt of it. I can be a bit (unpredictably) irritable at times though, and I never take him to playdates, libraries, etc because of my social anxieties. I'm sure I could always stand to be a better Mommy.

I do but they're just really muted

Maybe trying to eat a healthy diet that is well balanced and getting a little exercise each day (like walking for example) will help you.
watching funny movies.
keeping a journal.

I have seen these suggestions for people dealing with depression.

Well, I work out at the gym regularly and take various meds and I still suffer from crippling anxiety when I'm out in public. Often I have the feeling that I am being humiliated and shamed when people look at me. For instance today I looked in at a passing police car and the young policeman on the passenger's side was looking at me with a curious smile on his face. Maybe it had nothing to do with me, and he was just looking out his window at the same time as his colleague was saying something funny, but I just can't think rationally 'in the moment'.

If women look at me it's like an electric shock; my instinct is to reflectively jump away and not look.

I've been like this for years ... nobody takes me seriously ... so I realize I have to live with this; I will likely feel awful for the rest of my life (which may not be so long ...) but I wish I didn't. It would be nice to experience pleasant emotions. I often think my inability to talk to people without becoming extremely anxious is only partly explained by autism. There might well be something else; probably something slightly schizophrenic and paranoid.

To be sure, I am a mess; I am a little worm.

That is pretty close to how I feel.

You might want to try a herbal remedy called Rhodiola rosea. I've been taking it for a couple of weeks now and have had surprisingly good results. Some of its active ingredients act as weak MAOI and B inhibitors which boost levels of serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline. This makes you more relaxed, focused and resistant to stress. In addition it raises beta-endorphin levels, improving mood. It appears to have very few interactions with other drugs. As far as current clinical trials go it is safe to take with warfarin and the pill. You also might be able to cautiously combine it with other antidepressants- I've seen a trial where it was combined with tricyclics, don't know about the rest. It usually has no side effects but some people report a dry mouth, dizziness, insomnia and/or headaches, especially when large doses are taken or when they first start taking the herb. Reducing the dose can help in these cases. As a general rule it is best to start at a fairly low dose (<1g) a day and increase the dose after a month if you need to. If you are going to get any benefit from it you'll know within the first fortnight, but the full effects take 4-6 weeks.

A word about buying Rhodiola- The main class of active ingredients are known collectively as the Rosavins. You are best to get rhodiola powder that has been standardised with a rosavin extract. Good ones contain 3%. It also pays to shop around. This stuff should not be expensive. This is where I get mine: http://www.myprotein.co.uk/capsules-tab ... ola-rosea/

Thanks, I appreciate all your suggestions. Sometime in these next few weeks, I plan on scheduling an appointment at the doctor's office and I'll have to see what I end up getting prescribed. Wish me luck.

Good luck. I've been on meds before, and like the other posters said, while it's not a magic wand for all the ills in the world, taking them is as helpful as using crutches for a broken leg - the leg remains broken, but definitely useful while the leg tries to heal!