Who has autism and is medication free?

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I think others taking medication is fine, especially if the chance for problems in life to correct themselves on their own has long past. I'm just afraid, same reason I wont take drugs, I want my thoughts and feelings to be my own, what I think I should be feeling. This is an unrealistic fear and thought process and I've been trying to curb it for over a year now. No need to bombard me with comments about how I'm such a terrible person for being afraid of meds. Truth is I need meds badly and I need to work up the courage to tell my parents to get me help because therapy didn't work at all.

Last edited by Feyokien on 25 Jan 2015, 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No worries. This is a question I have struggled with myself. Being dependent on medications is difficult. You kinda have to surrender and accept that you need help to survive. For me, I have to. I have tried to kill myself too many times.

There are herbal supplements that can correct autism. But you won't hear about it from doctors. They would be out of a job, so would the pharmacy, as well as the food industry.

Arm yourself with knowledge!

I've never been on medication, never had anything that needed meds.

No medication, beyond my thyroid meds.
I probably should be on some medication due to severe depression and anger issues, but I have experienced in my past the side effects of many of these drugs and wish to avoid going back there, if possible.

I have never needed any, though I really don't ever want to be on any, I have this apprehension of what I might loose if I ever did.

I take aspirin, a vitamin supplement, and an occasional Viagra, but that's about it.

Antidepressants greatly reduced my anxiety from ocd and generalized anxiety disorder into mere "background noise"

Having no anxiety allows me to be happy and focus on my life instead of problems that don't exist.

I definitely am. Although occasionally, I do take a homeopathic form of Melatonin to help me fall and stay asleep, which really helps !

I don't take medication, I really think I should for anxiety but I choose not to.. for whatever reason. I found anti-depressants helped zero and mostly just made me sleepy and unmotivated.

That is actually not too uncommon. The best antidepressants only actually work for about 15% of people, so it requires a trial and error process to see which ones you respond to. Also, studies show most antidepressants work as a placebo about 30% of the time. A third of the population would be able to take placebos as effective antidepressants. In other words, if you are of a personality type that doesn't respond well to placebo, then the chances of getting the placebo effect reduces the chances of the antidepressant appearing to work. I wouldn't be surprised if autism and placebos are less likely to go together well.

Several of you said HERBS.

Please can you tell which ones you use.

I'm working on being meds-free. Citalopram.

I am a self-diagnosed Aspie and take no medication except 100 mg Aspirin and generic TUMS occasionally when needed. It is not because I am anti-drug, I just do not seem to need them yet (knock on wood). I do have moderately high blood pressure, but have been trying to control that with changes to my diet and exercising more. The last time I needed a prescription drug was twenty years ago after a car accident (severe whiplash that lasted a week).

As for the drug-resistant bacteria problem mentioned previously, the actual problem lies with the misuse of the anti-bacterial compounds, not the drugs themselves. For instance, many people pick up hand soaps and cleaners that list being "anti-bacterial" on the label. Regular soaps can do the job, but the anti-bacterial ones must be better, right? They then use said product over and over again in their home. Yes, that kills bacteria, but there is a catch. Every time you kill off many bacteria on your hands (or other objects), there are usually a few that are left alive. If those living bacteria can adapt to this exposure to this particular drug, it becomes resistant to said drug exposure in the future. This happens in hospitals to give rise to MERSA and other very tough-to-kill infections, whereby immune-compromised individuals become infected. The same can be said of spray disinfectants, as well as prescription drugs that have been over used in this manner. Does this mean we need to stop all use of anti-bacterial compounds? No, but they should not be over used without reason. The more we mis-use these compounds, the more likely we will make a "superbug" that will be a terminator to weak individuals, regardless of what drugs we treat them with.

Currently pharmaceutical-free.

I do take a massive B6 and B-complex supplement. It seems to help with working memory and executive function.

I've done antidepressants. Flattening of affect made it easier to keep smiling, but I did not FEEL any better. I did not really expect to. SSRI's won't erase a depression; they just make it easier to get out of bed in the morning and function all day.

I've done antipsychotics. If they work for you, I'm glad. For me, it was a lobotomy in a bottle. A fate worse than death.

When my kids are older (ie not likely to die if I'm passed out on the couch), I'm going to make a trial of benzodiazepines. I'm functional. But I'm really sick and tired of being scared all the time. Xanax made my grandfather a much happier man. I wonder if it couldn't do the same for me.

If PA would legalize medical marijuana, I'd smoke again in a heartbeat. If I didn't get "high" out of the deal, that would be a bonus. I never did like the cotton-headed, helium-balloon feeling. I DID like the dampening of sensory hypersensitivity and anxiety that went with it. Amotivational syndrome was GOOD FOR ME.

I often wonder if that might be the case. I like to think I'm not very susceptible to unconscious suggestion. I tried sedatives once and I didn't notice any effect. Never tried antidepressants, as I've never classed myself as clinically depressed, just miserable at times. I think some antidepressants speed up parts of the brain, such as amphetamines, which would have a real effect of some kind on most people, and might make me more energetic, which could help pull me out of the gloom. When I'm miserable, I can't be bothered to do anything, and I try to rise out of it by forcing myself to get off my butt and do something. I figure if a person is actively engaged in trying to achieve their aspirations, they can't be depressed. A bit of chemical pep might make that easier, though I'd only try antidepressants if my misery got really bad. I'd worry about side effects.

I agree also that a lot of these drugs probably don't work on most people. My doctor recorded my use of sedatives as successful, though I didn't notice any effect. He asked if I was feeling less anxious, I said yes, and down it went as a positive result for the drug. If he'd just listened a bit longer instead of interrupting at that point, I would have told him that the environmental cause of the stress (a problem at work) had been resolved while I was doing the meds, and that I'd calmed down just after the problem was solved, so there was no evidence that the meds did anything. I always feel better when the external source of my anxiety is taken away. I didn't argue. I find it hard to challenge people, especially authority figures, so I only do it when I really need to, so I chose to let him stay in cloud cuckoo land and get his perk from the drug company, if that's what was motivating him. If he ever puts pressure on me to go back on the stuff, and cites their previous success, I intend to explain that the notes are wrong.

I don't take medication for mental health issues.

The only time that I take medication is painkillers for when I have ear infections (which are regular) or headaches. At the moment, I am taking prescribed antibiotics which is an ear spray for one of my ears which has helped a lot with my ear infections.