AS & Anxiety....

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Hi I suffer from Asperger's Syndrome which brings on severe anxiety and am only on Diazepam at the moment which isn't helping much. I would be interested to know what meds other users on this forum are on and do they help? Amounts (mg) would also be of interest.

I take Ativan for anxiety.It helps some,better than nothing.My pet was the best thing for my anxiety issues but he died and now I'm having a lot more problems with it. I live in a rural area that's really private so walking a lot helps.Or I start twisting my hair, I don't like to do this around anyone because it looks weird.

I have severe depression. My doctor put me on Risperidone, an anti-psychotic. I asked her why since I'm not psychotic (at least I think I'm not). She said it works well for those with my level of depression and also with symptoms of anxiety.

BTW, does Asperger's itself bring on severe anxiety? Maybe it's one of your comorbids.

I'm on 300 mg of Effexor XR for depression which helps greatly. I'm on 125 mg of Seroquil which makes me go to sleep and calms me down a bit and then I take 2 .5 Klonopins per day which really really helps with my social anxiety.

I also have Major Depression and GAD. I take Buspirone for the anxiety and a cocktail of other medicines for the depression.

I take 1-2 Clonazepams daily to help with anxiety, plus several other meds to help with bipolar depression.

Hi, I was formally diagnosed as Aspergers a few months ago, but had long suspected it.
Last year I suffered terrible anxiety attacks. Ringing phones would make me jump, cutlery on plates made my ears hurt and my heart was thumping as if I'd narrowly avoided a high speed collision.
My GP was keen to treat me with antidepressants, which I tried, however I found that SSRI's made me feel terrible whilst i 'settled in', in fact my symptoms were exacerbated, but worse still once I had settled in to the meds I felt mentally dulled plus a whole list of side effects that reduced my quality of life too.
When I finally managed to persuade my GP to refer me for ASD diagnosis I was also refered to a psychiatrist to seek advice regarding my anxiety issues and Buspirone was recommended.
For me Buspirone was wonderful. It didn't make me high, it didn't make me stoned, I felt just right. I could go to the supermarket without freaking out at the crowds and noise and I even travelled to London, during the rush hour, in a packed train. Whilst the train experience was not pleasant, at least I managed it without feeling as if my chest/ears/eyes were about to burst and the thought of experiencing a psychotic rage to get a little personal space did not occur!

When I had my Aspergers diagnosis I was also diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder and I've now been refered for cognitive behavioural therapy.
In the meantime life has settled down and currently I'm taking no meds, however if the anxiety returned I would not hesitate to request a prescription of Buspirone

For years my depression & anxiety was treated with SSRIs which made no difference. They thought my anxiety was a symptom of the depression, but according to the psychiatrist I've been seeing most recently I am not depressed and what was seen as depression was in fact symptomatic of my anxiety. The anxiety being something that stems from the ASD (not necessarily part of it, but related it to it if that makes sense).

Shortly after my ASD diagnosis my anxiety became something I couldn't deal with any more and I started having panic attacks and my GP (on advice from my psychiatrist) prescribed me diazepam to be taken as needed. It worked brilliantly, the only trouble being that "as needed" basically meant all the time. In the end they were concerned that I might become dependent so stopped that prescription.

I am now on a pretty hefty cocktail of drugs by order of my psychiatrist: lamotrigine (an anti-epileptic used as a mood stabiliser - 100 mg twice per day), amisulpride (an atypical anti-psychotic which also has a strong anti-depressant/anti-anxiety effect - 50mg twice per day) and promethezine (a sedative antihistamine which I take at night to get some relief from my anxiety and help me to sleep because lack of sleep just makes everything worse - 50mg each night).

I *hate* taking all these drugs. But there is no denying that I am calmer as a result and feel better than I have for many years. Just to sleep is a relief. It hasn't removed all my anxiety but I am able to cope with it better, and on days when I am particularly struggling it has been recommended that I take an additional amisulpride (50mg) or promethezine (25mg) if I feel I need it. So far, I haven't felt like I need it - which in itself is a sign that these drugs are working more than I like to admit.

I have also been referred for specialist psychotherapy and it has been recommended that I receive weekly support sessions from the local autistic society to help me better manage my anxiety and stress. Playing ukulele also helps!

I took buspar and imaprimaine )sp) when I was on it. I also have anxiety and it also stems from my my AS. I was told it's part of it too. I can see why it would be part of AS.

I felt buspar did nothing for me and I still had anxiety while on Imiparimine.

Whilst pot is illegal in the UK, I have read on more than one website that some Aspies find in very useful. I have found that I feel pretty ok when socializing after a couple of beers, to the point that I feel and enjoy being 'part of the group'. When sober I would usually avoid the group at all costs as I find the random chatter disorientating.

I had a tendancy to use alcohol as a means of socialising for years, unfortunately it took over my life, hence I'm a recovering alcoholic. Seven years sober, I sometimes especially recently am tempted to start drinking again.

I myself don't like alcohol much at all - 3 drinks is my maximum. I will sometimes drink one before playing a show because it helps me get "pumped up" and also because usually it's free.

To combat anxiety I've avoided alcohol - but I do use cannabis, which works well, and I've also had success with 5-HTP if I take 200mg doses of it.

I did use cannabis for a while in my teens but found myself becoming paranoid I'm very wary of the Skunk that's about these days as i believe it's much stronger. I have used stimulants (speed) in the past which helped me function but I know is definetly not good anxiety wise.