Recommended Meds for Aspergers Sufferers (UK)

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Ive never taken medication to boost/enhance my mood, but am not seriously thinking of such a method.

What meds would people recommend in order to boost self-esteem/depressive states?

I thought that, with having aspergers, that stuff like medication would affect us aspies differently coz we are 'wired up differently' to your NTs?

I know that my doctors have warned me off anti-psychotic medication because I did have major side effects (paranoia and psychosis) from taking them. I have been on Citalopram for a long while now. It no longer works, but if it is used as just a short term mood lifter it is very good and I experience few side effects. The only one I really notice all the time is a slightly dry mouth. You are right though because a lot of people with ASD get strange side effects from taking drugs. I can't take sedatives because it makes me hyper!

Sedatives make aspies hyper?

Thats an odd effect of sedatives...it like defeats the purpose of the drug...

Does anyone know of any meds in which side effects would not impact on a working lifestyle?

Why do you want to be chemically addicted to such drugs if you do not truly need them? From my experience, ALL psychiatrists
are drug dealers...

If someones brain is over-active it has the effect of making that person looking sedated. When such people take sedatives, it can make them appear normal, or even hyper depending on the individual.

I doubt it's an aspie thing, but abilify caused my liver to stop working

I do not have Asperger's however I do have a problem with medications being reversed for me. I do have ADHD and things like Dayquil make me horribly loopy, but Niquil is fine. Stratera is a felony level stimulant, but I never felt excited on it, it did help me focus. Unfortunately it also made me feel as if bugs were crawling through my hair! So I stick to caffeine. I have one or two drinks a day (tea usually instead of soda or coffee).

So if you feel you need medication I would go with the lowest dose of the mildest thing your doctor can offer.

My son takes Respiradol in a small dose. It does not make him a zombie which we made a top priority for anything he would be taking.

I've been taking 5-HTP for over a year now, and I've found it really is the best thing. Check it out on wiki, it naturally supplies the brain with what it needs to produce sufficient seratonin, instead of chemically trying to trap what little there is in it.

Antidepressants e.g. fluoxetine.

I honestly wouldn't recommend psych meds unless you have another disorder than just Asperger's. I mean, yes, Asperger's can be disabling; but it's a developmental disorder, not a mental illness--think about cerebral palsy or Down syndrome; autism is in the same sort of category in that it's the way your brain is made, not some kind of craziness that has to be fixed. The best approach for AS has always been and will always be a decent environment and education that lets you tap into your strengths.

Why not medication? Well, simple: When the side effects outweigh the benefits, it's not worth it; and in this case the benefits are slight if they exist at all, and the side effects can be worse than for most people (anecdotally, we often do overreact to psych meds).

If you do have some other mental illness, though, psych meds can be useful. Anxiety disorders and depression are more likely to occur with AS than most things, but there's other things that can also pop up, from bipolar disorder to eating disorders... those things do often respond to meds.

I shouldn't say that medication is never useful for AS; in a few isolated cases, it can be. In the case of a comorbid mental illness--I had depression a few times, and the last time I recovered quickly thanks to psychiatric medication, in part--it can be downright indispensable. It's just that many other things are so much more useful, and medication can just cover up an underlying issue.

Good nutrition and a relaxed lifestyle with activities you enjoy (some of them should be physically active) will do a lot more good than medication. In my experience, an Aspie tends to do a great deal better when unneeded stress is removed--even if it's something as simple as buying paper plates and cutlery so you have to do fewer dishes, or buying a dog so you have someone to talk to who doesn't mind you being socially clumsy (and forces you to get out and take him on walks besides).

I agree with Callista, meds isn't an answer to all, and for AS itself, theres honestly no 'need.'

However, for specific aspects/disorders and stuff meds can be a godsend. Like for anxiety, anti-anxiety can help a tonne, same for anti-depressants and such.

I rebelled taking anti-depressants for my depression for years, finally got on it, first didn't work. Second sorta worked, thens witched to current one, and it is a wonder. Things have picked up so much since then, and it has almost changed my life, so definitely worth it. Even with the restless leg syndrome side-effect.

I also have some anti-anxiety (Clonzepam or w/e it is) stuff for special cases (prescribed fro interviews, because I'd fret over it for weeks in advanced, and nearly pass out during), and while I hate resorting to such things.... it definitely helps. Just last week I had a job interview, was freaking out entire week before, lost hours of sleep, coudln't think of answers to qeustions, couldn't focus on class. Skipped classes that day, and some day before. Took some of the anti-anxiety (low dose) the morning of, and suddenly calmed down, and was able to focus on questions, and think clear minded and not freak out about it. Drove up there, took full dose (rest of it) for it, and went in. It was still really scary, but dealable (helped that they were very nice). And guess what... I GOT THE JOB!! !!

Honestly, if I didn't take those meds, I wouldn't have had the courage to go, and probably would have clammed up on them, and quite possibly passed out on them (I almost passed out on a MOCK interview), so because of them... I was able to get a job out of it.

However, that is all I use them for, I try to deal with life normally otherwise, just extreme circumstances will I resort to medication to help me along.

Hmm... Well, i've been on Paxil/Paroxetine since i was in middle school pretty much, and it's helped A LOT with social anxiety. So, i think that antidepressants can be helpful for things that might stem from having AS, but not AS itself. It also helped with some OCD-like obsessive things i did. But, of course, i'm still just as obsessive, in my thoughts, about things as ever. Those little anxiety-driven rituals and stuff aren't things that i get stuck on much anymore, though. And, of course, it's helped with depression too. But it's not going to get rid of any MAIN AS "symptoms"... It can't change your wiring. It'll just help with the secondary ones that might be caused by having a hard time coping in society.. Like serotonin imbalances or whatever.

I'm also on Ritalin... Mainly because i tend to be pretty sluggish and end up wanting to take naps during the day all the time, and it helps me to stay alert. It also seems to have given me more drive to want to get things done. So i guess that kind of thing could possibly help if you're the kind of person who has problems getting focused on things outside of your special interests.

dont take meds. Use natural remedies! They dont contain soul destroying chemicals, and they do help! Try some herbal remedies, such as lavender for sleep, or mint tea to calm yourself down.

Anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds, though I agree don't take them if you don't need them.

Take multivitamins. Coffee helps me get focused but with others it can make them sleepy or too hyper.

I take anti-depressants and even though I didn't take it for depression it's made me a better person, according to my mum at least.

Oh yes, and eat well.

I guess some Aspies. It is known that children should no t be given benzodiazepines (sedatives) because of the risk of paradoxical effects (ie. agitation/hyperness). I myself don't get hyper from them and know many Aspies who don't.

Thanks for the responses.

I also failed to add that I do have a secondary diagnosis of having full-blown Social Anxiety, which a lot of my fears originate through.

I am planning a visit to GPs in coming weeks, and am openminded to all forms of therapy, whether counselling or tablets.

I notice that people have very strong opinions about prescribed medication versus natural remedies. I'd like to point out simply that both are the same thing: chemicals. The concentration and purity is the major difference. And I'm unclear as to how chemicals, which is what food also consists of, damages the spirit.

Examples:
St. John's Wort: It's an MAO inhibitor, which is to say it is in the same class as the earliest antidepressants.
5-HTP: This is the chemical halfway between tryptophan and serotonin. Unlike tryptophan, it can cross the blood-brain barrier, so you can get more into your brain, though drinking a lot of milk or eating a lot of turkey (both high in tryptophan) would have a similar effect.

I'm all for avoiding meds when there is no benefit, or when the cost outweighs the benefit. But I'm among those Aspies who have seizures and sensory issues, so meds are very beneficial for me. If I could get the same benefit from an OTC chemical, I'd go that route. But no such OTC remedy exists, so I take my meds and have a better quality of life.