Medicating AS - depression and anxiety.

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Should I be considering medication?

What do YOU think of medicating for AS associated problems like depression and anxiety?
What have you found to work for you?

How about other treatments - diet, meditation, illegal drugs, over-the-counter treatments, herbal treatments, alternative therapies?
Bearing in mind as nice as it'd be it's impractical for me to spend all day stoned and in the lotus position!

I've 'regressed' in the last few years, I have mild-depression, but I've been wondering about anxiety. I don't feel more anxious on a day-to-day basis but obviously anxiety increases at certain times, also I suspect that although my anxiety is at a constant level, that my anxiety level is probably a lot higher than NT's. If my level of anxiety was lower perhaps I'd not have to worry so much about possible meltdowns in more stressful situations and I'd be able to function a little better.

I don't like taking medication at all, but I'm thinking maybe I should accept I'm far from 100% right now. Ideally the problems of anxiety and mild-depression would be best dealt with via therapy and a change in personal circumstances, but these things don't occur overnight - medication is not a quick-fix, but possibly a temporary band-aid.

Last edited by Bloodheart on 17 May 2011, 7:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Maybe you answered your own question? (Seriously -- I'm not being snarky here.)


Only when really necessary. When nothing else is working, and depression and anxiety are standing in the way of normal functioning (i.e., preventing you from doing something you really want to and can do). For me, AS was misdiagnosed as anxiety and depression for a looong time. So, when I should have been doing CBT or something like that, I was swallowing pills instead.


Depression meds (SSRIs) didn't really have any effect, and anxiety meds (benzos -- awful!) just made me more anxious in the long run. (LONG story.) After 3 1/2 years of trying to get off of them -- changing from Xanax to Klonopin and then tapering -- I'm getting close. Maybe by end-2011 I'll be completely done? Would have been so much better off getting some exercise and choosing a more reasonable profession and place to live, given my tendency toward anxiety.


I like the sounds of this a whole lot. Honestly, you seem like a really together girl. (Considering all of your posts ... not this one in isolation.) I'd be willing to bet that you can get to where you want to be without relying on medication.

Depression and anxiety aren't really AS-related problems. I mean, they are very common among NTs, too. I would be willing to bet that if you took a group of NTs and a group of autistics with similar stress levels, you would get similar levels of depression and anxiety as well.

That said: Don't automatically rule out medication. It can be useful. It's not a cure-all and it's not a silver bullet. The typical "good response" to medication isn't a drastic change at all; it's more just getting an edge that lets you recover more quickly and make better use of the skills you learn (possibly in therapy).

But just because you have depression or anxiety doesn't mean medication is necessary. With a mild case that's just starting, I'd see no reason to try medication as a first resort. On the other hand, you don't have to feel like you have to have a really bad case before medication makes sense. Most antidepressants are quite safe and trying them is a relatively easy and low-risk process.

Medications have never worked for me. Right now I feel like a failure and that everything I've ever done in my life has been a mediocre attempt at being accepted. I try to take my ADHD and depression meds, but I can never find any consistency in my life which results in me not remembering to take my meds and failing. Honestly I think all the meds I've tried have Seriously F**KED me up royally in the head and now I have no hope of leading a normal life. Don't take meds, just try to improve your quality of living through sheer willpower and maybe you'll be happy. That's what I think. At least your depression isn't as bad as mine. I'm beginning to think I might have Bi-polar II instead of regular depression.

Its really up to you if you should be considering that or not.......I personally use cannabis for depression and anxiety and it helps(though maybe it increases risks of other things cant completely rule that out) but its what makes me feel better so why not.

but it really is your choice, if nothing else seems to be helping and you think anti-depressants and such might help then I see nothing wrong with trying it........but it may not work and could make things worse like when I took anti-depressants.

I was prescribed paroxetine initially for anxiety but I didn't get on well with it, tbh I think it was too strong, so then I switched to citalopram and now I'm euphoric. I thought it was temporary but I had this really happy mood ever since the switch months ago. I don't think you should be scared to try meds. My GP says, if it will make you better isn't it worth it, but the thing is you have to try meds and trust yourself to say if you're not happy with it. Everyone is different in their sensitivity to different meds so if you have anxiety / depression there are loads of things you can try so just try and trust your judgement. SSRIs take ages to work so you have to persevere I think because I was floored the first few days I took paroxetine. Maybe suggest to your GP that you are worried you might be sensitive and would like to build up slow. But I wouldn't say to be scared to use drugs to make you feel better. If your brain is lacking a bit in certain chemicals, it's lacking a bit in certain chemicals... Think about what you want to say to your doctor or psych or whatever before you go and then see what they suggest. There's no wrong or right answer.

Focusing purely on anxiety.
[I'd say aspies are FAR more prone anxiety, and it's noted as an AS-specific problem by many sources]

If not medical - FYI after having been on a very mild dose of anti-depressant for migraines some years back and feeling like a zombie I have no desire for antidepressants (apparently I'm at high-risk of depression, but until then it's a no-no) - then how about other ways to take the edge off anxiety? Again, looking at diet, herbal, alternative, over-the-counter?

Transition-related anxiety and neophobia do tend to be associated with AS specifically.

Other types of anxiety issues are more common on the spectrum but only to the degree that people on the spectrum deal with situations that would cause that same kind of anxiety in any human being... For example, anyone exposed to a similar amount of social ostracism and culture-shock would be as vulnerable to social phobia as someone with AS is...

Statistically, yeah, anxiety's more common on the spectrum. But I still haven't seen any proof that the higher prevalence of anxiety disorders is due to autism alone. People with autism are exposed much more often than NTs to things that would also cause anxiety in those NTs; and when you take a group of autistic people and a group of NTs with similar circumstances and stress levels as the autistic people, I think you would find very similar levels of anxiety disorders and depression in both groups. It's a fine distinction but, I think, an important one. It means that anxiety/depression are not "built in" the way your autistic cognition and perception are, and can be solved just like they can be solved for NTs who deal with them.

I've been taking a herbal med (containing St John's Wort, Ginseng and Ginkgo) for about a month. I think it's helping with my mood. I'm somehow able to let a few things wash over me that would normally irritate greatly, but it could be mind over matter. However, I've heard a few people saying St John's Wort made them worse, so I would recommend caution, if you're thinking about it.

I did not respond well to the anti depressant citalopram but I did improve on prozac. I no longer take either of those. I take a low dose (50mg) of Seroquel for insomnia but it also helps with anxiety and depression. I have been having some side effects from it though. And I'm no longer finding it as helpful as it once was 1 year ago when I first starting it.

I hate to have to rely on medication so I am going to try come off it. I do believe relying on cannabis can be just as bad if not worse then a prescription drug like Seroquel.

I'm taking effexor -- its good and bad. Good that it helps a lot of my social anexity and depression, bad that I don't get as lost in my special activities as much as I used to. That and missing a dose is really bad -- sucky physical withdrawl symptoms.

I'm on the same and it has helped me a lot too.

However, in the long term, I want to be able to cope with life without the aid of medication. Guess only time will tell if that is possible.

I've have moderate depression, on and off, my whole life. It feeds into my AS, but it's not the same thing.

I've gone back on SSRIs, after having not taken them in nearly 3 years. This now means I've got to drink less. They have side effects, but they are worth it for moderate depression and sometimes OCD. The thing about mild 'depression' for me, is that it always gets worse. I can feel myself slipping further and further into depression, unless I do something chemical. SSRIs work better than Saint John's Wort, which isn't worth the money. The side-effects might not be worth it, depending on how depressed you are.

I took a lot of codeine and smoked (tobacco) a lot for a few years. Not worth getting into either of those things. Quit both of them now. Alcohol I drank fairly regularly when not on SSRIs, but mostly not to excess (though I went through a period of drinking way too much). Alcohol really bites you in the bum if you do it regularly when depressed.

II wouldn't recommend any of it to other people, but I will say that SSRIs, despite the bad press, can help you if you need them.

Meditation didn't help with my depression. It's okay as a practice in its own right, though. CBT did not work at all.

Last edited by puddingmouse on 18 May 2011, 5:36 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I have recently started Buspar and it has helped my anxiety (and by proxy depression) immensely. I really, really dislike meds, and was not wanting to try any again after being on so many ineffective ones yrs ago. My downward spiral over the last year made me go to my last resort, which was meds and I am glad I did. I just wish I didn't wait so long. Things are so much calmer and clearer in my head.

QFT

I am not anti-medication. But when the side effects are worse then the actual symptoms, why would I take it. I am in the process of getting off of luvox. Lets see constant sweating, shaking, fatigue. My body is all red with rashes and hives. Interferes with certain manly functions. And I vomit when I work or exercise too hard.

I'll take the anxiety thank you.