Anti-depressants for depressed Aspies?

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I'm looking for a good anti-depressant for depressed Aspies. I don't want an anti-psychotic (because they make me gain weight), but please still share your stories if you want to suggest one.

I was thinking about Wellbutrin, since it makes people lose weight.

I have such a terrible, deep, life ruining depression right now. I'm getting headaches, only a few hours of sleep a night, dizziness, nausea, body weakness and aches, anhedonia (the joy killing disease), suicidal ideation, thoughts f killing myself, utter hopelessness. When I look into my future, I see a black pit with work. I can't even comprehend what it would be like to work at a job where it never ends!

I don't think I can handle school as of right now. It overwhelms me to just post this, how am I supposed to write for an english class?

I can't concentrate at all.

This started about 6 years ago. And everyone started putting down my interests and hobbies. Eventually, I stopped enjoying anything. I feel like nothing about me is good enough. Everything about me must be boring, because that's what people say. I'm not good enough. All these things people told me have really just sunk in, I've come to realize.

Any suggestions, med suggestions (preferably without weight gain, but any suggestions will be appreciated) will really help. I'm going to die in this black hole soon fi it doesn't change.

Please help

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Battle Angel Alita

What you describe sounds like some sort of physical/bodily/metabolic imbalance, affecting everything.

What sort of diet do you eat?

Diet has a massive effect on mental health, both mood and cognitive function, aswell as on sleep patterns, energy levels, and more physical problems such as headaches, nausea, aches and pains, etc.

Try cutting out or down on carbohydrates, especially glutenous grains/cereals ( wheat, rye, etc ), and sugars, ( both sucrose as in table-sugar, and fructose, in high-fructose corn syrup, sweet fruits, fruit juice, and many soft drinks etc ).

Are there any foods that you crave, have to eat each morning, or at most meals? That is often a sign of food intolerance and/or addiction to the food opioid peptides present in gluten ( wheat ), and casein ( dairy ).

What you describe sounds like a whole-body problem, and could be the result of food intolerance, ( to gluten and or casein, or corn or other food that you eat lots of ), and/or fructose malabsorption, or other intestinal issues, and the chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies and serious metabolic disorders ( eg. of the thyroid, ), that can result from those over time.

Make sure that you're getting enough saturated fats each day, ( cholesterol is important for mental health ), and enough meat, fish or eggs, at least two full-portions a day, ( because animal protein is the best source of zinc and tryptophan, both of which are essential for mental health, both mood and cognitive functioning ), and try and make at least one meal a day carbohydrate-free, no sugars or starchy foods at all, because as many as 40% of the population have some degree of fructose malabsorption and this prevents your intestines from absorbing zinc and tryptophan, among other things.

Good luck and best wishes. The right food is one of the most powerful anti-depressants available.
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i've been on escitalopram for four years and it may have saved my life. Not only am i not depressed anymore, it also pretty much cured my OCDs and i have much less social anxiety problems. And i'm on a very low dose.

PS. If you can't face making any dietary changes, ( or are vegan or vegetarian for any reason, and so don't want to eat meat and fish, and/or can't cut down on carbohydrates without going short on calories ), then try a mega-multi-vitamin and mineral supplement, one which includes zinc, vitamin D, B12, and B6, because a deficiency in these is particularly likely to impact on your mental health aswell other things.

But for tryptophan, which is essential for the production of serotonin, ( regulates mood, sleep cycles, etc ), you would probably have to get another supplement, perhaps through a doctor.

The best natural recipe for good mental health though is at least one sizeable serving of meat or fish daily, ( esp oily fish because of the vitamin D ), eggs if you are veggie, and as few carbohydrates as possible.

You mention weight loss a couple of times. Are you overweight? That can also indicate a metabolic imbalance, food intolerance and/or addiction, ( especially to gluten ), and fructose malabsorption.

Again, good luck.
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should have mentioned that escitalopram can give some side effects. It's not a 'miracle pill'. Side effects can be mouth dryness, head aches, diseaness etc. But most side effects tend to go away after a while

I need pills!! I'm so godamn depressed beyond imaginable but I don't look it enough to be allowed pills!! !

I began taking St. John's Wort a few days ago, and that is definitely making a difference for me. A doctor had prescribed Citalopram, but I knew its side effects would be unbearable for me. Then, I am also taking "Calm", a powdered magnesium supplement meant to address the matter of calcium in cells ... but I do not know where my wife has that brochure with its details.

I have been on zoloft, paxil, wellbutrin and st. johns wort. I take 1/2 the regular dose as I cannot tolerate the full dose.
I like st. johns wort the best.

My friend takes Wellbutrin and she says it does wonders for her. I think I might even try it if it were available where I live, though I am trying to go the non-pharmaceutical route. I'm not a fan of antidepressants, generally speaking, and I would prefer to correct my problems than to mask them with drugs. Which isn't to say that I think it is wrong or bad or inferior for other people to use them (see above coment, RE: Wellbutrin), if that is how I am coming across.

As a teenager, I tried Paxil, and found it to be horrible. It caused akathisia, which I found painful and constantly frustrating and made me want to cry. It also worsened my insomnia and made me feel suicidal, though the last one might have been because of the other side effects. I did feel less depressed on it, in that I was experiencing less intense negative emotions, but I didn't feel like I was properly feeling anything, either. I would laugh and smile and feel no joy. I was also more able to talk to people, but I didn't feel like it was me who was talking.

I also tried Zoloft, but I don't remember much about it, only that I didn't think it was really benefiting me in any way. I believe Zoloft does not cause weight gain like other SSRIs do, but I could be wrong on that.

I'm sorry to hear you're suffering so badly. You should talk with a psychiatrist. If you're open and clear about what is wrong and what you are looking for (and not looking for) in a medication, they can be very helpful.

Thanks for all the support, guys. I realized tonight that all my recent insanely intense depression was a depression meltdown. It is described in the book "Aspergirls" by Rudy Simone.

I thought it was hypoglycemia, my mom thought it was the flu, but all the following symptoms of a depression meltdown describe what I have been going through for the past week; stomach pain, nausea, exhaustion, headaches, dizziness, and weakness in my body.

It can last for weeks, and right now, for me, the depression meltdown is still going strong.

This is so frustrating. I just toured an apartment I could start renting (which should be a good thing), and all I can think about is how I'll be alone 24/7, and no one will listen to me about it. They keep blowing me off.

I'm morbidly miserable still, and I seem to be having these more frequently in the last 6 months. They are absolutely crushing, but not permanent, so a med would only be a temporary thing. Where is the solution?!

I've tried every spectrum of ante-depressants under the sun, and they all make me go into rages. I do have dythsmic depression and anhedonia, but how can those be fixed when AD's make me fly into rages? Plus I have insomnia, and AD's make that worse.

Mood stabilizers only make me gain massive weight before they are at a therapeutic level, anti-psychotics are worse, though. They also make me feel dead and dull mentally and emotionally.

I know when my dythsmic depression started, I just don't know why. It was 6 years ago. And now I am dead inside all the time. It keeps getting worse.

But I really appreciate the advice and support from everyone so far. More would always be welcome ='(

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Battle Angel Alita

have you ever thought about not taking anti depressants ?

strattera was the best thing for me, until my GERD acted up. since then i have managed via mental/psychological hygiene.