Meds worth it?

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Anxiety is not a part of Aspergers. Its not part of the DSM. Anxiety is a co-morbid condition that some Aspies have. Dope yourself up all you want as I really don't care. I know lots of people that take SSRI's and they are the most bizarre people I have ever seen after they start taking the drugs. I even know a psychiatrist who takes 3 SSRI's plus Gabapentin and talk about one weirded out chick after she got on the meds. And no she's not my psych I just happened to meet her at dinner when a friend introduced me and I thought OMG she's a medical professional after she asked to meet for dinner privately some time later and I got to see her for who she is. She also does narcotics. A coworker former friend also relied heavily on SSRIs but also did ecstacy and pot and she's in nursing school. I can't say it looked like SSRI's were helping them.

You're just fooling yourself though if you think any chemical will cure you. On another note I read the other day that you can use Benedryl to treat Anxiety which maybe people should try before going to the hard core stuff that turns some people psychotic. If its true that SSRIs don't put people in a drug stupor why then do people that take those drugs sit and space out and even drool sometimes and never say a word to others or they just sit and cry and breakdown if they can't get ahold of their therapist on the phone at the drop of a hat? You can't say the drug is helping people if they act like that.

Anxiety is too part of Aspergers or else we'll mind as well say sensory issues isn't part of it, nor is dyspraxia, or depression, and OCD.


But all of those can be separate from AS.

None of those are part of Aspergers. Those are all conditions that can exist along with Aspergers. But its not a part of the Aspergers diagnostic criteria. Anxiety is a separate disorder from Aspergers though its not to say you can't have both. Do you not understand what a co-morbid condition means?

ASPERGER's DISORDER (DSM IV Diagnostic Criteria)

DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES
The essential features of Asperger's Disorder are:
Criterion A. Severe and sustained impairment in social interaction
Criterion B. The development of restricted, repetitive patterns of
behaviour, interests, and activities
Criterion C. The disturbance must cause clinically significant impairment
in social, occupational, or other important areas of
functioning.
Criterion D. In contrast to Autistic Disorder, there are no clinically
significant delays in language (eg: single words are used
by age 2 years, communicative phrases are used by age 3
years).
Criterion E. There are no clinically significant delays in cognitive
development or in the development of age-appropriate
self-help skills, adaptive behaviour (other than in social
interaction), and curiosity about the environment in
childhood.
Criterion F. The diagnosis is not given if the criteria are met
for any other specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or
for Schizophrenia.

ASSOCIATED FEATURES AND DISORDERS
Asperger's Disorder is sometimes observed in association with general medical conditions. Various nonspecific neurological symptoms or signs may be noted. Motor milestones may be delayed and motor clumsiness is often observed.

PREVALENCE
Information on the prevalence of Asperger's Disorder is limited, but it appears to be more common in males.

COURSE
Asperger's Disorder appears to have a somewhat later onset than Autistic Disorder, or at least to be recognised somewhat later. Motor delays or motor clumsiness may be noted in the preschool period. Difficulties in social interaction may become more apparent in the context of school. It is during this time that particular idiosyncratic or circumscribed interests (eg: a fascination with train schedules) may appear or be recognised as such. As adults, individuals with the condition may have problems with empathy and modulation of social interaction. This disorder apparently follows a continuous course and, in the vast majority of cases, the duration is lifelong.

FAMILIAL PATTERN
Although the available data are limited, there appears to be an increased frequency of Asperger's Disorder among family members of individuals who have the disorder.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
Asperger's Disorder is not diagnosed if criteria are met for another Pervasive Developmental Disorders or for Schizophrenia. Asperger's Disorder must also be distinguished from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Schizoid Personality Disorder. Asperger's Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder share repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour. In contrast to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Asperger's Disorder is characterised by a qualitative impairment in social interaction and a more restricted pattern of interests and activities. In contrast to Schizoid Personality Disorder, Asperger's Disorder is characterised by stereotyped behaviours and interests and by more severely impaired social interaction.

DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR ASPERGER'S DISORDER (DSM IV)

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction,
as manifested by at least two of the following:

1) marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviours such
as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures
to regulate social interaction;

2) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental
level;

3) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests or
achievments with other people (eg: by a lack of showing, bringing,
or pointing out objects of interest to other people);

4) lack of social or emotional reciprocity.

B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests,
and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

1) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and
restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity
or focus;

2) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines
or rituals;

3) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (eg: hand or finger
flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements);

4) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language
(eg: single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by
age 3 years).

E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in
the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behaviour
(other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in
childhood.

F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental
Disorder, or Schizophrenia.

There's a huge difference between being over medicated and being medicated properly. What you are describing is someone who is over medicated.

According to popular belief, ritalyn can make you feel like a zombie. This is true, I was like this when my dosage was too high, and made sure to get it corrected as soon as I could.

Strattera can be just as horrible. I really don't think the drug companies do enough research on some of these before they market them. Strattera makes it where you can concentrate somewhat, but can't sleep, irritability, headache, tiredness, depresssed, feel even more isolated, don't know who you are anymore, can't deal with daily things, and this is all on an extreemly low dose.

But that is YOUR experience. That doesn't mean that will be everyone's experience.

I have no desire to be cured of my aspiness. I want to feel and function well enough to do the things I want to do. Meds help.



Ha ha. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) inhibits reuptake of serotonin. SSRIs are the product of rational drug design based on diphenhydramine. That is, they synthesized compounds with molecular structures similar to that of diphenhydramine and looked for one that would only inhibit serotonin reuptake. That'd be the 'selective' bit in 'Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor.' The point of this was to get one that would work better against depression and anxiety and have fewer side effects. Diphenhydramine has anticholinergic effect, which is why it makes many people clumsy, stupid, sleepy and forgetful. People take it as a sleeping pill because of that.

Not that it's a bad idea for occassional anxiety, but sheesh, if you've got constant anxiety and don't want to be zombified all the time, get something that does that as a primary effect, not a side.



The drooling you are probably just making up, SSRIs cause dry mouth very often, and I am a huge freak in that mine made me slobber for a week. Spacing out is an unwanted side effect that probably won't last and if it does means the meds need adjusting. Sitting and crying and having anxiety attacks are symptoms of depression and anxiety, and there you're just blaming the meds for the condition. The meds didn't do that; they're not working.

I personally don't think so.
But it really depends on why you are taking them in the first place.
Let's assume you take meds for symptoms of Anxiety and OCD.
Let's furthermore assume that there are benefits.
You reduce your anxiety, compulsive actions, and some tics and stims, to boot.
What is the trade-off?

Anecdotal reports of people on meds that I've known tell me that they feel flat, grey, numb, "checked-out", empty, etc.
It lines up with that sense of "losing self".
I myself took Paxil for anxiety issues for almost a year, and felt much the same way.
Sure I didn't get as nervous around people. I also hardly felt anything at all around people.

I'm going to get a bit abstract here:
I think that a lot of psychiatric medication forces "you" to exist on the drug's flat-lined wavelength, as opposed to "you" experiencing all the natural rhythms of life, even if that rhythm is choppy and disrupted by mental issues you may have.

I see it as being unnatural. An interference or meddling in realms of Nature we should not be in.

Of course, if you are dealing with a SERIOUSLY debilitating condition, and need medication in order to carry out the basic functions of life, then yes of course it may be necessary.

But otherwise, I just think the trade-off is not worth it.

Aspergers(autism) is a neurological condition. The medical and scientific community have little knowledge of the conditions working except for behavioural criteria to identify the condition. I'm sure there are people with AS and seperate mental health disorders. Perhaps we should use the term autism spectrum disorder when referring to this discussion since some cannot move past the behavioural criteria of AS.

My psychiatrist lists GAD, OCD, ADHD and depression as comorbid with my AS. We both believe these are extensions of my Aspergers and not seperate disorders. He lists the comorbid disorders to assist other medical professionals in understanding my overall health status.

Until there is more awareness and knowledge of exactly how AS/autism impacts on a persons well-being there are no definitive answers in relation to comorbidity.

Disappointing when people attempt to shove their views and beliefs onto others in the manner of insults and derogatory comment.

If I have a migraine I take painkillers. If I sprain my ankle I rest it.

If anxiety or physiological symptomes of stress are too much, I go and (benefits of a good doctor who knows I know my stuff) take a course of whatever is most suited to the situation. So yeah, when the chest pains are too bad, I ask for beta blockers(which I can take or not take as needed), recently a short term issue (like exam stress) I asked for and got a small supply of Diazepam. (which stopped me going into full blown hysteria...however I still swore like Joe Pesci and threw a few hissy fits)

I don't believe this is medicating myself out of Aspergers- this is dealing with other transient issues when they occur. Maybe some of these issues arise because I have an ASD, in that I obsess, don't recognise my feelings etc, don't "talk things out" with friends, however I would not take anything long term for ASD in itself, and even if/when such treatments are devised I'm still unsure. I'd rather be prescribed some nice friends and some new good books.

However, if other issues overlie the symptomology of ASD, such as innattentiveness, depression etc and this is a barrier to functioning "normally" as a person with ASD, if people choose for themselves to adress this with specific medications for these other issues then I hope it works for them. BUT, it should be a choice. And if it doesn't help, not to be persisted with....

Calm down ticker. I've had Anxiety because of social situations and due to my upbringing of wanting to be alone I came to my own decisions. One of which was that I didn't matter, which caused me to have extreme anxiety - extreme anxiety led to depersonalization which led to fear which led to more anxiety which led to more depersonalization which led me to become more aspie in nature because I couldn't handle being social when I couldn't even feel like I was there.

So I tryed a few meds, so a few didn't work... so, I still have anxiety - so i'm not taking anything for it. So I've been slipping further and further into a depersonalized state...

Make any sense? For myself the trade off between grasping reality and giving up my world (which is turned inwards) seems quite hard. I want to be better but at the same time shattering my world makes me someone who I am not. If that makes sense... My own inward world is happier than trying to become one with the outer world and live life.