What Medication or Holistic Therapy works for Asperger Syndr

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Can you answer specifically what symptoms you are interesting in treating?

You cannot treat aspergers per say, but you can treat conditions you experience such as depression, anxiety, lethargy, confusion,
procrastination, low energy, trouble sleeping, gastrointestinal issues, etc... with nutrition, natural supplements, herbs, exercise and/or pharmaceuticals.

I cannot speak to the pharmaceuticals, I have no experience with them. I am a wannabe Nutritionist/Clinical Health Psychologist --I'm taking prerequisite classes now to prepare for that Master degree.

If you have the money or the insurance coverage, I suggest you see a Naturopath specializing in treating autistic people. You can find them under DAN (Defeat Autism Now) on the net.

People will probably jump down my throat for suggesting this because there is a defensiveness around the idea of being cured. I totally understand that. And I agree. Noone wants to be told that there is something wrong with who they are, and they are unacceptable as they are and must change. And I wish they didn't name themselves that as a group, it's an ugly name.

So, I'm not suggesting that you seek out a DAN doc in the hopes of being cured. I'm suggesting you see someone who understands the complexity of autism-- the interrelationship of neurology, biology, and behavior--and can help you find support to feel better, removing or reducing the severity of conditions that get in the way of living.

They can help you strengthen your immune system, find out about vitamin/mineral deficiencies, detect hidden or obvious allergies/food intolerances, etc... These are things that can help anybody be healthier, but especially for highly sensitive people like you.

There are books on the subject, too, but if you don't have experience I strongly recommend seeing a naturopath to guide you safely.

I see one for my son, and we never talk about curing his autism, only about helping him function better. He has autism, but he no longer experiences the spacing out he once did, the intense melt downs, intense stimming, he's able to focus easier.

My husband, who is very very very skeptical about western naturopathic medicine, worried about giving him supplements for years. Finally, I took our son off of the supplements he's on completely for 4 months. My husband is the one who suggested he go back on them--he saw for himself how they helped.

While I agree with many posters that acceptance goes a long way, if you have an extreme Vit. D deficiency no amount of acceptance is going to change that. What we eat, and what's going on biologically does have an effect on our minds. But you have to experience the difference to know.

I, myself, cannot cope with eating junk food, especially sugar. I'm a totally different person when I am eating the Standard American Diet and when I am eating "medicinally": no sugar, gluten, dairy or any processed foods whatsoever. Many people get away with it and function (maybe not optimally, but they function). I simply cannot. I am wired sensitively.

Anyway, that's my encouragement to you that there are things you can do coupled with acceptance for who you are.

Let us know if you find something that works for you.

Don't listen to the people who tell you to try antipsychotics (Risperdal, Seroquel, Zyprexa, stuff like that). They function by blocking dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in desire, movement and psychosis. Their only success in "treating" autism has been in children, and that wasn't really "success" so much as "making them too tired to think, let alone do anything the parents don't want." That's all the benefit you'll be getting in exchange for side-effects like permanent disfiguring tics, extreme sleepiness (that's not a bug, that's a feature), weight gain, etc.

There's no evidence that you have issues with dopamine. If someone prescribes you an antipsychotic for autism, run, do not walk, to another doctor. (The exception would be if you have issues with anxiety, psychosis, mania or insomnia, things that antipsychotics actually TREAT, and then only if you're willing to risk lifelong impairment to be rid of your symptoms. These things are not autism, though, so it's not what you asked.)

*shrug* If you have an illness, you should treat it. Autism isn't an illness, but its negatives could be exacerbated by illness, so in that sense a biochemical "treatment" is possible-- but not if you're otherwise healthy. (As a rule, though, we aren't, so it's worth a shot. Vitamin B metabolism might be iffy-- there are horror stories about autistics who go under and don't wake up because their stores are so exhausted that they just die. Then again, I heard those horror stories from my mother, who tried to take me to a homeopath to cure my Asperger's when I was little. )

Not a doctor, but you asked a question about my special interest.

Yeah, what Dandylion said.

Vyanase is a supposedly less abusable version of Adderall which is amphetamine. Adderal works like a miracle on one of my kids for ADHD. It's not a treatment for ASDs, but for ADHD which is fairly common among folks with ASDs. My oldest son goes psychotic on Adderal, nearly had to have him detoxed proffesionally it was so bad. He did OK on Focalin for ADHD until it started aggravating his mood disorder issues. For anxiety, which is also common among folks with ASDs there are plenty of choices, but sometimes therapy works better. I'm not opposed to pills but they all have their down sides and I think behavioral therapies should always be involved in some degree. Environmental and lifestyle changes like a healthy diet, learning when to seek solitude, and seeking accepting relationships are also good ways to develop a healthy viable lifestyle. If you are a very anxious person vast amounts of caffeine and a poor diet are probably not your best friends.

There aren't any cures or drugs for ASDs but there are all sorts of ways of dealing with symptoms. If you are a very social outgoing person who suffers from severe social anxiety then pills to help you relax so you can enjoy the social life you want can be a great option. Some Aspies prefer not to go that way and enjoy a more solitary life. There's no one right way.