Studies on effects of antidepressants on those with an ASD?

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Just wondering if anyone knows of any studies of how antidepressants specifically affect those with an ASD? Side-effects, etc?

Thanks

I am 13, male, and have Aspergers.

I have been taking the antidepressant "Zoloft" (75 mg) once a day for half a year now, for my OCD.

The side effects that it gives me are:

Mellowing out my mood,
Gives me more control over my emotions,
Lessens my OCD immensely,
Makes me shake my feet when I am sitting down (like right now),
And some other SE that I can not think of right now.

I am thinking of going on anti-depressants, but I keep putting it off because I'm worried about the side effects. I don't want my sleep pattern or digestion to be affected, because I've never had any issues with sleep or digestion, no matter how depressed I am.

I am very depressed though. I tick ALL the boxes under depression. I just can't stop listening to all these thoughts in my head, and it's making me get distracted from reading and following TV programmes and music. Yes I do tell other people about my feelings, but I can't keep on harping on because people only want to hear so much.

I don't even know what I am depressed about. I have a part-time job with perfect hours. I have a few friends to see. I have a loving family. I am healthy. I've got SOME social skills to count on. I am generally liked and don't get bullied. I think I'm just depressed because I hate having AS so much, and I don't know how to accept it. Saying ''I'm awesome!'' isn't going to work.

Im sorry I don't know of any articles but I can help you based on personal experience.

I have been on Cipralex (Escitalopram) for OCD and Generalized anxiety disorder.

Things I have noticed

-More spontaneous speech (This is a plus for people with ASD as it has improved my relationships with people substantially)
-Feel relaxed
-Less rumination
-Noticeable mood lift

Things that have not changed:
- Compulsions ( I think Exposure and response therapy is the only thing that will help this, in other words I have to make an effort to stop them)
- Anxiety attacks that last for hours (Shaking, sweating, light headed, queasy, on edge, uncomfortable) The anxiety attacks are not caused by Cipralex

For anxiety attacks I started taking Ativan...luckily these attacks only happen once in a while so I take as needed...I don't know weather these are panic attacks or anxiety attacks...but it is extremely uncomfortable.

I just started Zoloft 50mg today, and all I feel so far is sleepy and a headache, so I'll have to get back to you on how it works out. (I hope these side effects don't stick around. >.<) I've heard good things about them though, especially Zoloft, so who knows, it might be worth a shot!

I've not been able to find articles.

So, I'm speaking/writing from my experience only.

I was put on Zoloft for panic attacks in '06. Immediately I started it for months I had daily panic attacks and my stomach was very upset. My body did adapt to it though and the side-effects stopped. I experienced less panic attacks, but when I did have a panic attack it was very strong. So, in '08, I came off it. I tapered like my doctor said I should. I experienced many effects from stopping the medication. I always felt like I had a cold, tiredness, was hot and cold, body pains, heady and feeling faint and nauseous, very strong emotions. I thought the symptoms I was experiencing was due to a family crisis we were having and I wasn't coping well with. The crisis ended and I still had symptoms. I saw my doctor and he said I had fibromyaliga and said antidepressants at low dosage helped with it, so reluctantly in '10 I went back on. The symptoms stopped.

Last year I came off the anti-depressants again, by tapering again, and am experiencing much the same symptoms. I have done some research and now believe I'm experiencing SSRI discontinuation/withdrawal syndrome, and that I do not have fibromyalgia at all. This time the symptoms are stronger and more of them - chest pains and upset stomach too. It is a year since I came off the antidepressant and I've only had slight improvement in symtpoms. I'm not going back on any psych meds and am allowing my body to heal naturally. Serotonin does many things in the body and the meds mess up these systems. I know other people who have came off anti-depressants with no problems at all, other people who have found the meds helpful, other people who have experienced similar to what I am experiencing now, so it varies person to person.

I've read somewhere (sorry don't remember the source) that most SSRI-medicine's don't work on people on the spectrum. They sure didn't help me, just made my panic attacks worse.

They make you fat, ugly, creepy, and sick. That's what happened to me on Zoloft.

i went on antidepresents for a time (cant quite remember what they were called) and this was going back 14 years ago or more. i kept having bouts of depression without knowing why, then it interfered with my job and everything.

i dont get so depressed now that i am married to the right bloke and we are settled and he loves me for who i am.

but when i was on antidepresant it did work on me and i didnt get any physical side effects at all. i came off them though because i just didnt want to count on medication all my life so they lowered the dose then i came off them completly. my life did pick up after then anyway, i found myself a place of my own what i was happy in, although changing jobs dozens of times was stressfull for me (couldnt hold down a job because managers didnt understand me) but i didnt want to go back on medication again.

i am not planning on going on them now, the busdriver job i do now is much better, though some the other drivers dont like me i am still well understood by my manager and my husband is there to look out for me.