Autism, high functioning autism, and asperger anxiety

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Anxiety is a popular problem among autism, high functioning autism, and asperger. Can you explain what medication for anxiety have helped you?

What is your experience with Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Lorazepam, for example?

Thank You.

what works for one person may not be the right one for you, since we are all different and have different struggles. Find a good Psychologist or Psychiatrist, or a GP depending on where you live.

Ask for help with anxiety, and resign yourself to trying many, or many combinations to see how they work for you. Unfortunately, we all must go through this, since our neurology is different and the way we process/ metabolize different meds may be very different as well.

A good Doctor will be responsive to your input and needs regarding the medication you use, since side effects or other things may make some successful drugs not the right ones for you.
No quick and easy answers, read and learn about what to expect with each drug you take so you can understand and do your best self care as you adjust. Follow all directions, don't skip or add doses...
Any new med takes from 2 to 12 weeks to reach its peak effectiveness. Patience and self compassion and self care are essential at this time.

I take generic Zoloft and Abilify. Hydroxyzine for situational anxiety.

They seem to be helpful. Though a good chunk of my anxiety has simply been from sensory processing issues, turns out, and the only way to manage sensory processing is just to plan around it, essentially. I have noise reduction earplugs.

Alprazolam isn't offered where I live so I haven't tried it.

Clonazepam and Ativan work the same for me. I can't tell the difference. They both feel like I had about half a glass of wine, at best. They really don't do much and are barely even noticeable. They both make me extremely depressed a few days after taking them, to the point I burst into tears and can't cope with emotions. Then I think back and realise I took one, so it explains everything.

I have a bottle of Clonazepam from about 5 years ago and I've only used a couple of them. I have a more recent prescription for Ativan and take them slightly more often, but that's just because they're newer. I've had about three of them in the past month despite the fact I'm going through extreme duress lately. If I took more than that I'd be crying too much.

Anxiety seems to be who I am and the way my brain is wired to process thoughts, so I don't think there will be any medication that will stop me being anxious. But I'm on Sertraline which was originally meant for anxiety but instead it just helps to stabilise my mood, which is a good help.

Before I went on Sertraline (some 9 years ago) I kept getting mood swings when around people I was too familiar with (mostly family). I'd suddenly become all hyperaware of myself and have that sense of feeling pathetic even though nothing happened to trigger the feeling, and I'd find myself being impatient with everyone and snapping at them. Sometimes this headed for an outburst but not always.
But Sertraline seems to help with that, which is why I don't wish to come off Sertraline and try something else for anxiety.

I don't have experience with any meds but haven't made efforts to get any. I view autism induced anxiety as, for the most part, untreatable because it's caused by an underlying disorder that can't be cured. It can be reduced but only to a point.

I prefer gradual exposure to stressors in a way I can control and I feel it's a somewhat effective. I think a lot of autistics fall into a death spiral with anxiety where they avoid anything that makes them anxious to such an extent that their avoidance gradually makes their anxiety even worse. Traveling on their own seems to be the most common stressor I see autistics avoid which is also has a big negative impact on their life if they don't get to grips with it. Short trips leading to bigger distances is what I would consider exposure therapy and will be more effective than any meds. It's what I done myself and it worked wonders.

A cup of tea, black tea, I like Earl Grey. Too many cups a day and my anxiety goes up and so I have to cut back. Can also negatively affect my sleep and there are downstream affects to that.

I take escitalopram (generic for lexapro) was at 15 mg per day for some years but just went up to 20. Escitalopram is a SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). I also take atomoxetine (as the brand name Strattera) at 72 mg per day (4 x 18). Strattera is a SNRI (selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) and is written for focus (ADHD) but can have a positive affect on mood. It is not a stimulant like methylphenidate (Ritalin).

I also have a script for mirtazapine to be taken as needed for sleep. It can also be looked at as treating anxiety or panic attacks which make it hard to sleep.

I just got a new script for Hydroxyzine 25mg twice a day as needed for anxiety - haven’t taken it yet. I’ll let you know. My usual cocktail seems to have pooped out and I am experiencing a lot of anxiety often and sadness/ depression. May be from Lyme or COVID-19 after affects or age or environmental stress. Or ???

I am also in a DBT (Dialectic Behavioral Therapy) group.

I take 40 mg Vyvanse for ADHD. It's a stimulant and I don't love it, but they won't put me on Strattera because it raises blood pressure and I've had strokes.

I also take about 8mg of Seroquel for sleep. They're 25mg tablets but I bite off about 1/3 of a tab. They help to control trauma trigger reactions too. I don't think they work very well because I still only sleep about 4-5 hours at the very best.

Prior to Seroquel I took Ambien every night for over ten years. It let me sleep about 3.5 hours.

I want to try CBD oil for my anxiety.

I take Klonopin (clonazepam) 0.5mg, which is a low dose, though I sometimes take two. I don't take them every day. They do help, though it's not a noticeable feeling, it's more that I don't get upset or anxious when I otherwise would have, that sort of thing.

I also very recently got a prescription for medical marijuana gummies. I take 5mg, which is the dose I was recommended, and it's half a gummie. I was disappointed at first because they made me feel kind of out of it and as if my head was wrapped in gauze, and it was just more difficult to do ordinary things like unlock my front door, while at the same time they didn't seem to confer any benefits, since I felt the same and was still crying an hour after I had taken it. But now, after the third day, I do think that they help me feel calmer. I normally cry every day, and both Klonopin and THC gummies seem to help somewhat. (I don't combine them, though I think you can.) Still, they haven't made my life okay or anything. Like I said, I still cry every day.

I would not be able to handle the sedatives that are similar to Benadryl that some people have mentioned. Just taking Benadryl at night makes me feel really terrible the next day, exhausted and dragging, as if my clothes were made of lead.

Edit: I have tried CBD oil and it has very little effect, though I suppose it does make you feel slightly groggy.

None.

Instead I have to figure how to stay out of the anxiety trap that most autistics fall in to before adulthood.

And somewhat, I succeeded. By knowing what uncertainty and fear actual does.
Too bad I'm not doing the same with other emotions -- maybe I'll start this year.

My most common triggers are very much to do with how I'm currently affected by hormones and how well I'm functioning at the moment than situations itself.


I get stressed and overwhelmed, which I'm still not good at managing.
But there's no element of fear to it, or that intolerance to uncertainty and having expectations.

I don't even suffer from nightmares and I dream plenty.
Changes affects me but never puts me into a spiral or have thoughts that are associated with anxiety -- instead I'll just have issues with shifting gears all the sudden and couldn't adjust well.

My issues are more like towards emotions and reactivity in general -- good and bad -- not merely about anxiety and it's manifestations.

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I'm scared to come off the Sertraline in case I get that mood disregulation I used to get where I'd become highly irritated for no reason and take it out on the people I love the most, like I used to. I don't want to be that unpredictable monster I used to be. It was awful for me and for the people I lived with.

I now live with my boyfriend (been living with him for 5 years), and in that time I've only freaked out once, which was back in 2020, when I'd got into a blind panic because we couldn't get a slot for online shopping and it triggered a huge panic attack. But that was quite a valid reason to melt down over, as I bet a lot of people did during those difficult times, and my boyfriend understood.

Sometimes panic attacks and meltdowns can be passable if the reason behind it is what could commonly cause a bad reaction by anyone. But if it's frequent, caused by bad moods that you don't know when they're going to occur, and something as small as someone leaving a door open could throw you up in a rage, then it's not a nice feeling and is unfair for the people living with you. That sort of behaviour can cause relationship break ups too.

I've taken Klonopin and Ativan as needed for panic attacks/extreme anxiety and found them both helpful. Klonopin helped me the most. I only take one once in a blue moon these days, so that's good. When I was going through an especially bad patch a few years ago, I was prescribed 3 a day.

CBD and Medical marijuana (edible capsules for both, and for medical marijuana I prefer the sativa strain)

Benzodiazepines sure do work, but they can be addictive and can be overdosed on, so I'm just going to stick with my current plan.

I just take St John's Wort, that's a mild herb that eases depression. Yes I self-medicate.