I am about to test a new med for autism

[LoneHeart]

Hey guys,

I recently saw an ad looking for people on the autism spectrum to try out some new medication for Autism. So I called and they gave me the info about the the study. It is several weeks long and they said that it is suppose to make me more talkative/social. I go in for the screening on Monday and find out more info. I will keep you guys posted on how it goes.

btw, has anyone ever done anything like this before?

 

[Sev]

I personally feel that while I am different to other people, particularly NT's, I'm quite happy and content with the person I am. Despite the numerous opportunities I've had for "meds", I've declined as I don't think people with Autism or Asperger's need "curing" or changing. I've had numerous problems in the past, but I would rather be the person I am, then mold myself into an illusion provided by medication. Regardless of this, I'm interested in the outcome, so lets us know what happens.

 

[Crazi]

I'd advise caution just cause I have had negative experiences with pharmaceuticals. I know Autism to be more of a bio physical thing than a bio chemical thing so it doesn't make much sense in my amateur opinion.

 

[Andrew Campbell]

Well, it depends. There isn't a cure for Autism specifically. Is it just to treat related symptoms? Or just plain false advertising?

 

[Grumpy Cat]

Don't do it. Take a Toastmasters class or something. You can really mess up your liver taking certain drugs. My Ma was in a real clinical trial at KU Med Ctr for chronic leukemia (MDS) and the drug she was given took all of her numbers down and made her sicker. I got her off ASAP and got the doc to put her on an iron chelation drug (her iron was excessively high from blood transfusions weekly) and now she's doing better than she ever has been since being diagnosed. She hasn't needed any platelets and only has to have a unit of blood once a month. My point is you don't know what these "experimental" drugs are and once you take them it could be too late.
I'm sure your personality is fine. Why does everyone think they have a problem that needs to be fixed? Your personality is uniquely you. Keep it that way.

 

[Ste11aeres]

I predict that any good effects are because of a placebo effect.

 

[Turnip]

btw, has anyone ever done anything like this before?

Do you mean taken part in a drug trials, or do you mean taken drugs/medicine that's messed with serotonin in the brain? (I presume this from the mention that the drug is hypothesised to make you more "talkative/social")

 

[LoneHeart]

Thanks for the response everyone! I am not officially in this thing quite yet, i am just going to find out the information and then make the decision whether I want to participate or not. I know there isn't anything wrong with my personality, but if there is that chance that I can get better at being social then I at least would like to check it out.

I love being an aspie, I see it as being a gift, but right now I am feeling a bit down about it. I am just a bit frustrated with missing out on opportunities because of my antisocial ways. I am tired of more social people taking advantage of my "disability" and influencing others against me. I am tired of attractive women practically throwing themselves at me while I sit there not knowing what to say. Most of all, I am just tired of being lonely and depressed. I guess what I am saying is that if there is a chance that this works while being safe then I would like to look into it, not just for myself, but other autistics that feel the same way.

 

[LoneHeart]

Do you mean taken part in a drug trials, or do you mean taken drugs/medicine that's messed with serotonin in the brain? (I presume this from the mention that the drug is hypothesised to make you more "talkative/social")

Well I meant if you participated in any type of research studies at all?

 

[Judge]

LoneHeart, your post doesn't indicate whether you have pursued existing medications. If not, I'm curious as to what makes you attracted to this particular drug trial. After all, drug trials make no claims. Only possibilities of positive results. In the interim, this process projects a sense of hope. Not so much to patients, but to pacify existing shareholders and attract new ones on a quarterly basis. I used to be a shareholder of a major pharmaceutical company. Manufacturers love to publicize drug trials....push the promise of new products whether they make it to the market or not.

Short of anyone citing a product that is a "cure", there is only the possibility of relieving symptoms when it comes to AS. Which is essentially what all the other FDA approved products already on the market accomplish. Then you have to deal with the ugly realities of corporate bureaucracy and government regulation when it comes to how long it may take for the product to actually get to the market.

If you want to try relieving symptoms, you might as well seek something that is already on the market, rather than be strung along caught between a struggle of corporate bureaucrats, shareholders and government regulators.

 

[Crazi]

Reply the second: Donnnnnn't dooooo eeeeeeeet! Drugs are drugs whether you get them from a street or a doctor, don't be fooled! They mess with your brain chemistry in ways that cannot be reversed! I would highly advise against thisss!

sss!

 

[wyverary]

I say you assess the details, see what the risks are, and then go for it! I know I would, for the sake of science...but maybe I'm weird like that.

 

[bentHnau]

I'm glad to see so many anti-drug messages. I agree and will add that any decisions about taking any drugs are not entirely personal, as your body is a gateway into the ecosystem of which you are a part.

 

[LoneHeart]

Well guys I ended up not participating in the study because they wanted me to have a caregiver or informant to monitor my progress, but I don't have anyone that lives near the clinic that I can trust to be able to do that almost every week. So I won't be in this one.

Btw Judge, I have never taken any meds, mostly because I didn't know that there even was a medication for our "condition".

 

[Grumpy Cat]

I don't see it as a "condition" per se. I see it as "a way of life". Sort of the same way I view my diet and exercise routine.

 

[Judge]

Btw Judge, I have never taken any meds, mostly because I didn't know that there even was a medication for our "condition".

As far as I can see there are numerous medications which address symptoms in part *. Not the condition as a whole. If this drug trial claims as such, I'm sure that many of us would like to know considerably more details.

The thing is, not everyone has uniform traits, behaviors or symptoms...so I cannot imagine a medication that globally addresses everything.

* hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity
* irritability and aggression
* preoccupations, rituals and compulsions
* anxiety

 

[Turnip]

As far as I can see there are numerous medications which address symptoms in part *. Not the condition as a whole. If this drug trial claims as such, I'm sure that many of us would like to know considerably more details.

The thing is, not everyone has uniform traits, behaviors or symptoms...so I cannot imagine a medication that globally addresses everything.

* hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity
* irritability and aggression
* preoccupations, rituals and compulsions
* anxiety

OP said "suppose to make me more talkative/social", I don't see the OP stating that the trial any claim that the drug would "address symptoms... as a whole" (I also note that some have assumed the drug being trialled is a new drug, when more likely it is trialling a different use of an existing drug)

 

[Judge]

OP said "suppose to make me more talkative/social", I don't see the OP stating that the trial any claim that the drug would "address symptoms... as a whole"

But that's my point. Existing pharmaceuticals appear only to address various symptoms. Otherwise what is so different and attractive about this one?

There are any number of substances to make people more talkative and social...especially if they simply lower one's anxieties. I'd be more interested in the mechanics of the pharmaceutical itself and its application in testing. To know if there's anything involved which truly sets it apart from existing medications. Or if it's actually just another manufacturer that wants in on an exi$ting market.

Yes, there's probably a good chance they'd refuse to acknowledge such things...but then I'm a human being- not a guinea pig. If I had such an opportunity, I'd want those questions answered rather than to just blindly get involved in any drug trial.

 

[Turnip]

@Judge, as I said earlier, I'd be betting the drug interacts with the serotonin in the brain in some way, maybe an SSRI? Other drugs are possible, I know of a group that was trying MDMA ("Ecstasy")* under the same goal to make "us" more "talkative/social"! (I have the details somewhere - I didn't participate, I was in correspondence more to express concerns)
NB: MDMA also acts on serotonin in the brain

 

[Judge]

@Judge, as I said earlier, I'd be betting the drug interacts with the serotonin in the brain in some way, maybe an SSRI?

Could be. But there are already approved SSRIs on the market:

* Citalopram (Celexa)
* Escitalopram (Lexapro)
* Fluoxetine (Prozac)
* Paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva)
* Sertraline (Zoloft)
* Paxil CR

So far that's six different brands. What are the odds a seventh new brand might set the other six apart? You see what I'm getting at?

I just don't sense critical innovation happening. Just critical marketing. It's my bias...we agree to disagree.