Will medication help me manage my symptoms for Aspergers and can it help improve life?

[Amy101]

I was just curious as to what your experiences may have been on regards to medication and/or treatment for Aspergers. At the moment, I'm waiting for a specialist to allocate me an appointment for an assessment/diagnosis, but my question is (which I have been wracking my brains about for ages) weather there is light at the end of the tunnel. Will medication will help make my symptoms easier to manage and can it improve my quality of life?

What is life like for you after your diagnosis? Did you get help and support? I'm worried that I'll have nowhere or nobody to turn to.

I've read some very good threads on this site and there have been so many inspiring people and so many amazing stories!

Any replies would be greatly appreciated Thanks for your time!

 

[Ronin82]

I haven't been diagnosed with Asperger's yet, and I have anxiety disorders going on too, but anti-anxiety meds have been an absolute God-send for me! That and a great therapist has made all the difference in the world. Not gonna say my life is perfect now, but I have answers to questions I've asked all my life, and can now accept my uniqueness due to different thinking processes.

The meds made it easier for therapy to take effect on learning new coping mechanisms and strategies for dealing with life. Good luck on finding what works for you! The team you have makes all the difference.

 

[Beverly]

I'm getting my official Dx tomorrow, already know I'm on the specrtrum but, I need it for professional reasons. Everyone is different but, you're never alone on the spectrum. I didn't have ASD specific treatment and, I choose not to take any psychological medications. Still I've had a lot of people help me learn or improve a lot of skills, especially social skills but, executive functioning and others as well.

It might seem like a long, dark tunell now but, when you stop seeing ASD as a defect or disability and, see it as a difference, that tuneel has a lot of facitaing, brilliant side passages and, it's pretty well lit too. Medications might help you, a lot of that depends on whay your comorbids are and, how well you handle them without meds. More depends on the support network you are able to build for yourself and, some depends on you and how you view and react to being on the spectrum.

 

[Amy101]

Ronin82,

Thank you for your advice and reasaurance! I think that could be the route I would be willing to take myself. At the moment, I'm battling depression and anxiety which might even make therapy difficult for me; but I would like to gain the most positive and effective experience I can from it; so it may actually be worth considering the medication along-side it too.

I am very pleased that the treatment you recieved worked for you It may not have been easy, but you must have worked so hard and had so much faith that it made such a difference and changed your life for the better; even if it isn't perfect ;-) well done you! You should be proud of yourself!

 

[King_Oni]

I guess it depends on what your symptoms are if there's actually any medication that helps there.

For me personally, I'm medication free, since therapists didn't really think it any medication would contribute much to the quality of life for me. That said, I'm not really in the best place either, since I'm pretty much at that point where I'm realizing there's no light at the end of the tunnel so to speak... and it's pretty much what my therapists told me as well. They figured that the support I might benefit from is nonexistent because it would require a specific, individual support plan, which my government apparently is cutting back on more and more over time. For a even more bleak outlook; I've not been seeing any therapist for over 6 months now, since the last time I saw one, my sessions ended where she told me "I can't help you either" (and to be fair, it's not the first one to tell me, I've heard this before from others as well)

Add in that I got my diagnosis in my late 20's/early 30's and support for adults is pretty poor overall (not just where I live, but from what I've heard in most of the western world, where there's plenty of support for children).

 

[Beverly]

I guess it depends on what your symptoms are if there's actually any medication that helps there.

For me personally, I'm medication free, since therapists didn't really think it any medication would contribute much to the quality of life for me. That said, I'm not really in the best place either, since I'm pretty much at that point where I'm realizing there's no light at the end of the tunnel so to speak... and it's pretty much what my therapists told me as well. They figured that the support I might benefit from is nonexistent because it would require a specific, individual support plan, which my government apparently is cutting back on more and more over time. For a even more bleak outlook; I've not been seeing any therapist for over 6 months now, since the last time I saw one, my sessions ended where she told me "I can't help you either" (and to be fair, it's not the first one to tell me, I've heard this before from others as well)

Add in that I got my diagnosis in my late 20's/early 30's and support for adults is pretty poor overall (not just where I live, but from what I've heard in most of the western world, where there's plenty of support for children).

I can relate to that, there is very little for adults and, basically none if you can't afford to pay for the support and assistance you need out of pocket. Somehow adults are expected to either be able to learn it on our own and apply it without the opportunity to seek feedback or practice, or we're supposed to have the income to pay dearly and travel miles to find the rare few services that are out there.

I'm trying to start a non profit that will do all we can toward changing that but, even that is a long process and, is taking a pretty hefty toll on my personal bank accounts. Still, if what I'm doing can open doors and help even just ten people on the spectrum, it will all be worth it. The thing is, I know I'm one of the few in a position to even try to do something and, I'd be doing us all a huge disservice if I didn't try my best. I'm dreading some of the personal, no financial cost I am reasonably sure I'll have to pay for this but, I'm not that selfish, I'll take the backlash, the financial and emotional hits I have to take to make it happen. The worst it can do is cause me a few more meltdowns - oh well those are kind of the foundation stones of my career and life anyway so, adding a few more won't do me much harm.

 

[King_Oni]

I can relate to that, there is very little for adults and, basically none if you can't afford to pay for the support and assistance you need out of pocket. Somehow adults are expected to either be able to learn it on our own and apply it without the opportunity to seek feedback or practice, or we're supposed to have the income to pay dearly and travel miles to find the rare few services that are out there.

I'm trying to start a non profit that will do all we can toward changing that but, even that is a long process and, is taking a pretty hefty toll on my personal bank accounts. Still, if what I'm doing can open doors and help even just ten people on the spectrum, it will all be worth it. The thing is, I know I'm one of the few in a position to even try to do something and, I'd be doing us all a huge disservice if I didn't try my best. I'm dreading some of the personal, no financial cost I am reasonably sure I'll have to pay for this but, I'm not that selfish, I'll take the backlash, the financial and emotional hits I have to take to make it happen. The worst it can do is cause me a few more meltdowns - oh well those are kind of the foundation stones of my career and life anyway so, adding a few more won't do me much harm.

Might be worth pointing out, I'm not from the US, which also means, my accesibility might be different. For example, there are practically no "private" places for support, and you can get access through a doctors referral, pretty much, only be referral. If my GP wasn't such an incompetent guy in terms of mental health, it might help me, but thus far, he has no clue about mental health at all and even told my therapist he didn't think it would help anymore to refer me and considered me a lost cause (yes, that's a GP telling a specialist he knows better, lol. I should laugh about it... but every time I think about it, I snicker)

About 2 years ago I was meeting up with a social worker every once in a while when needed to apply for stuff like disability income, and it was a service for free (well, it was subsidized by the government) but even that has been cut so severly, that's practically becoming nonexistent and inaccesisible by now.

Thus far, I can manage the basics in life well enough I suppose. Though, I'm nowhere any of my peers should be; no job, still holding out at my dads place, no education of sorts... but it is what it is...

 

[Beverly]

King_Oni Thank you, that is exactly the sort of information I and my partners in my endeavor need. I've got UK partners on board already and, am working toward more nations. I can't be everywhere but, I can find eyes and ears out there to help and advise me and, my core team here in the USA, and I can get the recommendations and information out there to those that will be able to use it best.

It's going to take time but, one area at a time, we might be able to make a difference.

 

[Amy101]

Hi Beverly,

Thanks for getting back to me

You said yesterday that you were due an official diagnosis today; How did it go?

At the moment, as far as my symptoms are concerned, I'm not coping too well and it seems to have an impact on my home life, I'll be honest. I have a 1 year-old Daughter who I have such a special relationship with and I find that sometimes my condition can effect my ability as a parent. I have another child on the way too. I need desprately to separate the ASD from the parenting, but it's knowing where to begin that's the issue. I really need help

I was very upset yesterday to find that my name hadn't even budged on the waiting list for a diagnosis; I'm still 18th and I've been on it since November.

I just wish there was something I could do for now. From what you and Ronin82 pointed out, I think in my case, it would be sensible to try medication along with therapy and whatever else they offer.

I'm trying to learn to accept that I am highly likely an aspie which I know will probably take time, but what I can't accept is that I'm being left to hang about and wonder what the &@$# I'm going to do with myself right now.

Thanks for sharing your story with me and I hope today makes a huge but positive difference for you. Good luck!

 

[Beverly]

Amy101 I made a post a few moments ago about my Dx.

I know what you mean, it took me a while to accept that I was an Aspie once I connected the dots and discovered that was most likely my whole problem.

one thing I've learned is that you can't separate the ASD form anything, you can build a façade, create an act to hide it but, that's taxing and, will wear you down in a hurry. It isn't the way to handle it at home. Home should be your refuge, your safe place where it's okay to be yourself, okay to be an Aspie.

Just because you process things differently and, have problems in some areas doesn't mean you are a bad mother. Quite the opposite, because you're wired differently, you are able to find innovative, creative solutions to parenting problems and, you can be a lot of fun for your children to spend time with too.

I'm a mom too, she's all grown up and, a lawyer now, I'm not a perfect mom, no one is but, I'm not a bad mom either and, she turned out okay. Now she jokingly calls me her nutty mother. We laugh now because I'm the Aspie and she got the gluten intolerance but I didn't. She jokes that I got all the metal Aspiness and she got the physical bits. not true I stim and have some sensory issues that she doesn't do or have but, still it shows our kids can grow up just fine and, they will come to accept us and, laugh with us at some of the Aspie stuff mom does.

right now, relax, be yourself, do the best you can and, don't sweat it, you aren't going to ruin anyone or anything by being you. Just let it sink in as you can and, try to learn a bit more about ASD each day, you'll be okay and, you will get that Dx and, be able to try some meds that may help you.

 

[ancusmitis]

Never heard of such a thing actually working. I've heard of reducing stimming or making meltdowns less dramatic. Which is basically the effect of a tranquilizer. They used those on me, and they'd "work" for about a week, and then they were worthless. I wasn't on them for more than a year, probably significantly less (I was a very young thing at this point, so I don't remember details, and my parents might not remember very well either).

There really is no medication for aspergers or autism, but people tend to develop other issues that might be helped with it, or there might be other things natively going on. I have ADHD as well as AS, for example, but ADHD drugs never worked either. So I don't think there is much sense looking for meds. Maybe something will turn up that is actually helpful, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Progster]

I used to take antidepressants, but not any more. I now drink herbal anti-stress tea to relieve anxiety, and I find it equally as effective as antidepressants, with a similar effect. It helps me a lot.

 

[ancusmitis]

I used to take antidepressants, but not any more. I now drink herbal anti-stress tea to relieve anxiety, and I find it equally as affective as antidepressants, with a similar effect. It helps me a lot.

Herbal tea is a wonderful thing. It doesn't really matter if it works or not, as it's just so nice to drink it.