Joe90
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Posts: 8425
Location: Great Britain
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 Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 8:32 am Post subject: |
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Reading books doesn't seem to help either, because I had CBT and that didn't help much. I think I'm just doomed to be miserable, my brain has turned into concrete, which means it will never be able to change.
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Rascal77s
Picnic Basket Thief
Joined: Nov 13, 2011
Posts: 2351
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 8:32 am Post subject: |
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| ewes wrote: |
A personīs brain structure cannot be changed with medication but can be fuelled to be able to use itīs full potential. |
I agree. I fuel my brain with cannabis. |
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smudge
Your worst nightmare
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Joined: Sep 07, 2006
Age: 25
Posts: 2183
Location: London
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:17 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by smudge on Fri Jun 08, 2012 12:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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kirayng
Phoenix
Joined: Nov 13, 2011
Age: 36
Posts: 750
Location: Maine, USA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| Sweetleaf wrote: | | raylit20 wrote: | | I believe ewes is saying to avoid taking drugs to help ease the effects of some of the more difficult aspects of AS. If you live with these issues, you will develop much greater coping skills and become a better person because of it. |
I don't think trying to fight through symptoms with no relief nessisarily helps one develop better coping skills and become a better person. However I don't think AS itself can be medicated since its more a way of brain wiring then faulty brain chemicals or brain damage of some sort. |
Indeed. I also have ADHD which I started Ritalin for and I am really amazed at how much of a difference it makes..... for the ADHD. It does squat for Asperger's. I am still a lonely, clueless social misfit.  Starting to prefer it that way...
For the OP, yeah, Drugs are a tool, not a solution. I have to have days off of my meds to "rest" my brain, if you will.
Are you saying that ultimately we should look deeper? I agree. Happiness is a fluid process that requires maintenance to keep going. Like Sweetleaf said, what is the benefit of truly suffering from everything just to "grin and bear it"? Why not see what a clear mind is like so you can make some really good decisions for your life. The brain is awesome in that way, it's elastic and drugs can teach a person (with co-requisite counseling/behavioral therapy) what it's like to feel and function normally (or close to it). I think that's a good thing as long as the person is aware that they cannot rely on the drug alone. Everything we take from today to "get through" and "put it off" will only accumulate to be a bigger mess to sort through later on.
Of course I am just rewording things to sort of explain it to myself, if it agrees with your view, great, if not then I probably misinterpreted it or in my explanation confused myself from the original point. AAAHHHH love my "holiday" days lol  |
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Joe90
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Posts: 8425
Location: Great Britain
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:56 am Post subject: |
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| smudge wrote: | | Joe90 wrote: | | Reading books doesn't seem to help either, because I had CBT and that didn't help much. I think I'm just doomed to be miserable, my brain has turned into concrete, which means it will never be able to change. |
OK, let me rephrase - CBT isn't practical because it's telling you to be satisfied with your life, but not how - just like a book on improving confidence. I might as well say to you "Look in the mirror and say you like yourself". It doesn't help a bit. CBT isn't practical.
What *is* practical, is telling you, "When a person folds their arms, it usually indicates they dislike what you're saying". That is teaching you how to read people - a skill. A book full of those instructions *will* help you to understand why people act the way they do. This is helpful!
See the difference? |
I am instinctively good with reading body language, and it's nothing to do with that what's making me feel miserable. It's the way I am, the way I lack confidence, and the way I don't know how to hold my head up high and be happy, and the way I let other people ruin my self-esteem. Who likes being laughed at? Nobody, it's not very nice. But people who are more confident are less likely to be laughed at, and if they are they know how to deal with it better, mostly because they have more friends and are loved more than I am.
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Last edited by Joe90 on Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:06 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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roccoslife
Toucan
Joined: Jul 13, 2011
Age: 29
Posts: 293
Location: Essex, UK
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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Im currently taking 15mg of escitalopram a day, before that I was on paroxatine (up to 40mg a day) and before that I was on citalopram (40mg). Altogether I have been on antidepressants for about 5 years. before I started taking them i suffered horribly with OCD, like literally i couldnt function, they really helped me in that respect. They also helped a lot with my anxiety problems. Though I still do get anxious, I dont get panic attacks any more really (well, Ive had one or two in the past 2 years but they were nowhere near as bad as the ones I used to get beforehand). Same with depression, while I do still get depressed on occasion, the meds make it easier to handle.
Basically the drugs just seem to make it easier for me to snap myself out of it when I do find myself stuck in bad ways of thinking, rather than preventing it all together. Therapy (CBT) didnt seem to work for me either. I had 3 goes at it, two at the maudsely centre at kings college which is supposedly one of the best centres for anxiety and OCD treatment in the UK. I guess like joe90 my brain is just too set in its ways to be receptive. Though I did take some of the principles of CBT away and managed to make them work in my own time. I just didnt like the formal layout of CBT with a psychologist, I wasnt able to stick to it and put the amount of work in each week that they expected me to, with diaries and homework etc.
I would say (to Joe90) if you are really suffering right now and are at the end of your tether, giving meds a try wouldnt be the worst thing in the world and may give you a bit of respite from the things that are making your life less enjoyable, just dont expect miracles. Expect to feel a bit tired for a while on them, when i first started it wasnt unusual for me to sleep for 15 hours straight, and still feel groggy during the day, but that passes, there are other side effects Ive had too but everyone handles meds differently and there are loads of places on the net that list the side effects of different medications so I wont mention them here.
If you need advice or to talk about things dont hesitate to chuck me a PM either. Im always willing to help a person in need.
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30 AQ
Your Aspie score: 82 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 107 of 200
You seem to have both Aspie and neurotypical traits
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Joe90
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Posts: 8425
Location: Great Britain
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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I just wish there were tablets I can take only when I need them, like taking them a couple of hours before going out to a social gathering or on an outing, just so I can feel relaxed inside a bit more than I would otherwise. A bit like tablets you take for travelling, you don't take them every day, only before you travel or when you're going to a theme park to prevent nausea after rides, and these tablets are to do with the brain more than the stomach. I mean, feeling sick when travelling or on rides can spoil your day out, so taking a tablet to prevent it or even lessen it will make your day more enjoyable. So I would have thought the same would go for social anxiety issues, because having social anxiety prevents me from being able to enjoy myself in crowded places, just like feeling sick on rides prevents people who are prone to motion sickness from enjoying a day out at a theme park.
What's life if you can't enjoy the things you do? I love visiting different places with family and friends, but being socially anxious all the time really takes the fun out of it.
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JoeRose
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Dec 23, 2011
Posts: 185
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Joe90 wrote: | I just wish there were tablets I can take only when I need them, like taking them a couple of hours before going out to a social gathering or on an outing, just so I can feel relaxed inside a bit more than I would otherwise. A bit like tablets you take for travelling, you don't take them every day, only before you travel or when you're going to a theme park to prevent nausea after rides, and these tablets are to do with the brain more than the stomach. I mean, feeling sick when travelling or on rides can spoil your day out, so taking a tablet to prevent it or even lessen it will make your day more enjoyable. So I would have thought the same would go for social anxiety issues, because having social anxiety prevents me from being able to enjoy myself in crowded places, just like feeling sick on rides prevents people who are prone to motion sickness from enjoying a day out at a theme park.
What's life if you can't enjoy the things you do? I love visiting different places with family and friends, but being socially anxious all the time really takes the fun out of it. |
Hmm from what I can make out you kind of want a fast acting relief that helps you through those situations that make you really edgy? I know you don't want to take meds but I think the drug that fits the bill for this are benzodiazepines. Drugs like Xanax and Valium. However if you asked your doctor about these it's probably important to note that these can become quite addictive and can't be taken for every social occasion. But I think you may benefit from taking one before a social occasion and seeing if that takes the edge off the anxiety you feel.
I think that if you take one and you feel calmer - the skills you learn whilst being calm can be used for times when you're not on the drug. I reckon you should have a chat with your doctor about benzos. It can't harm just giving it a try. Best of luck. |
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Sweetleaf
Metalhead
Joined: Jan 07, 2011
Age: 23
Posts: 14869
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
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| Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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| ewes wrote: | | Callista wrote: | I think the OP is either having problems communicating, or doesn't speak English very well; or perhaps is confused for some reason.
My opinion regarding prescription drugs: They are neither poison nor panacea. They are to be used sparingly, but one should not hesitate to consider them as an option. There are other options; drugs may or may not be the best choice. Even when they are the best choice, they may still be combined with other strategies--especially when it comes to something like AS, which is fundamentally present in a person's brain structure and cannot be changed with medication. The best treatment for ASDs is education. Drugs may help you learn--I am very fond of a good caffeine buzz, and I have to admit I'm more organized on ADHD meds--but the learning itself has got to be done the same way as any other--that is, by finding a good environment in which to learn (and optionally a good teacher) and spending time practicing. |
By the way you should avoid caffeine at all costs if youīve been diagnosed with ASD like symptoms.
A personīs brain structure cannot be changed with medication but can be fuelled to be able to use itīs full potential. |
Too late, caffine is good.
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iggy64
Velociraptor
Joined: Feb 23, 2012
Posts: 410
Location: East England
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| Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:22 am Post subject: |
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I'm confused... What do drugs have to do with neurotypicality?
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Knowledge is knowing that tomatoes are fruits. It takes wisdom to know not to put them in a fruit salad.
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Joe90
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 24, 2010
Posts: 8425
Location: Great Britain
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| Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 7:44 am Post subject: |
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Also I want to get rid of this anger. Reading books doesn't help, I need meds to calm my emotions down, because I get more angry more frequently than the average person because little things make me angry, like certain things people say to me that is not considered inappropriate but is so rude and offensive in my book, and it throws me into a rage and causes me to storm into my room slamming every door I walk through.
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Joe90
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Posts: 8425
Location: Great Britain
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| Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 7:57 am Post subject: |
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| iggy64 wrote: | | I'm confused... What do drugs have to do with neurotypicality? |
I don't know either. Some neurotypicals take meds, I have 3 people in my family who are on anti-depressants, not just for depression, but to help them to deal with things in a more calmer way instead of getting all het up.
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