Asperger's, PTSD & Amitriptyline

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Hi everyone
I'm very new and I'm looking for advice.
My husband is 49 years old and had been diagnosed with Asperger's when he was very young, HOWEVER. His mother wisely (?) decided not to tell him until [i]last year[i]. So on the one hand she saved him from a lot of stigma (South Africa in the seventies and eighties) but on the other he has spent his entire life thinking he was weird, crazy and not right. He still doesn't really know how to deal with his differences.
When I moved in with him four years ago, he was grinding his teeth while he slept to the point of it actually waking me up. I took him to the doctor (GP) who prescribed amitriptyline for the grinding. It literally just hit me now that he was prescribed that without knowing about the Asperger's.
I've tried looking things up now on Google but so far they've been fairly unhelpful.
It is working for him to the point where he's not grinding on his teeth as bad but he still sometimes tells me he's "clenching" and his jaw hurts.
My husband has terrific PTSD and a touch of OCD. He's not seeing a therapist because (his argument) he's better qualified than any local therapist (He's a PhD in forensic criminal psychology from MIT) and he doesn't want to talk about the wars. He's also taking Rivotril (Clonazepam) for anxiety.
My question is basically just, is the amitryptiline affecting his Asperger's or not? Is it fine to use it? I'm not going to just take him off it or suggest that he stop taking it, I'm just curious. Same for the Clonazepam.
Any advice or information is appreciated.

Amitriptyline is an anti-depressant/anxiety, at least that's what it said on google. I've been on several different anti-depressants and I noticed that they made me clench my jaw a lot at first, to the point of hurting and exhausting my jaw muscles. However, this was a temporary side-effect and it went away after a month on the medication.

As for Clonazepam, it's a benzodiazepine and the only benzo I've ever taken has been over-the-counter (diphenhydramine, aka Nitol/Sleep-eaze) so I can't comment on any side-effects of that.

My advice would be to book an appointment with your GP and make sure the doctor knows about his Asperger's, and question him about the efficacy and safety of these drugs on people with Asperger's.

I have been taking amitriptyline since 1998 and its primary effect on me was a marked reduction in anxiety. I had gone to my GP because of protracted insomnia and his response was the amitriptyline. I have slept some better since I have been taking it but the anxiety relief was major enough that I did not want to give it up. Of course neither I nor the GP knew anything about Aspergers/HAF at that time.

In your husband's case tho, it sounds like taking both amitriptyline and clonazepam is redundant as both of them work to relieve anxiety. Which one was first? The clonazepam, being a benzodiazepine, is of course a much stronger medication than the amitriptyline. If he was taking the clonazepam, did the GP know about it when he prescribed the amitriptyline? I too recommend you get back to that GP and make sure he is aware of the situation.

As for the clonazepam doing anything for his Aspergers, its very doubtful. There is no medication for Aspergers/HAF at this point. All that can be done is work to relieve the associated anxiety, whether via anti-depressants or some other means.

Since this is your first post, Welcome to Wrong Planet!

It seems that Aspies suffer from a higher incidence of Bruxism (teeth grinding) than neurotypicals. In an oral health status survey that included 100 children with ASD and 100 neurotypicals self-injurious behaviors and bruxism were seen in 32% of children with ASD and only in 2% of neurotypicals. Source: BRUXISM (TEETH GRINDING) AND AUTISM

The following link describes treatment options for this condition.
Bruxism (teeth grinding)

Bruxism is likely caused by high levels of anxiety, that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder suffer.
The high levels of anxiety are caused by all sorts of things but which include sensory hypersensitivity, communication problems, psychological phobias etc.

I have suffered from Bruxism all my life but the problem got less after i had my wisdom teeth taken out.

I imagine both the antidepressants and the benzo that your husband is using will likely help reduce the Bruxism and anxiety to some extent.

Most modern SSRI's, SSNRI's help reduce the anxiety a fair amount, but may not completely get rid of the anxiety because the cause is not caused by chemical imbalance but due to neurological dysfunction.
For example, where sensory hypersensitivity is present, the sensory hypersensitivity is not caused by chemical imbalance but caused by brain damage or what people presently call neurological dysfunction or neurodiversity.

So there will always be a certain level of anxiety present and more than perhaps if a neurotypical person who suffers from anxiety caused by chemical imbalance is given the same antidepressants

The benzo is also known as part of the minor tranquilizer family, which are designed to slow a person's thought processes down. Also known as downers. Over the years, i have used similar benzo's (low dose diazepam) to help with various episodes of anxiety. Although due to junkies overusing benzo's (and the big pharmaceutical companies pushing various brands of anti-depressants for mass profit) and the fact that daily habitual use of benzo's being dangerous (as people become physically addicted, but also cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms that in extreme cases can cause death) many doctors in the UK literally refuse to prescribe them to their patients even if they are in daily distress.

In my experience however, taking benzo's occasionally for anxiety attacks can really help reduce anxiety symptoms especially if i have had a sensory overload meltdown and can help relax my mind and body, which in tern helps me recover for the days after.

The Benzo's do slow me down as they are used to sedate, which, under some circumstances is what you need.
But if there are circumstances where you do not want to be sedated, then, i recommend them don't use during these times.

They can also cause a type of grogginess the next day, like a kind of benzo hang over. Which makes you feel a bit crap the next day.

I also don't recommend to use benzo's daily long term (more than 2 weeks). I think that generally doctors and psychiatrists also do not recommend daily use ever. They are generally used for short term bouts of anxiety. And sure, in my experience they are really effective short term.

BTW, PHD in Criminology very interesting, I wish i had done forensic science when at Uni.
Think i would have caught lots of bad people by now, especially those connected to the entertainment industry.

Thank you all for your replies!
I didn't know about the link between bruxism and ASD because of the anxiety that's very interesting.
The amitryptiline was doing okay but his anxiety was still through the roof, probably because of the PTSD. He's doing better now on both. I just didn't want him to be on something that'll make him feel more depressed or anxious.
Thank you for your replies!!