medication for anxiety!

Hello Super-Meg

You don't say how old you are so I will just tell you a little of my story and you can decide if it helps. I am in the middle of a diagnosis process and although my psychiatrist thinks on balance I don't show enough elements for an AS diagnosis (mainly to do with Theory of Mind, I think), she is prepared to go the extra mile and speak to my partner to see how I function day-to-day to make sure. Do I think I have AS? A qualified yes but only qualified because I find it hard to go against a professional's opinion.

I finally managed to finish a degree at uni when I was 34 but I was completely hopeless at engaging with people so my mental health began to deteriorate in first year. By fourth year the doc put me on Fluoxetine and I have to say it did help break a cycle of total misery. I had become so joyless and consumed with my own troubles. However, the first three days on it were absolutely awful and I felt worse than I had done previously. I persisted with it though and after about two weeks I noticed I was starting to get little 'flashes' of pleasure at things and gradually I seemed to come out of my mental funk. I only took it for four to five months and I came off it by myself (which I would not advise) but I had one weird day and then I felt OK about things. I would say though that if you begin to take an anti-depressant make sure you have family or friend support around you...these pills often make people even worse so take care!!!

Now I'm 45 and having real troubles with anxiety for a number of reasons. Lately it got so bad I was finding it hard to read and would forget what a paragraph was about when I'd gotten to the end of it. My new doc prescribed Diazepam and it didn't kick in until about three to four days but it really did the trick. Warning time again! This drug makes you feel really sleepy at times and I often feel really dopey when I wake up. The box says I can take three a day. I started off on two and was down to one after those initial days. Sometimes I don't need it but right now it helps me sleep and so I don't wake up during the night with the terrors. The medical profession are very wary of long-term diazepam use and my doc will probably try and find something else for me if I continue to need something.

So whether AS or not...this is how I've gotten through some depressive times and some anxious times. If the world was more predictable I would always, always manage but there's too many pyschopaths running everything at the moment, so it's anxiety each and every day.

I would echo the last post as well. Exercise definitely helps most people burn off some anxiety but with me only up to a point.

I hope this helps a little.

Hello Super-Meg

You don't say how old you are so I will just tell you a little of my story and you can decide if it helps. I am in the middle of a diagnosis process and although my psychiatrist thinks on balance I don't show enough elements for an AS diagnosis (mainly to do with Theory of Mind, I think), she is prepared to go the extra mile and speak to my partner to see how I function day-to-day to make sure. Do I think I have AS? A qualified yes but only qualified because I find it hard to go against a professional's opinion.

I finally managed to finish a degree at uni when I was 34 but I was completely hopeless at engaging with people so my mental health began to deteriorate in first year. By fourth year the doc put me on Fluoxetine and I have to say it did help break a cycle of total misery. I had become so joyless and consumed with my own troubles. However, the first three days on it were absolutely awful and I felt worse than I had done previously. I persisted with it though and after about two weeks I noticed I was starting to get little 'flashes' of pleasure at things and gradually I seemed to come out of my mental funk. I only took it for four to five months and I came off it by myself (which I would not advise) but I had one weird day and then I felt OK about things. I would say though that if you begin to take an anti-depressant make sure you have family or friend support around you...these pills often make people even worse so take care!!!

Now I'm 45 and having real troubles with anxiety for a number of reasons. Lately it got so bad I was finding it hard to read and would forget what a paragraph was about when I'd gotten to the end of it. My new doc prescribed Diazepam and it didn't kick in until about three to four days but it really did the trick. Warning time again! This drug makes you feel really sleepy at times and I often feel really dopey when I wake up. The box says I can take three a day. I started off on two and was down to one after those initial days. Sometimes I don't need it but right now it helps me sleep and so I don't wake up during the night with the terrors. The medical profession are very wary of long-term diazepam use and my doc will probably try and find something else for me if I continue to need something.

So whether AS or not...this is how I've gotten through some depressive times and some anxious times. If the world was more predictable I would always, always manage but there's too many pyschopaths running everything at the moment, so it's anxiety each and every day.

I would echo the last post as well. Exercise definitely helps most people burn off some anxiety but with me only up to a point.

I hope this helps a little.