Loperamide - "has the potential to treat the core 'social symptoms' of ASD"

As far as the gut health goes, I have IBS. Alot of other autistic people I know seem to have it too. I wonder if it is because of the stress of dealing with a neurotypical world every day is what causes it? 
I know mine is caused by stress and came on in my 20s once I started working and dealing with the adult world more so its possible other peoples are caused by stress as well. 

Not sure if that made sense but is an interesting possibility?

Also makes me think these scientists have very much mixed up cause and effect 

Dawn said:

I like my autism just fine as it is, thanks!

I really like that quote. I feel the same about mine

I really think the people who write these news articles have no understanding of autism. First of all I really dislike the term "symptoms" of autism, it makes it sound like a disease, something that needs to be cured, which is probably why all these scientists are so obsessed with curing it. 

They really do come up with some crazy stuff

Interesting....but do you think that's just you rather than a ASD related matter?

Ah, perhaps how it improves our social skills - by making it possible to move outside away from the toilet, lol.

Had plenty of 'runs' in my life can't say I felt less autistic for taking immodium, lol

Loperamide helps me more than any other medication or intervention, tbh. I don't think there's any direct effect, it just means that I don't have to devote 80% of my attention to staying within range of the nearest toilet, which makes socialising a lot easier. My digestion has run much faster than a normal person's since I was born.

There’s numerous people offering what they claim to be cures, the truth is they are not cures to autism, allow me to explain.

Most things referred to as symptoms of autism actually have nothing to do with autism, they have just been associated with autism. If we take small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) as an example, curing SIBO has a positive effect on the individual, so the SIBO is cured but the autism is still there.

 The truth is we still don’t know what autism itself is, we just know the signs someone’s autistic.

LOL I've just googled it too and came across an article which said immodium may help with core autism symptoms. You know, the over the counter drug. Who knew it could be that simple!? They tested it on mice with social deficits?! 

It might stop actual diarrhea but not verbal diarrhea

Gosh! Just googled that.  One of the reports suggests that "most" autistic adults and half of children are on anti-psychotics????  Errrr!  Where the Hell did they get that from?

Yes, I have horrible digestive problems but I didn't develop those until adulthood, by which time I'd found a lot of compensation strategies to the social side of things and despite gut pain my mental health is mostly fine apart from the medical phobias.  How then was I ever an autistic kid with a perfectly OK bowel? 

And anytime I've been given medical opiates, that hasn't turned out well - NHS sponsored "bad trip".

Shall we say I shan't be volunteering for any trials?  I like my autism just fine as it is, thanks!

Thanks for throwing that "red meat" out there.  Lol, this could make for interesting discussion.

There is a theory that has gathered pace over the past few years or so: the "Brain-Gut Axis."

The theory is that the microbes in the intestine have a strong influence on the nervous system, and vice-versa. This may explain why psychiatric drugs can affect the gastro-intestinal system and why there is a strong link between mental health and gut health.

I think we should all watch this space.

Colin