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Medication

Dwa78

Hello all. 

I am a 47 year old man, just been diagnosed with autism after struggling my entire life in multiple ways and not knowing why.

In recent years I have/had been drinking heavily, doing drugs, lost both parents and completely burned out mentally and physically. Any advice on recovering from this would be helpful but the main problem I have is regarding medication. 

I am diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, even though I feel there is an ADHD element to it. The lady who did my assessment wouldn't say anything about ADHD, she just said "We don't do it like that anymore, it's all just a spectrum disorder".

This would be fine if not for the fact that I am convinced ADHD medication could be what helps me turn my life around as nothing else is working at this point. 

My mind is pretty much blank now, I have no energy whatsoever despite trying healthy eating, exercise, meditation, giving up caffeine etc. I naturally crave stimulants like caffeine, alcohol and cocaine, even my food has to be extremely spicy so I get a dopamine hit from it. I've tried abstaining from all of these things but I just feel worse and worse. Stimulants make me feel alive and clear my mind, I even become more sociable. Obviously there is the issue of the withdrawal but the stimulation seems so needed that even with hangovers etc there is a net benefit of these behaviours. Trouble is, they are unhealthy and over a short time send me crashing into burnout again. I do not want to keep living like this and feel ADHD medication could be the answer or certainly worth a try.

So in a nutshell, how could I go about getting this medication? Would I have to now be asked to be assessed for ADHD and wait 3 years again for an assessment? I feel bad even asking the doctor as I've only just been diagnosed with autism so seems crazy that I now ask to be diagnosed all over again with a related condition, and 3 years is just too long. I'm very confused, running out of patience with myself and not sure what to do. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Parents

  • My guess is that you'd have to be assessed again for ADHD. I don't think they'd prescribe "the good stuff" without a formal diagnosis of ADHD (most of them are controlled drugs under the law). I could be wrong there, though. Talk to your GP about it.

    I can't say that stimulants perked me up much. They had a distinct calming effect, which is probably the opposite of the effect they'd have on an NT person. That kind of a response is typical in ADHD. There were up sides and down sides to that. I think my Autism complicated matters. At least the legal route is cheaper than a cocaine habit!

    I'm not on them any more, but I'm not ruling out going back.

  • in reply to Damojo

    Thank you, yeah that's kinda what stimulants do for me, I feel focused, calmer, happier, physical symptoms all fade such as tight chest and muscles. They perk me up but in the sense that they pull me out of the fog and I feel almost human for a while, even a bit of energy and motivation comes back just for a while. Alcohol is the one I reach for now when things get too bad, again I don't find it addictive, it's more of a medicine when I'm at breaking point once every couple of weeks or so, but it's usually a big binge.

    I think you're right, I'll have to go back to my GP. I did mention it before based on my autism diagnosis but they said there's no medication for that (which I kinda already knew) and they weren't keen on discussing anything to do with ADHD.

    Have you tried a few different medications or just the one? 

  • in reply to Dwa78

    I understand and sympathise with the need for alcohol.

    Gin was plentiful and cheap during COVID, I found solitary confinement very hard, about 30 bottles of it kept me going, plus wine and bottles of cider. Although I had a sort of breakdown after it had been going 9 months.

    In my 30s I used to wonder if I won the lottery whether I'd be able to avoid drinking myself to death. It was only the requirement to be sober for work that stopped me, but I was very stressed.

    Being diagnosed ASD has allowed me to be kinder to myself and stop pushing so hard. Reducing the stress has reduced the need. I don't have ADHD. 

    Understanding why I wanted it has also allowed me to moderate it. I did stop for a couple of months. I still want it but I think it is affecting my AMD. And it makes my moods less stable the following afternoon.

    Dark chocolate and tea also help with dopamine.

Reply
  • in reply to Dwa78

    I understand and sympathise with the need for alcohol.

    Gin was plentiful and cheap during COVID, I found solitary confinement very hard, about 30 bottles of it kept me going, plus wine and bottles of cider. Although I had a sort of breakdown after it had been going 9 months.

    In my 30s I used to wonder if I won the lottery whether I'd be able to avoid drinking myself to death. It was only the requirement to be sober for work that stopped me, but I was very stressed.

    Being diagnosed ASD has allowed me to be kinder to myself and stop pushing so hard. Reducing the stress has reduced the need. I don't have ADHD. 

    Understanding why I wanted it has also allowed me to moderate it. I did stop for a couple of months. I still want it but I think it is affecting my AMD. And it makes my moods less stable the following afternoon.

    Dark chocolate and tea also help with dopamine.

Children
  • in reply to Dwa78
    Dwa78 said:
    As you said, the best part of the diagnosis so far is the being kinder to yourself instead of powering through situations you should be avoiding for fear of letting people down, or not living up to your own standards etc.

    I think you've got the hang of it already. I've been focused on the same approach for nearly a year and it helps more than anything else.

  • in reply to Stuart333

    You sound very similar to me in that regard. I drank red wine almost daily through the lockdown, insane amounts. The lockdowns also ruined my mum and dad's health and they both died within a few months of each other in 2022/2023. It's been a lot to take in, autism diagnosis, had a baby daughter in 2019, parents and family unit gone, self employed work has dried up due to the unresponsiveness of my condition, a whirlwind of booze, anxiety and depression and here I am, completely burned out.

    Tea gives a gentle lift but even that, if I go over two cups I end up not sleeping properly then feel like death the next day. As you said, the best part of the diagnosis so far is the being kinder to yourself instead of powering through situations you should be avoiding for fear of letting people down, or not living up to your own standards etc.