Looking for Advice

Yes I can identify.  I am also on Sertraline 50mg, have been for about 16 months and I am trying to wean myself off now, having half tablets.  Apparently the side-effects of stopping Sertraline suddenly can be severe.  They advised me to increase my dose to 100mg at one point but when I did I rapidly got severe side-effects (people on the spectrum are more sensitive to medication than the average population) and had to reduce the dosage back to 50mg.

I very occasionally get night terrors now, but a few years back I got them a lot and they are awful.  I expect they are a product of anxiety.  I used to sleep-walk as well.

I have had one or two panic attacks in the past, I remember one on a bus where I felt I was about to faint and was petrified what to do and thought that I would have to just get off at any stop even if it was miles from where I was going.

Anxiety and/or depression are often co-morbid with ASD (at least 70% of people have them).

If his night terrors are so severe that he is constantly tired it sounds like he is withholding lots of stress and needs CBT or another therapy.  Does he consciously try calming activities to release stress?  Such as listening to music, meditation, deep breathing?  There are promising results from the mindfulness technique too (probably free online videos can be found for it).

He needs to find ways to get the stress out.  The more higher-functioning autistic people are the more pressure on us because it is already an invisible disability and we try so hard to fit in and conform to social expectations and it's clear to us, even without words, that NTs do not understand what we feel or go through.  Knowing that, means we pressure ourselves, on top of the social pressure everyone feels to fit it.  Fitting in is a lot harder for us anyway.

He could also have something called alexithyimia, which is where someone struggles to identify what they are feeling or what their problems are.  If he has this (it's not uncommon on the spectrum) he may not even recognise what it is that is bothering him.  If he doesn't belong to any autism forums it might be a good idea for him to join as he will find like-minded people going through the same things as him and it can also help with a dawning realisation, from reading others' problems, that they are the same as your own - hence helping to identify what is wrong and what you need.

Is his life situation too much for him?  Is he at university or working?  It could be if he is doing either, that he is just not ready for them.  Education can be postponed until any time, there are always distance learning options if a brick university doesn't work.  Employment is tricky, he should ensure his employer knows of his condition so that they can give him the reasonable adjustments he is entitled to in law.  If he is not working or in education, it could be that he has too much time on his hands to worry about things.  Unstructured time for people on the spectrum, is difficult.  Our minds don't stay still and we need to be occupied at least some of the time.  We perseverate about things and distraction can work well.  If he has problems that you can help with practical solutions for, this will help him a lot.  Sometimes, talking therapies are ineffective and it's only real, practical solutions that will put an autie/Aspie's mind at rest.

Yes I can identify.  I am also on Sertraline 50mg, have been for about 16 months and I am trying to wean myself off now, having half tablets.  Apparently the side-effects of stopping Sertraline suddenly can be severe.  They advised me to increase my dose to 100mg at one point but when I did I rapidly got severe side-effects (people on the spectrum are more sensitive to medication than the average population) and had to reduce the dosage back to 50mg.

I very occasionally get night terrors now, but a few years back I got them a lot and they are awful.  I expect they are a product of anxiety.  I used to sleep-walk as well.

I have had one or two panic attacks in the past, I remember one on a bus where I felt I was about to faint and was petrified what to do and thought that I would have to just get off at any stop even if it was miles from where I was going.

Anxiety and/or depression are often co-morbid with ASD (at least 70% of people have them).

If his night terrors are so severe that he is constantly tired it sounds like he is withholding lots of stress and needs CBT or another therapy.  Does he consciously try calming activities to release stress?  Such as listening to music, meditation, deep breathing?  There are promising results from the mindfulness technique too (probably free online videos can be found for it).

He needs to find ways to get the stress out.  The more higher-functioning autistic people are the more pressure on us because it is already an invisible disability and we try so hard to fit in and conform to social expectations and it's clear to us, even without words, that NTs do not understand what we feel or go through.  Knowing that, means we pressure ourselves, on top of the social pressure everyone feels to fit it.  Fitting in is a lot harder for us anyway.

He could also have something called alexithyimia, which is where someone struggles to identify what they are feeling or what their problems are.  If he has this (it's not uncommon on the spectrum) he may not even recognise what it is that is bothering him.  If he doesn't belong to any autism forums it might be a good idea for him to join as he will find like-minded people going through the same things as him and it can also help with a dawning realisation, from reading others' problems, that they are the same as your own - hence helping to identify what is wrong and what you need.

Is his life situation too much for him?  Is he at university or working?  It could be if he is doing either, that he is just not ready for them.  Education can be postponed until any time, there are always distance learning options if a brick university doesn't work.  Employment is tricky, he should ensure his employer knows of his condition so that they can give him the reasonable adjustments he is entitled to in law.  If he is not working or in education, it could be that he has too much time on his hands to worry about things.  Unstructured time for people on the spectrum, is difficult.  Our minds don't stay still and we need to be occupied at least some of the time.  We perseverate about things and distraction can work well.  If he has problems that you can help with practical solutions for, this will help him a lot.  Sometimes, talking therapies are ineffective and it's only real, practical solutions that will put an autie/Aspie's mind at rest.