What Meds Have Helped with Avoidance?

[Robby]

Just wondering what medications worked for some of you if any. I am recently diagnosed mildly autistic. I have social anxiety and also a severe learning disability in math, although I am gifted in verbal & writing ability, which is unusual for an autistic person. I am prescribed Lexapro but for some reason I am scared to take an ssri I am afraid of side effects & the fact that you have to take it daily. Probably silly, but I am just scared of anti depressants for some reason. Should I just try it? I take Xanax as needed for sleep and anxiety. I have been prescribed ssri's numerous times, like Zoloft, Paxil, but I never took them. Now I was given Lexapro by the psychiatrist I see now who I really like by the way, but I just can't cross that hurdle of making myself take the pill. He gave me 20mg of Lexapro but said it was ok to start with cutting it to 10mg. Have any of you taken this?

My issue with anxiety isn't as bad as some, I can converse with people somewhat, but it's the unknown situations and settings with a ton of people or crowds that I hate. Like crowded supermarkets, or a job. I have avoided or turned down tons of jobs because of my anxiety. Like I will interview and get the job offer but then I am scared to start so I avoid it. I have problems with avoidance, majorly. Could the lexapro help with this? I really need this avoidance to go away.

 

[RidingDutchman]

To be honest, considering you said mildly autistic, I would be tempted to say "try therapy first"

I'm personally pretty heavily against mind altering medicine such as antidepressants if there are other viable options. Ofcourse if there is no other choice and you are sure it will benefit you, I'd say go for it.

Medication like that tends to take a while to get it's needed effect and by that time people tend to either be addicted to it or scared to stop using them. I would personally only use them as a last resort but this is just my opinion.

Ps. I suck at math as well

Edit: I tend to see that many doctors/psychs are really eager to prescribe medication in other countries. Over here in the Netherlands they are much more likely to try other options first it seems, although this is different in many cases
(My GP wanted to just give me antidepressants before I even got any official diagnosis, second opinion from a coworker of his and a talk with a psych made me decide to ignore his statement and try therapy instead. My current psych tries to avoid medication as much as possible, I'm quite glad with this point of view)

 

[Suzanne]

I was wrongly put on prozac and took it for 16 years, before I stopped listening to drs and did cold turkey and it was the best decision I made!

I now rely on natural meds to calm deep anxiety; the kind that stops me even thinking rationally and they work so fast that they are a blessing to me. I also rely on prayer to calm me down.

As it happens, I have to be on a platform tonight, as I am helping another with a talk. At the moment, I am not too bad; a bit of anxiety, but not enough to make me reach for those tabs, but as soon as it gets close to my turn on the platform, oh boy does the anxiety kick in? I go up in surreal mode and get through it as if I were in a dream.

I have always avoided mentally anguishing situations and it is a huge mistake, so now I push myself to go through them.

Seditiffpc is what I take.

 

[Aspieistj]

I have fairly severe depression as well as being on the Spectrum. I probably would have killed myself if I hadn't taken Prozac for decades. I have stopped taking it (slow decrease) and found I was miserable when the depression came roaring back. I would like to get off Prozac simply because I don't like taking all the various meds I require--most have nothing to do with depression. I am an RN, retired, and realize it is foolish to try to stop Prozac altogether. I strongly suggest you ask your doctor for some 10 mg tablets and start very slowly on Prozac and weigh any negative effects against any positive. If you can tolerate it, slowly increase to the prescribed amount and frequency.
I am an excellent student and always have been high honors, except after I moved up from arithmetic to math. I developed a math block as I struggled with Algebra. Geometry wasn't so bad. Because I receive extreme satisfaction achieving super grades I have struggled through the math required for the degrees I have obtained; AAS Nursing, BS Nursing, MS Nursing Administration, BS Music Education and MS in Health Education. If you were diabetic would you refuse to take the prescribed medication? If you require a medication, and taking it doesn't have serious side effects for you, I strongly suggest at least trying that med. Good luck!

 

[On the Inside]

I have been taking a low dose of Buproprion, or Wellbutrin, for avoidance and mood stabilization. I have been taking it for 9 months and so far am pleased with the results. I tried Zoloft for two short trials, but it made me edgy. I also take a low dose of Clonazepam when anxious or stressed. I don't take it every day.

I have worked for years on this with therapy, with little to show for it until I tried the medications. Not to say that the combination is essential, but if the problem proves at all therapy-proof, give the medication a try. I was someone who rarely took over the counter pain relievers, much less psycho-active medication, so I was a hard sell.

 

[wyverary]

Meds affect each person in different ways, and you won't know until you try.

 

[Robby]

I guess I'll try. I had a bad time in school due to bullying because of being gay, although that was several years ago, it still is with me. I've been in therapy, but don't feel much benefit from it. It's basically ********. Autism is just how our brains are wired. You can treat the anxiety somewhat but the basic issue is still there. I no longer have panic attacks thanks to Xanax. I guess I'll try the Lexapro. I had a bad time in school because of cutting class, & nobody back then (1990s) seemed to know what autism was, or recognize bullying. As a result, I barely passed, & have pretty much failed every math class I've ever taken. I just don't do well with test taking and studying, because of my short attention span. My therapist told me that now that I am diagnosed as autistic, & have a learning disability in math, if I choose to go back to school, I can opt out of math classes due to some federal law that requires that if you have a disability in certain subjects, you can replace those courses with others. I am considering getting some type of certification in physical therapy or healing arts or massage. In the meantime, the biggest hurdle for me is to follow through with a job once I am offered one, and not let the social anxiety scare me from it.

 

[ancusmitis]

I guess I'll try. I had a bad time in school due to bullying because of being gay, although that was several years ago, it still is with me. I've been in therapy, but don't feel much benefit from it. It's basically ********. Autism is just how our brains are wired. You can treat the anxiety somewhat but the basic issue is still there. I no longer have panic attacks thanks to Xanax. I guess I'll try the Lexapro. I had a bad time in school because of cutting class, & nobody back then (1990s) seemed to know what autism was, or recognize bullying. As a result, I barely passed, & have pretty much failed every math class I've ever taken. I just don't do well with test taking and studying, because of my short attention span. My therapist told me that now that I am diagnosed as autistic, & have a learning disability in math, if I choose to go back to school, I can opt out of math classes due to some federal law that requires that if you have a disability in certain subjects, you can replace those courses with others. I am considering getting some type of certification in physical therapy or healing arts or massage. In the meantime, the biggest hurdle for me is to follow through with a job once I am offered one, and not let the social anxiety scare me from it.

Good luck. You should let us know if you go back to school. I hope you do well.