aspergers and vaping.

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theddead

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In other news. The g/f decided she's had enough of my .... and gave me the final ultimatum. Either I go to the dr. appointment she made for me (on THURSDAY! AGH) and ask for anti-anxieties and anti-depressants, or we need to "re-evaluate" our relationship. O.O

any advice for overcoming my anxiety enough to ask about anti-anxieties? That's like the world's worst joke.

I have anxiety.
Just blurt out "I'd like to try prozac" (or whatever)
Or state you feel depressed.
It's really hard to do, but once you say it, it's there and you and doc can deal with it.
I had to blurt it out.
Really sucked...... The meds help a lot though.
I'm glad I said something.
(It only took 40 years)
You can do it.
Your g/f cares. Obviously right? ;)
So, just walk up to the doc and blurt!
(Good luck, :thumb: )
 

theddead

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Oh, and the g/f understands, but she's also a therapist. . . so she knows that the aspergers is one thing and is very helpful/tolerant/awesome with that but she also knows that the meds can help with some of my "bigger" issues. hahahaha

Aka, she's totally down with my inability to function in social situations and make small talk, but would at least like me to be willing to go out occasionally.

My wife says pretty much the same.
So. We gotta try to meet them halfway right?
 

theddead

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Some SSRIs/SNRIs have anxiolytic effects. Paxil (paroxetine) is one of them. I take a low does every night before bed for anxiety. It's the only drug in that class that I can tolerate.

I can't take paxil.
Weird side effects on me.
Like. ... total emotional shutdown.
I slowly got more depressed as I took it.
Buspar, prozac..... I like them.
Different family though.
 

Boden

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My first thought would be that you're fortunate for that, but maybe not so. It can be very enjoyable for me to listen to a song about feeling anxious and/or lonely, but if I couldn't at all relate, maybe it would just seem wierd.
I enjoy a good song as much as most. Just like I appreciate Shakespeare. As a child I just thought songs about intense feelings were about people with obsession issues or other mental problems just like in literature. I have feels ;) they are just very muted compared to what I observe in NT's.
 

Tom Forde

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thanks Tom.

I was on Ativan in high school and college to treat panic attacks, but I guess I'd be looking for something more "every day maintenance" and less "emergencies only". . . do SSRIs or SDNRI's work for anxiety too, or are they a depression only thing?

Basically, is there an option to take one thing everyday that is going to help both issues? Or am I stuck with this drug for depresssion, this drug for panic attacks, this drug for high-stress-but-not-quite-panic.
O.O
No Ativan is like Xanax, quick acting and heavily sedating. My first night getting clean in rehab back 5 years ago I couldn't sleep so at like 4:30am the nurse came into my room and injected a 4mg/2ml solution of Ativan into my .......wake up call was at 7:30 so I woke up and could barely move I was so out of it, the other patients thought I had brain damage...they were asking me why I was there and I could barely speak drooling all over myself, couldn't even stand up straight. Talk about a great first impression. Lol rehab gives you all the fun stuff.
But on your issue anti-anxieties and anti-depressants could be used. Low dose benzo's like klonopin or Valium may work but still they're highly addicting. Which is why a quack may recommend an anti-depressant (or two), which may or may not work (why do you think there are so dam many different brands of happy pills?), but still cause withdrawal problems if not tapered off. It's pretty much picking between the lesser of the two evils, I'm prescribed Xanax for high stress situations/panic attacks/etc, but I barely ever take them. I don't have time for stress. .... that .....
Morning everyone! Only 113 missed messages & 6 pages this time!
This is moving too fast...I don't know I'm ready for this kind of relationship...
 

Boden

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Not sure if I have "it" or not yet, but indications are that I do. Head shrinker will have to make the call.
However I do not think many who have "it" will go around broadcasting that they do.
I have told many things in this thread that I have NEVER told before.
Prolly will wind up biting me in the ...., but not sure I really give much of a .... as I get older and tireder.
If it bites you in the .... I'll have Sadie bite it back. Grrrrr
image.jpg
 

Atchafalaya

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Just took my socks off and my feet stink.
But my Vanilla Custard V1 is vapin nice.
Too funny! It's been 12 days since I had my last cig and I have come to the realization that my pug, Tabitha, farts. And boy do they stink!
 

MaenadMoogle

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I have been puzzled by this thread for a while. Specifically all the talk about needing medication and having anxiety issues. To me this does not make any sense.

I was just speaking to a friend who happens to be a developmental psychologist and found the answer.

It seems that they changed the definition of what an Aspie is to such a large extent that a Hans Asperger Aspie is no longer considered a disability. She said now the term refers to a broad group of anxiety disorders and autistic person's.

Now I understand why y'all seem so different from the few old Aspies I know.

For those of you who have anxiety disorders you have my sympathy I don't really know what it is to feel anxious or lonely.


I think there is also a tendency of dual diagnosis that you are missing. I'd assume that many of us here were still diagnosed or going by the "old" definition of aspie that wasn't changed until the DSM-5 came out in 2013. BUT, as with many mental health issues, there is a tendency of dual diagnosis. Very few issues are so cut an dry and many humans tend to have more than one issue at a time.

For instance, I have a friend who is a female aspie. She was abused as a child. (probably because many abusers go after the "weakest link" and aspie children often already have social issues. Thus, when she was abused the symptoms of her abuse were written off as being a part of her aspergeres and as a child she was unable to understand and communicate what was happening. As an adult she now has PTSD, generalized anxiety as a symptom of the PTSD, depression, also a symptom of the PTSD, and aspergers. But it was only recently that her anxiety and depression wasn't included as a symptom specific to aspergers but rather as a symptom related to PTSD.

I think in many cases kids with aspergers grow up to be adults with anxiety and depression for reasons not necessarily BECAUSE of the aspergers, but rather BECAUSE of the way society treats those with aspergers.

For instance, my anxiety is generalized which is it's own whole issue, but it's also MOSTLY social based. I know for a fact that it's because I've felt so out of the loop with how society functions and what they expect from us. A lot of my social anxiety has been borne out trying to cope with aspergers before understanding what was going on and not being able to function the way I was told I should be.
Ex. I'm absolutely horrible at eye contact. I can't do it. Forcing myself to do it is a struggle. Now, I know that it's not "normal" to not make eye contact and I have anxiety over meeting new people because I'm worried that they'll find out I'm not "normal" because I'm incapable of such a small detail of life. The more I try to remind myself to make eye contact, the worse my anxiety becomes. For example, my brain when meeting new people goes like this: "Will they notice if I don't look them in the eyes, ...., look them in the eyes, am I doing this right? it feels so weird, maybe I'm making TOO much eye contact, ...., I'm supposed to say something here. OH NO, now I went off onto a diatribe. Rein in the conversation. Oh jesus, what do I even say here. Damn, you got distracted and haven't made eye contact in 10 minutes. And they really didn't care what you said because you did that fact dropping thing again and talked to them for 10 minutes straight about some random topic."

Thus, my anxiety isn't a symptom of being an aspie so much as it is my brain creating a constant fear of being "found out" and trying to force myself to obey common etiquette. It's caused BY the aspergers but not a symptom OF aspergers. . .

if that made any sense.
 

Tom Forde

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I think there is also a tendency of dual diagnosis that you are missing. I'd assume that many of us here were still diagnosed or going by the "old" definition of aspie that wasn't changed until the DSM-5 came out in 2013. BUT, as with many mental health issues, there is a tendency of dual diagnosis. Very few issues are so cut an dry and many humans tend to have more than one issue at a time.

For instance, I have a friend who is a female aspie. She was abused as a child. (probably because many abusers go after the "weakest link" and aspie children often already have social issues. Thus, when she was abused the symptoms of her abuse were written off as being a part of her aspergeres and as a child she was unable to understand and communicate what was happening. As an adult she now has PTSD, generalized anxiety as a symptom of the PTSD, depression, also a symptom of the PTSD, and aspergers. But it was only recently that her anxiety and depression wasn't included as a symptom specific to aspergers but rather as a symptom related to PTSD.

I think in many cases kids with aspergers grow up to be adults with anxiety and depression for reasons not necessarily BECAUSE of the aspergers, but rather BECAUSE of the way society treats those with aspergers.

For instance, my anxiety is generalized which is it's own whole issue, but it's also MOSTLY social based. I know for a fact that it's because I've felt so out of the loop with how society functions and what they expect from us. A lot of my social anxiety has been borne out trying to cope with aspergers before understanding what was going on and not being able to function the way I was told I should be.
Ex. I'm absolutely horrible at eye contact. I can't do it. Forcing myself to do it is a struggle. Now, I know that it's not "normal" to not make eye contact and I have anxiety over meeting new people because I'm worried that they'll find out I'm not "normal" because I'm incapable of such a small detail of life. The more I try to remind myself to make eye contact, the worse my anxiety becomes. For example, my brain when meeting new people goes like this: "Will they notice if I don't look them in the eyes, ...., look them in the eyes, am I doing this right? it feels so weird, maybe I'm making TOO much eye contact, ...., I'm supposed to say something here. OH NO, now I went off onto a diatribe. Rein in the conversation. Oh jesus, what do I even say here. Damn, you got distracted and haven't made eye contact in 10 minutes. And they really didn't care what you said because you did that fact dropping thing again and talked to them for 10 minutes straight about some random topic."

Thus, my anxiety isn't a symptom of being an aspie so much as it is my brain creating a constant fear of being "found out" and trying to force myself to obey common etiquette. It's caused BY the aspergers but not a symptom OF aspergers. . .

if that made any sense.
I agree with you completely. Many psychiatrists will write off a single diagnosis without looking at the full picture. That's why seeing a psychologist or therapist for a decent amount of time is recommended before drugs are introduced. When I was in undergrad, I was studying under the DSM-IV, but along the axis' dual diagnosis cross checks were still pretty much mentioned everywhere. I'm a multiple "disorder" label, ADHD, Borderline Personality Disorder, GAD (which is mainly social but I've been forced to work through it in my job), & MDD (which I'm starting to think is more of a misdiagnosis and should be Bipolar Depressive). I don't take anything on a day to day basis. I deal with **** and busy myself to try to ignore the stressors that cause my depressed moods. It's not easy all the time but it's better for me than to be taking an SSRI/SDNRI. I am completely against them for my own mind.
 
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Tom Forde

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Baxter is a good one for sure but does he have the steely gaze of a Border Collie stalking her pray (in this case a tennis ball :) )
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Naw he doesn't, he's an actually a pedigree mini pinscher with a genetic mutation that made him all black. He's oversized for show quality at 18lbs, and he is a straight up killer. I was walking him once and he saw a bird on the ground and just as the bird was taking off, he quick sprinted (on a 6 foot leash) and jumped and caught the bird mid-takeoff. So badass lol. He's 7 now, I rescued him when he was 1 & he's lived with me where ever I go, he lived with me at my frat house and moved out to LA with me when I lived there & now he's back in jersey with me
 
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AXIOM_1

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    Thus, my anxiety isn't a symptom of being an aspie so much as it is my brain creating a constant fear of being "found out" and trying to force myself to obey common etiquette. It's caused BY the aspergers but not a symptom OF aspergers. . .

    Well played, and I agree 10000000% with you..... There are just too many variables when it comes to neuron-chemical/mental dysfunctions..

    I know lots of folks who have anxiety problems but yet have very little in common with Asperger people.... Then I see there is the opposite where you have Asperger people who have little anxiety problems.... Then there are a bunch of us who fall somewhere in between and have both of those problems............ Actually (my assumption) I think that there are lots of Asperger people who suffer with anxiety/depression for the very reason that you have stated.
     
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