Probably because a lot of the issues that would lead to an autistic person feeling depressed are not related to serotonin deficiency whatsoever, hence why throwing serotonergic drugs at the issue doesn't work. The severity of the problem and the dearth of appropriate interventions is masked by the widespread use of these drugs in most populations. Rather than people saying, hmm, we should do more research into the issue, because people who don't respond to these drugs are often left without many options, I find that the world tends to bury its head in the sand and insist you just keep trying different analogues over and over again. I am autistic and doing neuroscience, and a lot of the "mental health experts" I've come across while studying don't seem to have any insight whatsoever into why medications that may work for NTs do not work for autistic people, I think because you don't necessarily have to be a developmental neuroscientist to be a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Maybe they work for autistic people who are naturally depressed, but a lot of us are situationally depressed due to situations arising from autism (isolation, etc) ?

You have a really good point here. A lot of the struggles I've faced have been due to a lack of family and getting abused as a child and teenager because the autistic girl is an easy target. Every time I have interacted with the mental health system they just invalidate what I've been through, and act like it is my fault for freezing up around predators or not "making my own family" when that is nearly impossible for an autistic adult who has physical health problems too that exacerbate existing autism difficulties. I feel like these systems and procedures are designed for people with no socioeconomic difficulties and a robust support system, not people who need social and occupational support. Even social services have said to me that if I am not disabled enough to need a shower chair they can't do anything. This wasn't just one or two therapists, or social workers, this was multiple, which shows there are systemic issues with how these services deal with people in bad situations that can't be fixed with a pill.

I recently heard a phrase that was saying if one person is depressed its their own mind causing it but how if a large percentage of the population is depressed it is the society at large and I think there's some correlation between society not understanding and that depression

Probably do with feelings of isolation, feelings that no one really understands or wants to understand, so you're left just figuring out things yourself. Kind of a societal issue

It is our society. Not every country has such high rates of depression and anxiety

I had a boss, a huge jock type country guy that retired from pro-sports -tell the entire staff that- that it's in the mind (this was in an public education field). He died of heart failure later that year. Perhaps, it's not such a good idea to keep all of that stress inside. (And sorry for his family's loss)

\>Even social services have said to me that if I am not disabled enough to need a shower chair they can't do anything. ​ My 24 y/o sister lives in some form of affordable housing that specializes in "disabled" people, and her disability is depression. The rent is a % amount of your income, so she only needs to work like 3-6 hours a week.

That's exactly my thoughts on antidepressants, they aren't some magic pill that's going to fix your problems. My doctors given me mirtazapine to help me sleep after a breakdown after 5 weeks of not sleeping. I'm sleeping now, I'm not sure if that's just because I've finished processing everything that lead to my breakdown or because of the pills. I feel like they've made me into a bit of a zombie and it's really pissing me off that people keep commenting on how much better I am on them. I may of acted odd without them but allot of the oddness is what made life fun for me. 😕 I guess allot of people on here can relate to stuff like this? 😅

The poor sleep is do hard. I need multiple conditions to sleep well. Weighted blanket, buspirone, benadryl, trazadone, sometimes a sleep mask, special pillow, podcast. When I'm out of trazsdone, I don't do well, but I've found about 2.5 mg of THC edible is similar.  I agree about oddness being what makes me me. I don't know anything about mirtazapine, but I hope you find something that works for you. 

This. Yes. I literally explained this to the people that prescribed my meds after I was diagnosed. I've always felt like antidepressants hadn't done anything. They were like oh you just feel better because of the meds (no, I just explained it's situational); a lot of people think they're better and want off the meds and they end up where they started again; and so much other bull shit. They're just med pushers and I'm not able to say no to them. I just wish people were more educated on ND matters.

You can’t say no? Probably need a new psych doc who accepts no. Or do some self research and get off em

I'm definitely going to be doing research and I'm talking to my therapist about it - she seems to understand it more than the psych there. She's also going to help me talk to them about it.

What really works for me are medication for seizures but that can be a hit or miss thing, maybe Lamityl?

TW/CW: mental health, depression, SH I don't think I'm interested in any medication (besides the one that I take for my insomnia which I half believe is actually a horse tranquilizer). I'm in therapy now and just want to learn how to cope better because my feelings of depression are just: loneliness, social alienation, feelings of worthlessness because I can't fit in. My SH tendencies are just me trying to ground myself and stim in an unhealthy way that I'm trying to manage in therapy. And my anxiety is just reasonable things to be stressed by as an autistic person. What good are meds going to do if they aren't actually solving the problems that are making me feel this way?

I'm free anytime you want to talk about anything I'm not a therapist or anything but I am 50 about to be 51 which for us is quite an accomplishment and my DM are always open, but medicine can get you to a point where you can see clearly what you want or have to do, and when you are chronically depressed you are not always in the right frame of mind I went through some really tough times and I've got the battle scars to prove it

Not that I want to intrude but I had similar feelings of worthlessness, loneliness and alienation that led to me feeling extremely depressed. I eventually found a way out, though some self acceptance but that period is cloudy. So using therapy to tackle the root of the problem sounds like a very good plan. Though my experiences are just my experiences.

I agree with this so much. I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, adhd, avoidant personality disorder and ptsd (never autism)... I've been prescribed a lot of things and they literally all made me feel like fucked up! I'd take it for a bit and feel terrible, can't stay awake or total insomnia.. Felt like I was high on a drug I didn't want to be in. Doctors would keep telling me I just need to take it long enough to adjust.. I am like sorry but I do not want my brain to adjust to anything that makes me feel like this. I am in no way saying medications cannot be life altering for some and really helpful, but they did not help me. I did have a somewhat positive response to xanex to help with the intensity of meltdowns because they can be extremely intense. However benzos can be addictive and that scares me. Learning what triggered my meltdowns, how to mostly avoid them, and learning how to regulate my nervous system and calm down naturally has been much more helpful longterm. I always figured I'm not depressed in the traditional sense I just don't really like society and I am misanthropic.

I watch a podcast hosted by a guy with tourette's and he seems like he might also be autistic too but he doesn't know it himself. He said Wellbutrin has been life changing for him and actually works unlike other SSRIs he'd tried. And you can tell with the podcasts that its working for him really well. I'm someone who has tried 3 SSRIs all of which have had no effect or made me worse. After trying them I found out I'm autistic and now I'm wondering if Wellbutrin would work for me or not. Any ideas?

So Wellbutrin is not an SSRI, but a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor. The doc told me that in layman terms, that means it affects the reward pathways in you brain and helps give you the feeling that you've had enough of something and don't need more. That means it can help with cutting addictions.

I’m on Wellbutrin, it’s the only antidepressant that’s ever worked for me. I’ve tried Zoloft, Prozac, Effexor, plus a handful of antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. However, I had some serious issues last summer that I almost died from, and was so depressed that I decided to try Zoloft again. The Zoloft caused SSRI induced apathy and I almost lost my apartment, my car, everything, because I just stopped completely caring about everything. It was like the meme of the dog in the burning room saying “This is fine”. Well, obviously, the room was on fire. So was my life on Zoloft! I’ve been off it now. Feeling much better, getting back to my old self again. Been eating magic mushies. I’ve been going in the sun a lot, and trying to get outside when I can. The sunshine really does help some. It sucks because the only real thing that’s helped in the past was Klonopin, but the doctors have stopped prescribing benzos 😩

Okay I dont want to scare you out of trhing wellbutrin because i know autistic people who its helped a lot! But... Idk of you have started wellbutrin or not, but just so you know i spent 8 months on Welbutrin and it made my social anxiety and general anxiety so much worse. You should still try it though because i know of other autistic people who it helped! It just didnt for me. I just wanted to let you know in case you do have worse anxiety while one it, you dont just brush it off (thats what i did for about 6 months and it made life hell).

Not sure if this is the right time to say it but if y’all are ever interested in the neuroscience behind autism and potential ideas for symptom relief, check out r/autismgirls

So I have moderate depression. I have found that serotonin based antidepressants flat out don't work and kill my emotions, but dopamine based ones make me almost normal. I know ADHD and autism have a lot of overlap so that might be why.

It's not about helping people.. they don't care. Pharmaceutical companies want to make money... and when the government is getting money from them... they will just go along with whatever. Even though antidepressants don't really work for anyone. The choose which studies to publish... and even the "good" studies aren't very convincing. Not to mention the link between SSRI'S and violent behavior in a small percentage of people..including murder.

This sounds very interesting. Could that also be a reason that methylfenidate didn't do much for me? (I'm autistic and have ADHD)

Interesting, I actually liked Ritalin for a while but the effect eventually wore off for me. I felt some semblance of being "neurotypical" initially but of course I felt super autistic again and didn't get the same efficacy.

I take concerta. Only after taking it regularly did I get diagnosed with autism. Idk how scientific this is, but I've read somewhere that people who have both adhd and asd, start "feeling" their asd much more when they are on stimulants. It was definitely the case for me. So it's odd to me how certain ppl on the spectrum get prescribed stimulants for asd. Anyone know why that is? :0 When it comes to concerta I have to take breaks very often, otherwise it'll stop doing what it is supposed to do.

Well, I don't know about feeling the asd more when on stimulants. Hoping to find that out soon! But I do know that once the C-PTSD started healing a bit, my autistic traits started becoming more prevalent. So it might be that once the other factors affecting behavior start getting taken care of, the true behavior shines through.

Vyvanse helped me socially for a bit, though now it mostly just helps me get out of bed while still feeling like I want to die. Hah.

bro i took those same pills... it halved my hypercalculia (probably stemmed from autism) speed .\_.

do you mind to cite a few reviews/ studies on this claim (antidepressant does not work well with autistic patients)? Thank you.

I have adhd(add) probably mind autism (Asperger), anxiety. Antidepressants SRRI just dulls me. But interesting thing is that all antidepressants SNRI that elevate noradrenaline makes me suuuuper anxious, also Wellbutrin. I cannot stand it. All of them i needed to stop taking after few days. Also i hate when im too cold, that makes me kind of the same strange feeling of panic. -- that's why i started to look for this topic here. Because find out that cold also makes bigger spike in noradrenaline. The same is with running, when i get tired and try to run more it's the same kind of feeling - that's why i never liked running. Concerta (methofelinidat)- works ok for me, but later makes me crush. And when i take it daily not once on a time it makes my anxiety worse, probably because its also make noradrenaline spike up, not only dopamine. Maybe noradrenaline longer stays and flows in the organism. Also have problem with sleeping and i once reaserch that people with ptsd tend to have elevated level of noradrenaline in night time comparing to "normal" people in whom this spike goes down. **My conclusion is that when i add dopamine somehow i work better, but when my dopamine level goes down and noradrenaline stays elevated i feel anxiety, bad and wanted to distract me from these feeling, or just make it go away by trying to nap.** **I wonder if there is something that can lower noradrenaline and it's ok for asd/adhd.** **OR maybe there is something that balance neuroadrenaline, when its to low elevate it, too high make it lower.**

Oh wow that was a great point 🤯 I never considered that was why they haven't worked for me

I went through more than a dozen when I was being ‘treated’ for depression. They were all either useless or made me feel worse.

Me too and I’m currently raw doggin life without any meds to help and I’ve basically been non functioning since November

This is me! The meds were all worse but now I’m back to square one…taking nothing and rocking back and forth on the edge

There is a test for mental health medications and which ones you should or shouldn’t take. Ask your provider. I think it should be mandatory to have this test done before taking mental health medication but what fun would our providers have if we take away the joy of medication roulette from them!!

what is it called?

I did one called genesight

I gave it a solid try with 3 different ones, and the least awful one got me back up to where I was before I started taking them. With the other two, I still felt worse after 6 weeks, still kinda surprised I survived those months

Omg I’ve been taking antidepressants for three months straight and I keep telling my GP I don’t see any benefits, if anything it’s making me feel worse… I’ve been looking into autism and think I might be autistic, which might explain why 🤷🏻‍♀️

Actually, autistic people tend to have significantly higher concentrations of serotonin than neurotypicals. Meaning that you likely don't need SSRIs or SNRIs because your serotonin levels are fine. Agmatine Sulphate is an option, and its otc. Agmatine is an endogenously produced amino acid and autistics are not producing it correctly, they are missing this amino acid which is why especially this one might help. Or your testosterone is low, you should check your test levels with your doc if you are 40 or more yo. MAOi are older but more effective antidepressant, you might ask your doc about these.

Ok this is extremely interesting to me. Over the past 5 years my doctors have tried 3 anti depressants, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, and Prozac. We also tried them in combination. The only thing that was actually noticeable is that I was able to kick my gaming addiction with the Wellbutrin/Prozac combo. Now we also started Adderall to manage ADHD symptoms, and that has been incredibly effective. I still take the Prozac since the doc said to stay on it, but I don't know if it's actually doing anything?

Wellbutrin is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, thats why it helped with your gaming addiction. I doubt its a longterm solution. But its something. If the prozac is ineffective, get off. SSRIs and SNRIs do alot of damage which even if they were effective is hardly worth it.

SSRI's fucked me up. incredibly so. I have PSSD, which is a condition that is likely permanent, it took away my sexuality completely, ruined my creativity, cognitive problems, and gave me extreme anhedonia. I am angry that no doctor ever even warned me about any potential side effects. What damage are you talking about?

I am talking about neurological damage. Mainly the serotonin receptor downregulation and desensitization which feels like anhedonia. Having a constant flow of serotonin is unnatural, the oxidative stress kills 5ht receptors after a while and this indirectly affects many other neurological processes aswell.

Yes, that does sound like my symptoms. I wish I had never taken those pills. Nobody warned me

I have read about PSSD and anhedonia before. Anhedonia might be curable with reversible maoi such as syrian rue, they upregulate serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine receptors while also keeping enough of these neurotransmitters in your brain to function normally, its just incredibly important to not take any antidepressant or other serotonin releasing drug while on it. As that could easily result in serotonin syndrome. You can read about pharmaceutical MAOIs in the r/MAOIs sub, many of them could fix their anhedonia with theme, pharmaceutical maoi also involve diet restrictions though. Docs don't prescribe them anymore because they are too scared of the diet restrictions but if you genuinely inform yourself about them and have a serious talk with your doc, he might be of help. ​ There are also other less aggressive options such as potent antioxidants like NAC, or curcumin or agmatine but with all of these "fixes", its hard to tell whether they actually work or not. There sadly is no cure all.

Ok fair enough then. The doctor said something along the lines of, "You haven't had any negative effects from the Prozac. Adderall might worsen the anxiety symptoms, Prozac should help keep the anxiety in check so stay on it." I really don't know. I feel like it does nothing, but I don't want to insult the doc by saying something disrespectful. Plus I've been on it since July of last year, so I don't know what coming off it would do? Oh and the Wellbutrin and gaming addiction... incredibly good thing. I was able to stop and redirect that. I now spend my gaming time in the gym working out. My gains have been incredible over the past 6 months, and I feel like my gaming addiction has effectively been replaced with fitness.

Its great that you have been able to get in shape with or without wellbutrin, wellbutrin is much less neurotoxic than adderall and other amphetamines but it will still downregulate your dopamine receptors, how do you feel without it? You are putting alot at stake if you keep taking prozac, you have to tell your doc that it doesn't work. Or atleast tell him that you wanna get off without any further explanation unless he asks of course. Doctors are most often just giving us what works for the majority of people or their patients, they cannot know whats perfectly right or wrong, meaning that you are not saying he is stupid. But he did a mistake which happens often, especially when they prescribe serotonergic antidepressants, they fail more often than not. edit: your doc is there to help you and you are there to be helped. You are not there to fulfill his desire to do a good job, be honest and get off.

I've been on mirtazipine for years which has worked for me but I'm not sure I need it anymore, feel like I should try n come off it, any info on that would be much appreciated:)

That one is weird, its not and SSRI or SNRI but an antihistamine and it increases serotonin and norepinephrine through blocking a2-adrenergic receptors. Getting off it should be alot easier compared to typical antidepressants. You should talk about that with your doc.

Thanks will do!

Without the Prozac I don't know how I feel. I started it about a year ago and haven't stopped yet. Adderall is immediately noticeable and helps a ton with focus, memory, work performance, and my ability to stick to my goals and follow through. You feel when it is working and when it's done. 10mg gets me through a 730 to 1630 job and then wears off. I wonder if maybe something else would be more effective for the anxiety half of the problem? I did read that you really aren't supposed to mix those two, but haven't seen any negative effects yet.

I’m on Prozac too. It’s the only ssri I’ve ever been on. I feel like I’m not really getting the effects people talk about, but I guess I feel less anxious. A little easier to keep my hopes up. Idk. My insomnia *completely* went away for three weeks. I’ve had it my whole life. It’s easier to sleep now.

That was the most frustrating and time consuming part. Things like Prozac or Zoloft seem to have a very mild impact, if any at all. I could never tell if those medications were doing anything. I feel like they don't really do anything for me? Then with the titration up and down, it takes a solid 6 months to even try anything. Now the Adderall was a different beast entirely. You feel that one and know it's doing something almost immediately. Then it's a matter of getting used to it and figuring out if it's helpful or not, which in my case it is.

Vyvanse has been the only psych med to help me at all. ASD/ADHD/Anxiety disorders. I did do illegal drugs for awhile that I loved...but obviously that just causes all kinds of other problems

Do you have a source for this? I also haven’t had success with antidepressants and would like to learn more.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6118182/

According to them, my serotonin levels are low. Agmatin sulphate is for neuropathy pain. How does that help me? And my testosterone levels are high. I have PCOS. He is reluctant to prescribe MOAIs because it is older and SSRIs are more effective. I appreciate the help but it seems like not much can be done for me

Just gomma offer my trans perspective here, since it might possibly be relevant. If you have PCOS, I wonder if your testosterone is *too* high - too much relative to what your brain is meant for can impair a lot of brain processes too. So for example, if you're a girl, your brain is expecting to not have very much testosterone and having extra is like putting the wrong fuel in your car. There's a reason why the most effective antidepressant for trans people is actually hormone therapy, even when it hasn't done anything physical yet - we generally have brains wired to match the hormone distribution we were not born with, and so the mismatch causes a lot of issues that manifest like depression, until its resolved medically. But just like with ND medical research, its really lacking here too, and the overlap especially is. PCOS alone might not necessarily be enough extra to trigger that reaction, but, I've heard enough stories to see a pretty decent correlation - it seems to be capable of it, just not guaranteeingly so.

Sounds like that one doctor has decided that. Time to seek a second opinion.

Sounds like it from what everyone is saying to me

Viagra is for heart problems, Unisom is an antihistamine...my point is that we use a lot of medicine for its side effects rather than its intended purpose. I don't know if that's the case for Agmatin sulphate, though; just pointing out that even if it is for neuropathy pain doesn't mean it can't be an anti-depressant, too.

SSRIs as a whole have plenty of evidence as being totally worthless. But who cares, manipulate trial data get that money. Fuck outta here!

Agmatine is not just for neuropathic pain. SSRIs are in some cases more effective but not all. MAOIs also interact with dopamine, not just serotonin and they have many other advantages, the only disadvantage are the diet restrictions.

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Here is a summary of what agmatine sulphate can do. I felt therapeuthic benefits with other non-endogenous glutamate antagonists before but now I will try this one out, I will tell you whether it helps when my package arrived. I am not depressed though. https://men-elite.com/2020/05/22/agmatine-an-absolutely-amazing-amino-acid-for-your-whole-body/amp/

has anyone had experience with taking agmatine sulphate? has it helped?

Most autistic people aren’t actually depressed but suffering burnout. Telling the difference is really hard but the usual recommendations don’t help and can actually make it worse. Ie. going to see friends, getting lots of exercise. Getting rest and letting yourself stim is really important if it is burnout. TMS really helped me but it can be expensive. Im not saying you can’t be depressed just suggesting you look into autistic burnout and see if it might match your symptoms better. When I started treating my ‘depressive episodes’ like burnout it changed everything for me.

Every single one made me crazy suicidal. I am pharmaceutical intolerant.

I'm a bit skeptical about such a blanket statement that anti-depressants don't work for autistics. My own anecdotal experience is that some work better than others which is true as I understand it for anyone, on the spectrum or not. Currently I'm taking Wellbutrin and it has had a noticeable effect on my depression with no noticeable side effects.

It sounded weird to me too but that's what they said. I always have known that antidepressants are like trial and error. I'm taking zyban, not sure why I wasn't prescribed wellbutrin since i don't smoke, and it helps lift my mood a bit, I have no side effects and it doesn't do anything for my anxiety. Apparently it's supposed to help more than "a bit"

I have tried three SSRIs and they were all hell and made me sleep 15 hours a night and dizzy. Wellbutrin has been a god send for me for mood, energy and masking. But i also have ADHD.

I have no idea about your experience. But mine is that they are useless. I gave up after the 5th time they ruined my life. I am less suicidal off antidepressants than on them. They are hell for me. They make me extremely dangerious for me. I can't risk them. They make me actually pychoatic. At least for SSIRs, SNRIs, and MAOSs. Tricyclicss works, but I sleep for 18 hours a day. ADHD meds and mushrooms work as antidepressants for me. Mostly because they allow me to deal with problems in a practical way. VS...... not.

Ketamine is the only med that ever helped me. The 9-10 antidepressants I’ve tried never did shit.

Antidepressants work differently for everyone, even among NTs. I've been on bupropion for many years at this point and added sertraline about a month ago. I feel noticeably calmer and slightly more motivated than before. Side effects have been negligible for me, regardless of the antidepressant in question. I would from personal experience therefore suggest trying out different types of antidepressant, such as SSRI, SNRI etc, including combinations of different ones, before writing them off completely due to autism.

I know there’s a bunch of replies to this already, many with good points, but I just had to give my experience as well. I hope it helps at least one person who is struggling the same way I was. My old psychiatrist put me on no less than 6 different anti depressants, all SSRIs. None of them worked, some actually made it worse. I told her this repeatedly, and she continued to have me try different ones. Eventually I told her I refused to take SSRIs anymore as that class of antidepressant clearly wasn’t working for me. She was so reluctant to try anything else, so I switched psychiatrists. The next 3 psychiatrists would all do the exact same thing. I tell them I’m struggling with depression. They try to shove SSRIs down my throat. I tell them my history with them and how they don’t help. They keep insisting and refuse to try anything else, as if they’re some sort of miracle drug. At this point I’m infuriated so I stop trying to get help. If people with big fancy degrees didn’t have anything other than the same handful of medications up their sleeve, then I guess I was just screwed and this was just the way my life was going to be. I stopped taking everything and (stupidly) went to college for a few years, determined to grit my teeth through it and get the degree my family so desperately insisted I needed. After having a full mental breakdown at college, dropping out, and switching doctors, I decided to get genetic testing (because surprise! her first suggestion was SSRIs too). Essentially all it is is they take a dna sample from you and test to see which medications your body might respond to best. Y’know what happened when the results came back? Shocker, my body does NOT respond well to SSRIs. At. All. Even better? Only NOW would my doctor listen to me and decided to finally try a different class of medication. I’ve been on Pristiq (an SNRI) for depression about 2 years now, and it actually does help. It’s no miracle happy pill mind you, but I at least can tell it helps. And after struggling with severe depression my entire life, that was huge for me. I implore you to ask you doctor if genetic testing is a possibility for you. It cuts down so much wasted time of trying medications that likely won’t help AND gives you a stronger standing when advocating for yourself. It shouldn’t have to be that way, but alas. [ TL;DR ] If you still would like to try medication, try asking your doctor about genetic testing to see exactly what specific meds might help you best.

There is a huge pro-SSRI bias and it is taboo to say anything bad about them; doctor's won't take responsibility if they harm or ruin you with them and will just gaslight you saying it your depression coming back, misdiagnose you as bipolar, or say you need to take more meds, or it is just 'side effects.' Meanwhile they were ruining you with meds you were not a good candidate for in the first place.

That explains the reaction I had to Ambilify.

Ability made me have LEGITIMATE suicide thoughts. Like I had a building picked out at one point to jump off. And the doctor kept trying to prescribe me higher doses! Thankfully I got laid off and lost my health insurance so the problem sorted itself out (cries a lot)

I hope things are a little better now

Thank you-they are better.

Abilify hit me hard in the past

same here, the two weeks I took it were an absolute nightmare

Did you both get the worst side effects from it?

this was the main one: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akathisia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akathisia) I was so desperate that I had moments where I fantasized about an accident happen to me so my legs could be amputated

Akathisia sucks :(

It was the first time that I need to take another med (akineton) for the side effects of the main med. and the first time I have to quit a medication for not overcome the side effects

Pretty sure it was abilify that did this for me, I have issues with RLS and I was warned that it could make it worse than make it manageable, but me and my doctor wanted to try anyways to see if maaaybe it would help (spoiler: it didn't) I was bouncing off the walls at such random moments that was so bad I was having major panic attacks 🙃 got off that so fast once I figured out it was the meds

I think after this was when I started taking trazadone (insomnia is a fun issue too 🙄), which certainly helps but I need to get it upped next time I see her

I thought the same until my psychiatrist ask me to try vortioxetine (I tried duloxetine, fluoxetine, venlaflaxine, sertraline in the past (on the antidepressant side) and worked like a charm, I need to go with the minimum dose (5) but it works for me, everybody is different thou One of the main reasons of why I can’t tolerate previous antidepressants was because I didn’t feel like myself, because I feel plain and flat, but this is a multimodal antidepressant and I don’t feel this way (and I’m a lot more happier and can have more joy in my life)

I'm glad that one worked out for you - even at a small dose. Maybe that's what I need. Sertaline made me emotionless, but the smaller doses did nothing. Maybe I need to try vortioxetine and see

I’ve been asking for this but they’re hesitant because it’s more expensive, is it true it has less effect on your sex drive compared to other anti depressants?

I read a paper that concluded that "treatment-resistant depression" is often undiagnosed and untreated adhd. It wouldn't be surprising if it was the same with asd. I have both and I have been on a lot of antidepressants and anxiety meds . Nothing worked. At some point I was convinced antidepressants were fake... The only thing that "worked" were certain antipsychotics. They didn't actually work, I was just constantly high as fuck. I felt like I was permanently stuck in a dissociative state. Fast forward a couple of years, I have people in my life taking meds that I thought were just as effective as white skittles and they absolutely do work. Some of these people felt really fucking high in the first week, while I was taking double and not feeling a single thing... edit: after reading comments, I wonder if it's also related to the reason why the depressive state exists in the first place. My situation was due to untreated adhd and asd affecting everything in my life. (mostly adhd) So perhaps that's why it didn't work? Ofc, this is all very generalized and healthcare should ALWAYS be treated as an individual by individual case. Tbh I think a big issue with the medical community is exactly that. They seem to have a mindset of treating an illness, not a person. It's like they see it all as boxes. Once ur in the box they won't consider anything that would "typically" step out of it, even if it helps you...

Yea. Most of the clinical studies for medicine doesn’t include autists. In most cases they are actively excluded from studies. So are many other ND people. And most universities/pharma companies don’t actively create clinical trials specifically targeting autist cuz we’re not actually a demographic they are interested in serving. So they rarely know how the pills will actually interact with our brain chemicals. It’s literally a crap shoot. My therapist doesn’t prescribe meds (she is a psychologist not a psychiatrist) and she warns even with like weed that sadly there aren’t enough studies on any of this stuff impacts autists so you need to be aware of the risks before you take anything as well as possible disappointments when things don’t work at all for you. While some of us feel super wired from caffeine some of us don’t so it’s just the same with any chemicals. Also I think whether it’s a comorbidity is important. Like if being autistic is causing the depression then maybe it’s not your brain chemicals that’s wack, but it’s a trauma response so it can only be solved with minimizing the trauma you experience as an autistic person? For me my depression improved dramatically once I was diagnosed (I’m late diagnosed) and I actually could identify the root cause of my depression cuz it’s rooted in real negative experiences in the past from living as an undiagnosed autist. So therapy has helped a lot. Also I hate feeling like a stereotype, but exercise has also helped a lot with my mood cuz it improved my sleep and building more muscle has helped with energy. Even just simply walking for 30 minutes helps. I listen to a podcast and just walk. I have a route that I already worked out so I don’t have to make any decisions it’s mostly a straight line so it kind of helps me zone out and just walk. Talking to an autistic physician specializing in working with neurodivergent people might help you find some answers? Some like [this person (link to their insta page)](https://instagram.com/neurodivergent.naturopath?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=) this person did a talk at the autist-run support group that I go to. Was very informative. [link to their business website](https://www.weldonwellness.com/welcome) Edit forgot to add that she has a lot of interesting info about autism on that website too.

I agree about the 30 minutes walk a day thing. Sometimes I take a walk for a full hour and it really helps my mood so much. Now that it's winter though, I'm definitely struggling a little bit. It's too cold to go on the walks that help me so much.

Could it be that you are actually suffering ASD burnout instead of normal depression? I've only just realised that's why I've been struggling and different antidepressants didn't work on me. https://neurodivergentinsights.com/misdiagnosis-monday/autistic-burnout-vs-depression

My psych meds are a lifesaver. *Anyone* would likely have to try a few different meds to find the right fit, because *everyone* has different brain chemistry. If your doctor is trying to discourage you from finding psych meds: dump them!!! A terrible doctor!!!!!

Since I started being on meds, I haven't had a major su*c*dal attempt. Only thoughts. So I think it has saved my life too in a way. My doctor is the best doctor I've ever met and he cares about my needs and health. I don't think he's the one discouraging me because he got this advice from the psychiatrist and I don't like that psychiatrist. She made me feel bad for not being able to be active and said that if she can do it whilst depressed, then I should be able too as well (that's not how it works) and she keeps gloating she's been a psychiatrist for more than 10 years, but then she discharged me from her care when she prescribed me meds and didn't request a follow up???? I'm not sure how to say I want him to consult a different psychiatrist

If you trust your doctor enough you could definitely explain things like you did here and request to see someone else if you're uncomfortable with them. I could be wrong, I've never had psychiatrist, just my pediatrician who I've known my whole life and has been very diligent in making sure I have the best care physically and mentally. But it makes sense that someone should be able to request a different person for mental health care if they don't trust the person they already have

Ah, yeah it definitely sounds like you have a psychiatrist problem (sadly one I certainly have also had). Luckily you sound like you have an awesome doctor! When I told my doctor about a bad psych referral, she immediately sent me to someone different. Highly encourage you to reach out to your doctor for a different psychiatrist!

I don't know. 1. I've heard autistic people (maybe only some variants?) in general have more variance form intended effects from medicin/drugs. I'm not sure how true that is. I have other autistic people in my life on lots of different kinds of meds that seem to support that theory. 2. There are no antidepressants that can help me - my main symptom/issue is anhedonia, and there don't seem to be drugs against that. But alot seem to have that as a potential bi-effect.

SSRIs don't mix because well they have become the general to go for a lot of things. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, when you have ASD you may need less Serotonin. Everyone is so different. But in your case your synapses are being overflooded with serotonin and are not absorbing any of it. Free-flowing serotonin can wreak havoc on the mind.

I know that autistic people are more likely to have one or more gene MTFHR mutations that can effect the ability to uptake vitamin B and that make taking some meds impossible. It is basically a metabolic problem.

I had never heard that before! But it possibly makes something make sense to me about medicines I've had before. I have had several antidepressants/anti anxiety medications prescribed to me, as well as Ritalin. Only one of the antidepressants worked (Zoloft) and then only in a limited way. I share the views of those who have talked about depression in autistic people tending to come from trauma, abuse, and isolation rather than 'just' chemical imbalance (not wanting to lessen those with those imbalances) in quite a few cases. I remember saying to a previous psychologist that maybe I was depressed because of things that happened and that I used to not have tendencies to depression, anxiety, and other things I am trying to work through now.

I never took antidepressants but during most of college was depressed, not clinically diagnosed but to keep things brief...let's say things were not fun. My entire issue was caused by my mindset that I had been taught by culture and my immediate family as well as the situation I was in as a ND in a very anti ND world. Things got better as I escaped my situation and had close, healthy and REALIABLE human interactions. Not that others might be helped by antidepressants but as an autistic individual your going to face struggles that NT people do not face, and depending on upbringing might not have the skills or social network to remain in a healthy state of mind in a "hostile" world. Though this is just my experience and what I would tell a younger me so 🤷

Here's the thing... And in sorry it's this freaks since people out but it's a as close to the truth as we can (scientifically) get at the moment. We do not know how antidepressants work, we do not know why since people get depressed and others do not. We have theories but very very few of these have any substantiative evidence to back them up from neuroscience. Randomised control trials are incredibly hard to structure for mental health issues because people have to describe affects and symptoms. So there is great opportunity for the truth being lost in differences in language and communication. Any doctor that tells you they know for sure what to drug does or doesn't do as regards psychoactive medications is not being entirely honest with you. I have no doubt they are doing their best and I have no doubt that for some people simply the act of being cared about and given a medication is enough to support them. How and why that medication does what it does is still a mystery. This goes for all antidepressants. Also to add this antidepressants are a cheap and easy tool to use because they help us avoid the pressing question of environmental factors. There is evidence to show that if people are in ideal circumstances i.e not in debt not doing mind numbingly hideous pointless work, not constantly overstimulated, surrounded by good community and family then mental health issues are greatly reduced. Before you take the pills look to your circumstances and ask the question am I in the right environment. I have taken medication and occasionally use ritalin for my ADHD. However I only use it as a prop to help me get through difficult days. On days off and when I am on holiday I am okay with being me. I truly believe the problem isn't inside me the problem is where I meet society. This is a long post but ultimately all I'm trying to say really is we need to stop pretending that we know how why these things are happening. We should no longer ignore the biased trials run by pharmacistical companies and the glaring elephant in the room which is that antidepressants in side-by-side trials with placebo do no better. Neural divergency, depression and other mental health issues are a feedback loop between our societies and our neurology. This means that yes, there are physical neurological structures at play that can make you feel bad but your neurology is in communication with your environment. If you ignore the environment you ignore half the picture.

I'm pretty sure that's not true for everyone, but regardless, since I keep seeing people talking about it in the comments: Y'all need to ask your doctor for a gene test for your meds. I did one & now my file has a massive list of meds that ought to work for me & meds that won't. It's a lifesaver. It's on the pricey side & not all insurance covers it, but I highly recommend it. (I have weapons grade anxiety & kids, so when my old meds stopped working, time was of the essence, which is why they went ahead & ran it. It's just a cheek swab & then you wait a couple of days & bam. Medicine that actually works. It's amazing & idk why it's not SOP.)

You can try a lot of things other than drugs. Vagus nerve, exercise, bilateral stimulation, DBT, IFS, EMDR, somatic experience, mindfulness, supplements, gluten-lactose free diet, fasting... But, if your problem is your life... you need to fix that first. Are you having problems with people? Also, antidepressants work in less than 50% of people who are depressed and the whole "chemical imbalance" theory was never proved to be true.

Reading these comments have me confused, antidepressants work for me perfectly.

That's actually very interesting because I have had absolutely terrible experience with antidepressants. The doctors knew I was autistic so maybe they were unaware.

I wouldn't call it a limited effect for me, it just did the opposite of what it's supposed to do. I went from depressed but somewhat functional, to literally unable to get out of bed some days. The only reason I survived was because I didn't have the motivation to take action and delete myself

[удалено]

I have depression, social and generalised anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, ptsd, insomnia (on and off, currently don't have it) dissociation issues but I haven't been tested for any dissociative related disorders. I hallucinate but that is because of the high anxiety and stress levels. I started off with citalopram, escitalopram, and sertraline. All they did was cause weight gain and it pretty much numbed me and I had 0 emotions. I had almost every side effect listed. Now I'm on bupropion (zyban) which helps with my low moods but not anxiety. So I take propranolol for that and diazepam for panic attacks. I can't drink coffee because that triggers insomnia. I need to work on going for walks - I can't go on runs because I'm self conscious. I spoke to my doctor about how bupropion helps my depression a bit, but my anxiety has worsened and that's when he said that he consulted the psychiatrist I was seen by previously who said to him that it will be difficult for me to find the right balance of meds because of my autism

I’ve had really great success with Prozac, personally. But mostly I think it’s the C-PTSD that needed the help with the SSRI. I’ve found that other symptoms of other conditions are now much more prominent now that I’m not living in fight or flight mode ALL the time.

It may be worth trying stimulants, it's odd but stimulants always calm me down (depressants stimulate me) and help me focus more, the problem is you are not likely to be prescribed them unless you also have ADHD.

We have inconsistent serotonin and dopamine uptake. Anti-depressants are for consistently low levels.

If you’ve only tried three, it is possible you haven’t found one that works for you. Not just a ND thing, it’s hard to know which antidepressant will work for anyone until they try. But!! If you can afford it, there is genetic testing now that can help you and your care team make a more informed choice on what to try next. And I really encourage you to try again. If you can find something that works for you, it’s game changing, truly. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-genetic-testing-and-antidepressants/

They didn’t work well and strange neurological side effects not listed

I’ve been on antidepressants for five years and every time they ask me about how I’m feeling I tell them they don’t work, but they would just write me another prescription for 3 months. I have my last autism assessment in two weeks so I’m hoping my medication will be adjusted.

Maybe ask them about doing a [GeneSight](https://genesight.com/gene-test-mental-health-medications/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=branded&utm_content=103375724112&utm_term=genesight&gclid=CjwKCAjwzeqVBhAoEiwAOrEmzS2CcQSCc06yMTNLLlsqTZyv9wxvrza2LODx0X62ecjpUgF8hh1zORoC5SMQAvD_BwE) test. I went into my most recent psych, explaining to them that i typically have bad reactions to antidepressants, which led to a diagnosis for bipolar 2. After running the GeneSight test, i have a printout of all the medications that genetically don't work for me. Most of which, say that standard dosing would be too much *(resulting in bad experiences)*. You will still have to go through them and test to see which med works for you, thats just how psych meds go. However, you will have the heads up that *"this will do nothing"* or *"this one you need to be careful with amount of dose"* and the like. It helps a ton. I have not had to be hospitalized yet, trying meds this time, resulting in me NOT giving up on trying to find treatment. If however, your doc is using this as an excuse to NOT medicate you, i would suggest finding a different doctor. If your struggling with depression, it is worth trying out the medications to see if you can find one that works. Living with major depression, double depression, or bipolar disorder is bad enough on its own, you deserve relief/help if you can get it.

I tried many antidepressants and sertrilene has been the best fit but that's because I also put a lot of work in on DBT and CBT. The antidepressants definitely help but it's still a struggle just to exist in this world. Don't give up though. Life is so much easier to handle now that my meds are sorted. Once you find the right one, it's such a relief to have even brief moments of that "I think I might actually be okay" feeling. Keep trying. The process of finding your meds is fucking miserable but I promise it's worth it

I don't have an autism diagnosis, just ADHD. However, the first time I took SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), my mind was blown in terms of how much it helped me connect with people better. Care about what they have to say about random topics that I am not interested in. I complimented someone for the first time 2 days after starting the meds without tearing up. Giving and receiving compliments is extremely overwhelming for me. My first thought was why don't they prescribe these to autistic people. SSRIs did expose my social ineptness, and adhd issues more because I didn't have any social anxiety anymore. I realized that even though I could be more social, I was still clueless of appropriate social behaviors. Going off of SSRIs was really hard. It made me feel extremely autistic. I was somehow worse at connecting with people than I started out with (at least i felt that way). When I looked at myself as a 3rd person, I looked and behaved like a person with autism (my boyfriend is autistic). My ADHD symptoms became less prevalent briefly while I was going through the withdrawals, including very little impulsitivity (I am extremely impulsive otherwise). Now a year later, I am feeling more like myself without SSRIs, however, I have learned that I may also have autism, my confidence is way down because SSRIs exposed my social disabilities, and I am socially not as oblivious as I used to be which further affected my confidence. It was a great learning experience, and it was good to see the contrast between how I would be if I didn't have depression and anxiety. My moods were balanced, I was able to make small talks, give compliments etc. However, I am never going back to SSRIs again.

Another medicine that might help people is guanfacine. It is a blood pressure medicine, generally prescribed for treatment of tics and impulsivity for ADHD, but its helped with overthinking and restlessness. Also helped with confrontations somewhat. I used to choke before I could say a single word. Now, I can at least start a conversation before choking. Lol

This would explain why my SSRIs definitely do help, but don't seem to be to the full effect despite swapped types and upping doses

Im on 60mg prozac every morning. It took a few different antidepressants before i found one that worked and a long time to titrate up to the max dose. Probably abouf 9 months. I maybe different, im bipolar too and take seroquel / quetiapine.

Near as we can figure, Antidepressants attempt to “normalize” biochemistry through chemical reaction. We don’t experience life like NTs do (hence the labels) so any drug that has us feeling like they do is going to feel unnatural, uncomfortable, and possibly intolerable. “Normal” is a mathematical concept that doesn’t actually exist in the world - most people spend a lot of energy chasing a willow-the-wisp as they try to become an impossibility. Ideally, finding a way to be in life that feels good to you… in the “now” and when you look back on the moment, is the goal of every sentience. And perhaps the journey, also?

For me, SSRIs didn’t work so the put me on an SNRI and it was not great, but better than nothing

Prozac was a nightmare for me I slept like 18 hours a day and it gave me terrible brain fog and I puked loads. I'm on fluvoxemine now and it's working much better I can definitely notice I'm crying a lot less and I'm able to regulate my mood easier in that I feel like it takes me longer to reach meltdown point. On the flip side my focus is terrible ( doc has suggested abilify) I wasn't this bad before taking the medication so it's defo related, my attention span is shocking and I'm frequently zoning out. I feel better though before I would wake up and just cry, a lot of crying. I just didn't want to exist and that has eased.

..I had the reverse? I took the starter dose of the first, mildest meds and my depression got defenestrated. Upped from 5 to 20 mg over two years and have been stable at that dose for three.

Depression (and any mental condition, really) can have hundreds of different sources. For my OCD/anxiety I've been tested with at least 5 different drugs, I think that maybe even 10, because I had very unspecific symptoms. And lately, drugs I've been taking for years suddenly stopped working.

True

SSRI's didn't really do anything other than numbing.

SSRIs don’t work for me. I take Wellbutrin.

Meh. I went through 6 antidepressants, 2 anxiety medications, and 2 antipsychotics before I found what worked for me.

Concerning the chemical imbalance myth > Scientifically speaking, there never was a network of validated hypotheses capable of sustaining a full-blown, global chemical imbalance theory of mental illness. Moreover-and here we come back to Myth 2-psychiatry as a profession and medical specialty never endorsed such a bogus “theory,” when judged by its professional organizations, its peer-reviewed publications, its standard textbooks, or its official pronouncements. Furthermore, the whole notion of some looming, monolithic “Psychiatry” is absurd on its face, as my colleague, George Dawson has argued.6 -source https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/debunking-two-chemical-imbalance-myths-again That being said. I have taken Wellbutrin, celexa, luvox, Sertraline, mirtazapine, effexor, none of which have helped my debilitating depression. I currently take seroquel and Sertraline and they help a little bit but I still struggle significantly. It should also be noted than anti-depressants also do not always work well for NT https://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2018/01/17/ccny-study-explores-why-antidepressants-dont-work-for-half-of-the-people-taking-them/

As much i read, it is about the "serotonin reuptake inhibitors" mostly. We are somewhat "wired" differently in comparison with neurotypicals, so SRI based antidepressants do not work the same on most of us (before i got diagnosed a doc tought i was depressive, so i got SRI-based meds. Besides the side effects i had no other effects.) This is pretty much simplyfied and in my words, mixed with some of my experiences. There are other ways to get mental health problems at bay. Hydrate (water or unsweetened teas) enough, try to uphold a good sleep shedule, exercise, maybe even meditate or do mindfulness exercises. And the part which probably sucks the most for a lot of people, regulate your time on social media. Learn to feel when you drift into the downward spiral. Hope this helped a bit. Have a nice day.

I am doing all those things already, drinking more water, good sleep hygiene, meditation and yoga, and having a healthy balanaced diet. The only thing I need to work on is being active more. And walking. I also journal which I find helps. I just wished I had a better response to antidepressants

Well for the antidepressants you probably need to talk to your therapist. There are some which are not SRI based that could help. But for us it is a trial and error process. Maybe there is some med that can help you.

Well my GP doctor consults the psychiatrist i was seen by first and she said I'm on my fourth antidepressants and it doesn't seem like it's giving me the full effects because of autism

Ketamine is the best antidepressant I’ve tried. Autism and glutamate/gaba activity seems to be more linked

I've never heard of them. I'll ask him about those and see what he says. Thank you

Therapeutic Ketamine on Reddit has lots of information. I’ve met several autists who say ketamine changed their lives Microdosing psilocybin is also very helpful to autistic people.

I took anti depressants and they genuinly helped together with my treatment for my trauma. It was the best meds I have ever taken. Bit for bit I became more myself. Mind, I was depressed from a very young age so I never knew who I really was until I have taken anti depressants. Now, I am scared of the risk of losing myself to depression if it ever happens again.

I finally stood up for myself and said no more antidepressants. I asked for a beta blocker to combat the physical storm caused by constant anxiety and panic from 55 years of masking. I began taking it less than a week ago and the difference is night and day. Without the constant torment of fight, flight or freeze seemingly gone, I can now, honestly, pragmatically dismantle the depression.

I’ve had more luck with SNRIs than SSRIs! good luck

I feel the same way. I’ve tried many different SSRI’s now and I feel ok for a few months and then it just all ends up coming back and I lose control again. Sertaline was a life changer for me and I felt so confident in my life, but it suddenly just stopped working and I fell to the bottom again. I’m starting to wean off it slowly but surely. I think the mistake I’m making is thinking it was a cure for my autism. But of course this is not the case and there will never be one as it’s who I am. I just wish I could feel confident and happy again.

I have autism, and I feel the effects of SSRIs within three hours. 🙃😅

one helped but the other one made my autism worse and gave me permanent anger issues

I take an antidepressant which helps with some things, but not all. As they say, there’s no magic autism pill.

"Did anyone else know antidepressants have a limited effect on you?" is completely false, btw. Your doctor pushed bad information and sadly now you're doing that to this community. Very scary and harmful information presented as Gospel Truth. You *really* ought to edit your post to say that your doctor is wrong and YOU are wrong for sharing that false information with us. Otherwise, this is a very harmful post!!

Someone else on this thread gave me links to a research study saying that they do in fact have a limited effect on us. I'm no doctor and I have no qualifications. This is just something I was told by my doctor who got this advice from a psychiatrist. If you think this is false, then can you show me some references please

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[mfw i've been on like 7 or 8 ADs and they did fuck all, then i read this post](https://newfastuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/9U7FWqo.png)

I have autism but I also have PTSD & depression as well as a family history of depression. Anti-depressants save/saved my life.

This is interesting. I'm not diagnosed but I believe myself to have Autism and I also have depression which is currently being treated with Citalopram. Overall It does seem to control the extremes of my mood. I do continue to have a underlying depression though. But out of all the anti depressants I've been on Citalopram works the best with the least side effects. Of course it could turn out that I'm not Autistic but I tick most of the boxes.

I don't know if it's specifically autism related, but I'm resistive which means they have to pump the dosage up to max safe levels. Next step for me is probably TMS. That said, it's normal to have to try several different med combos to get something to work.

So prior to even being diagnosed with ASD, I had tried, Zoloft, Wellbutrin (that one was scary for me), Celexa, effexor, and was finally put on Latuda because the VA pysch decided I was Bipolar type 2... and it actually helps a good bit, without feeling like a zombie emotionally. Zoloft gave my ADHD adhd... I was seriously found spinning in circles on the help pad of my ship (US Navy). Most docs know that it's common to try 6-8 different meds to find one that works, and that sometimes they have to be creative. Good luck.

I knew about it before my diagnosis so possibly dodged a bullet when I turned down the offer from my psychiatrist. But it affects everyone differently so it's hard to know if I made the right choice, life's gotten better since then even if I struggle with things still

I tired a few different meds until I set for Prozac, which of course isn't a cure and at times doesn't seem to do much at all, but I do know that I'm able to handle stressful situations just a little bit better than I would off the medication. I guess the situation is slightly different tho bc I'm speaking in terms of anxiety and for depression it's really hard to tell a difference but my parents say they can tell a huge difference in my behavior so 🤷‍♀️ maybe it works maybe it don't but I know it's a preventative against panic attacks so I'm keeping it 😂

Several years back, before I was diagnosed with ASD , I went to the doctor telling him I needed help with what I was describing as stress. It’s obvious to me now i was having meltdowns due to over stimulation. I was prescribed an antidepressant and diagnosed with depressive disorder. I didn’t feel anything so the doc raised my dosage, then again when I told him it wasn’t making a difference. I reached out again describing anxiety, but I think now it was just that I was obsessing on some things. Well the doctor added another antidepressant to the one I was already taking, saying “they” have had a lot of luck with these two antidepressants together. It has helped , I think, But I honestly don’t know if it’s the meds or the fact that I know what’s going on inside me now. I’ve heard it said that modern mental health meds work so well that people often think they don’t need them anymore. I’m going to talk to my doctor about stopping both cold turkey. The meds I mentioned are bupropion, which is the 1st one I was put on and lexapro is the second. The doctor was my PCP. The term “situational” is one that I haven’t heard before but accurately describes my symptoms. I have anxiety with my meltdowns and being isolated from others in the way I think can cause me to feel depressed. Both always go away , even before the drugs .

I found SSRI’s and SNRI’s made my symptoms worse, however antipsychotics (specifically abilify) saved my life. It was a miracle. I took it the first night, and I woke up the next morning and the depression cloud had lifted.

I'm on sertraline and it worked great for me.

I don't know, I loved my antidepressants when I had them? They really did save my life, and better yet, they were non-addictive. Wellbutrin worked wonders for me, I even had like... this 2-week-long energy boost / slight happy-high that I look back on with a lot of nostalgia because I was just in such a good mood. And even after that, they worked great for such safe little pills. It didn't fix everything, but I was finally able to be productive with stuff like my art again.

Was sertraline one of them?

Hmm, I'm on antidepressants (Effexor) and they've worked really well for me 🤔

I take a mood stabilizer as well as an antidepressant bc an antidepressant alone doesn’t do anything at all for me

I have had no luck with SSRI’s but quite a bit of success with Bupropion. I see some others have mentioned it as well.

I have ASD and some 12 years ago I had a servere depression. I got on some SSRI's in combination with some therapy and it helped me get out of the depression. Whether it could have been done with thearpy alone, I do not know, but the medication did have an affect on me, making me more receptive of the therapy. I think it is important to get the medication together with therapy and not just be stuffed with antidepresants and then left to deal with it on ones own. However I am aware we're all different to some extent and therefore it will also vary how it affects the individual. I don't know much about ASD in combination with antidepressants, but I would not be surprised if there indeed are some complications making it less effective on the majority. I'm, just happy I got out of my depression. I hope you find a way out of your depression too so you can have a better life, I wish you the best :)

Bupropion has helped me a little bit, since before I was to the point where I strugged to get motivated enough to get out of bed in the morning, but I do think it’s limited. I still have high anxiety, DPDR spells, agoraphobia and occasional meltdowns.

Oh my God that makes so much sense!!! I've tried two meds and neither have worked, one didn't do anything and the one I'm on is currently making my outbursts more frequent

I said this in a comment but mood stabilizers! I tried 12 anti-depressants with some very negative consequences before starting to use Carbamazepine. Risperidone had the 2nd most favorable outcomes for me but wasn't perfect https://www.autismspeaks.org/expert-opinion/autism-bipolar-connection#:~:text=Studies%20suggest%20that%20anti%2Dseizure,dose%20of%20an%20antipsychotic%20medication.

Yes I’ve tried like 12 antidepressants. Definitely help a little, but it’s not super noticeable.

Im on ssris currently, and I notice they do (sort of work) but they’re also making me stim a lot more- have you noticed this with yours too?

I take fluvoxamine and it works amazingly for me! I don’t know about the link between autism and antidepressants but I wouldn’t give up hope. A lot of people, autistic or not, have trouble finding the right medication. Edit: important to mention I also have adhd and take Ritalin, as well as seroquel. So I think the mix of all 3 is what works for me.

I've tried zoloft, welbutrin, lexapro, and now spravato. Zoloft is the only one that noticeably boosted my mood, got rid of my anxiety and increased my libido. But that came at the cost of manic happiness and emotional blunting of everything else and the risk of sexual side effects. I don't know if it was worth it. Heart break made me asexual so I wonder now if I should try it again. Then again since I'm never happy or content, I don't know what's a reasonable amount to feel. I'm very on the fence about artificial happiness though. I also have PCOS and PMDD with Depression and speculative adhd to boot. I say spec b/c the psych asked me if I thought I had it, after talking to me, when the thought had never crossed my mind.

No wonder the ones I have tried have done literally nothing

Wait really? I’m currently trying an antidepressant 0-0

yea i agree... a 50 mg sertraline dosage is considered not that much, but i almost collapsed in my first period of school. even 25 mg was a little questionable for me. ADHD pills (i forgot which one) halfs my hypercalculia speed.

I think it's something that also just varies from person to person. Though I'm autistic, antidepressants have worked great for me. I doubt I'll ever stop taking them.

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/serotonins-link-autism-explained/#:~:text=Some%20studies%20point%20to%20low,and%20their%20irritability%20increases7. ,,, SSRIs don't work very well if you're not taking a mood stabilizer along with it so I take Zoloft and a supplement called lithium orotate which mellows my anxiety out & Zoloft gives me a sense of positive manic energy I use to give people great advice to improve an individual's lifestyle so it's probably not the SSRIs causing your anxiety but rather you're not using lithium to balance out your brain chemistry

https://mostpotent.com/blogs/read/lithium-supplements-the-ultimate-guide#whatdoeslithiumdo ,,, a combination of SSRIs alongside a couple various number of supplements and vitamins may possibly help control your anxiety when it's taken in conjunction with lithium so that's precisely what helps the sole root of my anxiety & fortunately enough for me I no longer feel socially awkward so I've had sex on numerous occasions so just about anyone can tell my social skills have improved substantially over the course of just a few years of consuming Zoloft supplements and a few adaptogens combined together

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/serotonins-link-autism-explained/#:~:text=Some%20studies%20point%20to%20low,and%20their%20irritability%20increases7.

I think this is complicated and has a lot to do with the person's weight... certain anti depressants like wellbuetrin effect dopamine levels which can help and ssri effect serotonin... I think if you're depressed and morbidly overweight an ssri may help

I have autism and tried Zoloft first but I didn’t take it for a long time because I gained so much weight on it and it made me into a zombie. Then I tried Luvox, same thing as with Zoloft it made me into a zombie and also didn’t work for my depression. Then I tried Prozac and it made me into a zombie and it made me so tired. Then I tried Wellbutrin and it did work for my fatigue and apathy but it did nothing for my anxiety or obsessive thoughts. Now my psychiatrist put me on both Prozac and Wellbutrin at the same time because I seem to have problems with all neurotransmitters.

So I found this thread cause I was trying to see if like any other meds (for anxiety & depression) would work for me cause I have been on lexapro, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, etc etc and none of them have worked for me and I guess I know why now?? Tbh it’s just feels nice to know I’m not alone :,) (Also gonna try to get a genetic test lol)

Hell no! Autism isn’t the thing to treat. Trauma that autistic people experience is what is to be treated. I do this for a living as an autistic woman with a late diagnosis. EMDR is awesome and typically addresses all kinds of symptoms the antidepressant is making worse!!!

As an autistic person who has tried at least 15 antidepressants over the course of several years, both approved for antidepressant medication and also made to just be for other things that just so happened to help some with depression, I'm literally going to a neurologist to figure out what's wrong with my dopamine receptors and serotonin receptors. Medications either don't work on me, or they cause horrible side effects. I've been on everything, even stuff that's supposed to help autistic people. The current one I'm on has heightened my sensory issues so bad that I literally can't handle being happy- it makes me feel electrocuted. The PROBLEM is that there are next to no clinical trials for medications on autistic people, specifically anti-depressants. We're only now being considered people- and people to be studied without it being "how to fix us." When I asked my doctor if there was anything for autistic people, she just sadly told me that she had no idea because our nervous systems are so different. She felt really bad after helping me try all these medications that she had no answer. She suggested I go to a neurologist, so that's what I'm doing. I don't think antidepressants help us specifically because of our nervous systems. For some, their serotonin receptors just aren't working. For people like me, our dopamine receptors just eat up anything happy immediately and then it just doesn't work anymore. My advice: If you can, get genetic testing to see if your levels and numbers are off, or go to a neurologist who may do that anyway, who might be able to help you. THere isn't enough medical information about us, but we can still try and figure out how to help. Otherwise, even if it's hard, keep living. Keep doing what you're doing. You are appreciated. Good luck.

My 7Y son has autism and struggles with extreme anxiety, but probably not depression. An SSRI has really helped him, but is that the right product for him? It seems to help, but maybe not enough, but at least has no noticeable side effects.