meds for anxiety + autism?

hol_aa

so I had a consultation with my therapist and a doctor about medication for my anxiety/depression recently, and they told me I can't have anything - partly due to my age, but also because they think there's a possibility I have autism, and apparently that can cause bad side effects or something (?).

What's really annoying is I really don't think I have autism, as I don't relate to anything I've read about it, and I just want something to take the pain away a bit and help me cope with life.

I have the option to be assessed for autism, but I really don't want to, as I'm sick of assessments and questions that I can't answer and make me extremely anxious. Plus the whole therapy process thing is so sloww, and I don't want to slow it down further and have to start all over again (as it already did when I changed therapist).

So even if I do have autism, it's not a problem and I don't care about labelling it for myself. I just want them to give me the medication. I don't know how much longer I can keep going in life with how everything feels at the moment...Maybe if I felt a bit better I would be able to engage more in therapy and actually be able to do something about this...

sorry for the rant

spoon

Hi hol, oof that does sound really frustrating.

i think with medication, your doctor and therapist likely think its not worth the risk which sounds annoying, however, you being a minor can increase risk. in fact, one the side effects, although not too common is TW

suicidal thoughts and even acting on self harm

, which isnt ideal since those are symptoms of depression. antidepressants also dont tend to work straight away (usually one or two weeks without skipping a dose) and might even make you want to stop taking them when stopping suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms. Lots of things can counteract medication too. your doctor likely know what they're talking about.

I suggest you read up on these:
- https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/medicines-and-psychiatry/antidepressants/overview/
- https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/medicines-and-psychiatry/antidepressants/side-effects/
- https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/medicines-and-psychiatry/antidepressants/considerations/

medication can be really helpful for people who take them and there's zero shame in taking them, but for other people it can make things worse, hence why they wont give it to you for now, especially when you already have factors that can increase your chances of side effects. and if you get side effects, theres a chance you would want to stop taking them which causes whole other problems because you would probably need to be weened off them. medication is often a last resort.

if you dont want to do your autism assessment, then you dont have to, especially since it increases your anxiety, but do remember that autism is different in everybody. do what you think is best, maybe that assessment could be beneficial. it could be that double checking that you're not autistic could help open you up to the idea of medication. a label doesnt define you, it just describes you.

its shown that people who take medication find treatment more effective when they also have therapy. therapy is also beneficial by itself although it might not feel helpful straight away (same with meds). to actually get any benefit from therapy is to engage with it, take what's said to heart, to feel listened to and to try out techniques that can help you your whole life, even once you stop therapy. therapy takes work and wanting to feel better is the first step to feeling better. i suggest you try your best to keep marching forward because despite how you feel, you're stronger than you think. please try to engage with therapy. my cousin told me that when she had it, she thought it wasnt that helpful but then realised later in life that it helped her so much in the long term, its like a slow burner. my friend originally didnt want counselling, in fact she was very grouchy about it and ended up loving it. i had counselling and i felt so understood. of course if you dont like how therapy is going, it might be worth switching up therapists so that you can engage better.

i wish u the best

Riley

That certainly is frustrating for you to have to deal with @hol_aa especially since it can be quite anxiety inducing to talk with medical professionals about all this stuff. I certainly don't think you should be forced into an assessment that you don't want to take, I hope your doctor understands that and respects your wishes.

I also want to echo what @spoon has mentioned that medication can be very helpful but there's always risks and side-effects with these things, which is likely why your doctor is hesitant to perscribe them. I really hope it won't be long before you're able to get the help you're looking for it's understandable that you're feeling impatient about this whole process. Please keep us updated if anything changes for you or if you need any additional resources we're all here to help.