Aspergers / autism like symptoms

[DazedNConfused]

I've been seeing a new councillor for about 5 sessions now, and although she has been open-minded to my face about protracted withdrawal, I can tell that she's just not buying it. She seemed to have decided that all the problems I'm currently experiencing are related to "childhood trauma", and that to help myself I needed to heal my "inner child". I've been going along with it because I didn't have the best childhood and after dissecting it I couldn't argue that it would screw anybody up emotionally.

 

However, after we had a brief conversation with her about my dad, she is insisting I start the process of getting tested for Aspergers (like, high functioning autism for the uninformed). That's all well and good, but after a fair bit of research (and a conversation with my mum who spent many years in special education at an early intervention centre for autistic kids), while I may exhibit a *some* of the Aspie traits, these traits were NEVER present prior to taking Remeron. I just passed it off as anti social behaviour due to the anxiety and depression whammy after coming off ADs

 

So, my question is, does anyone think it's possible that the Remeron has changed my brain functioning so much as to "give" me Aspergers? I know how stupid that sounds, but can't think of any other way to put it. I mean, it wasn't there, but now it is. It seems ludicrous reading it back to myself.

 

I wasn't going to ask because it seems so stupid, but I've started obsessing over it and it's late and I need to get it off my chest so I can get some sleep.

 

Anyone want to throw in their two cents?

[compsports]

DazedandConfused,

 

As an FYI, before I ever touched a crumb of psych meds, I was diagnosed with a learning disability.   Even though I had AS issues, I definitely didn't meet the diagnosis for it and the therapist I saw agreed with me.

 

When I was on psych meds and during withdrawal, it seemed my AS issues got so bad to the point where I thought I was in denial about being diagnosed with AS.   Now that I have been off of them, I can clearly see it was the meds that were causing me to feel like I had the condition.

 

It sounds like from what you are saying, that it was the meds that caused your AS issues and if they weren't present before you started on Remeron, you definitely don't have the condition.  And your mom would also know, having worked in special education.

 

By the way, your post isn't stupid at all.   These drugs cause alot of strange symptoms which unfortunately are denied by the medical establishment.

 

CS

[dekiru]

A bit late, but I'll throw in my 2 cents....

 

I have Aspergers. I was diagnosed before I came off the Sertraline. I showed many of the diagnostic criteria since I was a child, but nobody got me checked out. The diagnosis was a relief to me.

Anyway, since coming off the Sertraline using too fast a taper, all my Aspergers symptoms have got much worse, especially sensory issues and social issues. If I'm in lots of WD pain, making conversation becomes sooo hard and tiring; and now coffee/air fresheners smells can cause migraines. I used to struggle with strong smells, but not like this.

[ang]

I self diagnosed myself with Aspergers, but it aint in the DSM V...... ie it is the first illness, they have removed.  Yes, hard to take isn't it?  There is no such thing as Aspergers.    labels, labels, and more labels, drugs, drugs and more drugs......       Keep well   xx

 

Diagnosis     Mild depression: dothiepin.... was fit and healthy.... eight weeks later manic, fits, hospitalized.  (serotonin sickness, doc said I had a underlying disorder, that the drugs exposed? wtf?)

 

 

Anyhow, once on drugs, all these illnesses progress nicely......   then diagnosed bipolar,    then serous reaction to valium (but as no doctors ever admit that drugs do weird things), diagnosed as having a psychosis thrown in.

 

3 weeks involuntary, sent home on no drugs.......   during those three weeks, and the weeks after..... I found out what agorophobia meant, what absolute terror meant, what claustrophobia meant, what a panic attack is, I was a broken human being.

 

Or as the psychs would say   illness progressing nicely.

 

These drugs cause all these things, but keep in your mind, if you never had it before drugs, it is the drugs........  that is the only thought that has kept me going.

 

Not me, the drugs.......      And once addicted , so hard to get off em.

[shamaan]

Has anybody else had symptoms that resemble autism? Like for example trouble with social interaction and communication , or having trouble with change,..?

 

I did not have those before withdrawal , but i worry now that maybe i have a mild form of autism , and withdrawal made it more visible.

[ChessieCat]

Hi shamaan,

 

Have you seen the Withdrawal Symptom Checklist:

 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_id=143
 

The symptoms seem to be many and varied and not linear (meaning that can be different at different times with no specific pattern).

 

CC

[shamaan]

Yeah i have seen it before , but none of them saying anything that would resemble autism.

[ChessieCat]

I am a professional typist (72 wpm 100% accuracy) and have found recently (since dropping my dose) that I have trouble typing accurately (some days I'm okay, others I'm not).  As I'm typing something I check it and wonder where some of the letters/words came from.  I've also found that sometimes I can't think of words that I know I should be able to.  I also cope better with routine and knowing beforehand what to expect, I find that it helps me not to get as stressed.  I've also had a fleeting thought about autism, and made the decision not to even worry myself about that, because the way I am now is different to how I was before medication.

 

Maybe we think these things because we want an answer.  However, from what I have been reading on this site, it would seem that much of it is just part of the "norm" for tapering and withdrawal from antidepressants.

 

CC

[OutdoorsMan15]

Yes.  This has been an ongoing problem although it's gotten much better with time.  It's been windows and waves, not consistent improvement.  I'm 11 months out from Effexor too

[OutdoorsMan15]

A lot of people have this issue, seems to be common

[andy013]

Yes, this is one of my main symptoms as well. I am approaching the 4 and half year mark since I went cold turkey from citalopram and this symptom has shown very little improvement for me. It is extremely frustrating. I feel very withdrawn in social situations and I'm unable to even have small talk. I act weird and quiet and I have no control over it. I think many people just assume I am shy but I was never like this before. In the early period of withdrawal I never worried about it as much because I had many other symptoms that were very unpleasant so I wasn't really trying to socialize.

 

I have had a couple of periods where it has reduced significantly and it is like someone turned that part of my brain back on. They have all be caused by me taking vitamin D of some sort. When I take oral vitamin D I have a bad reaction and feel very depressed and anxious for about a week afterwards. However, when I sunbathe or eat salmon then I don't get this reaction and I actually experience some benefits. I also found a vitamin D cream that I can rub on my skin that works as well. Unfortunately it is more and more looking like the effects were just temporary. When I first took it my sex drive went though the roof as well as feeling a bit hyper and my social function improving. But now that I have been taking it for several months the effects seem to have lessened significantly and it mostly just causes anger for me (a symptom I have not had since the first couple of years). It may be worth a try to see if you notice any effect but it might have just been a fluke for me. I know that vitamin D dose raise serotonin in the brain. Be careful if you try it, at about 18 months off I took 15000 iu of vitamin D without thinking about it and then I had a horrible fever for a week and felt terrible for a month afterwards. The negative effects didn't start until 48hrs after I took it. Now I have learned to take things very slowly when trying supplements.

 

I also believe that autism is linked to dysfunction in serotonin pathways in the brain, although I think these need to happen while the brain is still developing to be considered autism. What we have is brain damage from a drug.

 

I am curious, if you are in a social situation for several hours, do you ever start to feel negative symptoms like depression, body temperature problems etc? That is another issue that I experience. it's like I am using up a resource, the more I am in social situations the worse and worse I feel. Often these other symptoms start to appear a few hours later once I am home, but they can last for a few days and really make me feel like ****. If I go into social situations more they just get worse and worse.

 

I hope this post does not depress you or make you feel hopeless. I think I have been very unlucky with this symptom. Many of the other symptoms I had in the first few years of withdrawal are essentially completely recovered by this point. If I didn't have this issue I would probably be living a fully functional life. I think I just got unlucky in that regard.

 

Recently I have been thinking more and more about reinstating to see if it would help with this symptom. I always figured I would just stay off the drugs and eventually recover but the longer I go without improvements the more I believe the remaining symptoms may be permanent. I have no idea if reinstating would actually work though and if it went wrong I don't think I could continue to go through this suffering for very long. I also don't know what would happen being on the drugs long term as it it worked I guess I would need to take it for the rest of my life.

 

There was another member here who recently posted about the same symptom. Here is his topic: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/10401-uncomfortablynumb-withdrawal-symptoms-or-anxietydepression/#entry189916

 

Andy

[Altostrata]

I think those symptoms would be mischaracterized as autism. Autism doesn't suddenly happen, and it's not unmasked by drug withdrawal.

 

More likely, your nervous system has become hypersensitive and you're experiencing sensory overload around other people. Your nervous system is telling you to take it easy, avoid bright lights, loud noises, crowds, etc. for the time being.

[andy013]

I don't really think it is sensory overload. To me to seems much more like desensitization of your brain to serotonin. Now, neurons that are supposed to be firing are no longer and this is the resulting dysfunction. I guess it will be many years before we can answer this though.

[Altostrata]

Downregulation of serotonin receptors plays a role in withdrawal: One of the "checks and balances" in the nervous system is missing. This causes over-representation of the alerting or "fight or flight" functions and possibly other autonomic dysfunction.

 

Withdrawal can make people hypersensitive to light, noise, smells, etc., plus exaggerate normal stress felt in crowds, with strangers, close spaces, being out in public.

[shamaan]

Thanks for the replies!

 

@ Andy:

 

I'm taking vitamin D also , i started it because bloodwork showed my vitamin d levels were low. I had bad reactions also when i began supplementing . But now i can take one tablet of 1000 UI every night , i take it in small pieces through the evening.

 

These symtpoms i was referring to are now better for me , but if i'm too long in a social situation i start to get physical symptoms , mostly a nerve tension/pain , feeling like my CNS is overstimulated. I also tend to feel as if my mind goes blank , like i don't have any energy left to think. But this is also improving.

 

I feel for your situation, but i think it would really not be a good idea to reinstate.. Aren't there stories about people recovering post 4 years?

[Altostrata]

Vitamin D is a daytime vitamin, the best form to take is vitamin D3.

 

Your nervous system is telling you to take it easy regarding social situations. It needs a rest. Eventually, you will be able to tolerate more stimulation.

[johnson]

Vitamin D is a daytime vitamin, the best form to take is vitamin D3.

 

Your nervous system is telling you to take it easy regarding social situations. It needs a rest. Eventually, you will be able to tolerate more stimulation.

 

That's awesome advice. Thanks for writing that Alto. It's so true about the bodies nervous system telling us to take it easy in social settings. Last night I went out with some friends after work and today I feel like I have a hangover even though I didn't drink any alcohol!

 

I feel like being in a social setting last night took it's toll on me mentally and physically.

 

Hopefully as we heal more and more we can tolerate highly stimulating social settings a lot better.

[geminigirl]

Hi,

 

I just realized that something is very off in terms of my ability to connect with people in a normal adult way.

 

It's like I have become more child like in my relating to others.

 

I feel I have autism now.

 

Anybody else experienced this?

 

Yana

[geminigirl]

I am hoping this will go away as I taper more.

[MostlyWater]

Hi,

 

I just realized that something is very off in terms of my ability to connect with people in a normal adult way.

 

It's like I have become more child like in my relating to others.

 

I feel I have autism now.

 

Anybody else experienced this?

 

Yana

I cold turkey'd 3 years ago off Paxil. I sort of know what you're saying. Its a weird thing for sure. Hopefully it goes away eventually.

[Riffick]

Hi GeminiGirl.  My own experience is that it's easy for withdrawal symptoms to be mistaken for autism/aspergers.  

 

Many social skills (facial recognition, conversation pacing, word finding, empathy, anticipation, etc) require a relatively high level of brain functioning and medication withdrawal can compromise this ability.  

 

In time the withdrawal symptoms will ease but it can be frustratingly slow and afterwards you may feel the whole (possibly traumatic) experience has changed you somewhat.

[HopeforBetter1110]

I'm really struggling with this myself, to the point where I'm 99% sure I am on the spectrum. As I've obsessed over the past few months over learning information on women and the spectrum and misdiagnosis and lack of proper information, it's like reading my life story when I read that of others. I have always struggled. Even watching home videos there is many things that stand out as far from the norm. It worries me that so many people question about whether or not they're on the spectrum in withdrawal because I truly feel like I am. I have questioned this mildly in my past before, but much more seriously throughout withdrawal. I have brought this idea up to a few people, a couple of them agree it's possible I'm on the spectrum. This causes me great anxiety, especially because they're are so many women misdiagnosed and with several of the psych diagnoses given to me over my life. This is one of my biggest struggles right now. I will be so embarrassed if I'm wrong about this and it is just withdrawal. I do feel like withdrawal has exacerbated some things for me, like meltdowns, but were they there previously? I struggle knowing...but I do know I've always struggled.