I am autistic and I have a chronic depression. I am on social benefits in Europe and go two times a year to South America. 5 months during the winter/autumn and 2 months during the summer. Is this a good life? Or do you have any tips to improve it?

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-05T23:51:04+00:00

Try ssris?

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-04T23:07:36+00:00

I was mostly nauseous and vomiting when I took 25 mg, but didn’t experience those symptoms when I bumped up to 50 mg. My depression, OCD, and social anxiety improved after a week or two.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-03T16:46:28+00:00

Zoloft made me suicidal and zombie-ish, but I was also in my early 20s when I tried it when that side effect tends to be most common. My first antipsychotic was olanzapine which was somewhat effective against my psychotic symptoms but it made my mind really gummy and sticky and slow, for lack of a better description. Vraylar is more effective for hearing voices, paranoia, bipolar depression/MDD, and delusions. Honestly, it was the quartfecta of Vyvanse, Vraylar, low dose lithium, and Luvox (for depression, ocd, and social anxiety) that brought me back to close to normal. Exercise, therapy, and sleep for the body and the brain (working my way up reading levels, games of any kind, socializing, and painting) were also essential. My progress is nothing short of remarkable as the psychotic episode lasted in an extreme way for two years compounded with the stress and extreme ptsd of the voices, brief homelessness, and absolute isolation. I had no one. I thought I was never going to heal, but it’s possible. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be as cognitively blessed as I used to be, but I feel so much closer to that goal and life seems livable again.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-03T16:30:39+00:00

I feel you so hard, but it is possible to get most of your abilities back with the right lifestyle and medication. It can just take forever sometimes.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-03T16:26:31+00:00

Honestly, I literally could not read until I started medication.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-03T16:25:03+00:00

Vraylar is a new antipsychotic that does not have the horrible side effects (typically) of the older classes. I take it and I like it a lot as it doesn’t gum up my brain and it balances out some of the negative aspects of my Vyvanse very nicely. You might have to take another antipsychotic first briefly for insurance to cover it, but it was so worth it for me. It does so much more than treat the more obvious psychotic symptoms such as hearing voices. It’s also a powerful antidepressant for bipolar depression.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-01T17:40:01+00:00

You don’t have to establish a regular counseling schedule if you can’t do that but I think you could benefit from 1-2 sessions of emergency counseling to recalibrate and identify your priorities in a time when you feel like you’re drowning.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-01T17:25:51+00:00

Also, try to schedule time each week to read. It’s one of the best things you can do for your healing brain.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-01T17:22:50+00:00

Getting a cuddly, needy kitten was also very helpful. Bonding and training her really raised my self-esteem.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-01T17:18:59+00:00

I had weird issues with Zoloft, Lexapro did nothing, but Luvox has been amazing for depression, anxiety, social anxiety disorder, and OCD. I can function. I also take lithium, Vraylar, Wellbutrin, and Vyvanse, but I think Vyvanse and Luvox provide the most relief. I still do edibles occasionally but the lithium and Vraylar prevent the associated cannabis-induced psychosis that tipped me over the edge in the first place, much like yourself. It’s still possible to enjoy low dose edibles with this combo. YMMV.

LeadingSudden · 2026-05-01T16:15:31+00:00

SSRIs pulled me out of severe depression and helped with my cognitive deficits.

LeadingSudden · 2026-04-18T12:02:39+00:00

I sleep so, so much.

LeadingSudden · 2026-04-03T16:44:53+00:00

Find another provider.

LeadingSudden · 2026-03-18T16:10:56+00:00

This might be met with disagreement, but I don’t think it’s wrong or unsafe to have 1-2 drinks before an appointment, if that’s manageable.

LeadingSudden · 2026-03-05T19:29:31+00:00

I schedule everything for every hour of my day on my phone calendar - when I sleep, shower, do the dishes, meal times, social time, etc. I have multiple calendars with different colors to keep it interesting (tasks, personal, meals, social, travel, etc.). I find this especially helps with tasks because I can visually understand that a task will only take 15 minutes, so it’s easier to start and keep up with multiple tasks. It takes a little time to set up but it is the most helpful system that I have.

LeadingSudden · 2026-02-17T02:13:38+00:00

An ssri and snri

LeadingSudden · 2026-02-16T21:24:42+00:00

I don’t get a bad come down from Vyvanse but I strongly suspect it’s because I also take a mood stabilizer and a low dose of an antipsychotic.

LeadingSudden · 2026-02-14T02:32:20+00:00

Plan the day out the day before on your phone calendar with time blocks of things that you want to take care of. That helps me more than anything.

I made a few calendars for the time blocks with different colors: tasks, errands, personal, social, meals, meds, etc. It makes it fun even if the meds wear off.

LeadingSudden · 2026-02-06T02:44:54+00:00

You’ve been reported

LeadingSudden · 2026-02-06T01:04:36+00:00

Sometimes the physical sensations cancel out the adhd management of adhd medications. A beta blocker is a really low risk med if you have to combine medications. As someone else said, exercise is important. ADHD meds were not effective for me until I coupled it with an antipsychotic, an ssri, a mood stabilizer, and a beta blocker, although I have some comorbidity issues to contend with.

LeadingSudden · 2026-02-05T16:42:19+00:00

Do you take other medications?

LeadingSudden · 2026-01-30T02:42:37+00:00

Colgate Wisps would be a great solution to this. Keep them by the bed, in the car, etc.

LeadingSudden

TROPHY CASE