Greetings

[tim_jc]

Hi my name is Tim and I suffer from Anxiety

I have suffered pretty much as far back as I can remember - although - that is not very far, as my memory is currently shocking, due in part I believe to my medication (more on that later).

I believe I have aspergers, but am currently awaiting a referral for diagnosis on that front, but my son (11yrs) has recently been diagnosed himself and as I am sure you know, parental diagnosis often follows a child's.

Currently I am in the middle of reducing my medication (300mg pregabalin) with a view to going drug free.
The reason for this is that I have just had possibly the worst two years of my life as far as anxiety and depression goes.
It started, strangely, when I gave up smoking - all hell let loose after that and I was re-medicated by my shrink several times (escitalopram varying doses) which just seemed to make my anxiety worse each time.
I have now not been drug free for something like 7 years - and even then I was only off temporarily - so it's actually more like 12 years now.

In that time I have had long periods of 'normality', in so much that I was anxiety free, which at the time I attributed to the drugs,

But - what if it wasn't down to the meds?

what if I was actually doing ok under my own steam and the meds had nothing to do with it?
How would I know?

Well for me the only answer is to go drug free - and see what happens, all the while combating the dreaded anx with CBT and other self-help procedures.

This may sound like a strange thing to do - but at the moment and since January, when I went onto the pregabalin, I have still be suffering anxiety, so to my mind - I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

anyway -sorry for rambling a bit - I am struggling to get my thoughts in order more than usual

thanks
Tim

[Raphaels]

Tim, hello and welcome.

[Sparkle1984]

Welcome to the forums Tim. I'm sure you'll find plenty of help and support here - I certainly have. :)

I also have Asperger's syndrome. I do believe anxiety is more common in people with AS than in the general population. I've never taken pregabalin though so I can't comment on that.

[tim_jc]

Thanks for the replies

I realised after I had posted I actually introduced myself 5 months ago too! But had forgotten (thanks Pregabalin) but even then I was saying that I was to go drug free as well - I just don't know where the intervening months went.

Sparkle - I am keen to pursue the aspie thing as I have read that there is a higher tendency of anxiety with ASD, and hope that whoever diagnoses will be able to help out with some management strategies specifically for the Aspergers mind

In the meantime - I have read your link on things that are helping - and think it's a great resource which I will be dipping into in the near future.

Tim