Might be an aspie? Thoughts? Advice?

meinsc wrote:I also have to say I disagree with the seratonin theory. I eat tomatoes in some form daily and bananas 4-5 times a week.

Oh I hadn't noticed that bananas were on the list. I've actually been eating two large-sized bananas every single day for the last several years (not because I like it, but because I know it's good for my health). Same with lettuce and carrots (which I eat substantial amounts of). I don't like these foods, I just tolerate them, but I eat them everyday.

I've just got back on clonazepam for anxiety (SSRI's were simply too unpredictable for me). I must say it works wonderfully, even my vision works noticeably better (it's hard to describe, but it seems to positively affect my sense of depth, even though the usual visual noise remains the same). Only risk though (a substantial risk) is tolerance. The effects last a few days for me anyway, so I intend to only take it every 4 or 5 days so the risk of developing tolerance will be minimal. An awesome thing about it is that it's ridiculously cheap (which might be a reason for doctors not to prescribe it unless you mention it yourself, since they love to prescribe expensive meds).

meinsc wrote:Clarity mostly. And someone to discuss my concerns with. It would be a relief to know there are actual clinical reasons for my behaviors and not just that I'm bad at being human.

You can rest assured you're not bad at being human. You're just unfortunate to have a limited understanding of what "being human" comprises. You're bad at being neurotypical.

Oh, and, incidentally: welcome

Make yourself at home.

meinsc wrote:Clarity mostly. And someone to discuss my concerns with. It would be a relief to know there are actual clinical reasons for my behaviors and not just that I'm bad at being human. I just wanted to explore this as a possibility to determine whether or not it is valid for me before seeing a professional. And who better to ask than someone who has the syndrome themselves.

if i'm honest, you remind me of myself in a lot of ways. so, whether or not you'll get diagnosed as having AS is perhaps debatable. byt i'd certainly say you're somewhere at the high end of the ASD spectrum.

meinsc wrote:I also have to say I disagree with the seratonin theory. I eat tomatoes in some form daily and bananas 4-5 times a week. The sleep thing I have always struggled with. Even if I haven't slept in a day or two, when night comes I am wide awake and most productive. It takes several alarms to wake me up and I always use the weekends to catch up on the sleep I miss during the week.

i'm only telling you what i can see in what you've written. for example, i have tinnitus, after a particularly bad bout of severe depression. i found out that was due to low serotonin as well. and i know i have to be careful with my diet. in order for me to avoid the worst symptoms of depression due to low serotonin i have to have a raw fruit, nuts and seeds diet. it sounds quite extreme to most people, but it works for me. my point is, you can't just have the odd tomato or banana and say to yourself, it can't be my serotonin levels. if you're eating other things that are suppressing your serotonin levels then it'll affect you. i was on my diet for about a year over a year and a half ago and i found not only could i drop off to sleep really quickly but also i needed about 2 hours less sleep each night. then i slipped into another severe depression, brough on by a protracted leagal battle over being wrongfully dismissed from my job and ended up having to rely on cooked vegeterian food bougght for me. it's taken well over a year to recover and i'm back on my diet now and slowly improving again. so, please trust me when i tell you this: i'm only telling you my own experiences and knowledge in the hope it might benefit you too.