Basically, I'd say let her run rampant unless she's hurting others or herself. I've known one autistic guy that needed some downers because he would get very aggressive when he was nervous or surprised, and he was very strong and would bite and claw people. He'd get over it pretty quick, but overall, that's not too cool. For a situation like that, I'd say go ahead and use the drugs enough to quash that response, but unless there is the threat of harm, I don't like the things.
i know my situation is not the exact same but when they told me i was bi polar and that i needed to take drugs i didn't like it. they put me on these drugs and they would make me a completely different person. some of the drugs made me not want to get out of bed, others made me not sexually attracked to anything, some made me so paranoid it was just wrong. so, instead of being on these wacked out drugs they wanted to put me on that they would change from time to time to try and help i said fuck it...this is who i am and this is who i am going to be without the drugs. so i guess what i am saying is i agree with you on this and wouldn't want to be anyone but myself so i'm for no stoner drugs...
No. argument. (re: best website ever.) I forgot how much I love the part in the Fatboy Slim video for Right Here, Right Now where the little monkey becomes BIG MONKEYYYYY!!!!
as far as drugs vs. no drugs, i've always been suspicious of behavioral medication.
I was diagnosed with ADD when I was a kid. I was pretty weird too. My mom said fuck drugs, which allowed me to become the neurotic but perfectly charming individual I am today.
Life as a staring machine is no life at all.
I love that you called your father "dude" when proposing your alternate prescription.
(And by the way, I happen to come by here to chuckle at your lycra-clad ass.)
Wow. That's a question for which I have no mental context to even form an answer. I've never had any sort of experience with that situation. Still, I think my gut would lead me to the same view you express here. Obviously the drugs aren't going to make her any more "normal" than she already is, so why not just let ner be herself?
I think it depends upon how likely the patient is to hurt themselves or others. Being a zombie isn't so great, but it is much better than being injured. If your sister doesn't have a problem with that perhaps she could be weaned off her medications.
I have kids like that in my classroom that are so overly medicated that they aren't even like little kids they are like little zombies. I agree with you 100% fuck the drugs.
i think your parents did an amazing thing, waiting until she was old enough to make her own decision about any medication. i know of at least two autisitic people in my life for whom medications have been a positive thing and without them they would not be as high functioning as they are today. or so they, or their parents in one case, tell me. they have been on meds almost since birth and i have never seen them any other way. it would seem to me that if your sister is making the decision to medicate, she obviously sees something in herself and/or her behaviour while unmedicated that she doesn't like.
but hey - that's just my two cents. i just stopped by here to tell you, rather late - i know, that it was sweet meeting you at prom and i hope you get your ass up here to the tdot again soon.
I agree with you completely about the drugs. You say she wasn't on drugs for it up until the last couple of years right? Why let the weirdness bother letting the weirdness bother you now
I believe if drugs work take 'em.
if they don't, don't take them.
read a great interview w/david cross years ago where he said something about finding an antidepressant and a dosage that worked for him and he felt great.
I have days where I know I'm chemical and totally crave something that would just help me focus, or not want to sleep all the time, or not be so jacked I'm going to fall over. I would be happy if someone could, w/o trial and error, find something that worked and worked nicely. so far I've found my own, but I'm sure I shouldn't be on them. but they're nice when they're nice.
crossing the 30 barrier means you accept the notion of "pills". they work. that's why they're out there.
I agree w/you though, some people should "function" whether it's weird or not. function = live.
I have a few friends who work with Asperger and various other autistic kids. Their attitude is completely anti-drug, but that's because they're involved in behavioral therapy, not prescribing things. However, when you say things like "The drugs make her stop acting so weird and turn her into this staring machine," you see the irony, right? Being a perma-stoned 1,000-yard starer is just as strange as all of the other strange things that Asperger people do, but it has that expensive bill and possible resistance to future pharmacological treatments added to it. Maybe there are some other drugs she'd do better on. For a lot of people, drugs are really only good in periods of great stress, when lots of things could easily go wrong in both a mental and physical well-being way. Your parents should be applauded, though, b/c most Asperger kids never spend enough time out of the chemical haze to figure out if they want to use or not.
man, my son's mom is a diagnosed depression sufferer. when we were going out back in the day, she was prescribed zoloft and it totally made her stoned and lethargic, almost worse than she was before. she doesn't take them anymore and she's pretty much fine.
i feel like what works in the mind of one person is not neccessarily the best for another. maybe they should ask her what she feels about it? i agree also with the people that said if she can function without them, why not.
i do believe there are drugs that have great benefits for a large number of differnet ailments. but there are also a lot of drugs that are pushed on people who have perfectly normal reactions to life and serve no purpose other than making Big Pharma money. it's a tough decision, i know, but usually the person with the condition is the best person to ask about it, not the drug rep.
btw, i have aim now, so if you ever want to bullshit (as i know you are wont to do)...
Yeah, cryptography's always interested me. I just got a hold of Cryptonomicon the other day - looking forward to plowing through that.
Looks like the bike thing is working out well for ya, though. Lotus and I were actually looking at some of your pics today... mostly the one where you're bent over the ocuch holding a couple trophies and it looks like Kira's about to vacuum out your ass or something.
but yeah, go ahead and idolize me; everyone else does.
Hey you.. Last night I hadnt read your journal or else I would have responded in full force. My brother was diagnosed at 21 with a disorder ( Id rather not talk about this stuff to deeply here) Its a severe disorder that I thought he was faking .. because hes a funny lazy guy, who everyone loved and adored for doing crazy stupid shit. Much like me. But he got in way more trouble and did way worse things.
Anyways.. they drugged him up so horribly that I freaked out in the hospital on the doctors and my brother for letting them do it. I just kept saying he was in it for the free ride and to stay out of jail!
Add up an extended period of time and lots and lots of hard core meds...
The brain melts.. he gained weight, got depressd, and replaced the disorder with very random (non substance) addictions.. he finally got out on his own.. and got a supervised place.. which now he is self sufficiant pretty much
WHOA.. Ill stop.. you get the point
DRUGS FUCKING SUCK.... they change you complete being of self... I lost my brother.
there's 50 minutes of music. I've heard maybe 1/2 of it so far.
that guy has such an amazing effortless voice. the song title translates to "Osama Bad" -- they had to deal w/the embassy bombing in Nyrobi -- but says something to the effect of george bush and osama fighting each other rather if they hate each other so much. I think the implication is "leave us out".
so simple. so amazing. I'll let you know as more happens.
"Right Clicking" is for hip and with it mutha fuckas that need the sexy grasping power of multiple buttons. Are you aware that I have around FIVE clickable buttons on my mouse? Does that frighten you? Because it should.
Seriousl though, how smooth is that Rodriguez motherfucker?! Just think, we've been wearing our jackets with our arms THROUGH the sleeves for years! Like total and complete fucking amateurs. Well NEVER again, friend. Never again...
