Last night I staffed { along with two other brave adults} a lock-in at the parish hall of my Episcopal church. The teens arrived around 9 PM & we kept them busy until they all fell asleep while watching a movie on a DVD.
Anyhow, a good time was had by all. But I am super-tired...ZZZ.
I take three different medications to manage my autism & the anxiety it causes me. My medicines together give me the effect of sleeping soundly & falling asleep quickly. Well, it is pointless for an adult at a youth group lock-in to be sleepy or asleep , so I did not take my meds last night, save for one of the anti anxiety pills just to calm my nerves.
Meds work to help me mange my autism but I still do not advocate medicating children with autism. First of all, pharmacology is NOT an exact science--and I would not{ based on my own experiences} even call it an art. Pharmaceuticals are, in my experience, a big crap shoot with too many variables. I've been on & off many different combinations of prescription drugs since my early teen years. Changing medications as much as I did can really confused with taking different meds. Each medication has its own list of side effects& even now I must be careful & ever mindful of not mixing certain OTC or prescriptions with what I normally take daily.
Side effects of the medications also affect my appetite. One of the meds I take decreases my appetite while the other one allegedly INCREASES one's appetite. Um, not for me it does not!
Its a mixed blessing to take medication. For m, the benefits outweigh the trouble but it isn't a " cure-all". Nor do I wish to be " cured" if such a " cure " for autism existed. Medications just are a tool for me o live my life to the fullest.
Carpe Diem, my friends!
No comments:
Post a Comment