Sufferer New. Seeking Information And Support

[Trying to Be]

Diagnosed with PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Prescribed Lexapro and Trazadone. Been taking Lexapro for a year for the depression. Told my P that I don't feel like the Lexapro is working, so he added the Trazadone. Been taking Trazadone for about a month, also for depression and to help me sleep. I sleep great now (on the nights that I'm not "self medicating") but I still feel depressed and it's only getting worse, not better. Any advice on medications?

Also, any advise on how to deal with flashbacks? Bad dreams? Anxiety? Or anything you think would be helpful. There is no such thing as unnecessary/unwanted advice in my situation.

 

[desiderata310]

Soo... I am totally NOT the person to take all medical advice from That said, There ARE pretty staggering side effects from Trazadone.
For me, it was the devil. I was miserable. I had been on... actually I think it might have been Lexapro and was switched to Trazadone for sleep issues. It worked for me, for about a week and then I became increasingly depressed and then suicidal. *ugh*
Got off of it, got it cleared out of my system and while I wasn't great, I was no longer suicidal.

All the damn medications cause side effects ranging from the annoying like dry mouth to the more sinister: worsening depression and suicidal thoughts.
Fact is, this is not a cut and dry thing, doctors 'practice'
Go back and demand that something be changed if it's not helping.


Bad dreams... as far as medication is concerned I take Prazosin. that's it. It's for nightmares. It's a BP med for men with prostate issues. I am a female with a healthy BP. It basically gives my nervous system a puncher's chance at calming the F down when I have nightmares. I have them pretty much nightly. They get worse around anniversaries. The Prazosin doesn't solve the problem but it does make it a bit more manageable... ususally. My therapist tells me that when we start back EMDR that it will help with nightmares. We will see.

Have you tried keeping a dream journal?

Anxiety means a lot of things to a lot of different people so I don't know what might help your.
I try to avoid meds as much as possible because they don't help that much. For me anxiety comes in the form of hyper vigilance 99% of the time. As a result I took up running and cycling and surfing. I have a SD. (you don't want that if you can avoid it. It's great and it isn't) Honestly, surfing is the best reset for my nervous system so far. But that is me.

Not sure if any of this helps or not.

 

[Trying to Be]

YES! Thank you. I've had bad luck with T's for the past year, finally found one that - so far - I think is a great fit, but I've only seen her 3 times. So it doesn't feel like we've started doing very much therapy yet. Seems like we're still playing the "get to know you" game. I've seen my P maybe 5 times tops in the span of a year. Each visit lasts 5 minutes tops. He just asks how things are and I'll usually say "getting better" and he'll refill the Lexapro and that's the end of the visit. But this last time I saw him (last month) he asked how I was doing, I told him that I feel like things are now getting worse again and that maybe the Lexapro is no longer working (after I had been on it for a year). He just said "ok. How are you sleeping?" And I told him I could not fall asleep most nights no matter what I tried. So he refilled my Lexapro and added the Trazadone and that was the end of the visit. It's hard enough trying to figure out what medicines work to help me. Now I'm also having the hassle of trying to find the right P's and T's to help. It's pretty frustrating. So, I'm really uneducated on literally everything (I have no clue what EMDR even is). I have yet to find someone that can explain things to me. So that's why I came here. So anything that anyone says to me will be be greatly helpful.

I've been meaning to start a dream journal, but haven't yet. I need to keep a book and pen on my nightstand for that very reason!
No oceans around where I live (Kentucky), but I love the idea of developing a hobby! I used to paint and write poetry and jog. But depression has made them not enjoyable anymore. But I think I'll try to start again! You were very helpful, thank you!

 

[Poofycat]

Welcome to the forum! Have a look around the medication and sleep & nightmare forums. There is a ton of info there that you will probably find helpful.

Finding medications that work is a long, painful process that never seems to end. Are you seeing a psychiatrist or a general doctor? General doctors don't know much about psych meds in my opinion, so best to find a psych that is familiar with treating trauma. Then communicate closely with them so they can make adjustments as needed. It's really difficult to do when you're depressed and frustrated, but it's important to be your own advocate when it comes to requesting adequate care. I hope you find something that works for you soon. In the meantime, reach out for support and understanding here!

 

[EveHarrington]

Welcome to the forum. :hug:

Sometimes it takes awhile to find the right medication, so keep on trying!

How is your diet? I know that if I'm not getting enough of the right things in my diet, my mood is worse. Sometimes diet isn't enough so supplements are necessary.

 

[desiderata310]

Ah... Yeah.
So therapists are going to take their time getting to know you and developing a relationship. Or at least, the smart ones will.

EMDR is something that honestly sounds like a bunch of hocus pokus but it does do something and isn't right for everyone: eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. The way it was explained to me is that it helps your brain sort through trauma and put it away so to speak.

Exercise is a good place to start for controlling anxiety. Lots of folks swear by yoga. (I'm too fidgety)

There's a ton of books out there on cognitive behavioral therapy as well which can help

Honestly, your therapist should also be helping you sort this out. Have you asked him/her specifically for tools to help with both flashbacks and anxiety?

There are also a bunch of grounding techniques out there for flashbacks. Personally, I think it's a matter of going through them till you find the one that works for you. Things as simple as holding a rock or naming items in the room.

Psychs are frustrating for the reason you mentioned. I have a hostile relationship with mine. She does however perscribe the stuff that helps with the nightmares so I deal with her (as little as possible)

Agreeing with the above post being your own advocate is exhausting when you feel good but damn near impossible when you don't. Also helps to get you therapist and psych doc talking if you can. Or at least, theoretically that's a good thing. Again I hold a special place in the darkest pet of my soul for my psych doc so don't pay too much attention to me.