1st Post - Opinions and Experiences Welcome

[Brit]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post after browsing for a while. I was diagnosed with PTSD and major depression one year ago. I am 48 now, and my symptoms appeared when I was 16, so I guess you could call it late onset PTSD. I 'coped' for many years, propped up by alcohol and seclusion.

I have been seeing a therapist and psychiatrist for a year. I was involuntarily committed in September last year, and when I was released, after receiving no medication, I realized what a numb and fogged life the numerous medications had left me with. I reacted badly to Clonopin which is why I was hospitalized.

After my release I was put on more medication, but have recently decided that I want to try deal with the PTSD on my own, with my therapists help. I think that the mental fog is now preventing me from dealing with the issues. I am tired of being emotionally numb, I want to feel normal and live again dammit.

This week I told my psychiatrist that I wanted to try and stop some of the medications to see what was left of me, to see if I now had the mental strength to deal with my problems. He smirked and said that if I stopped the medications, I would be back where I was and nothing would have changed.

I badgered him until he agreed that I could stop the Lexapro. I have only been on Lexapro for 2 months, the previous 10 months I was on Prozac. I have also stopped taking Trazadone.

Well, I stopped cold turkey, and today is the 4th day without Lexapro or Trazadone. I am still on Wellbutrin, Risperdal and Xanax.

So far, no bad side effects, a few nightmares and paralysis dreams, but no flashbacks or bad depression. I am actually feeling ok at the moment, I feel stable and in control.

Am I giving myself false hope that I am, not cured, but in a much better mindset to deal with the therapy and deal with my life better? Will the psychiatrist be proved correct and I will relapse again?

I am trying to be hopeful, but the psychiatrist has slightly shaken my belief that I can do this myself.

Has anyone managed to make PTSD manageable without medication?

Thanks for listening.

 

[Deleted member 541]

HI and welcome to the forum.....

I can only answer you with my experience, and hopefully others will add.

I have had PTSD probably all of my life but dx'ed 14 yrs ago. Been in and out of hospitals, in and out of different therapist offices, off and on meds, and have done the booze and drugs to cope.

It wasn't until I finally decided that life just wasn't working for me anymore, and I had to do something, did my life change. i decided to really get with the program, and work on my issues. I spent 2 1/2 yrs in therapy, working hard to face things, and to change my behavior. I was on trazadone during that time, and sometimes needed zanax. Later got off the zanax, and 4 yrs ago got off of the Traz. Then I hit a wall with depression, went on Cymbalta for 3 yrs. I am now off of everything.

I still struggle with depression, but taking 2000IU of vit D3 daily, and exercise is helping.

Yes it can be done for some people, and you have a good attitude, so there is hope..... I wish you well on your journey....

 

[Cindy]

no meds? tried it

I've been in this swamp for 20 years. I've been on all kinds of meds through the hospital stays. Fortunately I had a great psychiatrist who listened to me about meds and was willing to let me experiment. Once or twice I cut out meds without his knowledge or permission but always told him after the fact.

I cut all meds out for about six months last year. When I told him his remark was refreshing, "It's good to clean out your system every once and a while to see what you really need." I have returned to the effexor and the trazadone.

Medications can make it a lot easier but not if you are in a fog. The anti-depressants shouldn't put you in a fog. The rest will. My opinion is use what support you can and still have clarity. But keep the crutches available for the rough times. It's your choice to take them as you need them. For example, I don't take the trazadone all the time but when I need it, I need it.

I hate taking drugs but have realized they are there to help not control me.

 

[TLight]

Welcome to the forum;
I've been on Cymbalta probably 8 years. It helps with the depression tremendously.

Keep the meds for a back up. This is a rough journey, why inflict more stress when you already have enough. Once you've done enough good work in therapy, you will know when the right time is to go off.

Meds are to stabilze. Without being stable, facing the trauma is just too much, in my opinion.
Take care.

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

Hi Brit and welcome to the forum. I think it is a good idea to give it a try to see if you can do it. If you find that you can't then just start the medications again.

It seems with the Wellbutrin, Risperdol and Xanax you shouldn't be able to cope well because one is an anti-depressant the other an anti-psychotic and the other an anti-anxiety.

Throughout the 35 years of dealing with PTSD I have been on and off anti-depressants. I would try to clean up and stop taking them to see how I cope and usually would go about six months without until something bugged me and then start back on the medication (I didn't work on my trauma while off medication though). I think it is good to clean out your system to see where your at.

I feel it was wrong of that doctor to smirk when you wanted to go off the medications. He would be hindering your process of healing by not allowing you to at least try it IMO.

Good Luck!
Tammy

 

[morgan]

Hi Brit, welcome to the forum.

I can't really comment too much about your medication cause I'm heavily medicated myself and scared to death to come off them. But I wish you the best of luck with this situation.

Take care, Morgan

 

[Brit]

Thanks for the welcome and all the replies, I still feel hopeful and I am taking it day by day. Each day of feeling 'ok' is a step in the right direction.

It was such a relief to post here and know that there are others like me who would understand.

 

[Claire]

Hello Brit, I have managed to get control of PTSD without drugs. I use exercise, reasonably good balanced diet and therapy. That's me though. I'm not saying it is possible for everyone.

I have been offered drugs at various times but always declined. Purely because I personally didn't want to be dependent on them. I thought they would add to my trouble and I was very worried I would become addicated to them and not want to or be able to come off them.

I have also tried 'self' medicating with weed and alcohol too. I dont recommend either. Weed freaked me out and I wont do it again. Alcohol is a depressant.

I would encourage you to explore the loads of different natural therapies on offer. I've found things that I never believed would help, helpful eg. yoga, reki, massage. There is info on this site for these if you look.

Hope that helps, everyone is different and you need to find what works for you personally.

Claire

 

[upstream]

Hey Brit!

I second everything Claire said. Diet, exercise, therapy, and no booze.

I also find that it helps to get out a bunch and try to stay active and involved in the community.

 

[tude]

Brit, to be honest with you, somedays I wish I was medicated. It has been incredibly challenging at times to continue to positively cope and maintain my commitment to myself. This has been a long, hard road and there have been moments I wanted to throw in the towel. I felt like a losing fighter in a boxing ring- beat up and too exhausted to even raise my hands to block the onslaught of symptoms. But you know what...I am still standing.

I too have a pretty significant psych history, but it does not determine my abilities. Would taking meds make this a little easier for me? I am sure it would. I have found the sleep aid extremely helpful. In the last month, I haven't needed to use it. Thus far, learning to use other tools to help me cope as I deal with this stuff has been enough. If there comes a time when it is no longer enough, then I will consider adding meds as another tool to help me.

Remember, what works for one person may not work for another. Discover for yourself what works best for you.

Good luck with your decision and welcome,
tude

 

[sunnydaze]

Brit,
It is good to give yourselve a try w/o meds. I tried it and went off for about 2-3 years. I started on natural vitamins and than gradually weaned myself off one pill at a time. Well, for myself I really needed them. I got to a point where I did not like myself more than ever. I was wildly reacting to people hurting me and knew no matter how bad I fought it, I had to take something. Now, I don't overreact to much of the pressures of life. That is me, you may be different. Wish you well
sunnydaze

 

[Lucky Laser]

In medical school I have been given the impression that people are over-medicated and that too many doctors just give out medications when they should be focusing on therapy and other lifestyle changes. I've seen it myself... anti-depressants prescribed left and right and I don't enough hear doctors ask "are you interested in getting some other help?"

I personally think that medication is good at the right time... when things are out of control, or as a supplement to counseling, or when a person truly cannot get by on their own without them, etc... but in most cases being able to live a person's life without them should be a goal to strive for if its possible for that person.

That said, sometimes I wish I could take something when things are rough... I seem to be allergic to every dang-diddly-darn medication I've taken outside of Ibuprofen. =p