9/11 Pentagon

[anthony]

Bloody good job Sue, well done. Absolutely... one step at a time, and never beat yourself up if you have a bad day, week or even month, because if the majority is better than worse, then thats all the matters. If it where the other way around, being more worse than better over a 6 month period, then I would always suggest going back onto medication. Some people require full meds their entire life with PTSD, some get down to just a small dosage, some without.

What you said Sue definatley holds true to Terry, and all of us, in that you may have to do one step time and time again, in actual fact, when you learn about how to control each symptom of PTSD, you will use the knowledge near daily, or even when you do really suffer, you will begin to think that this is never going to get better, when all of a sudden, you remember some of your knowledge on how to manage a symptom, apply it with real force and suddenly you get past it. This could be depression, where you force yourself out for a walk, or anxiety, where you force yourself to stop thinking about certain events, or get exercise that you stopped to take your mind off it, or start writing what your thoughts are to get it out of you, etc etc. A very well and meaningful statement to us all Sue. Thanks for highlighting that.

 

[mayertl]

To all, thanks for the great advice. Anthony, I like the idea of writing things down. I'll dwell on that for a while.

I mentioned the mediction Seroquin. My shrink said that studies done at Walter Reed Army Medical Center showed this anti-psycotic was effective in treating PTSD in low doses.

One thing that really helps me is really hard exercise...or very long less strenuous exercise. I've always been an exercise nut, but now it serves a much different purpose in relieving the anxiety, if only temporary.
mis dos colones, Terry

 

[livelysue]

Terry exercise works for me to. I have been walking everyday at work on my lunch hour. I take my cambell's microwavable soup with me and do a 20 minute walk. I also try to go for a walk in the evening if I feel up to it when I get home from work. It was something I stopped doing when the depression started taking over. I feel much better when I go for my walk.

 

[anthony]

Absolutely, exercise is a known remedy for depression and anxiety, and natural at that.

As for the drugs, I am actually writing a fairly indepth analysis of each commonly used drug for the treatment of PTSD, and your not going to like the facts and figures on Seroquel, also branded as Seroquin & Quetiapine. It is used for the treatment of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or more commonly referred as manic depression. The side affects and issues it places you at risk, are far superior than other known drugs which garnish better results, with much less risk.

It is going to take me some time to write, because basically the pharmaceutical companies don't make it easy for anyone to read nor comprehend in easy terminology, thus I have to do a fair bit of research to lay it out in laymens terms, so we all understand it.

 

[livelysue]

Any other drugs to worry about. I truly believe Paxil is one to worry about and I watched a documentary on this drug and how in Europe they band it because of the negative effects it was having on people. For me, I was at the maximum dosage and was getting more suicidal which I have learned can happen on Paxil. It is scary that doctors are prescribing drugs without knowing the full affects of them. I know effexor works as I have been on it and at the last only was up to 150 on it and that is a small dosage.

I would like to hear about all the drugs for PTSD and they effects. I had very little side effects with effexor. It is what I really liked about the drug.

 

[anthony]

Honestly, most drugs have side effects to some extent, so we will never find one that won't. Its not that doctors don't know about the drugs effects, as they would, especially before they prescribe it, but more that drugs are factually a trial and error scenario on a person by person basis. Paxil is bad, but it works for some people, though may primarily worsen the majority, though they will still try it to return statistical data to drug companies and more importantly, peers. Yes, we are all actually guinea pigs with every drug that is every prescribed, and that is factual, not fictional, and actually outlined by physicians themselves and the drug manufacturers. Saying that, there couldn't be any other answer though, as what works for one, may not work for another, but if it worked for one, then the drug helped that person atleast, which is better than not helping that person.

If you worked well with Effexor, then I would recommend to your doctor that you be put back onto that drug, as it has worked for you in the past, thus should do so again. Drugs for PTSD is one thing, but drugs for depression only is another. PTSD often requires multiple drugs from the old school of thought to cover the variety of symptoms, where depression is only one symptom, and if the only symptom, easily enough treated by one drug.

The drug research is one of my primary projects at present, so it will be up within the next week or two.