Do All These Medication's Actually Help You???

[Xander Haworth]

You go into the military pretty normal but usually young. You are exposed to a lot of stress and a whole new life that you never have experienced in your whole life. From day one you get brainwashed as a young adult. You push yourself and find your limits. You pass. You go to a unit, re-do all that over and prove yourself. You get deployed. First week there ANA shoots two privates for twenty dollars. Next month your very good friend gets blown in pieces until he doesn't look like your friend anymore. You finish your job come home. They downsize the Army and you get apart of that because now you have some issues with your marriage, job, and life in general. You get out of the military and thrown back into a world you forgot and don't know how to live in this world anymore. The thing you hated the worst is the only thing you want back, the Army. You see doctors and what not, they give you diagnosis's like PTSD. You get put on medications for your PTSD and an injury that you had in the Army. Now i need help with this because it seems like the medications help but, i am not sure. Does anybody else feel like we are all just getting doped up so we don't feel or cause trouble like previous veterans? Please respond. Thank you all for your service.

 

[Jimmy1]

Does anybody else feel like we are all just getting doped up so we don't feel or cause trouble like previous veterans? Please respond. Thank you all for your service.

Xander,

I used to be a real nice bloke around here, one of the originals when Anthony had sort of just got this section going in 2009, you could say 'the voice of reason' or 'Devils Advocate'. Well not anymore, no more touchy freely.

For starters, there is no 'Brainwashing', how can you expect people to retain the freedom of their country by just shoving a weapon in your hand. You weren't conscripted, you volunteered. There is some conditioning which is necessary, otherwise there is no way in hell you will get civilians in a combat zone. I am sorry for your loss, I too have witnessed this along with 90% of the forum, but once again, did you expect to serve in a combat zone and not see this?

Enough of the verbal battering.

Having gone against my own advice and trusted my psych and medicos with medication, I made an almost fatal mistake. Pristiq (Desvenaflaxine) and Tramadol (for pain) can potentially cause Seratonin Syndrome which can be fatal. This is why I am in a psychiatric hospital 1000 miles away from my 'Third' wife and my assistance dog. A small price to pay to get well.

Here is some advice whether you choose to accept it or not.

Take control of your life. There is no reason you can't live your life with structure, organisation, and discipline, you might just have to tone it down a bit.

Go find a therapist, there are thousands in the USA that specialise in PTSD, but you don't necessarily need one who has served. Death is Death, emergency services deal with it daily, often seeing their work mates killed or maimed.

Get control of your medication, ask what each one does, or research them. Don't be controlled by them.

I have no idea of what branch of service you served in, but I am sure the words 'harden the f$&k up' marine/sailor/soldier/airman' you may have heard. It's easy to give in.

Me, I am a retired Warrant Officer from the Australian Army.

Feel free to message me 'Mate'.

 

[Grizzly]

Jimmy is spot on. Not much more to add.

Get your plan. Most of us have been in your shoes and still have setbacks. It's a tough fight but it's worth it.

The meds...the best I can tell you is take them and get in a therapy program that works. If you don't think they are working then have your doc try something else. There just there to take that edge off until you can learn new behaviors.

You know the cliche "prepare for the worst, hope for the best"? My days fall something in between there. Setbacks happen.

 

[Jimmy1]

wow, he asks a question but does not respond, maybe I was too harsh

 

[Grizzly]

wow, he asks a question but does not respond, maybe I was too harsh

Nah...nothing harsh about it. All truth.

 

[combatgoldfish]

The combinations of medications can make a deadly cocktail. I lost a friend (Marine Veteran) in 2011 on Christmas Day. He was on VA medication and had a drinking problem. The combination of that and his alcohol problem killed him in his sleep. His parents found him Christmas morning. There's a lot of stories out there like this one and we all hear them more than we should.

For some it truly does help if given the right medication along with therapy but it's not a cure all. Many of these doctors give you 20-60 minutes of "therapy" and throw pills at you on the way out on the first or second visit (At least in my experience). As a doctor you really can't do that, but for some reason it's allowed by the government to do so.

When you walk out that door with a brown paper bag of medication you look in and see large sheets of paper, your instructions for taking them and about 100 possible side effects. You begin playing Russian roulette with the medication. Some feelings or emotions are added or taken away. You're left in a lot of cases feeling even more numb than you normally are off the medication.

We should all be taking steps to heal the best we can. If the medication makes it worse, switch out, try alternatives, whatever it takes.

 

[Deleted member 43454]

I am not a fan of the med's...
But I did use them to get through a fairly rough patch...
And that withdraw... never again.
I do not trust the government.
I do not trust their regulations.
And as stubborn as I am, I stand by mmj.

Meditation, Mindfullness, MMJ, Support network.
Harden the f*ck up? Nah, we need to relax.
We aren't in the war anymore. I am too hard that's the problem...

 

[Xander Haworth]

Jimmy,
When i said brainwashing i ment it as they have to break you down and built you into a soldier. i ment no affence by it what so ever. i know what i volunteered for when i signed up in a time of war. i wouldnt take any of it back. i knew what i was getting into and what i might see or be asked to do. i will say this though the deployment right before mine my company lost no guys. also very few were injured.i know what all my meds are and what they do. im simply asking for peoples opinions on weather being on these meds for years is actually helping or not. i have control over my life and still have structure and disapline. EMS dont have to get shot at or blown up while they see their very best friends die. its not the same. i was in the army. also i have a life and stuff i do in my life i simpaly wasnt online for a couple days. not that i didnt want to respond. i have heard alot worse and think your words were less than harsh.

 

[combatgoldfish]

It's a case by case basis. It's a f*ckin crap shoot at best. I've been on meds on and off since 4yrs. I'm still f*cked up. But who's to say the meds are to blame? Who's to say the past effected me and going over just enhanced it? Too many f*ckin variables. But you're reaching out, which is a big f*ckin step.

 

[Xander Haworth]

what meds have they had you on and off of if you dont mind me asking? i have been the same, on and off for 3 years. it was seroqeul ambien and clonapin. the ambien made me sleep walk so now im on seroqeul and clonapin but just got back on it it two months ago. it is so very hard for me to tell weather the meds are actually having an effect. and is it worth it to take them and maybe sleep walk or be tired all day. yes i did learn along time ago if you have a problem you need to see it first confront it. think of ways to change it. also to reach out to whom ever you can. i really only have one friend. he is a great friend but rather have one true friend than 12 fake ones.

 

[combatgoldfish]

Currently...

Vicodin, pills for acid reflux, pills for cronic pelvic pain syndrome, vitamin b and Prozac.

For years before that, celaxa. Tried mini press, Wellbutrin. Not luck. After celexa, my sex drive crashed, T is tested and still good. Just little desire, more as a task and goal to please who I'm with.

I smoke twice a day now. Drink when shit get to out of control. Don't do that last part, I only do cause I like to abuse myself. It's better than punching myself in the face to remind me I feel pain.

You have friends here. We all might be stranger but we're brothers. Doesn't matter what war we fought in, we're all the same.

 

[Xander Haworth]

wow man that is alot right there. so besides your ptsd what other medical problems do you have? everybody says smoking weed helps alot but i dont enjoy the high for some reason.. did you finally find a SSRI that actually worked? They want to put me on one also i have taken 6 in the past and never got any help from them. anger is the monkey that hangs on all our backs. i grew up a very angry person but after counciling twice a week i hardly feel anger anymore. biggest thing that helped me is understanding anger is not a feeling its a reaction. for example, you get cheeted on you feel jelious or un-trusting and your reaction is anger.
well its great to hear that i have people on here that i can relate to and talk to almost all day long. what did you do in the service?