Poll Does Prescription Medication Help Your PTSD?

[resurrection]

My medication(citalopram 40mg) has helped in so far as it has lifted my depression and helped me to cocentrate better which in turn helps me have the will to deal with my nervousneess better

 

[just tina]

Don't forget the drugs to counteract the effects of other drugs, and the diagnoses that go with them. I had a major "atypical" depression in 1994. I had a paradoxical reaction to an antidepressant and was then diagnosed as type II bipolar. They had me convinced that if I didn't take the mood stabilizers (totally debilitating for me) that I would end up being a full-blown manic depressive with psychotic episodes. I went to a bipolar meeting once, and wondered what I was doing there. My life was nothing like theirs'. Finally I got off the mood stabilizers. No hypomanic episodes, just like I never had a hypomanic episode, except for that one time on Desipramine.

In 2003 I had another major "atypical" depression, and after six months of I don't know how many drug therapies, discovered that I had pernicious anemia. The depression that comes with anemia is "atypical" and can be fixed right up in two weeks with high doses of iron and vitamin C. It's hard not to be bitter about the decade I spent straight-jacketed pharmaceutically and convinced I was at risk of becoming manic depressive. I have to wonder how much of the degeneration I've suffered is due to the prescriptions I've been given.

If I can spare anyone that pain, by convincing an anemic person to have their blood tested before seeing a shrinky-dink, it will have been worth it. Look for brittle nails, lots of loose hair, a blood-less feeling, feelings of worthlessness, not being able to remember ever having done anything right, not being able to recall words for things---I could not for the life of me think of the word "table". I just stared at it. Sleeping a lot. And not having any physical energy, which can also include not having the energy to generate a will to live or die.

This might explain one reason why women suffer depression so much more than men, and post-par tum depression after a difficult delivery. It doesn't explain all things called "depression", but I bet it's not uncommon.

Being in such a weakened physical state makes it very difficult to cope with the burdens of PTSD.

 

[Deleted member 93]

That is some very interesting info you provided, Tina. Thank you.

 

[Marine0311]

Took wellbutron and zoloft mix and trazadone for awhile, ended up in the MH Ward.

Tried some other stuff I cannot say the names, anyways now I just take 200mg Sertralene(Zoloft), 1200mg Gabapenton, 100mg Trazadone.

The VA only has certain drugs and mostly generic stuff. I'm sorta stable, thats what my wife says.

People react different to meds its all chemical in the brain.

 

[mightsurvive]

I was put on diazapam for a while which only helped a little bit but spacing me out and not makeing me care but the thoughts were still there. Then i went onto Effexor xl also known as venlafaxine and they decreased the frequency of a lot of my worst symptoms like the intrusive thoughts and the flash backs and panic attacks, however they really didnt help long term - it was just a way to hide my issues under the carpet untill i had the strength to deasl with them and they made my sleep and nightmares worse. Now im off all meds and things are worse again but not quite as bad as they were before the meds. I'm one for counselling.

 

[morgan]

I take 60mg paxil, 30mg buspar, 600mg gabapentin, 180mg ziprasidone and they do work very well for me. My life before meds. was unbearable. Now, between meds. and therapy I can manage my symptoms fairly well.

 

[nightowl52]

The doctor I had at the time , had me try 4 or 5 that I faithfdully stayed on a month, that's long enough to ajust & I never felt better, I felt worse. On top of how bad I felt, I had no desire to be intimate with my husband. Now he has ptsd from my injuries as well. He takes 5 or 6 medications and sleeps very little in the night, takes naps off & on all day. I think I'm in better shape. He has high b/p, colestrial is high, pain, etc. 2 antidepressants that make him a zombie , so I think I'm better off, I think he's worse.

 

[moog]

Off the top of my head but my memory isn't what it used to be.

Lorazepam
Diazepam
Tazepam
Topiramate (Topamax)
Amitriptyline
Mirtazapine (Remeron)
Venlafaxine XR (Effexor XR)

Most were prescribed for sleep when they didn't realize what was wrong with me. The Remeron made me "crazy", severe serotonin reaction and I had constant sensory overload. Effexor XR is to new to give a review.

 

[Cindy]

Meds have helped me battle the depression. The rest, well, they work sometimes but figuring out the right combination is very difficult. I think I've been on everything.

One thing I will say, you need to find a psychiatrist that will work with you and listen to you. As a team you can work up combinations based on your responses. Do drugs fix it - no, they just lower the thresholds of tolerance of symptoms.

I had a psychiatrist that was awesome, I weened myself off of all meds over a period of two months. He appreciated it and thought everyone should try it now and then to see what the baseline of symptoms are. I was impressed.
I lasted about 4 months before I hit rock bottom again with the depression.

When I returned to meds we then started with the Effexor and slowly added others as needed. Unfortunately I have a new psychiatrist and am still working on the ground work of the relationship. Some things I fill and others I set aside.

 

[Murphy's Law]

I have PTSD. I suffer from phantom pain and pain in joints and limbs. Both from amount of surgeries and depth of injuries. I see a psycologist every 2 weeks, a pain specialist every 6-8 weeks, a psyciatrist every 6 months, and my GP every 4-6 weeks. We use a combination of stellate ganglion nerve blocks, CBT, pysio, meditation (deep breathing, visualization), and meds.
Have tried accupressure and accupunture, and electric impulses. All with bad reactions.
I have been on steriods for short term pain relief. Worked, but made me feel REALLY good. One was dexamethasone.
Lyrica was tried for about a year, no noticible improvement.
Celebrex had no noticible affect on pain.
IV treatment, a--- biphosphate, for neurological pain. no pros. Alot of nausea and total hair loss.
I was on a patch for pain, fentanyl. It caused severe apnea, and resulted in prolonged hospital stay.
I now take oxycodone, 30mg x 2, with endocet to up it for bad days.
I was on bupropion, for depression, it caused severe twitches and shakes.
I now take effexor 150 mg/day. I find it effective for depression. only side effect was when they uped the dosage to 225mg, I became very nauseated.
I take ativan sublingual when needed for panic attacks, although that has become almost a non issue thanks to my work with psycologist.
I have taken several things for nausea, metaclopramide, zofram?. I find gravol works best.
Sativex buccal spray works well for nausea and pain. Works very quickly, but is very costly.
I now take cessamet, .5mg x 2/day, which helps for nausea and pain.
I also take desipramine 25mg for sleeping, but this is fairly new, and meant for short term problems I am having.
I find the worse thing with a lot of the meds I take is the cycle. You take something for pain, they cause depression, then I end up taking something for depression. That causes nausea, so I take something for that. Seems like a catch 22.
Anyway, I find that in my years of treatment, a balance of alot of things is needed. Meds are a neccessary evil for some of us, but I do believe that with work alot of them can be replaced by better techniques and methods. One struggle seems to be knowing how much pain is just letting you know you are alive, compared to pain that needs to be medicated. And pain relief compared to the high that accompanies alot of the pain meds. If that makes sense.

 

[catatonicky]

update; havent been on for a while

I've subscribed to this thread but havent visited the forum for a while now.
I was on Effexor a year or two ago and it was great until i got a bad case of the hives. Since then it was Cipramil as there are no other SNRI's available in Australia, max dose. Just last week i got jack of it all and went off everything cold turkey as i was drinking heavily and using valium and sleeping tablets as well and still feeling suicidal. I also ditched the psychiatrist who was no help at all and basically detroyed a supportive and healing relationship that she felt was an "unhealthy" one. But its ok i've been in another one now for a year (and yes its vanilla) but its working atm.

Anyway as i said i've had it with drs of all persuasions they are all full of shit. The drugs kept me alive but they clouded my head and made me live from one crisis to another with surprisingly little actual feeling. Now im feeling again and its great. I get "head rushes" but they'll eventually stop. I also get occasional two-hourly "melancholy" attacks some evenings but they arent really panic more flashbacks to the numbness of the drugs. I've found taking several large teaspoons of organic cold-pressed flaxseed oil when i get head rushes seems to help assuage the sore brain of withdrawal.
Its nice to feel passion again, anger as well.

To sum up the drugs helped keep me alive but they dont cure anything, i see them as a "waiting room" for my ongoing dealing with the ptsd. Its good to know its there but its like sticking your head into a marshmallow. Sometimes you need it, and i think its hould always be an option, but i can tell you from dealing with every sort of doctor under the sun for 10 years they dont know jack. Period. Or theyd really help you deal with and express your pain, which is what this is; pure and simple, pain unexpressed from being ****ed up badly in the past.

 

[ChrisB]

Great comments!! I agree with everything you have said. Remember they are treating the main aspect of your illness; Anxiety, Depression etc. Not working? just boost the dose. Still not working? just change to a new one.(The more expensive the better) De-realization- De-personalization? No! You must have Epilepsy, take this drug. Stay home and slobber. Can't sleep? You must have Rem Behavior Disorder! Here take Klonipin. That my friend is sarcasim. We have a high degree of tension- Maybe we all need quality Attention. I am starting the weaning process as we speak.
Good Luck