Poll Does Prescription Medication Help Your PTSD?

[fin]

.......... they put me in touch with ASSIST (a PTSD charity) who provide FREE C.B.T. on the phone, i'm sure it helped some, & just talking to somebody who knew what PTSD was - great! here in UK the recommended treatments (by NICE) are SSRi/CBT/EMDR, but as up to 3yr waiting list for non-drug treatment, drugs are only option unless you have the money to pay or enough will to keep searching and lucky enough to stumble across people like ASSIST, big thanks to them.

ASSIST....These are the people in Rugby that returned my call after Christmas, these people and this forum are the only trauma related treatment I have ever had. I wish I lived nearer to them.

I did not know that they did CBT stuff over the phone but they have been brilliant at just giving me a call to see what is happening in terms of getting the treatment that I have constantly been told I will get.

I feel that I am not so alone now and that when I am doubtful if I am doing the right thing they have been very reasurring to me. And that can make such a difference, in moving forward.

They have also spoken of the "complaining issues" that people in this country are encouraged to do as a means to get poor treatment corrected. They have the same attitude that I have ....focus on getting well first...that is too draining for words as it is, without trying to start a complaint that pretty much halts treatment. Which of course no one else within the NHS will tell you.Unless perhaps you have an advocate that can deal solely with a complaint on your behalf.

I am glad I found this this morning....I have an appointment in about an hour about meds etc. will be back to update about the med situation I hope.

I have been on the dope-her-up-to-the-eyeballs-merry-go-round for years and never dared question it until last year and so many bloody side affects it hasn't been funny.

Today will be interesting, and I hope I am heard...fingers crossed.

 

[tardis]

I voted for made me worse than without it, as I had so many side effects. Weight gain, drowsiness and wanting to do myself in were the worst. I quit the drugs completely 2 years back, after trying several combinations with no luck.

 

[Anne9]

I am finding Klonopin extremely helpful in controlling my anxiety and PTSD. It helps me ride out the panic attacks and deal with scary situations. The only difficulty is that too high a dose makes me sleepy, so I have to take the smallest dose I can to try and control the symptoms. I don't have complete control of the symptoms but I can ride the worst of them out. Other drugs either chill me out too much so that I can't function, or make me jittery.

 

[becvan]

I am now coming off the Remeron. I will no longer be taking any medication for PTSD. The Remeron ( a classic anti-depressant/anxiety medication) has caused high cholesterol which I have to take a medication for and is wrecking my teeth. I'd rather deal with my symptoms than completely ruin my body.

So.. it helped but the side effects are just not worth it.

bec

 

[disenchanted]

My meds help. (I'm Cate BTW,) but I have questions.

I'm having medcation problems of my own and would love to hear anyone's thoughts on my problem. I have done some reading, perhaps have read the wrong things, I don't know, and I have other medical problems that complicate my PTSD meds.

Here's the sitch: I have been on either Elavil or Pamelor for some twenty years and they work. I tried so many others, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, everything that came out over the years up to but not including Prozac. Given my reactions and sensitivities, my doc at the time decided to stay with the Pamelore (nortriptyline). Paxil and Buspar gave me headaches and Zoloft made me crazier than I was. Celexa didn't cover all my symptoms. Even antibiotics cause painful side effects like joint pain.

My research has suggested that I have a tougher kind of depression, though it is said those kinds need inpatient treatment I have never been admitted. I learned that amitriptyline and nortriptyline are for meloncholy depression, a state that people assume is just their personality, just never happy, and I guess that pretty much suits me. So, I stay on the nortriptyline and it does okay, with Xanax to help.

Now, my regular physician (my third one) wants me off it, says it's way too dangerous. I say how?, they say, "oh liver damage" etc. except I'm not finding any liver damage studies. First doc says "you could be suicidal (meds cause ideation), try no meds and meditation'. I say, I've been on this 20 yrs, no attempts and meditation alone won't cut it.

Second doc says same thing, "Nortriptyline too dangerous, take Celexa". Third doc wants me on Cymbalta. I read the side effects for Cymbalta and am scared to death. Talk about liver damage, and tardive dyskineskia!?. No thanks! Comparing the side effects of Cymbalta and Nortriptyline on the mayo clinic web site and Nortriptyline is safer.

My psychiatrist says stay with what is known to work, but I've had two new chronic illnesses that are causing fatigue so bad I can't do much anymore.

I have gastroparesis (paralyzed stomach, which Nortriptyline helps a lot.) Last doc said there are safer drugs for your tummy than Nortriptyline. Oh yeah? Not really. One has been banned. One, Reglan, you can only take for two weeks at a time due to heart and kidney damage.

And the fatigue? Psychiatrist (Dr. Hey, we have a pill for that) gave me Provigil and my skin came off.

What the heck is going on here? I've read in a post that docs get $ for pushing certain drugs. Is this true? Is this what is happening? I don't get what's so dangerous about a drug I've taken successfully since age 18. I don't understand the danger and I don't understand pushing drugs that seem to be more dangerous.

Can anyone help?

 

[disenchanted]

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've never had this feeling though I've heard others say drugs make them feel cloudy or sleepy or slow. When I don't take my meds I'm really anxious, really revving, hand-wringing, and when I'm on them, I only wring my hands in my head :-).

 

[usmc9911]

Gosh my list of drugs have been pretty impessive also, I believe I started with seroquel, Paxil, and Xanax. It has changed so much over the years but I have been prescribed Buspar, ativan, Zoloft, and several others which I can't recall at the moment.

My current prescriptions are
Celexa 40mg daily
Klonopin 2mg 3 times daily, (yeah I know 6mg a day is way too much)
Risperidone 2 mg daily
Tylenol 3 (for headaches)
All of these doses with the exception of Risperidone have been increased due to tolerance changes, and to be honest I haven't really seen a massive improvement even with these medications.

Ron

 

[Ami]

My medications have helped me immensely. However, I have now developed a high tolerance and dependency on xanax, even though I am not yet well. In less than two weeks I am beginning a very slow withdrawal process from the xanax and either changing my anti-depressant or upping my current dose. I plan to go through more counseling through the whole process.

 

[Gunchief]

Ativan .5 2x

 

[Surviving]

This was a tough one for me b/c I've found that anti-anxiety medication does make my life better, less anxiety, less fear, and fewer flash backs.

However, I have tried two antidepressants as I've been assured by my doctors that I need and in both cases I was much more suicidal as well as anxious and depressed. They interrupted my sleep habits which I have yet to recover from since stopping 3 months ago, they made me physically ill, and just all around miserable.

The first I took was Pristiq and the side effects were intolerable but my doctor encouraged me to ride it out, then I wanted to take my own life so he took me off of it. Then I tried Lexopro and it was tolerated better but I found myself not getting out of bed or eating for nearly a week. I woke up one day at 3pm and thought of putting a gun to my head. It was at that moment I got out of bed and took back my life. I knew it was the drug and not me that was making me think such horrible scenarios. I stopped taking it immediately and my doctor said, "That's one of the mildest antidepressants on the market. I don't think I can help you. You need to see a psychiatrist." So that's what I'm doing next week.

I'm still worried about antidepressants as I have a history of depression since childhood and never had much luck with them and I know how bad the side effects can be. But I'm willing to give it another try or two. If not by then, I'm giving up on them for good. There are other ways of handling depression that don't involve destroying the few good things you do have in your life.

 

[agl0622]

ambien (currently)
seroquel
klonopin
adderall (currently)

First let me say that I am by no means the norm in turns of meds. Although the ambien that I am currently on does provide sleep that is all that can be said. I was taken off of it once already because it actually intensifies my nightmares. The seroquel and klonopin both led to EXTREME depression and increased anxiety as I lost all ability to think and reason. By accident and self medication I came to find Adderall and be diagnosed with ADHD in addition to the PTSD. Although the symptoms have not completely vanished, they are all (with the exception of nightmares) diminished. My psych has represcribed the ambien to make sure that I stay rested until he can find a more viable sleep aid. As I said, I am in no way the norm but they are making me feel much better.

 

[TLight]

I am now on 100mg of Seroquel and 50 mg of wellbutrin and I feel like life is just beginning for me. The extreme irritability is gone, nightmares pretty much non-existant and my other symptoms are down too, except for the hypervigilance at times, which I still have the klonopin when I get sick of it.

For me, I'm in relief for the first time in decades. That's a godsend.

Although I feel like the Seroquell is making me gain weight and this is very disturbing. Thinking of switching to Topomax.