Poll Does Prescription Medication Help Your PTSD?

[Invisible-Guy]

I know I can't survive on meds alone. I have to have my counselor and psychologist. Sometimes I think the meds might be part of the memory problems, but I don't know because PTSD over a long period will cause parts of the brain to atrophy as well.

 

[JustBe]

Zoloft helped kick the depression into a more manageable level. After a few years it stopped working.

I stopped taking Zoloft, Xanax and Serax over a year ago because while they helped me force myself through the workday and knocked me out for a couple of hours at night, the rebound was worse and after awhile they stopped working altogether.

Now I only take 20mg. Citalopram and the Synthroid I must take. It seems to be working for now.

 

[EvenStrongerNow]

Hi,

I started this poll for:

1. Those of you diagnosed with PTSD or C-PTSD by a doctor

together with

2. A diagnosis of PTSD/C-PTSD with the symptoms that go along with it being your only diagnosis aka no other co-morbid conditions

My question is, do you take medication for PTSD/C-PTSD or not?

After voting, please feel free to share:

1. What you voted

2. If you voted yes, what are the pros and cons you have noticed? Do you take medication along with some form of self help or therapy? How would you rate your level of functioning?

3. If you voted no, what have you found works the best to treat your symptoms? What are the pros and cons you have noticed? How would you rate your level of functioning? Also, did you ever take medication short term and found it to be beneficial in your recovery?

Thanks.

 

[row_boat]

Have C-PTSD - taking seroquel (XR 400mg - night), epilim (700mg - night), cymbalta (120mg - morning), seroquel IR (<50mg as needed) - was put on meds when admitted to hospital 10 months ago as a way of stabilising mood - has caused lots of weight gain (20kg in 10mnths).

About to approach psychiatrist about the topic of reducing meds (to halt the weight gain and stop the further development of an eating disorder that is in its infancy - developed as a result of the weight gain).

The meds definitely helped with mood stabilisation and allowed me a break from myself (and the really bad emotions that worn me down physically and emotionally the previous 12 mnths (had 5 nervous breakdowns before being voluntarily admitted to hospital for 6 weeks). BUT also have an excellent support team who allow me to talk about anything and everything at least once a week (rotating through them) consisting of a psychologist, community nurse, GP (who is brilliant and oversees and records everything the others do), and dietician. Also have a very supportive surrogate family (i live half way across the country from my actual family) and a very supportive work place who listen to me and my drs about work requirements and are determined to see me through to the otherside.

I know that i couldn't have got to this point without the meds and my support team (nick named "team row_boat" by psychiatrist), but I know in the long term I need to learn to cope without the medication, because that is my end goal.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I voted no.

But....

I have tried dozens of medications in the past. A few worked. (I can literally name only three.) The rest were forgettable at best, or gave me bad side effects at worst.

Right now my functioning is the highest it has been in almost 6 years. I'm post trauma processing and if you go by the three stage trauma healing model, I'm in the third stage. (But, I still deal with remnants of the first two stages.) I am not able to go back to work yet,

Medication has literally saved me when I was at my worst. Once when I was in super-high-hypervigilance mode and couldn't sleep more than an hour at a time, and again when my obsessive thinking was uncontrollable. If my symptoms got this bad again, I wouldn't hesitate to take medication again, even though I dealt with unwanted side effects.

 

[fly away home]

My GP said anxiety and possible PTSD due to the fact that she couldn't officially diagnose so on to my psychologist who said PTSD with extreme anxiety as a symptom and then psychiatrist diagnosed PTSD and mentioned CPTSD as the beginning of the 'evil' (my words not his).

Under GP I tried every antidepressant under the sun but all made me worse. Then GP put me on Xanax and Valium which worked beautifully but could not be sustained so psychiatrist put me on seroquel. It works, anxiety has lessened but still rears its ugly head when I feel at all pressured. Thats when xanax comes in handy. At least its not there every second of every day. And I can now sleep! Ultimate goal would to be able to manage without meds, I really don't like being so comatose. They don't call it slurroquel without good reasoning!

 

[Abstract]

I didn't vote as have co existing conditions for some of the time I am discussing even though I have reacted the same way before and after these things were resolved.

2. If you voted yes, what are the pros and cons you have noticed? Do you take medication along with some form of self help or therapy? How would you rate your level of functioning?

Medication enabled me to survive at certain points when I was seriously suicidal and or close to catatonic. They enabled me to engage in therapy or basic self care. Antidepressants. SSRI's. Other types of antidepressants have a terrible effect on me. I feel sedated and that sends the hypervigilance went through the roof. I am still on SSRI's. Sleep medication and many other things never worked for me at all for a variety of reasons. They wanted to put me on anti psychotics as some find them useful for certain PTSD related symptoms but I didn't go ahead.

My functioning has gone from close to zero to what I would call moderate. Longer term I believe that is almost entirely about therapy and self help and not meds. When I dip into trauma work again then I am not sure how much I will regress but I will still be better in certain ways regardless. I don't consider medication treatment really and rather see it as a means to be able to function enough to do other work on getting better. Or to survive when that has been an issue. It's therapy and self help that has changed my life in any significant way.

Cons are side effects which differ according to the medication and ones personal reaction. I don't have any significant side effects to SSRI's any more. Tranquillisers and meds such as beta blockers can be helpful for hypervigilance and when our stress cups are constantly overflowing.

 

[Marf]

I am taking Effexor and Wellbutrin. The medications help me not have such dark, low days and therefore, I do not self harm anymore. I was having a very hard time controling that urge without medications.

My level of functioning is high (Master's Degree, work full time, married mother of 2). I am doing EMDR with a great therapist.

 

[Flyaway]

I'm on cymbalta, Xanax, and something else that's effecting my memory- helps me sleep anyway... I'm SO MUCH better for the meds I'm on!!!

 

[billie]

I now only take seroquel for diagnosed CTPSD. my T did not want me as a zombie because it would prevent treatment. I see my GP once a week to check in, I have to contact my T daily and I see her a few hrs a week. I find it hard but I understand that I have to feel shitty to get past my mental death.

 

[Barconian]

If you voted no, what have you found works the best to treat your symptoms? What are the pros and cons you have noticed?

A finger in front of my face waving back and forth as I brought up a shitty image... The waving kept going and the image fell apart and that is the god's truth. The medication is only there to stabilise your mind, but the therapy is there to fix it and with the right help, the nightmares will go away.

To have one issue is one thing, albeit to have multiple issues is another

 

[DMerish]

PTSD here (non - C)

I answered "no" but maybe I could have answered "yes" - I dunno . . . I take Zoloff for depression; depression is often a component of PTSD. I've tried some other meds but Zoloff is the only thing that's helped me stabilize (as Barconian described above) in order to (1) participate/push through in therapy and (2) get back to living life that seems normal. I'm on my fourth round of it over the last twenty years. The cons are only in the first few weeks of taking it, i.e. a bit of nausea and head ache. I don't know if it's supposed to be one of the meds that messes with one's libido in a negative way, but my libido is just fine - thank you. Other than Zoloff, what I have found to be of great help is regularly doing Yoga and Mindful Meditation (hard for me to get into a regular habit with MM tho).