Fuzzy Brained

[pd117]

I was diagnosed a month ago with PTSD although I had been trying to ignore it for several years. After over eleven years in law enforcement, it finally caught up with me. I've been actively fighting this with counseling and medication since the diagnosis. I'm taking lexipro and trazadone at night before bed. Does anyone take anything during the day? I feel I need a xanax during the day sometimes. Anyone do this?

I am still having a huge problem with my thought process. Anyone else have this problem? I find it very difficult to form thoughts or think clearly. Does anyone have any advice? I could really use it. When I talk, I feel so over-stimulated that I distract myself and forget my train of thought. I've been told the "wet towel" feeling over my brain is the depression, but that has been exhausting too. Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[AngelKeeperJ]

When I 'crashed' quite a few years ago, I lost the ability to multitask. I did have to take Xanax to slow down my thought process because I would wake up with my thoughts spinning! It is not uncommon to have those problems, especially when you are actively working on your issues.

I have Major Depressive Disorder along with PTSD, and a list of other physical problems. You are wise to be 'attacking' your symptoms with more than one 'weapon'. Keep up the work, and you WILL learn to manage your symptoms!

Best of blessings to you!!!

 

[pd117]

Thank you. This can be so exhausting and draining, but it is nice to hear that things will get better and I will learn to manage the symptoms. I've never been good at patience... haha

 

[Justmehere]

I can relate to what you describe. I get so tangled up now and then that it is hard for me to really form and stick with full thoughts. It's much better now than it used to be.

The fuzzy brained effect could be depression, or anxiety that is fueling a form of dissociation from feeling so much anxiety. Everyone dissociates to some degree, it's just the mind's way of checking out when there is too much going on.

I take Trazadone now for sleep, and it works pretty well for that, but it doesn't do much for me during the day either (and sometimes it increases my already wickedly intense nightmares.) A psychiatrist that I saw who was an expert for PTSD once said that PTSD can be hard to medicate because anxiety medication can increase depression and depression medication can increase anxiety.

I was prescribed Klonopin for awhile, but it lost it's effect over time. I found that trilofan worked well to quiet down my nerves and anxiety, without making me feel sedated.

I take L-theanine supplement every day. It's an over the counter supplement a psych doc suggested once. It's the active ingredient in green tea and has been shown to have a calming effect in humans and animals. It seems to help me focus. Grounding skills also help - they are tedious to do, and don't work very quickly, but they will help over time. Holding a frozen orange has helped me focus and stop anxiety on several occasions. Now I used other tricks like that but in a more disguised fashion. (Like holding a frozen water bottle in a stressful meeting.)

Do you have a good psychiatrist you like and that knows their stuff about PTSD?

I'm so sorry you are going through this. Keep up the good fight to heal! It does get easier in time.

 

[Kas_Can_Fly]

Did you have these symptoms before the meds? It's just that quite a few anxiety meds slow everything down and make it hard to form thoughts both internally and words externally - including forgetting what you're saying or the word you're looking for. Though I do this without meds which is why those side effects don't really worry me - part of the cause for me stems from being dissociated a lot.

 

[pd117]

@Justmehere wow, thank you! The frozen orange thing is genius! I just did it with my water bottle and I felt it. I will definitely use that, along with the L-theanine. I have also noticed more vivid dreams with the trazadone. I will have to keep watching that.

@Kas_Can_Fly - I have been feeling this feeling for about 2-3 years now. Only recently was I told this was from the ptsd. I was hoping that with the medication and the constant dr's appointments, it would have calmed down. I only really have experienced the full effect of the ptsd symptoms in the last month. I think I have finally given my brain permission to break down and begin to rebuild.

 

[Kas_Can_Fly]

experienced the full effect of the ptsd symptoms in the last month. I think I have finally given my brain permission to break down and begin to rebuild.

This is good in every way, except that sometimes when we're doing everything right our brain unloads on us and makes everything more difficult and can make things seem futile. It is however the key to healing I think and it's great that you see it in the positive way it really is.

 

[Justmehere]

I'm glad the frozen water bottle worked for you! It's one idea to "ground" that I got from my therapist. It was surprising to me that such a sensation can be so calming for me. (She says it is because it brings the body into the present moment. I'm not sure myself, I'm just glad it works!)

 

[Overcast]

Klonopin and xanax do create other problems but short time use should not be a problem until you learn skills to deal with the thoughts. My thoughts race sometimes too and a nonnarcotic medication that has helped me is Lamictal. If you are still working I would hesitate on taking any of the antianxiety medications. It can make you too drowsy to do your job.

 

[Bubbles1895]

If you have any heart problems i wouldnt take lamictal, and i honestly think you should try melatonin its an all natural sleep aid you dont need a prescription either. Trazodone gives me extremly awful nightmares of past abuse in my life and whenI started taking melatonin the nightmares decreased and i didnt feel sick or tired when i woke up. This one man hurts me during the night in my room when everyone is asleep and the melatonin helps me not have bad nightmaes after it too

Idk how much nightmares effect you but the melatonin gives you a good sleep pattern and your able to think better in the day. My mom always tries to make me take it every night but its the kind of medicine that you can skip without having side effects

 

[pamcoco]

I have foggy thinking and memory problems. I constantly forget what I am doing and am easily side tracked. I find that Lexapro increases these symptoms for me. I have been on it for 7 years. It causes extremely vivid dreams, like my dream life is more real than real life. I can recall details about dreams from many years ago although I have very little recollection of daily life. I experienced a 'loss of time' for 3.5 years after the traumas. I only started having nightmares when I cut back on my dose of Lexapro. These nightmares were so vivid that I physically attacked the perpetrators and I kicked my poor chihuahua off the bed every time.

I do not have increased anxiety from Lexapro but I do have mania. It is an extremely unusual reaction to ssri's I am blessed with ;-). Because I am manic, as well as ADHD, I take Adderral to calm down. It helps me sleep as well as concentrate. I mention this just in case you are having an odd increase in anxiety from Lexapro, from manic like symptoms.

I am not familiar with Xanax but Klonopin really mellows me out, even if I take it the night before. You have been medicated a very short time and my shrink says it takes 6 months for Lexapro to take full effect in terms of reducing anxiety. That is why I took Klonopin at night for the first 6 months. You may find you feel very differently medicated in the months to come, so be hopeful!

I am not sure if you have this fear but it occurred to me that you may be more concerned about the foggy mind because of the dangerous situations you encounter at work. I have found that clear thinking will return in any moment of crisis, your keen intuition and sharp judgement will come alive when needed.

Be kind to you.

 

[joeylittle]

I have also noticed more vivid dreams with the trazadone. I will have to keep watching that.

I'm medicated only for depression, as my PTSD had a later onset. But trazadone: vivid dreams, check - if you are having them, you may be also having the daytime foggy-thoughts. From my own experience and talking with my psych about it, there seems to be a kind of correlation. It's partially what the drug is supposed to do, but it sounds like in your case it might be a little more med than you want right now. On the other hand, it's probably decreasing some of that "jitter" that you want the xanax for.

Ugh, medications! They really can change your life for the better, but they take an awful lot of patience, and you just have to do a decent amount of tweaking. I would talk with your prescribing physician about what you are experiencing, though. If you can, "chart" your responses daily for the next few weeks. With an active job it can be hard - you can talk into a little micro-recorder - just make note of when you are agitated, when you are foggy, when you feel level, when and what you eat, caffeine and supplement consumption, dosing time, sleep, and wake.

(Yeah, it's a lot. But the more info, the more specific they can see how to adjust - also, once you get used to doing this, you'll start to just do it automatically)

Anyway, my 2 cents, hope its helpful. Be gentle with yourself. You are doing hard, important work, and we are all grateful for it.