General Question About Prescribed Medication.

[Abstract]

way of giving us support to process deeper levels of healing?

Hi Johnny,
I agree with what has been said here. Speaking about trauma is hard and meds can help a us do so and keep us safer on the whole. I fought meds for a long time but they have been helpful to me.

Side effects tend to settle after a time too. I hope this works out for you!

 

[Johnny1975]

Hello All.

Thankyou everyone for your replies.

Hashi - Thanks for sharing that. I didnt want to feel like I had another confrontational situation on my hands. He's lablled me with a personality disorder aswell, I'm just waiting to see what it is. I felt happy with the diagnosis, at least I'm finally validated for being a sufferer of repeated trauma.

Rumors - That's great to hear about your progress. Thankyou for sharing.

PheonixRising - Well put. I do believe I have permanent scaring too, that wont ever be fixed or heal. This is one of the reasons I'm coming around to accept that I need medication. Thanks for your reply.

Timid_Flower - I'm the same at the moment. I don't socialise or work. I bearly function. I do the bare minimum, which is daily excercise and shower. I can do more, but only when there's no pressure. I dont understand want enjoyment is anymore, just survival. I'm hoping meds can change this, although I'm fully aware that there's no quick fix. Thanks for sharing.

Abstract - Thanks for the encouragement. My new shrink has given me renewed hope that my life can be more than what It has been for the last 6 years, since my first breakdown.

 

[Bilby]

Hi Johnny,

I hope you don't mind me replying - I'm a supporter of someone with PTSD. That said, I do have depression and anxiety and I am on medication for that. For me, this will be a life long thing - and I accept that. My depression has so far been life long, so that means life long medication and also therapy along with it.

I believe that medication can aid the therapy process - this has been the case for my husband. He is on a couple of different medications (as am I) but this helped stabilise him so that it was easier tackling the traumas that plague him. I believe that it has relaxed him a bit, made him more open to the therapy and it's benefits, more open to learning about how to handle things that stress him out, more able to communicate effectively etc. On the whole, I guess you could describe this as a bit of a snowballing process - the medication helps you feel calmer, can settle your mind down a bit so you get more decent and restful sleep, this makes you feel better etc, that makes you feel more positive about therapy and one thing leads to another..... am I making sense? :)

Asking questions about the medication your psychiatrist wants to prescribe is always wise, and they should always be happy to talk to you about it. Things that you'll want to know are things like what benefits you may be likely to experience and when, what side effects are common, how long he anticipates you may be taking the medication for (bare in mind, it can be a while, or it may be totally unknown), are there alternatives, is there a plan of action for other medications if certain ones don't agree with you and what withdrawal effects there may be if indeed you do need to stop taking one.

B x

 

[Johnny1975]

Hi Bilby.

Thank you for sharing.

I think I'm very tense and defensive, and I have massive boundaries up. I'm hoping the "snowballing effect" applys for me too. I'm pretty sure this is the aim of the shrink, to open me up more.

Now I'm just waiting for my blood test results. (Used to have a dodgy liver, so shrink needs to know what meds im safe on.)

I'll hopefully know soon what meds im taking and dosage. :)

 

[quaintpapercut]

Hi Johnny - I am in the same position and am also worried and apprehensive about starting any kind of medication.

You sound like your taking all the necessary steps to make an informed decision. I've learned a lot about different medications from reading about people's experiences here. It's helped to quell a lot of the anxiety I feel about introducing a foreign substance into my body and the side effects it may have.

I hope you find some answers soon and are able to get some relief. :)

 

[Johnny1975]

Hi quaintpapercut - Have you made a decision yet? Do you think you will end up having medication? (If you don't mind me asking).
:)

 

[quaintpapercut]

Hi - in my mind I'm ready to try something as I feel like I have lost any sort of balance in my life at the moment.

I've been strongly opposed to medication for myself as in the past a strict diet (no caffeine, sugar, wheat, animal fats, alcohol and lots of supplements) exercise, meditation and therapy were able to keep me fairly stable. But I have a lot going on having opened the fire door to all my past traumas and I don't think drinking all the green tea in the world will do it for me this time :p.

The goal is for me to learn some better coping mechanisms and right now it's not possible because there are to many other things in play. My therapist said that its always easier to learn how to sail in calm waters then when theres a storm.

 

[Johnny1975]

Hi quaintpapercut - I can relate to that approach, as It's very similar to the route I have taken myself up to now. I was on a gluten/dairy free diet, and I also dont eat meat. This, along with exercise and good supplements for the brain, like magnesium, haven't been enough though. Ive also had every therapy avaliable, and spent a small fortune on that.

I always saw meds as supressing, and it wasn't a route I was interested in going down. I did everything to try and promote normal brain functioning (Spent lots on Nootropics and Supplements) and to promote memory recovery.

From what people are sharing, it seems that meds can work this way as well.

What your therapist said made alot of sense. :)

 

[MissMacD]

Hi Johnny1975, I am currently doing CBT on a low dose of Seroquel. I was very against the idea of medication while I was in therapy but a few months of no sleep and little progress in therapy quickly brought me to my senses. The Seroquel is temporary while I am in therapy and what happens after that my doctor and I will determine. I would like to eventually be on no medication but I also accept the fact that if my depression does get bad again in the future that medication can be my friend.

What you eat does play a huge role in how you feel but if your depression/PTSD is as severe as mine when it kicks in no diet or exercise routine in the world can stop it. When it comes medication is a must at least until it passes.

Taking medication doesn't have to be a staple in your life unless you cannot stay better without it. Taking medication felt like a sign of weakness and shame for me for years - I felt like it took away my independence when in fact it was my depression that took it and the medication that helped me to get back on my feet. I stay away from doctors who prescribe multiple medications - that is a very old way of treating depression and not very successful because often the drugs will have tons of side effects and you end up feeling like a vegetable.

I look it as taking an extra vitamin while I am having a hard time.

 

[Graven Idol]

Hey! I'm on SSRIs and a benzodiazepine.

I take trazodone before bed and I love this med so much; I haven't gotten this much sleep since I was a little girl. And the others work, at times. Because they work at times, it's why I think it's necessary to attend therapy and learning to cope with situations while taking these medications.

I was really leery of taking medication, at first; I used some herbs like St. John's wart and Kava. But the most effective for me has been the medication I'm on. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking medication while you're seeing someone for help. It's not like we'll be on them forever. Hopefully.

 

[Johnny1975]

Hi MissMacD.

Thats a good way to look at it, like a vitamin. Exercise helps me, but It's just a temporary buzz that I get from the chemical release. It doesnt help me progress, and It's dangerous as i have a tendecy to push myself far too hard.

As my shrink pointed out to me, "Well, your against medication, yet you over-eat and over-exercise, and that is self-medication. You have been doing this your whole life". It's true.

 

[Johnny1975]

Hi Graven Idol.

I've tried St Johns Wart, 5-Htp, and cholines like Alpha GPC, CDP Choline. I think taking meds taps into a deep seated worry I've always had since a child. This Is that the system would lock me up, drug me up on meds, and I'd never be normal or free from my past.