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I Am Concerned About Husbands Misuse Of Meds & Side Affects

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Lindsey

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I have some questions about the meds that the VA prescribed to my husband almost a year age. I am concerned and extremly worried for his well being, When he started taking the meds he had a desire to live and loved doing things. He was a little depressed and would have nightmares every now and then and it was hard for him to fall to sleep. From what I witnessed things were going pretty good. I mentioned to him that he talk to the doc about getting and anti depressant. He did but also told her that he has major anxiety attacks all the time and she gave him a high dose of kolonipin. He failed to let her know that he has a serious addiction to alcohol and pills.
Things between us got rough after he started abusing the benzos and I ended up going home for a while for the safty of our children. During that time he went to the VA and they put him on a rediculous amount of meds. His personality, demenor, zest for life and sex drive completely changed. He is out of it all the time, most of the time he has no clue whats going on around him. On top of the meds he continues to drink and when he drinks its the entire bottle. He doesnt know when hes had enough. He is not following the dosage thats on the bottle he tells me that it doesnt work if he only takes two he needs four or more. When I explain to him how he acts when he takes some of the meds he gets very deffensive and says "dont you want me to be happy" he also get angry when you point out that hes got a problem and that he is over medicating himself. Of coarse I want him to be happy more than anything. But this is not happy, he was much happier before the meds.​
My other concern is that the meds he is taking really arent supposed to go together.
He is taking Celexa, rispiridone, prazosin, propanolol, quetiapine, mertazapine, valproic acid clonazepam, trazidone, tramadol, percoset and warfarin. I have looked at the drug interations and side affects and its not good. I understand that side affects dont affect everyone but he has all the rare life threating ones. He has been having chest pains and a overall sick feeling since he started taking them. In December he went to the hospital for chest palpitations dizziness and trouble breathing to find out he had a pulminary embolism. Most of those medacations have a rare side affect and if you have a bleeding problem you cant take them. One of them causes blood clots. His Doctors never tested him to see if that was a possibility. Then last night after he took his bed time meds he started talking crazy and said he needed me to help him he thought he was dying. He wanted me to make sure that he was still breathing through th night. I took his blood pressure it was 101/75 and dropping. He normally has extremley high blood pressure. I finally freaked when it hit 82/69. I made him sit up and talk to me, which was very hard for him. His blood pressure came back up a little. I was up all night scared as hell.​
I think its crazy that he takes this but gets nightmares so they give him something for that which causes this and so on. I deal with PTSD not related to combat, as well as anxiety disorder and Bipolar. I am in therapy and was on meds too. They kept trying different drugs with me to try and find something that worked. I finally decided to stay off them because they made me feel worse. I honestly believe that meds are just a bandaide and the underlying pain will never heal unless it is accepted and worked through. Medication for him has become another addiction for him. Addiction was a problem for him even before he joined the army. Now he has a medical reason.​
Im sorry his is so long. I need some advice about this. I think an anti depressant and anti anxiety should be enough along with support and therapy... He did do the the PTSD program through the VA, and at the family meetings I did bring up that he is abusing his meds but nothing was done. Oh and the pain he has is made up he was not injured during his tour.....​
 
Please if anyone can give me some input or tell me if I am freaking out for no reason Id appreciate it
 
Not sure what to say other than that is ALOT of meds,i'd be worried too and if it happens again I'd just call an ambulance and let the med team take over,once he's in hosp he might take advice from the pros more readily than from yourself.
 
will also just advise that you read as much as you can about ptsd,pain of unknown scource is comman,just because no damage can be pinpointed does not mean he is making it up,failure to recognise his pain when genuinely felt would drive a big edge between you I should imagine,do not take this as censure,just making sure you know this point as it may help you...Sue
 
I have trie dgetting him to go to another doctor just to see what they say, he refuses and says the VA docs know what they are doing. I have found a website that tells of the huge growing number or vets with PTSD on these drugs that are dying. Of coarse you never know what information is right. No I know that there can be pain assosiated with PTSD and Im not doubting hes hurting, I just know that he enjoys the high from the pain pills. Also since hes been on them for so long now his pain recepters dont work the way they should so when hes out he is in terrible pain. I always comfort him when he is in pain and do all I can to try and help... I also have PTSD from other situations in life and I know it doesnt compare to what he is going through but at the same time I understand the thought process and emotions a little bit. Any advice I can get is appreciated! thank you
 
His doctor needs to be told he has a substance abuse problem and if that doesn't work then you need to call or write the director of the VA hospital you go to. The VA doctors do not know what they are doing half the time and the other half its not even a doctor prescribing the shit it's a therapist or counselor. The VAs solution to PTSD is a chemical lobotomy so you will go away and stop bothering them. I personally don't believe in taking all that shit for PTSD and I don't take any of it anymore. The most I will do is take an anxiety pill but it takes a whole hell of a lot to make me do that, I don't even like taking aspirin. Nearly all mental health medications are completely metabolized by the liver and when you drink on top of that it's like f*cking asking for medical problems. I used to be a dumb shit f*cking idiot who drank my ass off and happily popped every f*cking pill the wise almighty VA told me , I had lots of bullshit excuses and justifications I would make to make myself feel better about it. But it was all just bullshit and I was lying to myself, I was slowly killing myself with the help of the VA. I finally got off the dozen or so medications they had me on back in 2007 and I have realized you can make do just fine without it. I'll never take any drug again that requires me to take it everyday. I don't know what happened though with me, something just clicked in my head one day and I quit partying, smoking and taking any kind of drugs prescribed or other. So I really don't have a solution for your problem. He is going to have to want to fix himself, right now he sounds like he is on a downward spiral and he won't stop until he hits rock bottom the f*cked up thing is some people don't hit rock bottom until there f*cking dead. One of my close Army buddies was on the VAs PTSD cocktail of meds and he f*cking hung himself, medication is not a magic bullet. One thing you can ask him to do is go get his liver enzymes checked at the VA and see just how bad the damage is so far from the pills and the booze. And like I already said, if he has a history of substance abuse then the VA needs to be notified.
 
I agree Chemlight

Lindsey, even if you have to go behind his back, the doctor needs to be told that his medication is not working, he has a substance abuse problem and that he is risking his life mixing with alcohol. Its obvious something is not working and mixing with alcohol is always a no. no.
 
I will have a talk with his doctor. I had a feeling the VA didnt know what the hell they are doing since he started being seen there. When my doc was trying different meds for me she told me that you cant mix medications like that it can really mess you up. I just dont understand how the VA is getting away with prescribing their patients with this shit. Something needs to be done!!! My husband talked with his psych dr and told him that he want to ween off his meds and he told him that he shouldnt that they are helping him and these side effects arent from that. They are full of shit. I have been asking him to get that liver test for awhile now and he keeps putting it off. Also m husband says he is scared to get off the meds because of the withdraw effects. I know it wont be easy for the benzos and seroquil but nothing else should be too noticeable. I will be talking with his doc and updating! Thank you guys for the support!
 
A random quote/joke/reality:

What to you call a person who graduated last place in medical school?

Doctor...
 
Now for the serious. If you have five experts in a room you will have five different opinions on what the correct course of action. You are doing the right thing by researching the meds and their reactions. Even if your vet won't go to them, there is nothing stopping you from getting second, third or fourth opinions. Then continuing to talk to him about it. Maybe, just maybe he will eventually listen to you and them and be able to do something about it.
 
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