I'm New To Trauma And Possibly Pstd. What (if Any) Prescription Meds Actually Seem To Work?

[Johnny Q]

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Lucycat]

What if?
If they work - great.
Let us know!

 

[Chava]

Benzodiazepines work well for some people for really acute anxiety/panic. I'd love them but I have a major addiction history so they aren't an option. But some people can take them as needed and do fine. I take gabapentin for pain and find it actually relaxes me really well. It has been prescribed off-label for anxiety and mood regulation. It's pretty mild and can be tolerated in high doses, and in combination with many other meds. It also helps me sleep better.

Ask your doctor. From your other post, best if they know you are dealing with panic and trauma. For run-of-the-mill anxiety many docs start with SSRIs (Prozac) but those don't usually help much with panic and trauma symptoms, though I'm careful saying that because they probably help some people. It's pretty individual. But be clear with your doctor about your symptoms, so you have a decent starting place for trying something if you need meds for now.

 

[Friday]

PTSD meds are all short term fixes, not solutions.

There isn't anything that works in the long term.

Essentially, the idea is: Get on meds in order to be able to start therapy, if you can't start therapy without them. Go through first round of therapy on meds, learn tools & coping mechanisms, peel off the meds and practice applying those skills & do 2nd round of therapy off-med. Then peel off therapy, and practice life.

 

[Panda Bear]

@FridayJones is pretty spot on in my opinion. But you will find many opinions. What works for one, not so much for the next guy.

Meds are no go for me...SSRI's no good, make me more suicidal and down right bat shit crazy! I can, in small doses(5-10mg) tolerate Celexa and that is a short term fix after I had babies. Babies threw my PTSD into overdrive, I ended up safer with them in low does, than without.

Personally, I avoid practitioners that prescribe pills so that I am forced to work through the hard stuff. I did hit a desperate moment this past week and was considering meds for sleep....but made some progress and decided to put away for a while. Again, works for me, but not others.

Long term therapy and a lot of work is what seems to make issues better for me. Yes, it does hurt, it hurts a lot! But it's worth the reward.

 

[joeylittle]

What if?
If they work - great.

I fixed the punctuation in the title, @Lucycat - thanks for your post, otherwise I'd not have noticed it. :)

@Johnny Q, you will be using medication to address symptoms (most likely) - and different meds deal with different symptoms. There is not one 'PTSD' or 'trauma treatment' pill. I think your first port of call may be obtaining a diagnosis and building a relationship with a psychiatrist. I know from your intro thread that re-connecting with the mental health treatment types is going to be challenging, but I'd encourage you to do some real looking around and see if you can find someone you want to be working with.

 

[The Black Phoenix]

The med option can be a slippery slope, and if your problems are trauma based they seem to be used most often as a way to enable you to start therapy rather than a way to treat the cause. My GP prescribed Prozac to me when I went through an awful depression, and that ended up being disasterous. I had a crazy reaction to the pill, so they added on a mood stabalizer, an antipsychotic, and a benzo, and slapped me with a bipolar disorder diagnoses. Since then, the diagnosis has been reversed (as it was unfounded anyway) and I'm only on two meds, and they are slowly weaning me off of them. My BF claims that antidepressants are "harmless" but doesn't seem to take my experiance into account; it is very possible to have a bad reaction.

 

[Myanxietyhasanxiety]

Seems like I'm in the same line of thought as those who have already posted.

Meds are a "no go" for me personally as well.

I was very open to the idea in the beginning stages, but after years of trail/error and the significant side effects that accompanied them, I had to think outside the box.

Not to say that they wouldn't help you! I just know for me personally that SSRI, anti-depressants and Anti-Anxiety meds are off the table.

I opted to go the homopathic route. I take all natural supplements daily along with therapy, mindfulness, breathing, yoga, and utilize coping tools. And a lot of patience with myself!

 

[Adrian2016]

The med option can be a slippery slope, and if your problems are trauma based they seem to be...

I know i did. Paxil almost gave me a heart attack this weekend. Or at least it felt like it. Also, I have a beautiful partner and am young, too young to be impotent. Not taking another SSRI no matter what my Dr. Says.

 

[Adrian2016]

Seems like I'm in the same line of thought as those who have already posted.

Meds are a "n...

Please may I ask what supplements you take? Thinking this is the route for me as well. I do not trust the pharmaceuticals.