Is It Really Getting Better??

[Stacey85]

My husband had tried and tried to get help for his PTSD, and he was turned away more times than we can even count. Finally, they got him in, and when they realized how bad it was, and that they had no time to do the actual PTSD screening (to fully diagnose him) they got him on some meds. He is doing a 2 month school, so he will be away till mid-March. They will do the screening then, and help him find a therapist in FL once we move there, but for the time being, they put him on what they said works best for most.

They put him on Zoloft? I think? I'm not sure, but we almost immediately saw improvement. I'm not sure if it's the depression meds, or maybe the one that stops his dreams all together. He'd have nightmares every single night, and it was almost always the same thing, him reliving what happened.

Anyway, For the past couple of weeks, I feel like I have my husband, and best friend back. He's been nice to me, and great with the kids. I swear I've seen him laugh and smile more in the past 2 weeks, than I've seen in the past 4 months combined. I think he is also making an effort to deal with it all better, but I really think the meds are helping.

Usually we only have a couple of OK days in a row before a massive blow up, but I finally stopped watching by back, and let my guard down a few days ago. It's been nothing but amazing.

I can't tell you how happy I am that he left for 2 months on such a positive note. We've made a lot of happy memories that we can all hold onto till he's home again.

So, can meds really work THAT fast? Is it the combination? Not that I'm complaining, it just seems too good to be true that the first set they put him on has made such a big difference.

 

[ronin47]

I have PTSD as a result of child abuse and started experiencing severe symptoms in 6th grade. I went through my string of incompetent therapists including one idiot of a psychiatrist who, after talking to me all of maybe 20 minutes, put me on three different medications that made me feel like someone was covering me with a pillow. When I came to my university I went to the Wellness Center and there the angels sent me a doctor who interviewed me for an hour before suggesting Zoloft. When I got my PTSD diagnosis I relented, which was not easy since I'd had such negative experiences with medications in the past, and I would not change it. It was at most a few weeks after I started taking them that I felt a difference. Where my previous medications made me sluggish, if anything the Zoloft gave me more energy. I felt like the stress, anxiety, worry, and weight had actually been lifted and removed rather than someone just giving me anesthesia to numb the pain of carrying it. I used to get stomach cramping that was so bad the pain would make me cry and keep me awake at night for hours. Ever since I started taking the Zoloft I have not had a single one of those. My tensions headaches have gone from being chronic to nearly non-existent.

So to answer your question, yes, it really does work. It's powerful stuff. And if your husband is not having nightmares anymore and consequentially getting more restful sleep, that is bound to do wonders for his mood as well. Just make sure to get all his refills are filled on time because (excuse my french) the withdrawal symptoms are a bitch :cautious:.

 

[Stacey85]

He's on.. I think minnipress? Or something like it to stop the dreams. Not sure which med it is (he takes a few for other things too) but he's been having serious bathroom issues. Everything you described is him though. He used to be so sluggish for hours in the morning on Ambien, which never helped the nightmares, just made them more vivid. He was always angry/cranky. Now it's almost like he jumps out of bed in the morning and just hits the ground running.

He does get tension headaches all the time, or he had... Come to think of it I don't think he's mentioned having one since he started taking Zoloft!! He's just been so much more like the man I've known my whole life. Laid back, funny, happy. I could get used to this!

Best of all, I can see he's not haunted, or at least not as much. All his triggers were pretty much our kids because of what he whitnessed in Afghanistan, so he could never enjoy them really because all he thought about was what he seen every time my daughter would cry. Now he's spending more time with them, smiling, laughing.. Enjoying life. It's amazing!