News SGB PTSD Treatment Article

[Powder]

Thanks, Anthony.

The mention of ablation, cauterization to build a deliberate scar tissue to present a barrier for the over-reactivity, has been done on heart arrhythmia. But only the surgeon who invented the procedure and his own tools for the surgery, at John's Hopkins in Boston, gets the good results. Someone I know had the surgery five times in Seattle, and got only partial relief. Finally, they paid out of pocket to get it done by the best, and got 100% remission from the heart problems first time, and is fine years later.

That surgeon knows the heart, the nerves involved in the disease condition, and his tools. He is highly skilled and hard to get into. So it's not that the surgery is a flop, it was that it's a long shot and only the best are worth risking it.

If this procedure is fully studied and a surgeon who is highly gifted makes it his life work, someone beyond Lipoff, then we may have some hope in future years to come. But, again, for those who can afford to fly and pay out of pocket. Conjecture, but not out of the realm of possible.

 

[anthony]

@Muse, there are a lot who have gone through Lipov and did not cure PTSD as was originally cited by his research. His original study had a hand-picked small group of about 8 people or such, from memory, all of whom had pain related illness in which it was perceived exacerbated PTSD symptoms. From that small cherry picked group for his study, he still only had a 60% success rate of no symptoms after 3 - 6 months. Did they really have PTSD? Claiming to have PTSD and having symptoms associated to pain, are vastly different things IMHO. You would have to remove the pain first in order to ascertain the severity of whether PTSD existed or not, when the symptoms are near identical. Remember, you only need to meet one or two things per cluster to be diagnosed, and pain symptoms very much overlap. If the person had a traumatic event and then something that resulted in pain, if not combined, then they may never have had PTSD, and instead simply had symptoms associated to pain and suffering (depression, anxiety, poor sleep, nightmares, so forth).

The results seem to reflect this hypothesis on subjects who have no pain and yet have severe PTSD symptoms. I think this is very specific and really plays on the sensationalism that PTSD has created within the media and world today due to veterans, let alone the media finally starting to work-out that this stuff was present way before veterans, and is a bigger issue in society than veterans alone.

 

[Powder]

Okay, thank you, that makes more sense to me now. Yes there is media misguidance issues. Also, I am also in agreement about the contributions of chronic pain. That is known to cause depression and other issues, so I think that was likely the majority factor there as well in your summary. Not to mention the placebo effect.

 

[Aj]

Dear Fellow PTSD Sufferers,

It's been a long time since I've been back but I felt the need to chime in on this specific article.

So a while ago, two years, I got a prescription for a SGB in the hopes of aiding my PTSD and "neck/arm related pain." It was from a highly regarded, local anesthesiologist, and I can still recall the relief I felt following the procedure.

After that happened, I quit my medications and thought I was on my way "back to good." But yes, the PTSD symptoms came back. I was still very sensitive to traumatic occurrences, specifically those that related to my original trauma. Admittedly the procedure did seem to permanently turn "the volume down" on my symptoms. I began to work, and better understand, the fundamental principles of recovery that my therapist had been repeating for years due in part to that mild alleviation.

Now 2014, on the verge of 2015, and I want to do it again. Whether its through Lipov or someone else. This time, however, I want to see the willingness of the doctor to perform the "Chicago Block." This is the difference between Lipov's technique and a regular SGB. Apparently Lipov, who admittedly has refined the procedure under the title the "Chicago Block," has a detailed means of making the most effective deliverance of the injection.

Over a decade with PTSD, and I can't remember what normal is. No one understands what it means, the constant worry that never goes away. I want to go back, and I think thats why we try these things. We want the chance to go back to the way we were. But this shot, whether it takes away the symptoms or not, will never let us go back to the way "we were." It could give us peace of mind, or empower us to overcome monumental obstacles. Or it could do nothing. We could be forced to rely on SSRIs and Xanax until we're old and grey.

The reason I'm writing this, in this particular forum thread, is because we don't know. We don't know whether Lipov is a quack or a Saint. We don't know whether a SGB or a Chicago Block will take away the fear. We'll never know until we try. It's a risk on everything we do, especially with PTSD. I'm going to try and post here more often. It's so nice to be able to speak to people who understand it all so well. I don't know if there's a higher power out there or not, but I truly hope we will be blessed one day with the inner peace we all so desperately seek.

 

[anthony]

And there we have it, it's now officially a defunct treatment fully quantified via a double blind, randomised trial: http://www.neurologyadvisor.com/neu.../stellate-ganglion-block-ptsd/article/405713/

No better than placebo treatments.

The participants were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to treatment with SGB (n = 27), involving an injection of 7 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine, or a sham saline injection (n = 15).

Using ultrasound guidance over the C5 or C6 vertebrae, the SGB was made in the right C6 vertebra. The block's efficacy was confirmed by the presence of Horner's sign and a temperature drop in the right upper extremity.

In follow-up assessments of measures on the clinician-administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) at 1 week and 1 month after the procedure, significant improvements were made in both groups (P < .01). However, there were no significant differences between the treatment and sham groups.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Ahhh a placebo effect! Shame it didn't work though.

 

[mazen]

My name is Amy and I am one of the first people who had SGB done. The earlier article is actually about me... I had 3 SGB with my last one being in 2008 and have not had any issues since then. Best thing I have ever done! I also feel so good about the results that I am currently helping Dr.Lipov with the Non-for profit Chicago Medical Innovations. Any questions feel free to ask!

I

Hi Amy,
I called the Chicago clinic and im waiting for approval.
Question1; did you take medication prior to the procedure, if so, did you continue the medication after?
Question2; you stated that you had 3 SGB, did you feel better after the second and third or just maintenance?

 

[joeylittle]

And there we have it, it's now officially a defunct treatment fully quantified via a double blind, randomised trial: http://www.neurologyadvisor.com/neu.../stellate-ganglion-block-ptsd/article/405713/

@mazen, you should read the link above - only because those first posts about this treatment were from 2013, a lot changes in a couple years' worth of research.

 

[member1100]

Hi!
SGB, will it slow down the heart rate as a Beta blocker (pill)? or how much is really blocking by this?

I know Beta blockers lower the immune system, pulse and widener the blood vessels. Therefore the more selective Apha-1 blocker is used for PTSD.

Can one say Alpha-1 blocker pill doing the same thing as SGB?

 

[anthony]

SGB was a failure, based on the most recent data. Beta blockers have also had their day of trial, and failed for PTSD treatment / attempting to lessen PTSD from trauma exposure.

 

[Panic attack king]

I am now 3 week after the SBG

I am very interested in getting this treatment but i dont know where to go or who to see. Do you have any suggestions or doctors that would help me...
Thank you

 

[Knak]

I am very interested in getting this treatment but i dont know where to go or who to see. Do you have any sug...

First I asked my pain doctor, an anesthesiologist, the type of doctor others have used because they give similar shots.

I suggest asking as many pain doctors as you can find, if they are willing to give the shot and maybe you will find one that will, or look through this entire post to see who had it done near where you live for starters. My doctor said he only treats pain so he wasn't willing. I went to a psychiatrist for a referral for the procedure but he didn't know about it. He put me on anxiety meds instead. With all the newer negative resports I quit looking.

I cannot understand why there were so many positive results reported by posters at first and now it's reported to be proven useless, particularly if it is CPTSD.

There is always a chance of paralysis when a shot is given to nerves in the spinal column.