News SGB PTSD Treatment Article

[Aj]

The more research I have done on it, whilst still promising, regardless how you look at it right now, is that injections have lasted between, no effect, 1 month and up-to 2 years, before the next injection. Journals seem to be providing more accurate information than that of websites sensationalizing it and leaving out the current set-backs.

I personally hate every side effect to Zoloft. I've tried everything else, to the point of having a seriously bad reaction with one that caused such a void of helplessness and horror I was afraid to try anything else. I've even tried newer drugs on the market with no luck. Zoloft seems to have my number but I honestly hate taking them because of the side effects. It's essentially a mild sedative and it's interference in my life have been too much to take. Without it, I revert back to being in a state of high anxiety, full of fears and worries that were foreign to me once. So to imagine a year...even one year...where I could go without Zoloft and feel normal again would be worthwhile. I feel like if I got off Zoloft and my body had regulated itself without it in my system it would at least give me an opportunity to start anew. I truly wish PTSD would be "cured" in my lifetime, while I can still enjoy it. I'm only 30 now and in the past ten years I've lost more than I care to share because of this.

Either way, I hope the evidence will back the SGB and that soon it will be common practice, approved by all.

 

[anthony]

It is hard to understand now how ,why and for how long it will work.

I think that the injection is doing something more that just numbing the nerve because the numbing effect by itself from what I read is working only for couple of hours to couple of days, nothing near the two years mark.

This is exactly the problem... Lipov has theories on what is happening, so really they are playing with things they don't understand... which may be just fine and all, but the medical industry, they want evidence on exactly what it is doing so it can be approved. It works for an unspecified period individually, but still nobody knows exactly how, not even Lipov! Once they work that out, in conjunction with some long term figures for possible other things that could occur, as they do with medical and medication, then hopefully this is the thing that will help us all.

Honestly, I am pretty excited about this finding myself, though still commonsense about it as there is purely no evidence or numbers on duration, issues, side effects, etc.

The reason for that is because the anaesthetic used, and procedure for injections into vertebra, have all been previously approved... so changing vertebra numbers there was no requirement to get anything approved... hence why this is being done, without any prior serious studies.

 

[pdxwriter]

I've just returned from Chicago where I received the Stellate Ganglion Block from Dr. Lipov. I'm on Day 3 since the treatment and the results are remarkable. I felt different within 15 minutes of receiving the injection. The change in perception is astounding as well as the sense of calm. I've been in several situations already where I would normally be triggered or would find myself ruminating or paranoid in my hypervigilance. Nada. I'm sleeping deeper than I've slept in as long as I can remember and it feels like a gigantic rock has been taken off my back and the chattering head monkeys have gone quiet.

I had the opportunity to meet two other people fresh from the treatment. They both reported a similar "instant" response. And I met with a Vietnam vet who has been living without PTSD symptoms now for six months or so whose life has been completely changed.

I'm happy to talk more about my experience. I'm not sure exactly where the best place would be to start a thread but maybe Anthony can weigh in.

It's a brand new day. And I start weaning off the anti-d's today to see how things go without the meds. Others who've received the block have been able to go med free. It's likely that I'll require more treatments -- usually it takes at least 2. But even if I needed to get jabbed annually, the relief of symptoms is worth it. And vastly superior to the other things I've tried. It's the only one that took the symptoms completely away.

 

[ikop]

Hello pdxwriter.
you are the second person on this forum reporting successful results with SGB.
I am very happy for you to fill good!!!
. there is no reason in the world to live to that constant anxiety if you can get this treatment.
even if you will need more injections it is worth it!
you can write about your experience in the :
SGB PTSD Treatment Article - just look at the word ptsd news.

it is the biggest thread here about SGB procedure

 

[anthony]

[DLMURL]http://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/sgb-ptsd-treatment-article.11417/[/DLMURL]

 

[Jawn]

I'm glad to hear it is working! Woo hoo! I would love to hear about it at our next PDX gathering.

Jawn

 

[freakofnurture]

Aren't there any documentations of earlier studies, when they looked at the analgesic effect, or general documentations about psychological conditions in patients who received the shots as treatment for pain?
Maybe some meta studies could be helpful there to further indicate the usefulness of targeted, double-blinded long-term studies concerning the use as PTSD treatment.

EDIT: I'm skeptical, though, if numbing the symptoms will really help in therapy. I mean, if you're totally untreatable because of the severity of your symptoms, this could be a way to get a foot in the door. But you need symptoms as feedback to guide your therpeutic efforts. So... I don't know.
What do you think?

 

[anthony]

This is the problem though... there aren't studies on this specific area... as its completely new inserting anesthetic into the C6 vertebra. I agree... there needs to be a lot more research done on just saying, "ok, numb away doc". I guess all treatments need guinea pigs though at some point... though medicine doesn't normally begin this using humans, though again, the treatments themselves are long standing, its only the place being used that is new, so they got around normal conventions of animal studies, controlled trials, etc... this has gone straight to mainstream use by people, which is where many physicians are skeptical of long-term dangers.

The anesthetic medication has document history, studies, etc... well over 20 years usage, but just not in this manner by sticking it into the C6 vertebra.

If this pans out, I think it is brilliant personally, and an awesome method to provide symptom relief for people to work through their trauma over a longer period, and without the massive spike in symptoms each time. This could potentially save thousands from suicide due to therapy, which is minor, but still present. I would not be aiming myself for this treatment though for a good five or six years, to see further results first on those willing to put themselves in such risk. I guarantee people won't be so happy in 10 years time if they are told their SGB treatment just wiped 20 years from their life due to causing some other biological illness as a side effect.

Me personally, I am sitting on the fence of this treatment right now, both seeing it has enormous potential as the closest thing to a cure at present, then also that their are just unknown risks due to failure of statistical or empirical data for long term / side effects.

 

[freakofnurture]

As far as I understand the change in injection site was made due to security concerns (arteriae, lung perforation etc.) and isn't neccessary to produce the PTSD relieving effect of the treatment. So, if C7 seems more secure for you, you can have the injection done there, too.
To me this seems to be an off-lable use question and is mainly concerned with efficacy and efficiency, and not so much with risks, since those have been researched for the pain treatment already.

 

[anthony]

I have not read that in relation to PTSD. I have read the anesthetic has been given in c5 and c7 for other issues, but did not work for PTSD, only the c6 to my knowledge worked with this treatment.

Can you please disclose where it says this can be used outside of c6 for PTSD please? Would like to read.

 

[ikop]

i ask this question Dr lipov (send and email provided in his site )
that's what they answered me
" Sorry for my delayed response. The reason Dr. Lipov uses the C6 level is because it is much safer. Either location (C6 or C7) should prove similar results. Thank you for your inquisition and we hope the SGB can give you some relief"

 

[ikop]

EDIT: I'm skeptical, though, if numbing the symptoms will really help in therapy. I mean, if you're totally untreatable because of the severity of your symptoms, this could be a way to get a foot in the door. But you need symptoms as feedback to guide your therpeutic efforts. So... I don't know.
What do you think?

that is a point that i have some words to say about.
Ptsd is not a psychological condition compared to just trauma (but not ptsd) .
the reason ptsd existsis not because of your trauma or how react to what happened . the reason is the chimical, structural and functional changes happened in your brain because of what happened to you (us).
before the since or medicine will learn to to fix those problems therapy is best what you have , but many people cannot have much benefits from therapy and those who can, at best learn some tools how to cope.
So i think sgb is a very good direction as treatment that focus on the chemical and biological reaction of ptsd.
i hope it will proved as a treatment that could help many many people with ptsd.