News SGB PTSD Treatment Article

[member1100]

Hi Kim!
Thank's for informing us here. How did your dream activity change after the first shot?
More clarity? different "story"-lines?

 

[Kim A4]

Hi member1100,
I think I may have been asked this by another poster on an earlier page in this thread,...I had forgotten about dreaming, but here was what I had posted then, about a year ago...

"In regards to dreams, I had very vivid dreams for weeks after the injection. I have theories on this, and how trauma memories are stored within the adreanaline "factory" created at the time of trauma. Based on my knowledge of EMDR therapy (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), emotions need to "cross over" to the storage side of the brain to become neutralized. Every night when we sleep, our day's brain activity literally moves from one side of the brain to the other during REM sleep (while our eyes move quickly about), and this can be seen on functional MRI. I believe that the post-SGB dreams are the long-awaited final processing of trauma-related memories. At the very least, this theory help me get through many nights of very realistic dreaming and some oddly confused mornings. It has now stopped, and my trauma memories, as mentioned before, have all faded to "normal" levels. I have to try pretty hard to even recall some of them now.....which is a great relief. Today I am about 10 weeks post SGB."

It also possibly makes sense to me that dreams may be affected, especially flashback reveries, by depriving them of their adrenaline "fuel", but I cannot believe that it could be such a situation as to override the immense positive benefits that come with a successful SGB. Whatever dream changes I had, I quickly forgot about them once they had leveled off. It was not terribly bad, just much different for a little while.

Since re-traumatization, I have a return of chaotic and anxiety-ridden waking. Now as I open my eyes, my heart pounds and my thoughts go straight to chores of the day, and worry.
I am hoping that tomorrow morning will be the last time for this for a while, as I have the "booster" SGB injection around 10am.

My hope is, as katt so nicely put, to be "me" only much better again....calmer and more able to process info as it comes along in a slower and more comfortable way. As with katt, since the initial injection, it has become much clearer in terms of understanding not only what is happening around me, but understanding what is happening withing me. With the chaotic static noise of constant fight-or-flight cut off, all is "cleaner" and softer around the edges. It is much harder to be come overwhelmed. I also am still amazed at how my depression, with which I struggled for 35 years, seems to have vanished even despite re-traumatization. It had always been looming a short ways away, even in more stable times, but now it is like it has left my brain completely. I can still get very sad sometimes when it is "normal", but there is a huge difference between sadness and depression.
I will also remember noticing that everything seemed more beautiful, visually, as well. Not sure what caused that, except maybe just having the "thought space" available now in the mind to appreciate details, where prior it was consumed with survival tasks.

I will keep a daily journal of the events post-SGB this time, and will share them with this forum if there is interest if you care to follow along......

 

[member1100]

Thanks Kim! How do you feel now?
I came up on the idea to study the amygdala before and 6months after the SGB. It may bring up some more evidence during this.

 

[member1100]

Ps. Is there a difference in left or rigt side block? Ds.

 

[Kim A4]

Hi everyone. Thank you for your nice comments.

I am now 12 days post-second SGB and have positive results to report. Thought not as dramatic as the first injection, in terms of the change afterward, my "core" is much more calm and easy-going. I did not expect as dramatic a result as I knew I was not as "bad" going into it this time.
The heat wave is testing me a little here this week, which I think is depleting my low serotonin levels, but overall I feel much better and am glad I did it. I had no weird dreams at all after this injection. No side effects at all. Not even pain at the injection site.

I feel it took about a week for the injection to settle in, and that may be due to some residual cortisol-induces anxiety that was used in the SGB cocktail. Probably just takes a few days to adjust on many levels I do not understand, but all is well. I paid my doc $750 out of insurance for the injection, but my insurance covered the surgical facility fees ($712) which also helped. It was well worth it and I am still a strong proponent of this treatment to anyone who can get it.
Within 2 hours of this injection, I went out for a walk in my town and ran right into someone associated with my assault last year. I was immediately aware of how much less I was frightened or upset, proof to me that the shot has some very immediate effects. These encounters with trauma-associated ex-acquaintances continue as I emerge back into my small town world, and I am so much better at coping, just as I had hoped. I now look forward to leaving the house on daily walks where before I was emotionally terrified and paralyzed.

On another topic, which perhaps should be on another thread, I am now doing "alpha-theta" neurofeedback, which is a deep state relaxation therapy done with eyes closed and listening to "training sounds" while hooked up via the scalp to electrotransmitter stickies to encourage deep relaxation --and my session today was amazing. I have never been so relaxed in my life and look forward to continuing this treatment as over time it will become a permanent learned type of wonderfully calming meditative state. I feel that this neurofeedback or meditation and the SGB may be the best treatment options out there right now, in my humble opinion, especially in tandem. Talk therapy is also advised.

There was a NYTimes article this week encouraging the Department of Defense to get more aggressive with PTSD treatments, so hopefully that will spawn more studies and more conclusions about efficacy PTSD treatments. I personally feel that lifelong or long-term/complicated PTSD is much harder to treat than "single episode" PTSD as many combat vets acquire, but we all need help, and I am glad to hear the trumpet sounding from the top somewhere to start investigating more solutions more aggressively.

Dead Link Removed

Also, to answer member1100, the right side is always used for PTSD SGB as it is the right side of the brain that you want to "reset"...my understanding is that the right hemisphere is where PTSD "lives". See:

[DLMURL]http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/medical/mentalhealth/2010-10-29-ptsd-brain_N.htm[/DLMURL]

Thanks! Kim

 

[Flamengo]

Hi All, I read most of this thread. I had the SGB a few weeks back, but unfortunately it didn't appear to work for me. I'm not entirely sure why but sometimes wonder if it's the current medication I'm on, remeron. Remeron increases some of the chemicals that the SGB blocks. I'm tempted to have the procedure done again, but after weaning myself off all medication. It gives me hope to read that some of you have had luck with this treatment. If I could, I would have it done every week! So to me, I think that some medications will be contradictory to the procedure.

Thanks!

 

[katt]

Kim, first off I am glad you are feeling better. With my 2nd shot not as dramatic results and it is interesting but in the case of each SGB, I have had 3, it took me a week to notice the most effect.

Also I like your explanation you included in your response about dreams. For a couple of months I had very realistic dreams, what was interesting is that they most were not related to the trauma. I think the SGB makes you more aware and you do not continue to have the trauma working away in your brain. As a result you experience and remember your dreams more and you have trivial dreams versus trauma dreams for the first time in a long time. They subside overtime or maybe you just don't remember as much.

I have been talking with Dr. Lipov frequently, he recommended meditation. I have started TM meditation and has been very helpful in keeping my body in the more balanced state of the post SGB. Dr. Lipov said that meditation in many ways is the only way for us to control our amydgala.

Flamengo, I am so sorry the procedure did not have an effect. I would seriously consider trying again if it is possible to ween off of the drugs. I know I have significantly lowered my Cymbalta mg after the SGB, but had real problems doing this, brain zaps etc.. I had another SGB and seem to have stablized.
The antidepressants have a strong effect on your body and I am sure Remeron does too. After somewhat of a difficult process of withdrawal and SGBs I think I am finally there! So it might be worth a try.

 

[souljah]

Does anyone know of anyone practicing SGB in Australia? This definately sounds promising in regards to the problems that occur for me. Would be most greatful for any information. Failing that maybe a trip to Dr Lipov! I agree whole heartedly with the meditation bit.

 

[katt]

A thought for those that want to try the SGB. I had some success with Prazosin, just 1 mg. It is an alpha blocker, this drug helped reduce my nigh terrors. If you have some success with Prazosin which is used for PTSD, a very high level it is based on the same concept as the block. My success with Prazosin then lead me to try the SGB. It took me 3 shots but seems to have worked! SGB can be performed by most anesthesilogists, a standard procedure. My local doctor was considering performing and I would pay out of pocket (no insurance), but at last minute was concerned that not a standard procedure for PTSD. She was worried about suicide etc.. , so I went to Dr. Lipov. I presented the data to her and some of the articles collected, you might try to do with someone local in Australia.

 

[souljah]

Thanks I will try have a feeling it might be a little hard but am going to give it a go x

 

[anthony]

Thanks I will try have a feeling it might be a little hard but am going to give it a go x

You will have a hard time finding anyone to do this for you here, as it is not an approved treatment as such, and Dr Lipov is pretty much alone on this right now. America has a different medical system from here as well, which must be factored into this. There is no empirical data to show this works for PTSD, hence it is in infancy stages.

Unless you have a documented history of pain with your GP, I doubt any Anaesthesiologist is going near you for this treatment based on mental health alone. They give this treatment for pain already... not for mental health. You would likely have to find a psychiatrist who believes in this, thus referring you for this treatment.

 

[souljah]

I guess I am on a mission then to find some compassionate P then or perhaps a trip to the states. Will let u know my outcome in the quest thanks Anthony