These f*cking Meds..

[rickyfinch]

So the VA gave me Zoloft to get rid of my anxiety, I took it for a month 100mg btw, and I f*cking got tired of living in a fog. I seriously thought about suicide for the first time ever. So afterwards I stopped taking all my meds. Back to the Va and the doc seems to think the meds may have caused it. So now on to something new.....
So f*cking tired. Thinking of f*cking getting rid of the meds and trying something different.
Rant over. For now.

 

[atilla]

Hang in there Ricky. It takes time to find what works to calm the beast. Everybody's different.

 

[daniel potter]

rickey,these dr. are gonna try different meds. on you over time.To find out whst works for you.It hss taken over a year for me to get mine stright.Just be calm about it and dont give up.that is the worst thing you can do.hang in there

 

[Friday]

Meds are a pressure dressing & quikClot. You take em when shit's so bad you'd bleed out without them. Pure and simple. Get your thinking straight (therapy or whatever) & get some killer coping mechanisms in place, instead of life-flushing coping mechanisms, get off them... And then have to repeat the whole damn process about getting your thinking straight, and coping mechs off of em -but you've already done it once on meds with that distance to frame it out for ya. Way f*cking easier said than done.

 

[Gary Snider]

Yes, I had to try new meds because the old ones made my panic attacks 10x worse. Now on a new drug. Which has calmed the panic attacks. It has heighten my alertness to that of combat levels with being tired at the same time. I used an old decompress routine after patrols/raids. Hang in there bro!!

 

[Sludge]

The trick with meds is patience.
Most psychopharmacopics take 90 days to reach therapeutic levels. this depends on metabolism and personal biology.

For instance:

An average American Male- 5'10' 180lbs needs an average of 98 days for a simple drug like zoloft to actually work.
if you are a hyper, scrawny bastard like myself, they work faster.
if you are heavier, they work slower.

PT increases time of effectiveness and base concentration.
Diet and alcohol does all sorts of weird shit. If you are on new meds and drink, you really should lay off the sauce for a few months while things stabilize chemically.

Mind you these are for maintenance drugs. Quick fix type "use when needed drugs" like benzodiazepines hit fast and hard, only work for a short time, and loose effectiveness with prolonged use.

The placebo effect is also a big factor. Ironically enough, the reverse placebo effect is even more problematic. If you feel your meds do not work, there is a good chance they won't.

 

[rickyfinch]

I've been on Wellbutrin for 8 days now. Things seem better, I'm not in a "fog" anymore. I am however more angry, which i was before I started any meds so I'm guessing it's just a different effect. No suicidal thoughts, which was a big one. Maybe in a couple of months my anxiety will come down. It's been crazy high. I've slowly realized that this isn't a "quick fix" which gets me down. But I'll drive on. Annual training is coming up and I have soldiers to lead.

On a side note, I've been receiving medical care through the VA, I had a PHA (physical health assessment.) with the Guard last weekend. I was torn on telling them whether I was diagnosed with PTSD or not. I chose not to tell them, not sure what back lash could be had from telling them. It just seemed as if not telling them to be the best bet because I DO NOT want to get out. Hell I'd go through another deployment if I could if it meant I'd have to deal with the beast for a year without medication, which is saying a lot, I love this sh*t.

HAHA I HI-jacked my own thread.