What Should I Do Med Wise When My Flashing Is Bad?

[Holly89]

First of all I want to thank all of you who welcomed me to the forum :smile:

I'm on paxil 50mg and ativan 1mg(on a as needed basis). My NP who handles my meds has told me that I can take 2mg if my flashing is severe and I can't sleep. A few weeks ago I had a bad flashing episode, I was doing it off and on for 5 hours. I took two mgs and it still took an hour for it to kick in( I tried to avoid taking it until my panic got severe). I brought this up to her, and she just ingnored me. I'm scared I'll have a bad episode again and I won't be able to sleep. Is it safe to take 3mg if my flashing is prolonged and intense?

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Since we aren't doctors here, I would really suggest talking to a medical professional. He or she can tell you what is safe. Everyone is different. Also, you want to be careful with taking the ativan because you don't want to take so much as to develop a dependency or addiction. Withdrawing is no fun! I would know!

 

[Deleted member 541]

I suggest that you talk to your therapist, and learn some grounding techniques, rather than taking ativan in larger doses....

Dealing with your trauma is actually the best route to go, other than that you are just dealing/treating the symptoms...

 

[Holly89]

I did suffer verbal and psychical abuse when I was a child, but getting hit and yelled at is not what my trigger or my flashbacks are about(although my therapist believes them to be linked, but I have no memory of being abused during what my trigger is). Therefore making it very difficult to deal with my highly bizarre trigger(which is certain actors). My therapist tried exposure therapy but I started flashing and panicking badly everytime we tried. I don't take my ativan everytime I flash, if I did that I would have a problem(I flash everyday multiple times). I only average about 4 to 6 pills a WEEK(that's two 0.5mg pills twice or three times a week).

I understand that ativan is highly addictive which is why I only take the pills if I'm severe. Last night for instance I was flashing for over two hours but was able to calm and ground myself by listening to music, I didn't need pills. The problem is once I'm awake, I have extreme difficulty going back to sleep. That's the issue I have no idea what to do about.

 

[Holly89]

Sorry hope this isn't considered flooding, but I forgot to put that I was also verbally abused all through school (K-12). I rarely flash to that but I don't get panics over it.

 

[adrian_newbridge]

That sounds just like me, taking meds when symptoms have got severe then you have to take a larger dose. My psychiatrist keeps telling me to look for the early warning signs that tell me I am starting not to cope and take meds sooner rather than later. I feel like a failure if I need meds but it's not about failing, it's about being strong enough to admit you need meds when coping strategies haven't worked.