What To Do....?

[AvsFan]

My Boyfriend has PTSD. The meds they gave him make his blood pressure drop to low and make him sick so he will not take them and as low as they get its not safe!! so he has the nightmares and he kicks/runs in bed. Im not sure what to do when he does this other then get out of bed tell they have passed and he wakes up....does anyone have any other ideas not sure if I should touch him or not???

 

[freefloat]

Don't touch him. Your doing the right thing. Sounds like he needs a med review. Curious what meds lower his blood pressure like that?

 

[AvsFan]

I dont remember the name of them but I've taken his B/P and its really low. Its a new med that they are using I think the dose is to high, but he doesnt want to talk about that!! He talks to me about the nightmares and I medic him. He doesnt want to deal with medication so we do alot of talking at night after hes awake!!

 

[freefloat]

Good thing he has you. Must be tiring though. Yeah somethings not right. Grab the names of the meds if you can. Look them up and see what the risks and contra indications are. If it bad and he wont listen; just go to his doctor. He'll get real pissed off. Low blood pressure is very serious as you know. Possibly before going to his doc run it by yours and/or a good pharmacist.

 

[AvsFan]

I will do that! Thank you its hard as a medic seeing someone you care about going through this and not knowing how to help!! But I'm in for the penny and the pound!!!

 

[freefloat]

You sound like somebody I know. All the best. :)

 

[Gamereign555]

There's no shame in sleeping in another bed or having him sleep in another bed, many of us have gone that route. It is a shame he can't take Prazosin. Me and my girlfriend still sleep in the same bed, one of us will just move to the other bed if there is a disturbance. Normally I elect to be the one who switches beds but that's okay with me.

If your unaware of Prazosin, it does lower blood pressure I think. It is however very effective for nightmares for ptsd and has been shown to do so even at a minimal dose of 1mg.

 

[cherryblossom]

Try to get him to go back to the doctor that prescribed these meds. Like you say, maybe the dose needs to be altered, or perhaps the drug needs to be changed. Perhaps it is interacting with another medicine. Whatever the outcome, the prescribing doctor will know the best thing to suggest, and also needs to be aware of the side effects he has suffered whilst taking this medication.

 

[Jet]

If he is taking Prazosin it was originally a blood pressure medicine which apparently failed miserably in that department. However, they eventually discovered that it got rid of nightmares for a lot of people for PTSD.

When it was first prescribed to me I was told to lie down the first time I took it or anytime they upped the dosage because it would often cause a drop in blood pressure which could lead to sudden dizziness. I suppose that for some people that could be a continuous problem?

I agree with the others that he should see his doctor about this.