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Topics - Unconcious_Ghost

#1
I have yet to get counseling and the right meds to help me fight off the CPTSD demons.  I'm currently on Gabapentin for Trigeminal Neuralgia, which has been helping to stave off 'some' of my CPTSD symptoms, but certainly doesn't prevent panic attacks and other CPTSD issues leaking through and causing havoc.
With that being said, what medications have any of you used which helps 'cap' off and block panic attacks and other CPTSD symptoms? Plus help with stabilizing emotions, highs/lows, etc?
Thanks for sharing your experiences, suggestions and recommendations.  I am brand 'new' to understanding how to identify, treat and attempt to get control over what I am struggling with alone.  :sadno:
#2
Medication / Gabapentin
October 09, 2014, 05:08:35 AM
When I landed in the ER for the 2nd time because I thought I'd had a heart attack...the Doc suggested I had developed trigeminal neuralgia.  Prior to the ER, I had extremely painful shooting pains alongside the left side of my head which culminated in my upper and lower jaw.  The pain made me think I had two abscessed teeth!  I went to two dentists and got examined, no problems at all.  When I had endured a long series of wicked panic attacks, that ramped up the cranial nerves and caused pains down my left arm and up my neck, hence thinking I was having a heart attack because the pain was NOT subsiding (that whole situation lasted a month+).
ER ran all sorts of tests, nothing came up.  Doc wanted me to get an MRI, which I refused to get since I cannot afford insurance.  He prescribed Gabapentin. 
For me, Gabapentin 'stuns' the nerve pain along the left side of my head and also 'shaves' off some anxiety, depression and bizarre highs/lows.  However, panic attacks do sneak through on rare occasion, and I just got zapped by 4 days of them. -Currently hiding away from others, I freaked them out and unfortunately hurt their feelings really bad.  :'(
I have seen Gabapentin given to combat vets for nasty PTSD & depression as well. Typical dosage: 300 mg, three times a day.  Takes about an hour to take effect, lasts strongly for about 3-4 hours. 

Side effects:

Negatives: zero sex drive, dry mouth, kills appetite, picked up weight, zaps ambition to do much, dampens ability to remember things, occasional dizzy/light drunken-stony feeling.  Can make it tough to think crisp/sharply because it 'dulls' your personality and mental processing.  I wouldn't take it if I had be high functioning...i.e. take a test, give a board room presentation, sound intelligent, make clear sense, etc.  Doesn't always prevent panic attacks from coming through on rare occasion.  If it's really coming on strong, I'd avoid driving; you get a slight vertigo/dizzy feeling which does NOT mix with driving!  And it doesn't 'smell' great when it surfaces through your skin, I don't like that chemical drug tinged smell combined with my own natural chemicals.  I take more showers because of it.

Positives: kills sex drive (which keeps my mind off of dating related interests), has a 'leveling' capacity for evening out highs/lows, knocks down some anxiety, I sleep fine on it (at times it can really knock you out if timed right), almost eliminates menstrual cramps, tends to tackle other nerve related pains in your body, is helpful in social settings to keep your anxiety down (i.e. mild 'stony' feeling) to avoid confrontation, doesn't upset my stomach, doesn't cause skin problems, etc.
#3
I don't know what or will not trigger people on here, I will try to explain my experiences without being overtly descriptive.
Over the course of my life, which started with 17 years of sustained child abuse/neglect and all the inherent trust/abandonment issues, I was inspired to not become a statistic, let alone repeat the behaviors.
My two estranged siblings (divorce does wonder for family cohesion) who I no longer associate with...won't have kids.  I won't either.  My Dad's 3rd wife, her son won't have them either.  That is the product of child abuse, not wanting to fall into the traps which our parents did. Which is expensive, nasty, destructive divorces, child custody fights, child abuse investigative services, etc. I've watched 90% of marriages fail, and many being divorced w/kids several times which further fractures all involved.  I cannot imagine being permanently 'tied' to someone else if the relationship fails.  You're gambling with LIVES that bring bad karma onto those who don't deserve an abusive, domestic violence inheritance.
So, 'Under our relationships with others' in my opinion encompasses EVERYONE we communicate with on this planet. My trust values are really guarded with people.  I tell them only what I want them to know, and deflect any personal questions.  I only trust about 3 people, only they know what I 'really' endure...all the truly dark material.  Not surprisingly, I haven't been pinned down yet by marriage, my career comes first and most men want kids.  Therefore, they can keep on trucking.  I am not housewife, stay at home and mind kids/family material.  Being career driven and highly independent has its huge rewards, but typical society wants to develop permanent roots & attachments.
-Having to adhere to someone's else's family and vice/versa is just ridiculous to me.  I cannot stomach the concept of kowtowing to step parents, friends, siblings, co-workers, etc with the marriage trap.  I worked extremely hard to survive insane situations and a nasty childhood upbringing; its not going to then get supplanted by being absorbed into another family and their baggage cart of issues and interpersonal politics.  I just don't have the patience or the interest.  I'd never take somebody's last name or legally distort my identity to assimilate/submit to outworn traditions. 
Overall, this admission of mine shows different reasons and motivations to avoid getting sucked into the same old family traps.  Having escaped 17 years of domestic violence makes me extremely wary of being challenged by others in a similar way; and I react badly to what I perceive as control (aggressive, passive-aggressive) tactics on a family level...jealousy, manipulation, lies, back stabbing, subversive, sneaky, superficial, weak willed, and down right mean.
As for dating relationships, 3 times engaged, 3 times failed.  1 guy cheated, other 2 (and their families) wanted grand-kids. I told both their parents '* no' and that I'm not their baby machine to manipulate.  Dated others, but none lasted long.  I abhor getting involved with their relatives, friends and such.  -The judging 'evaluation' game doesn't sit well with me!
#4
Hello to all,
I am one of many who don't have medical insurance to help with layers of trauma and long term damages.
Short intro: 17 years of inescapable child abuse (not sexual), then working directly with highly dangerous disaster response for another 27 years.  I've retired from the field work, but experienced NASTY panic attack complications post disasters that lasted for months on end.  I believe all of that (child abuse & disaster operations) layered and combined into C-PTSD.  Many of my friends are combat veterans, they are who I communicate with the most because we have so much in common (good & bad).  I read up on PTSD, spoken with many heavy duty combat guys, and the characteristics for PTSD just didn't fit.  However, C-PTSD does, and fits 100%.  Reading over the causes, symptoms and factors reads like my own personal profile. 
In my career field, decompression is part of the game.  However, my decompression wasn't fading away like it used to, and seemed to morph into dangerous, deadly panic attacks.  I've gone to the ER twice in 2 years because I thought I was having a heart attack.  2nd visit revealed having trigeminal neuralgia (according to the doctor) and I was put on a prescription of gabapentin for nerve pain.  Well, I ran out of those meds and take ibuprofen for cranial pain.  Doctor suggested an MRI, but not having insurance prevents further medical help which also covers counseling.  So, I'm kind of stuck.  Not poor enough to qualify for county/state benefits, and trying to find a job with good medical benefits is next to impossible.
My last series of attacks started 4 days ago, and culminated in vicious panic attacks.  -I'm not going to go into the REALLY dark stuff on these boards; it's bad enough I have to try and 'survive.'
   
Anyways, I thought I'd reach out on here and see what happens with interacting with other people who suffer the same.