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:
I mentioned this in another post but I started on Celexa back in April when I was having major panic attacks and it helped immensely. The attacks subsided within about two weeks and within a month I was feeling quite stable, good in fact.
Celexa: What dosages, how often do you take it, side effects...good & bad, how long does it take to work? Can you function well on it, how has it improved your symptoms, etc?
-I'm brand new to understanding all of this. I don't have a history of taking or being prescribed medications. The gabapentin was prescribed for T-N last November 2013. It's 'accidentally' helping take some of the intensity off of CPTSD symptoms, but it's not wholly preventing panic attacks, social anxiety, etc.
Just started seeing a psychiatrist along with therapist and MD. Gabapentin and Prazozin are working well for me. I used to take "heavier" drugs: trazadone for sleep, clonzepam (only one month for acute anxiety), and he is planning on switching me from Cymbalta to Lexapro this month. I have been suffering with symptoms and side effects long enough to really want stability, and the Gabapentin is providing me relief. I did greatly miss the "knock out" effect of the trazadone at first, but I feel like I am moving forward on the Gabapentin. Time to adjust to a new medication regime, along with continued therapy, is key.
HI Ghost - Celexa is 30 mgs per day - no side effects except in the beginning (headaches and nausea for about two weeks). Prozac - 10 mgs per day. Ongoing lack of sex drive with both. Anxiety and depression have definitely improved with the Celexa and I would say I am med-high functioning most days now. I'm almost off the Gaba for TN now but so far only have noticed a little increase in anxiety which is probably more related to going back to work after a leave of absence.
If you want a lot of info about meds I'd recommend cruising over to the Social Anxiety Support site. I'm a member there too as Social Anxiety is a secondary disorder for me (and is common in CPTSD), and it's actually the reason I was switched to Celexa earlier this year - did wonders. Anyway, go to http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/ and scroll down about five forums - tons there to keep you reading :stars:
Hey Crystal - is the Gaba for anxiety or nerve pain or something else? Getting the right cocktail of meds can be such as crap shoot can't it?! I have what's called "paradoxical reactions" to a lot of drugs. They cause the exact opposite reaction they should so before finding Celexa I was on Wellbutrin, Clonazepam, Ativan and whoa - really shot my anxiety into the stratosphere.
I'm not familiar with Prazozin, but have heard of trazadone. I find the Gaba helps with getting to sleep, does it make you tired or foggy at all?
Hello,
I was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age but now I am wondering if I was more scared and distracted then anything. Anxiety and ADHD seem to be my biggest issues. I have sever bouts of OCD like hyper focus and lots of bouts where I cannot get out of bed because I am just so consumed with worry. I don't think of it as depression because I don't feel sad I just feel foggy and worried. I have never taken anti-depressents because my mother blamed her behavior on them for years. I now understand that she is probably bi-polar and was living in a manic state due to them.
I currently take Adderall witch kind of works but it seems that it works great sometimes but doesn't work at all other times. I go through bouts of anxiety and hyperfocus sometimes yet bother times feel unaffected by it or just down right sleepy! Im starting to wonder if I myself am bi polar to a small degree. On the other hand racing thoughts come with anxiety and ADHD so....
I have read that stimulating antidepressents combined with traditional med are good for the overfucused ADHD type. I know that I was prescribed Tramodol a while back and I felt like that stuff gave me the motivation and clear mind that Adderall has not. anyone know anything about this? I know its a pain killer but it did wonders for me!
My biggest issues are anxiety, aviodence, paranoid thinking, OCD , ADHD, foggy lethargic spells. I possibly expierance hypomania? I never feel extra grandiose or god-like but I do get more energy and clear thinking still anxious during these times but much much less plus I do get bouts of only sleeping like 3 hours and not really noticing a difference in daytime functioning. anyone with similer stuff?
PS. I dissociate so some of these things could be flashbacks. but my bouts with that seems to come at anytime and I can kind of tell when its happening, I think that is another issue and the mood periodes are going on a cycle independent of those. When im" zoned out " im foggy but its different feeling.
I take Cymbalta. It helps with tearfulness, makes me not as tired, and helps control the neck/shoulder pain I get with my fibromyalgia. But I'm wondering if it's making me numb - a therapist suggested that that was why I couldn't tap into my feelings during sessions. I thought it was just the dissociation. Maybe a combination of both?
I'm on adderall for adhd but I deff think I'd like to add a temporary med. to the mix for anxiety basically when I get anxious I dissociate so I'm trying to relieve this. At first adderall helped but now I'm wondering if it's making any difference
I am on Cymbalta, Up to 180 mgs per day, It is hard to get started with as I get stomach problems for about 3 weeks on it. The stomach problems are mostly diarrhea, although is not like the uncontrollable type, but the type where You need to go to the bathroom NOW. After that it is very helpful. The other benefit is that it helps My pain from Arthritis. I pretty much regulate Myself and sometimes take as little as 60Mgs. I also have Sad, so general take less or even NONE in the summer months. I live in MN so we do not have much sunlight during the winter! :stars:
I take seroquel to be able to sleep. I only take It as needed. I usually take it when I am having a lot of wake-ups. I can sleep through the night. I am not sure how much of that I take. the smallest amount possible... :yes:
The I take Adderall for the ADD. I am supposed to take 10 Mgs 3 times a day.. If I am on a slight mania it will mess with me though. Then I might only take one in the AM otherwise it disturbed my sleep. There was another stimulate that I liked better.. right now I am having a brain fart.. :stars: so I will edit it when I can think of it.
The other thing that is helpful for me is Marijuana... In My state it is NOT legal. Saying that I like the kind that settles me down, not the kind where I get high! check out this link. it explains the type for sleeping and creativity. When I need to sleep then I try and take the other kind that makes me sleep! Of course since it is illegal in My state, I never know what i am going to get... so of course then I have to check it out and see! LOL. The type that makes me sleep is much better than the seroquel. The type that is creative, is also much better than the Adderal. Both options are better than medications I get from DR. ;D
http://www.leafly.com/knowledge-center/cannabis-101/sativa-indica-and-hybrid-whats-the-difference-between-cannabis-ty (http://www.leafly.com/knowledge-center/cannabis-101/sativa-indica-and-hybrid-whats-the-difference-between-cannabis-ty)
The main that mentally ill people go off of their medications is that it does not work or gives them side effects they don't like...It really is a hit or miss proposition. If something does NOT work for You instead of going OFF of the medications it is best to talk to Your DR. and have it adjusted or changed.
Keep o keeping on. ;)
Lamictal. currently at 200mg/day.
May up the dose over time.
Prazepam for freak out moments.
I just have to share my experience with Kanna - a legal herb from Africa. It has the longest recorded history of any other psychoactive herb. It is considered an SSRI. It has no recorded side effects. There are no reports of withdrawal symptoms. I have already cut my dose in half with no symptoms. Kanna can be smoked (effects will be instantaneous), snorted (burns nose), or taken sublingually (this is how I take it). I use a very small pinch of it under the tongue for about 15 minutes, I do not swallow my saliva, then I spit it out and rinse my mouth. Things taken sublingually do not go through the g.i. tract. Pharmaceutical antidepressants caused me to have IBS for 25 years! I have no side-effects what-so-ever. Kanna does not cause sexual side-effects either.
On the Kanna I believe I feel like normal (non-depressed) people. I believe this based on listening to people. I am a very spiritual person, but unmedicated I never FEEL the love, peace and joy that most people with my outlook and habits report feeling, e.g. I can "know" I have a lot to be grateful for, but I cannot FEEL gratitude. Now that my serotonin levels are adequate, my 30 years of recovery work is coming to fruition in an experiential way - amazing! I have created a good life during those 30 years, but I still could not enjoy it. Now I can!
Since starting the Kanna I've come off of: 5-HTP, DHEA, Passion Flower, and Lemon Balm that I used to treat the depression and the insomnia it creates. I'm also going to come off of Theanine and Doxilamine Succanate (an antihistamine used for sleep). When I was on pharmaceutical anti-depressants I didn't need anything else for sleep, but I've been on a buttload of stuff these last 3 years since my g.i. tract couldn't handle the anti-depressants anymore.
I have been thinking about the chicken and the egg. Why were my parents so troubled? And their parents? Could the genesis be untreated low-level depression that made life little more than a chore? Can this kind of suffering create personality disorders? I give myself a lot of credit for living such a functional life and helping/contributing to the world in a positive way even though I felt pretty miserable. That's what 30 years of therapy had bought me. Now I get the whole reward - enjoying life, FEELING happiness, peace, joy, gratitude, contentment, good-will. WOW!!!
zyprexia 5mg... increaesed to 10mg for PMT time.. with 2.5mg use as needed.
Lexapro 20mg an anit depressent.
i would not be able to cope without medication. 1st started taking meds in sept. 1995.
hima
My favorite mood stabilizer over the many years I have taken medications for depression and anxiety was Lamictal. It had like no side effects for me, no weight gain, non addictive. It helped my moods, I think. I was on it for around 2 years.
Now I take a vitamin called AnxiousLess from a company called Natures Sunshine.
I just started taking ginko and it seems good so far. ritalin and coffee help a bit in the sense that once i get moving my self esteem goes up and i feel better. my mood and anxieties are affected by my sense of being useful in the world. also anxiety i feel causes add because my mind goes off in different anxiety produced directions.
I have been taking Setraline (Zoloft) for about a year and half. Started at 50mg and now am at the max dose of 200mg. It helped my depression but I struggled with concentration and focusing. It was nerve racking because I would just freeze and found it difficult to do my work. Took Xanax for awhile at night. It really didn't help so stopped taking it but I think all of these medications react differently depending on the person. I am now taking Wellbutrin, it is an SSRI like Setraline but it is the only one that works with dopamine as well and helps with concentration and focusing. It has taken a couple of weeks but it is starting to kick in. I have gotten more work done than I have been able to in quite some time. And at night, I am now taking Trazodone. This is working much better than the Xanax. I have been able to sleep 5 to 6 hours a night straight thru and have not had any nightmares or EF's in about 2 weeks. Much better than 2 or 3 hours at a stretch and waking up in sweat scared to death or screaming. Hope this helps....
MaryAnn :wave:
hi MaryAnn, just read this post and your post in the physical ailments thread.
i was interested in your ongoing joint pain and stomach problems. and the fact that you were on sertraline for a while.
i was on sertraline for a number of years and around the same time, developed joint pain (osteoarthritis) and also lymphocytic microscopic colitis. when i did a bit of research i found that both these conditions can be caused or exacerbated by longterm use of sertraline. i'm afraid i can't recall the sites i looked at, so can't give you any links. but it might be encouraging to know that now you are off that partic. drug things may start to improve a bit.
Quote from: Sasha2727 on October 20, 2014, 12:35:34 PM
Hello,
I have read that stimulating antidepressents combined with traditional med are good for the overfucused ADHD type. I know that I was prescribed Tramodol a while back and I felt like that stuff gave me the motivation and clear mind that Adderall has not. anyone know anything about this? I know its a pain killer but it did wonders for me!
Tramadol is a serotonin agonist and an awesome antidepressant, it does wonders for most folks. Off label of coarse.
I take 200 mg of Lamictal at night because nothing else helps mania. 60 mg Dexedrine tablets for ADHD because Adderall tablets required 90 mg and I didn't like it because it calmed me down.. I take PRN doses of Klonopin for PTSD flare ups. Antidepressants make me manic so. I have been on this combo since 2007 and it keeps those issues level but this lingers still.
I'm on 3mg Risperidone and 60mg Prozac.
The Risperidone knocked me out at frst like sleeping for 18 hours a day but my body got used to it and it's done the trick, I started off on 1mg and it's been increaded. Prozac started on 20mg and thats also been ncreased and seems to be working. I feel emotionally numb but I can't tell whether thats dissociation or the medication
Welcome, Lottina! Glad you've joined us.
When I started on prozac, my mood swings went from high peaks and low valleys to a flat line. Gradually my emotions started coming back.
I have been on Seroquel 150mg per day for almost 3 years now. I am also on 20 mg of Lexapro per day. Both have been very effective for me. Especially the Seroquel. I have minimal side effects. I still feel emotions but the Seroquel does keep them from being super intense.
Wow, it's been a whole since anyone posted here! Thanks for sharing your experience with your meds ComplexHeart. I was on Prozac for decades and it just kept me afloat emotionally. Then I had a really bad stretch about three years ago and was switched to Celexa - what a difference it made! Not everyone has positive experiences with meds but it made a real difference for me, gave me the energy to get going on recovering rather than surviving.
Quote from: arpy1 on September 16, 2015, 11:51:46 AM
i was on sertraline for a number of years and around the same time, developed joint pain (osteoarthritis) and also lymphocytic microscopic colitis. when i did a bit of research i found that both these conditions can be caused or exacerbated by longterm use of sertraline.
It's given me dreadful diarrhea in just six weeks while having no impact on depression. Seeing my doctor again tomorrow. Fed up with all these pills that don't work and/or have bad side-effects.
Great question.
I was originally diagnosed with PTSD, major depressing and GAD. Sounds like a lot but it can probably all be rolled into CPTSD.
Medications that have been subscribed to me:
Sertraline an SSRI
Prazosin
The SSRI has been extremely effective for me. I cannot conclude that my nightmares have improved though.
I have been very lax about the Prazosin and have not really given it a chance to discern if it is effective or not when coupled with the SSRI.
Although the SSRIs and SNRIs are used for anti-anxiety, I have known people to benefit from them. Generally a psychiatrist will start you on a very small dose, 25 or 50mg, and you will work your way up from there. I think the highest dose for Sertraline(Zoloft) is 200mg so if you surpass that, you might need to take several meds to help you continue treatment.
Venlafaxine 75 mg.
The doc started me with 37.5 mg for 2 weeks so I could get used to it before bringing it up. Side effects - I feel a little tired all the time. There's also a bit of constipation, though not very bad. It's the sleepiness that gets me though.