i am on 4 different meds for my disorders. For the PTSD, I'm on a beta-blocker for the physical symptoms (racing-heartbeat, adrenaline rush, etc...)
and a benzodiazepine (tranquilizer). I read somewhere that it's not good to use tranquilizers for PTSD, but i've also read that some doctors feel that it's an acceptable approach. I don't know which is true. My psychiatrist says that the benzos will be used on a TEMPORARY basis ONLY. What i was wondering was "does blocking out my fear and anxiety with tranquilizers not allow me to feel the fear that i need to experience to progress forward with my PTSD?" I think i remember hearing that somewhere. Does anyone have any experience with this issue? If so, please let me know what you think... feedback is appreciated...

Thank you,
Josh

Josh,

I take a benzodiazepine (klonopin) for my anxiety. There are a number of different meds in this family. From what my doctor told me, they all basically do the same thing (calm you down when your anxiety spikes), but have different lengths that they last. I was told that the klonopin has long lasting affects and that's why he wants me to stay on it.

And I also feel I'm on my meds temporarily. But what is temporary? A week, a month, a year? I've been on these meds for four months. I don't know how long I'll stay on them, but it will be until my doctor and I feel like I don't need them anymore.

With me, I still feel everything that goes with my PTSD and my healing on these meds. It just keeps my anxiety crancked down a few notches so I'm able to function and deal with what I need to deal with.

I hope this helps.

OK, I am going through beyond pure hell coming off of a benzo... Xanax currently. So I am going to be biased but honest. If you are on a beta blocker as it is you are treating pretty much the same symptoms as you would with the benzo so IMO it sounds like 2 drugs to treat the same thing. As what you describe the beta blocker doing is what some take in lieu of a benzo as it gives the same desired effect. I would bring that fact up with your doctor. Don't let them fill their "quota". Shrinks will throw as many drugs at you to supress every symptom you have and call you cured. When they stop working you have withdrawals and them dumping a new load of dope in your system to become addicted to.

Do you see a therapist beyond your shrink to deal with this?

Personally if the beta blocker is working and not addictive run, run as fast as you can from the benzo which is most certainly addictive. Because once additced you have the fun of withdrawals with PTSD and they don't go well together.

If you are taking the benzo to not get too stressed out then you are taking it for the wrong reason. It gets you pulled out of an attack which consist of the symptoms the beta blocker controls so I see no understandable reason any one would put you on both.

There is an article around here somewhere about this. I will try to find it.

How long have you been taking the benzo? Which one is it? If you were just started I would think long and hard on it as you already have the beta blocker.


Propranalol Click this to see info on the use of beta blockers

Josh, medication IS a trial and error approach. In the initial stages of PTSD, you want to be medicated, even with the side effects, it is better than nothing. It gives you some room to breathe, some space around you to look at the wider picture. As you begin your healing process, you then start looking at what you really have medication wise, and what you can live without. If you have two meds doing basically the same thing, you look at getting rid of the worst withdrawal wise, as you have another to cover it and ease some of the withdrawals.

During the inital stages of healing though, medication, something... is really essential. As you progress, you cut things out. You learn to cope without them, and as you ask, yes they do block the healing process from you really feeling what you need too in order to heal. But coming off them too soon can certainly be worse for you.

You will know as you learn, as you educate and practice techniques upon yourself to cope in stressful and anxious situation. As you do this, the medications are still at play, so you then look at cutting them down progressively and exposing yourself to stressful anxious situations, so you learn to cope without the medications.

If a medication though was making you have suicidal ideation, then that needs to be addressed, because as you heal, the suicidal ideation is something you will get just facing your past, let alone having it because of a medication already as a pre-existing factor.

If a tranquilizer works for you at the moment, and doesn't give you nasty side effects, then stick with it. As you heal, get rid of it. I don't personally see why anyone would need two medications to do the one thing. I know doctors say one to balance out the other, but if that where the case, then there should be one alternative that does the job, not two medications to achieve the one outcome. When a doctor begins telling you that you need one to balance out another, its only going to get worse in the long term, because when your body grows immunity to them, what next? Another drug to balance out the two???