Ok....here is my take...I have now been on an antidepressant for more Am I depressed...right now, hell yes! I think it is all about how you frame your thoughts....I truly am living proof of that.....my current life situation along with ptsd and a spinal cord injury.....yep...sadness and though I know I am bound to have bad days...........I just keep reframing my negative to positive....it is the hardest thing I have ever had to do........not med related....meaning no antidepressants. i do take pain killers and a lot of ativan but I think you need to change your thinking processes.........just my opinion.

Well said Bec.... exactly what medication is for.... to give you breathing space to work like hell on your trauma, then you reduce and learn to do the same without them, OR, with a lesser dose to remove any residual and permanent anxious edge. Very well stated.

People need to know though, medication is firstly meant as a TEMPORARY treatment, secondly it is a matter of TRIAL AND ERROR to find the right ONE medication to treat PTSD. There is no requirement to be taking five or more medications when you are talking about PTSD alone. If you have another injury, yes... but that is not PTSD. PTSD alone requires usually one or two medications at most, anxiety and maybe depression. The rest are bullshit and of little use 99% of the time. You cannot treat symptoms of PTSD such as sleep or flashbacks with different medications, it doesn't work. If you lower the anxiety and the medication is working correctly for you, then you should actually be doing ok in most areas, sleep included, because the medication has correctly lowered your anxiety / panic levels to a more manageable level.

If you are knowingly taking medication which is treating side effects of another medication, then YOU'RE ON THE WRONG MEDICATION to begin with and need to withdraw from one and try another. Repeat the process until you have the right one for you.... and there is quite a range of SSRI's to treat anxiety and depression uniquely.

Well, let's see - I've tried - Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Trazodone, Effexor, and Zoloft (and also a combination of said meds).

Bec, my most prevalent symptoms are the one you mentioned - anxiety, rage and hypervigilance - yes, I suffer from depression, but it is mild in comparison to the symptoms I just listed. Could you tell me what med you are on? If you don't feel comfortable listing on here, could you PM me?

I definitely have NO desire to be on meds any longer than I have to. I want to get through my EMDR sessions and be done with this crap. I am OVER feeling like I'm feeling right now.

Quote from linasmom:

"...my therapist thinks Paxil would work really well for me."

While Paxil can work, be CAREFUL on this medication. I had a VERY hard time when I tried to stop taking it even though I went off of it very slowly.

I find there is no easy answer to this kind of question. To add to what I wrote earlier, those who say that 'pills are not the solution' are correct in a way. The medication I am on alllows me to reach a level of clarity, stability and energy at which I can undertake the hard work of therapy and whatever else my recovery requires.

Recently I posted in another thread, when I was having a very hard few days, my doubts about the effectiveness of my medication at that time. One of the things I am learning to do now that I have the safety net of medication and therapy, is to learn what it feels like to have 'normal' ups and downs.

So, last week, I spent a few days feeling very depressed. Because of my history I livein fear of a return to clinical levels of depression, so one of my first thoughts / fears was that the medication wasn't working. But, after I started journalling and talking about some difficult emotions that had arisen in the course of the Easter weekend, I found that the weight of pain, despair and hopelessness I was feeling lifted.

There was no problem with my meds. The problem was my bad coping skills. Suppressing a lot of hard emotions was depressing me. These are the lessons I am able to learn when I am stable and clear enough.

Bingo.... absolutely well said. It is a temporary solution to enable you to work effectively through your trauma.

Often many people are prescribed medication and assimilate the immediate thinking that all these symptoms are just going to go away now and be controlled, as that is what pharmaceutical companies do enjoy making people believe. The facts though are quite different, and I have a lot of hard experience from thousands of people which all confirm the same thing... medication is a temporary solution to allow you to work through your trauma and learn management skills. Once you achieve this, medication is a low dose requirement or non-requirement. Some may use it during tough times only within their lives, some may do all the trauma therapy and want to work, so the sheer stress of work alone forces them to be fully medicated the rest of their lives.... though those in that situation also learn quickly that they must manage more effectively and change their daily lifestyle patterns to release the daily work stress created.

Medication has a purpose.... that purpose is rarely met though due to physician abuse, negligence and mis-information.

I can relate. I took Zoloft for about five months and then stopped. I've been off for about six weeks now and I'm not sure that I don't feel better than I did before. I'm considering a new SSRI or SNRI but I'm not sure that it's worth the trouble. My next choices would be Effexor XR or Prozac. Anyone have a suggestion?

You cannot be recommended medication, you must trial and error them yourself.

It's actually somewhere on here. I'm on Remeron, also called Mirtazapine. It's a dual drug, in that it's supposed to treat both depression and anxiety. That's not to say it will work for anyone else, the same as it does for me. I can't take SSRI's without having seizures, where as many others can. I just got damn lucky with this, as it was the last drug they could try. I was out of options and damned if it didn't work.

Also a note to people. Finding the right medication can take years.. not weeks or months.. so if your going down this road be prepared for the long haul until they find what lessens your symptoms.

bec

Hey Rachel

Just read your post re: medication and my heart goes out to you. It's a crap-shoot, isn't it...there's so much about the human brain and its workings that remain a mystery.

I'm reminded of my own experiences while reading your words. I, too, have been on the medication merry-go-round (or not!) ... have been taking an antidepressant (Paxil) since 1996; tried another and became violently ill; take occasional sleep meds. Was once advised by a psychiatrist (whom I saw on a one-time-only assessment basis) to take an antipsychotic. No way!!

It's so hard to know, after being on meds for a time, what's intrinsic to you (PTSD) and what's not (side effects) -- i.e., depression and anxiety; rage; attention disorders. I often wonder who/what I would be without the Paxil, which was miraculous in that it curtailed my own rage in a way that nothing else could. That alone has been a gift. Lifelong phobias seemed to simply dissipate. I remember waking up on the 16th day after I started the medication; I felt an absence -- of the weight of depression. I felt like I'd lost 30 pounds.

On the other hand...my own sexual pleasure has all but croaked; I struggle mightily to feel anything; some of my self-harming behaviours seem to have gone "underground" and are more subtle --> smoking; biting at the inside of my mouth until it bleeds, etc.

I've had to weigh the pros and cons...and overall, I am very glad and relieved to be on this medication. I'm willing to live with the downsides and possible long-term consequences.

I know that doing your best to maintain basic health -- eating well, drinking enough water, sleeping, moving/exercising, keeping your mind and environment as calm as possible -- helps you to see more clearly what might be side effects/drug interactions. It might be an idea to keep a daily log or journal of your symptoms and experiences -- track them over time. With that 30-second attention span that you write about (I share this!!), it might be a good idea to keep a small notebook and pen always handy

Keep the lines of communication open with your doctor and any other professionals you deal with.

Breathe...deep and long and gentle. Funny how that one simple act can make such a huge difference.

Wishing you clarity and well-being...

Roo