Are SSRIs a good choice for PTSD

Serotonin levels are testable yet even that is complex. To take something with out a sign of deficiency could create a vast number of side effects and long term complications. PTSD is a tough condition to address as each case is different and should be maintained differently.

I think a great measure towards improvement for treatment would be to maintain a stable line of psychological treatment. In military settings keeping the same therapist is almost as hard as getting the same parking spot at Disney Land five years in a row with out reservation.

Since, for whatever failed logic is applied here, we're allowed to discuss pharmaceuticals (as they are obviously so very safe in professional hands) but not natural cures (only for hippies and charlatans, of course!), I will just apply the link to this Scientific American article you might find enlightening. There's a lot more about how these hokey natural cures work like charms for mental illnesses in SciAm and a lot of other journals as well.

reply to post by cavtrooper7


Hello Cav,

Welcome to ats and fell free to post to your desire. The way I see it the more band width we take up and use the closer we will get to the truth. I know your post is not about truth, but just saying.

To get on subject and get the gears rolling, I would suggest klonipin or some other Benzo's such as zanex. Another good one I personally use for my ptsd when I am out of kloni's is phenergren, (pronounced with an f not a ph). I actually like what it does to my ptsd more so then my kloni's but I like the buzz it gives me. If I am at home I take my kloni's if I am out I will take my Phen-phen's.

Now the phenergrin is not prescribed for my ptsd nor has the doctor said anything about it being helpfull for my ptsd, but it actually works better than anything I have taken, I just like that zanex buzz I get when I am at home.

Hope this helps.

For country,
your partner in horror,
ringlejames

just figured i would recommend watching two episodes of Drugs Inc on hallucinogens and mdma. These two episodes actually cover what I was talking about.

No drugs are necessary.. Meditation, fitness, and staying clear of stimulants worked for me...

Initially I was prescribed the highest dose of seroxat however it did nothing for me.. I still got the night terrors etc..

I came off them after a few months... However I got worse.. I could not leave the house without having a panic attack and pass out..

However I found a method of meditation which consisted of me concentrating on the center of my brain which controls your bodies environment, emotions, metabolism etc... You envisage it as a gauge, that goes from green (normal, calm) to red (manic, panic, anxiety)... In people with PTSD or nerve disorders the gauge is stuck in the red... You concentrate on the gauge to bring it into the green, whilst also at the same time remembering your last episode or trigger for an attack... Imagining the gauge in the green in the midst of an episode rewrites your brain to bypass the the trigger so that it no longer sets you off...

Combined with that you must keep away from coffee, cigarettes, alcohol,, Anything that depresses or stimulates the your system.. You get yourself into a routine of sorts for your normal daily life and stick to it.. You expose yourself to the triggers and push that gauge into the green to reinforce the bypass in the brain.. You get yourself fit...

This is what worked for me... No drugs at all....

They are now starting studies regarding the use of MDMA (ecstacy) as a treatment for PTSD. MDMA helps give you an emotional connection with people and helps break down social barriers. here is a link:

MDMA STUDY

Mods: This is a legitimate field of study and therefore i do not believe it breaches the sites T&C.. please review the link, thanks :-)

Edit: of course, this doesn't mean i would recommend taking "street" ecstacy as you never know what you are getting.. also, i do not know the effect of combining SSRI's with MDMA as they both act on Serotonin, so definately find yourself an open minded doctor and have a good talk before taking anything! :-)

I developed PTSD after an auto accident several years ago. After months of trying to help myself, I broke down really bad and went for help. I was prescribed Zoloft at 50 mg. I think it helped to an extent, but this was at the time it was pretty new and I was assured it was non-habit forming. I believed it until I ran out on one occasion.

The withdrawal was terrible. In a day's time, I was having these strange sensations when I moved my head. They started out as annoying, but by the following day I was irritated by anything or anyone who crossed my path. The "brain shocks" drove me crazy. I literally felt like I was going crazy. Needless to say, i got my refill quickly.

However, after researching, I realized I had to get off the stuff. I started to taper down by very tiny increments. It took months, but I finally made it. The first weeks were the worst. I had the head sensations and was very irritable. My brain felt foggy all the time. I slept a lot to get through it.

I'm pretty unhappy with the drug companies for using patients for experimental purposes. They clearly fast tracked the drug without enough follow up study. I will never be the same. I'm not anywhere as sharp as I once was. My short-term memory is not what it used to be and I don't learn as quickly as I used to either. That has been a heart-break for someone who prided themselves on a quick, sharp mind.

I wonder if some of the people with PTSD who lose it are actually having ill effects from the SSRI's? I certainly could understand it if they did.

reply to post by Komaratzi11


So let's say you give these substances to war vets.....with strained trigger reflexes.
Sounds like a contestant for "Bad Idea" to me,and look,my degrees are in electronics.This is where profits meet patients and kill. Europe thinks so too.It is already in their water anyway.Man I'm glad I live in Colorado.

reply to post by cavtrooper7


You one lucky sob to be living in colorado. I would be making bank up there with my high banker. Im stick prospecting and panning silver down her in Mississippi instead of highbanking for gold after many weeks of prospecting and I am hardly making wages.

reply to post by cavtrooper7


Congratulations, sir: you convinced me to register an account, even though I refrain from internet forums in general. (Yes, yes -- I'll get over to the introduction forum as I'm able.) This is a subject I can speak to on several levels.

For the last 15 years or so, I'd been walking around with undiagnosed PTSD from a serious car accident.

I have tried just about everything to treat the symptoms during that timeframe. That's what you'll be doing with SSRIs and other drugs: treating the symptoms. This is all well and good, but if you can address the cause, you can reduce the symptoms.

You might want to look into clinical hypnotherapy. Once my issue was (finally) identified at PTSD, my psychiatrist recommended I see a hypnotist, and I am very glad that I did. In short, I'm able to drive without freaking out now.

Another poster here mentioned "rewiring your brain," which I've found to be possible with hypnosis. Be forewarned that it's time-consuming, expensive, and sometimes emotionally painful. In my limited experience, it's also been completely worthwhile.

Don't take this to imply you shouldn't address the symptoms. I think you should do so, as it may help your recovery.

Using SSRIs seems to be an individual thing. They didn't work well for me, so I don't take them anymore. The side-effects and risks were too great. Doubly true if you have the combination of being armed daily and combat training, as I do. That said, don't rule out antidepressants as a way to "bridge the gap" with other forms of therapy if they work for you... just use due caution.

I am not a psychiatrist or pharmacist, but five at once seems like a lot.

The most useful supplement for helping manage my own symptoms has been mentioned repeatedly in this thread. As with any other legal herbal supplement, your results will be highly dependent on the particular variety of the herb you choose. Be careful about dosage and potency. And, of course, operating heavy machinery of any kind.

In any case, good luck on your journey. I hope you'll take some of what I've written into consideration, especially if you haven't looked into hypnosis as a useful form of therapy before.