How do you treat your PTSD?

James Murray — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 15:38:11 -0400

PatientsLikeMe members said in a survey with our partners at One Mind that they most commonly treat their PTSD with anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication, and cognitive behavioral therapy. To see what others living with PTSD are saying on PatientsLikeMe, join today at http://www.patientslikeme.com/join/rallypoint (it’s free)!

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Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2016 3:40 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 15:40:15 -0400

Good website and great question James!

Response by SGT Harold Slack made Aug 1 at 2016 3:42 PM

SGT Harold Slack — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 15:42:01 -0400

mine is treated with Meds, therapy, groups. andntimento think things through

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Aug 1 at 2016 4:16 PM

Cpl Jeff N. — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:16:52 -0400

Stop treating it as a disorder. That simple act may cause you to think differently. Most people learn and grow through challenging traumatic situations. It is possible to have trauma and grow, not just be disordered.

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Aug 1 at 2016 4:23 PM

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:23:52 -0400

James Murray Thanks for sharing your website - hope to get the word out to more on RP.

RP Members please get this information out to your contacts:

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Aug 1 at 2016 4:38 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:38:28 -0400

My thoughts drifted to you when I saw this post SGT Private RallyPoint Member SSgt Private RallyPoint Member SFC William Farrell SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4"
Thanks for posting it James Murray
Thanks for mentioning me COL Mikel J. Burroughs

Response by MSG William Wold made Aug 1 at 2016 4:41 PM

MSG William Wold — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:41:54 -0400

I was at 30% PTSD rating with VA, and meds. I was seeing someone in VA twice a month, he recommended groups. When I started in groups, it was creepy. Along with the ones that have it way worse than me, or that's my opinion, but the ones that take you aside and try to coach you into how to get your rating pumped up, which is absurd. I quit going.
So months later I was in VA for something unrelated and ran across the counselor in the hall who said, hey where you been, miss you in the group. I told him I didn't feel right in there and felt it was making things worse, then I told him about the couple guys trying to coach me into enhancing my rating, and then told him I don't need that crap, I know how I feel and what it is doing to me and I don't need to fake anything, it real and your idea of therapy just doesn't work for me. So he stared at me for a few seconds, said, ok well good luck.
A few months later I get a letter from VA saying they have reviewed my records and have raised my rating to 50%.
I take Zoloft and Prazosin. Dosage in the past year has been lowered recently as a better handle is upon it, but not gone away, there are some triggers that I've been able to embrace, but seems that a couple were created somehow.
I have a wife that used to be an RN and a trauma nurse, she can "ground" me in some situations, I have bad hearing and hearing aids, she can hear a door shut 100 meters away, so if she hears a plane or helicopter she says something long before the sound gets to me and that carries me thru the moment. But she has heart issues, a pace maker, bad back, knee, not sure how much longer she's going to make it, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Response by SFC Richard Giles made Aug 1 at 2016 5:01 PM

SFC Richard Giles — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 17:01:02 -0400

I take Bupropion 2 times/day and have a really good social worker who is former military and doesn't sugar count a lot of things and actually understands what I'm talking about vs. some of these "counselors" who think they know what they are talking about because they went to a 2 or 3 week class to understand PTSD.

Response by Col Dona Marie Iversen made Aug 1 at 2016 7:14 PM

Col Dona Marie Iversen — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 19:14:23 -0400

As an RN, I believe medications have a place in all types of treatments. BUT they must be monitored very closely for frequency, dosage, side effects, other meds that are contraindicated and the possibility of addiction or "self cocktails " (i.e.: making your own schedule of frequency and dosages). There is no one cookie cutter approach or treatment for PTSD there are too many factors and variables to be considered. I believe based on my patients experience BEST to have a care and treatment plan which includes, medications, group and individual sessions, cognitive, behavioral , occupational and pet therapies. Lastly, must be honest with self and professional treating you! Remember asking for help is a sign of strength NOT weakness.

Response by CSM Charles Hayden made Aug 3 at 2016 6:37 PM

CSM Charles Hayden — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 18:37:58 -0400

James Murray You might also ask: How many RP mbrs use the "Mindfulness", app by the VA to learn how to relax and redirect your mind?

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Aug 4 at 2016 11:52 AM

CPT Pedro Meza — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 11:52:28 -0400

James, Thank you.. Good Post..

Response by SSG Jeff Binkiewicz made Aug 6 at 2016 8:57 AM

SSG Jeff Binkiewicz — Sat, 06 Aug 2016 08:57:59 -0400

relax around the farm, and drink beer.

Response by CPT Joseph K Murdock made Oct 20 at 2016 1:08 PM

CPT Joseph K Murdock — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 13:08:16 -0400

I try my best not to break down with depression or anxiety. A powerful dose of prayer over the family usually does the trick.

Response by SGT Rebecca Farrar made Oct 21 at 2016 1:57 PM

SGT Rebecca Farrar — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 13:57:24 -0400

PTSD is based individually. So treatment is individual.
Medication is beneficial to many, I personally appreciate verbal therapy.

Please remember, An Individual Does Not Have PTSD For Being Weak, But For Living And Surviving Through Situations That DID NOT Break Them.

As a Combat Medic and Counselor in the Army , Ive seen and dealt with my own and the soldiers Ive helped.
But now I am a nurse and also a PTSD Representative and speaker for a Veterans Peer Support Outreach in my state.
It is about educating and bringing awareness to all, not just the veteran or military personnel.

Response by SSG(P) D. Wright Downs made Oct 24 at 2016 1:59 PM

SSG(P) D. Wright Downs — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 13:59:23 -0400

I have been through it all, it seems. The National Center for PTSD was at my VA and there has been much research done here. I have been in on some of the research...not to say that the research was done correctly because there is trial and error in research. So, some of that which has been proven to work did not work on me because of early trial and error. However, it was done for the common good, is the way I have to look at it. I have worked with people with PTSD before I knew I had it and was eager to help when I was diagnosed. Funny thing is, my GSD knew I had it and acted accordingly. Covered my back, wouldn.t let people get close to me, the whole nine yards.

I have found that medications for depression and anxiety work the best. I have approximately a 6 month period of anniversaries that include military and non-military events. I have one on one therapy and group therapy. there were things in my personal life that i didn't thnk were factors in PTSD until I had therapy. They, like so many other things, were stuffed down in the gut. I was taught as a kid not to show emothion about personal things, to be stoic and, of course, I was. Suck it up, you know. Then being the only woman in a unit for quite a while and having to be bright and chipper and setting the woman image for others who were to folllow, i had to put on the positive face that wasn't always the real one.

I associate PTSD with a sponge in a dish with the events in ones' live being water trickling over the sponge. The sponge can only absorb so many events/water. There gets to be a time when the sponge is over full and there is no place for the water/events to go. This is where the PTSD comes in and gives us a WHAMMY in the head and gut. Things get so we can't suck them up anymore and we need some help and need ti fast. It the point when things happen. This may not be the psychological explanation, but it is the visual that that comes to me when it happened to me and what happened to me. I tried just therapy and finally did the meds and had a wonderful psychiatrist who has since retired. That changed my whole treatment.

There is the rub being treated at the VA...the providers change so frequently. I was fortunate to have my fantastic psychiatrist when I needed her and the meds. Had I not had her, things would have been different. I now go to the Vet Center for an MST group and have a therapist. I see a person at the VA for meds. It is not like before. The people in the group are really supportive about other things, too. I still jump and knock things off a table if I am touched from behind (if I am not with my dog, he warns me about people approaching), and do all the hypervigilant things which my friends are aware of. We have each others' backs. That is part of PTSD.

Response by PO3 James Bobiney made Oct 25 at 2016 4:57 PM

PO3 James Bobiney — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 16:57:02 -0400

I have been off all psychotropics for years now and still see my therapist about once a quarter or as needed. Used to see her once a week years past and the more I learned the less frequent my visits to her became. Oh I still learn new triggers and other stuff about my ptsd/depression. But I am much much better than years ago. Anyway, this is just a brief summary.

Response by SSG Drew Cook made Oct 29 at 2016 9:14 AM

SSG Drew Cook — Sat, 29 Oct 2016 09:14:51 -0400

Hard drugs.

Response by CPL Eric Escasio made Oct 29 at 2016 11:34 AM

CPL Eric Escasio — Sat, 29 Oct 2016 11:34:18 -0400

Basically to make it simple, I have this strong belief that anything broken can be fixed. Fixing my attitude, dispositions my way of life. Things I used to do all needed readjustment. From smaller things to bigger, total change. It took years for me to figure them out. An example I give is that before I used to drive but driving for me has become a daunting task, until I gave up driving for my safety and the safety of others since I pass out during driving due to being overwhelmed with anxiety. With me not getting around when I needed too is also a major adjustment. I learned how to make 10 trips in one day to maximize my time going out instead of making so many trips I can all do it in one day if I can.