Coping at the moment

[tiggra]

I took some of your suggestions. I breathe, I allow myself to recognize I'm having a rough time. For some reason I'm not handling loud noises like gunshots or fireworks. I breathed and I turned off the TV shows and I just listened to yacht rock on my Roku TV and I got through it and was able to sleep well. I'm proud of all of you making efforts, so let's all not be too hard on ourselves.

[Hurtingheart2]

That’s soo great you found something to help you through the rough moments, and appreciate your kind encouraging comment , I’m struggling a lot lately with soo many difficult thoughts and emotions needing and wanting to work through them but overwhelmed where to turn for help moving forward!! Anyway I thought to reply to you because I needed/wanted to post but sometimes I reply to others when I don’t know where to begin ! Hope you and all on here are doing well today!!🦋☺️

[linuxusr]

Regarding fear of loud noises, since I started to decline psychiatrically about three years ago, I noticed a new disturbance. Any loud noise, traffic from the street, my wife coughing, I cry out in fear or sometimes cry. I found this to be startling and weird. I googled and found out it has a name: "startle response." Is this the same thing you're talking about? I think it comes about while in an anxious state ("fight or flight" response). I haven't dealt with this yet with my therapist because I have so much on my plate, that I haven't even gotten to this yet. But, yeah, if we're talking about the same thing, therapy and/or medication, is the only way to go on this one. Meanwhile, mindfulness, diagphragmatic breathing, grounding exercises, get to Nature--a park, etc.

[tiggra in reply to linuxusr]

Thanks, I'm doing those things. It's possible they might have to increase my anti-anxiety medication. I'm keeping a log on when and where these things happen.

[linuxusr in reply to tiggra]

Hi tiggra: Excellent idea to keep a log: data is critical, enabling you to recognize patterns, get new insights, etc. If you say to your physician, "I feel X," it's very hard to evaluate but with data along side it, that presents a more complete and nuanced picture. If you don't mind my asking, which anti-anxiety medication? The reason I ask that is because over the years, I have taken anti-anxiety medications. They can both be very helpful and also very proglematic. Now that I am geriatric--71--with fundamental changes in my metabolism, these medications are "off the table" and potentially dangerous.

[Dolphin14 in reply to linuxusr]

Linuxusr

You have me curious. I know many people your age and older on medications.

You mention metabolic changes? Is there something more going on that would take the medications " off the table" for you? You don't have to give specifics, just a yes or no is fine.

🐬

[hypercat54 in reply to linuxusr]

I am about your age and am on several meds. All my older friends are too. So I don't understand your comment on this.

[linuxusr in reply to hypercat54]

Hello hypercat54! Thanks for expressing your concern. Communication is always best! This is what I am saying in a nutshell: NO ONE in the medical community disputes that with aging, particularly for the geriatric patient (60 years +) that with ANY medication there is the potential for increased risk due to changes in metabolism, as a function of aging. And the potential for those risks, depends in part, on the particular individual, the particular medication, as well as the interaction between two or more medications. Therefore, it is very important to discuss these possibilities and the best course of action with your physican, a psychopharmacologist or psychiatrist (M.D.) for psychiatric medications or a physician, internal medicine or geriatric medicine, for all other medications, including vitamins and minerals.

[tiggra in reply to linuxusr]

Buspirone.

[linuxusr in reply to tiggra]

Hi tiggra. I'm not sure what you are saying about buspirone. Hit me up anytime you feel like chatting!

[tiggra in reply to linuxusr]

Buspirone is my anti-anxiety med. I take 10mg 2x a day.

[linuxusr in reply to tiggra]

Got it, thanks. Is it helping? What is the before and after? Does your doc say you are at your maintenance dosage? Any side effects? Hey, I know these are personal questions that you may not want to answer!

[tiggra in reply to linuxusr]

I'll find out more tomorrow when I go for my appointment.

[linuxusr in reply to tiggra]

Cool! Good luck on your appointment tomorrow!

[Dolphin14]

tiggra

I have a continued problem with the startle response My issues stem from my PTSD.

The only way I've found to deal with this is to remind myself I am safe, that I am not in danger.

I love the last line of your message. Thank you for those words

🐬

[tiggra in reply to Dolphin14]

You're welcome. We need to keep forging onward.

[linuxusr in reply to Dolphin14]

I too suffer from "startle response." I don't understand it. I still have to discuss this with my psychoanalyst, M.D., but I have so much on my plate I haven't even got to this yet. I will cry out in fear or even sometimes cry like a baby (and I'm 71) when I hear a loud traffic sound or even if my wife coughs loudly. It seems like my sympathetic nervous system is primed for (external) dangers that don't exist, so perhaps they are (unconscious) internal dangers. Of course, until I discover what is actually happening "under the hood," this explanation, even if accurate, does not help one bit! If you care to, and I'm not prying, tell me more about your startle response.

[Dolphin14 in reply to linuxusr]

I have PTSD. I live in a hypervigilant state. Unexpected things will trigger my state of fear. I too will sometimes cry out if something happens, you are not alone in that.

I can't have anyone come up behind me unexpectedly or enter a room without me knowing.

I've spent 11 years digging deep into my past. I was doing this since I was a child but wasn't aware of what was actually going on or why.

[linuxusr in reply to Dolphin14]

Sorry to hear this, Dolphin14. Ah, so we understand each other! "Hypervigilant" about describes it. When I get to this in my psychoanalysis (I have greater priorities!) I'll report back here. For the moment, it's kind of a mystery to me. And I have no idea if, when, and how it might be resolved. It's one among many problems! In the scheme of things, I would call it a minor one rather than a major one. . .

[Dolphin14 in reply to linuxusr]

I'm glad it's minor for you. So continue to work on the problems at hand it and may unfold that things are all intertwined.

I've done years off inner child work and I know it's the frightened little girl in me responding. My job is to remind her she is safe.

Wishing you the best

[linuxusr in reply to Dolphin14]

Thank you, Dolphin14. You said you're glad that it's "only" minor for me. Well, it's only minor in the sense that it happens only a few times per day (only certain events startle me and they are infrequent) and each bout of fear lasts no more than a few seconds. So my suffering in this regard is no more than perhaps 30 seconds per day--minor in that sense, whereas I could be depressed or anxious for HOURS or even a whole day.

[Dolphin14 in reply to linuxusr]

I didn't mean it to come across as a comparison or anything. What I meant was I'm glad it's not something you rank as high... meaning we all need whatever break we can get as we ride this rollercoaster.

For me depression is on a much lower scale. I had a major depressive break down years ago. I have that under control for the most part.

[Dolphin14]

Thank you for the response.

Absolutely all true but all this is individualized to each patient. The medical Dr and the psychiatrist have to review each patient separately.

I don't think it's your place to discourage someone from taking a medication without knowing their history 100%.

Any of us can look up the list of side effects and reasons for not taking things and completely scare ourselves from taking any medication. Looking up something that we once thought " benign" for example.... Tylenol.. it has its own list of side effects and being OTC can cause harm that no one has even thought of when they reach in their cabinet for it.

[linuxusr in reply to Dolphin14]

I am NOT discouraging! You misread me. I am saying that geriatric patients in particular need to be aware of possible risks when they take medications and to discuss those risks with their physician. Whether a particular medication is on or off the table can only be evaluated on an individual basis with a professional. And you're right about acetaminophen (Tylenol). I believe that in the U.S. the FDA was considering a "black box warning" for Tylenol given that at doses > 4 g (4,000 mg) per 24 hours, that it can cause liver damage. I don't have the details on this example but the gist is true. And aspirin has the potential for gastritis, ulceration, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Does that mean that I am telling people not to take aspirin? No! All I'm saying is be informed of the risks and weigh the costs and benefits and always run it by your physician to confirm your understanding.

[Dolphin14 in reply to linuxusr]

I'm not sure how I misread that you are highly discouraging your friend from taking a medication? Can you clarify how I read that wrong

I put the Tylenol example in there just to mention that anything we put in our mouths comes with risk. I was no way indicating that you adding the example of ASA (aspirin) would be telling people not to take it. I apologize if that came across that way. It was not my intent.

[linuxusr in reply to Dolphin14]

Yes, I can clarify how you read that wrong. If you think it is a problem that I highly discouraged my friend from taking both of these medications, then you have no understanding of the high degree of risk, including life threatening risk, in the metabolic interaction between these two medications in the geriatric patient, as my post enumerated in great detail.

[Dolphin14 in reply to linuxusr]

Thank you

[linuxusr in reply to Dolphin14]

You're very welcome, anytime. Whenever there are disagreements it's always better to resolve them. If bad feelings, stuff can get out of hand and that's not good.

[Dolphin14 in reply to linuxusr]

I'm a medical person but my thoughts don't belong here so I can't take it any further.

I'm sure your subject matter will be helpful for some people. As you mentioned being informed, risks versus benefit, and discussion with all providers is key to good decision making.?

I hope you have a great weekend

[linuxusr in reply to Dolphin14]

Oh, thank you, and you have a great weekend as well!

[hypercat54]

I am sure medical people are well aware of their patients ages and tailor their meds accordingly.

Not being funny but I would take their advice over a lay person any day. Your comments are likely to cause worry to any older members here and in that sense are inappropriate.

[mizzou7016]

exactly.....we are our own worse critics....we need to allow ourselves time to recover from the events of the day....glad you could just "tune out" to "tune in" do things that you needed to do to refocus.....