So a ‘friend’ of mine told me that it is his opinion that drugs will not cure ptsd, guilt, trauma, etc. I had mentioned to him that I am willing to risk addiction to benzos as my life is truly unmanageable now. He looked at me as if I was nuts...I do not blame him but I wanted to say, ‘walk a mile in my shoes’ before you judge me. Right now drugs keep me from doing anything stupid....I am in therapy also. Just thought I would vent,
Thanks,❤️
Taking necessary medications is not addiction but that's just my opinion.
If it helps you feel stable and not suicidal then it clearly is helping and managing your health condition.
Is your friend a medical professional?
There is no cure for PTSD but there are things that help manage it and be able to start functioning again.
Each person is individual so it needs to be customized to personal circumstances.
Therapy can really help with guilt and shame. There are really good books on those subjects that may help...
I wanted to add that dependance is not the same as addiction and it's stigmatizing.
Because of this doctors are afraid to prescribe meds that can be really effective in managing symptoms, allowing recovery in therapy.
PTSD can have worst possible symptoms and suffering isn't conducive to healing, in my personal opinion.
Other medications can be much worse in terms of side effects for some people or completely ineffective.
So, I think that this stigmatization has led to a horrible situation when people really suffer...
People take blood pressure or heart medications for their conditions or insulin for diabetes type 1 and they are dependent on them, too.
It doesn't mean they are addicts.
The stigma can actually make things worse than PTSD itself.
Thank you. I am very confused when it comes to the difference between addiction and dependence. If you are addicted to something, doesn’t that make you dependent on it? Thanks....
Dependence means that some medications don't work as well when body builds up a tolerance. It doesn't mean that it happens to everyone. It means in some cases people up the dose because it doesn't help anymore.
Finding optimal dose and sticking to it is the best option I think.
Addiction is a generally used term for substance abuse.
That's my understanding, I might be wrong.
Thank you. My neighbor has been on 1 mg of Ativan 3x a day for 20 years....never upped the dose. So he is neither dependent or addicted, correct? Thanks again,p...😁
Hi Nathalie, and Usedtobehappy if you're reading
Thankyou for pointing this out.
My understanding, and I might be wrong too, is addiction is where the tolorence is built up so much you keep having to take more and more until it's over the prescribed dose and withdrawal can be not just unpleasant, but unsafe. Furthermore, a person's life can become out of control as a result, such as financially or getting medical complications.
I've heard that people can become addicted to prescription medication but only if it's not managed. The majority of people taking medication for a health condition do so responsibly, I'm sure.
I agree that the stigma is causing a lot of people to suffer unnecessarily including people who really need the medication and take it as necessary.
My understanding is that dependence can over lap with addiction because I think physiologically the same thing is happening in the body e.g. withdrawal can happen with both.
I'm only assuming all this based on my memory of what I've read and heard in the past, but I'm not 100% sure.
I think the terms aren't distinguished between or defined clearly enough and this in itself can be a problem.
When replying, I wanted to spread my net widely in case anyone reading Usedtobehappy's post could relate to some of it and may be themself be struggling with substance misuse but not feel able to talk about it.
I'm sure that they are a lot of people struggling in this community that don't talk at all but try to find help through reading about a similar situation, even if it's not exactly the same. If someone in this community is reading this thread and is suffering silently with addiction, or even just concerned they may be, I want them to feel they have somewhere to turn to.
That's why I wanted to keep my reply general.
Xx
Thank you....I am at the point where I do not care if I have to stay on a drug for the remainder of my life regardless of the side effects. I suffer from a life limiting autoimmune disease so at 62, what does it matter. You are all very kind.❤️
You're welcome Usedtobehappy. I'm glad we could be here to help you process this. ❤🌹 xx
Hi, it me again, I totally agree with you, I am 67 and have been taking klonipan for 35 years, I've gone up some, but stick to 2 to 3 mg. a day. without it, i could not function
I think stress is much worse for your brain, than a low dose of a benzo. What's the worry at our age.
Same here...now I just need a dr to agree!
a lot of people have chronic conditions where they take medications also have damaging effects in the long run but it makes them be able to live normal lives. you can't talk to everyone about these things.
Hi Usedtobehappy,
I'm sorry you are struggling so much.
I feel like taking strong medication could be the last resort for other, alternative, PTSD treatment but I understand maybe you feel at this point that you are at your last resort.
If PTSD without medication is causing you that level of distress then you won't be able to do the trauma work anyway.
I agree with Nathalie that taking necessary medication isn't an addiction in its own right but, depending on what the medication is, your body can still develop a physical addiction to the substance.
The medical impact of medication addiction can be distressing in its own right so I would worry it would lead to another layer of stress on top of PTSD.
So I would hope that you'd be able to do this under the review of your doctor and once you've worked through the trauma, maybe you'll feel better and able to cope without it. It could be a temporary measure to give you the boost you need to engage effectively with other treatment.
But I understand how distressing PTSD is and how this distress can last for a long time even when we work hard to recover, and, consequently, the need for long term medication to manage the distress.
I'm not a professional - this is just my opinion as another trauma survivor who's also experienced medication as the only way of coping with the emotional distress. I understand when it's the only thing that seems to help.
I suppose it's about weighing up the pros and cons and it can be hard to gage this.
Either way, your friend shouldn't have responded to you from a place of judgement - they should have responded with compassion and I'm sorry that they reacted in this way.
In general, I find it sad how highly stigmatized substance use disorder, or any kind of addiction, is - and how people can judge, when, in reality, there are all kinds of reasons why people develop this disease. In my opinion, it's a combination of different factors that lead to an addiction to develop. Once a person is in the grips of the disorder, it's very difficult to get out of, although not impossible.
I don't know if you're in the UK or not, but in the Crisis Hotlines thread I included some substance use/addiction UK helplines if you want to speak to someone in confidence about this. There are also helplines from different countries you can ring if you're feeling suicidal.
healthunlocked.com/healmypt...
I attached the associated websites underneath so you can have a look and see what happens if you call, but in most cases they won't tell you what to do and I'm pretty sure you can stay anonymous.
If you're in a different country, let me know and I'll see if I can find a helpline for your country.
You may also find this thread about "healthy" vs "unhealthy" coping helpful.
healthunlocked.com/healmypt...
I hope that one day you can find happiness again.
Feel free to vent here any time. We won't judge you or tell you what to do. We'll only make suggestions based on our own experiences of what's helped us. Sometimes people ask for no advice when they post as any kind of advice is too much for them at that time and they just need emotional support in that moment and space to vent.
I also understand if you don't find the information I've given helpful or relevant to you but I think it's worth including them anyway as they may help someone else reading who's in a similar situation.
Xx
I know the PTSD/Depression/Substance-Alcohol-Use "Disorder" thing.
A clinician friend and other mentors agree: As the trauma-stories resolve to something acceptable to me; the need to self-medicate/medicate diminishes more and more.
Be Well.
I'll keep this in my thoughts.
Cheers.
You should do what’s Best for You. Everyone’s going to have an opinion. Just because there drugs doesn’t mean you’re going to get addicted? I Firmly Believe if you follow Doctors Directions you should be Fine. I took opioids for kidney stones for several months, at first I was afraid, followed doctors Directions. I did good, Never had the desire to keep talking them. You take care 😷🙏
The drugs help you cope with the problem, They don't cure it.
The interaction with your therapists will help more in the long run, but the drugs help to keep you stable while you work on the problem.
I am no longer on medication, as my PTSD is now well controlled, and I have few problems now, other that a very exaggerated Startle Reaction, particularly if somebody approaches me from behind and I don't hear them. Fight or Flight comes into play then.
Taken as prescribed under a doctor’s direction medications have stabilized my mental illness to the point where I finally feel like I have an even playing field. My Major Depression and Anxiety Disorder and PTSD are manageable. I am also in therapy working on the non chemical aspects of my illness.
I agree. The people who judge should walk a mile in my shoes when I was unable to get out of bed and function at all. All I could do was lay on the bed, hold on to the bedspread crying asking God to take me. Let those people who judge me live like that for a day and see what they say if a professional offers them a way out.
You’ve gotten some good information here. Hopefully it helped you.
Beautifully said....that is how I feel most days....laying in bed making deals with God that if he is not going to help me, then take me.....you have given me hope. Thank you,
I’m glad my experience could help.
It did....I am going to try Emdr therapy, however right now my challenge is finding the right medication to fight the never ending thoughts. I dislike myself very much and though meds may not ‘cure’ it, I hope that between meds and therapy, I can move on, thanks again,,,,I am too old for this,,,62...had it all until trauma.
Hi, please let us know how you are feeling while, and after EMDR. Good luck & God speed a result will come for you.
Keep safe everyone!
Living with PTSD
Instant Dropout by a Recent PTSD (PTSD)
Question of the Day: Is PTSD A Soul Wound?
