• The Dark Side 💕 Welcome Guest 💕
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Notable Threads Urgent Hotlines
    Bereavement Mindfulness
    Suicide Support Anger Management
  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Mental Health Anxiety Disorders MEGA thread

Does anyone know of any opiate for ptsd?

I'm not depressed, have my toolbox of coping mechanisms firmly in place (cbt, mindfulness, community supports, therapist), i can overcome negative thoughts with perceverance (sp?). I was diagnosed with complex ptsd 3 years ago and had 2 years off for therapy, meds, group work...and it has worked to get me a place of non-dissociation. However, the odd trigger comes up and catches me off guard, and it takes me a while to re-calibrate.

My doctor refuses benzos and insists i do an anti-depressant. I dont like the idea of daily meds for an occaissional issue. once i tried a percocet for some relief after a bonkers day (i had a year old presription that went untouched after a car accident and surgery), and i didn't get high, but was able to function for the remainder of my day as a competant and contributing human in society. It reminded me of how ritalin calms ADD patients, but has a high effect to those with other brain structures. I had ADD as a child and had ritalin, i noticed a big difference in myself (as opposed to when friends stole my meds to get high).

I find benzos helpful for my occaissional bouts of anxiety or sleeplessness, but dr says no. Then found a street/precription drug more responsive and appropriate. I know i am likely going to get raked over the coals for going down this rabbit hole, but i am looking to see if any studies have been done for opiates and ptsd; i feel it helped separate the emotional and phisiological firing from the daily activities, allowing me to react without the hair-trigger nervous system kicking in. For the first time in years, i didnt have to fully rely on my cbt/mindfulness to walk through reacting to life moments, as the hair-trigger just calmed down and let me be myself for a day - me without ptsd reactions!

I am not an addict, nor have i ever been. I drink a handful of times a year, dont smoke, and am comitted beyond a doubt to mental hygiene. If anyone has any input, other than "opiates are bad", i'd love to hear it.
 
Hi, I thought it may be useful to share a CBT document that I have found beneficial for questioning my distorted thought patterns. Also i found that Beta Blockers and and Benzos for anxiety 'spikes' is the best combination of treatment for me. My anxiety is still present but manageable. I can function at least and don't feel like it restricts me as much. I never found tricyclics any use at all. I hope the document helps and would be interested to hear some of your views. Much Love

http://www.apsu.edu/sites/apsu.edu/files/counseling/COGNITIVE_0.pdf
 
One surprising tool for anxiety control, I've found, is exercise. I hate exercise. The last time I had any proper exercise was at high school (over 20 years ago). But I bought one of those exercise bikes and it's fun. It lets me know many calories I've burnt, distance I've travelled, blah blah...not stuff I'm greatly interested in. But *the* one benefit I've found is how good it makes you feel about yourself over time. My confidence has increased - not because my body looks better (which it does - a tiny bit) but because I'm generally fitter now. I have more energy, my mental health has improved. It's no wonder cure but it's definitely helping. I do a 40 minute bout on the exercise bike every day. I burn 500 calories each time. I've been doing this for two months. I plan to do this every day until the spring days are warmer, then I have a real bike that I'm going to start riding.
 
After half a life-time of the most shocking anxiety imaginable (not acting like a 'special flower' or anything, but my anxiety levels were fucking ridiculous; never seen anyone in my life with signs of anything even close), I finally found the pharmaceutical solution: sodium valproate + buprenorphine.
If you're still anxious after taking that every day, then sorry, there's no hope.
What is so good about this combination is that it never stops working. Even after a couple of years it's still the same. I never thought this could happen.
 
My anxiety has been fucken crippling me the last few months where it's at a point where I can't work. At the moment I need cash but have been a walking vegetable not being able to do too much. Every day seems to get worse and worse and it sucks.

i have made the fault in drinking to help with my anxiety and depression and it's not working obviously. SSRI's and valium haven't done too much either.

I was never this bad but now even picking up the phone and calling a stranger bout work I fucken dread. I worked so hard to get my qualification from uni and now it seems as though I have pissed it all away as the last 3 years I have achieved nothing since graduating and when I do get a job I end up losing it after a month or a year.
 
- exercise
- thinking positively (can be difficult, but thinking optimistically can seem less taxing on the brain)
- eating well (including multivitamins, they're so undervalued especially with the 18-30 year old demographic, I can easily recognise the days where I do and don't take multivitamins and I eat as healthy as I can)

These 3 things have been my own little method in keeping happy. Or at least 'feeling decent'. I can understand the feeling of each day getting worse and worse. Everyone goes through job problems, some may not let it seem like much but in reality your reaction to the situation is understandable and pretty normal.


Quite honestly though, don't stress about the phone because the constant bad thinking will only manifest itself into a larger problem, when in reality the problem hasn't really gotten larger in the issues department, our perception of the problem is now just looking worse. Try emailing your resume to some places, it may not give the right touch that a phone call can, but you'll be able to approach a lot more jobs a bit easier on yourself. There's thinking about things then there's letting them overwhelm you, which, understandably, it happens! It gets the best of us! But you can smash this because you're a qualified individual (ayyyy ;)) and you still have the skills from your previous working history, not to mention your general life experience.



BUT you have opportunity where others don't, you've already gotten your degree. Is there an area of your field where it won't be as stressful as the others but still interests you? Part time? Casual? Online only? We live in a great time where jobs come in all sorts of factors. My point is I reckon you're gonna be sweet noonoo. This isn't an easy time I know, but everything's gonna be all good.


Starting today.
 
Last edited:
enzoff said:
Make a conscious decision that they wont happen again, and dont be afraid they will happen, its the same as tripping if you fear a bad trip is gonna happen it probly will... So dont be afraid when they happen dont pay attantion* to them do what ever to distraced* your self.. Once you beat one panic attack it will be alot easier for next time :) i know its easier said than done but one day you will figure it out :3
Click to expand...

What stupid bloody advice. "Have you tried just not panicking?" Most of us have tried thinking our way out of panic attacks, but the bit of your brain you use to logic is the bit of your brain that's malfunctioning.

I have nothing but praise for people who manage anxiety and panic disorders without medication, but there's no shame in not being able to cope with literally debilitating terror.
 
lucy_cina said:
Does anyone know of any opiate for ptsd?

I'm not depressed, have my toolbox of coping mechanisms firmly in place (cbt, mindfulness, community supports, therapist), i can overcome negative thoughts with perceverance (sp?). I was diagnosed with complex ptsd 3 years ago and had 2 years off for therapy, meds, group work...and it has worked to get me a place of non-dissociation. However, the odd trigger comes up and catches me off guard, and it takes me a while to re-calibrate.

My doctor refuses benzos and insists i do an anti-depressant. I dont like the idea of daily meds for an occaissional issue. once i tried a percocet for some relief after a bonkers day (i had a year old presription that went untouched after a car accident and surgery), and i didn't get high, but was able to function for the remainder of my day as a competant and contributing human in society. It reminded me of how ritalin calms ADD patients, but has a high effect to those with other brain structures. I had ADD as a child and had ritalin, i noticed a big difference in myself (as opposed to when friends stole my meds to get high).

I find benzos helpful for my occaissional bouts of anxiety or sleeplessness, but dr says no. Then found a street/precription drug more responsive and appropriate. I know i am likely going to get raked over the coals for going down this rabbit hole, but i am looking to see if any studies have been done for opiates and ptsd; i feel it helped separate the emotional and phisiological firing from the daily activities, allowing me to react without the hair-trigger nervous system kicking in. For the first time in years, i didnt have to fully rely on my cbt/mindfulness to walk through reacting to life moments, as the hair-trigger just calmed down and let me be myself for a day - me without ptsd reactions!

I am not an addict, nor have i ever been. I drink a handful of times a year, dont smoke, and am comitted beyond a doubt to mental hygiene. If anyone has any input, other than "opiates are bad", i'd love to hear it.
Click to expand...

I found topiramate (Topamax) quite useful. It's a daily drug, but not an anti-depressant. Heavy side-effect profile, though.

If you want to stay "not an addict", I'd advise against using opiates to manage a mental health condition. This isn't an "opiates are bad" post, it's more of a "that's a super effective short cut to dependency and addiction" post. Withdrawing form a drug you're dependent on is hard enough on the old feelings even if you don't have a panic disorder.
 
Calming Animal Videos/Music for Anxiety

hi everyone.

one thing i have found really helps me to calm down when i am having bad anxiety is to watch animal videos, with/without soothing music. sometimes the animal sounds themselves are soothing enough, depending on the animal. so i decided to share 3 videos i found on youtube that i like. feel free to share your own or what works for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKDZybPtf4o (humpback whale)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7txP9MOCqs (manatee)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4MIXNRks5U (treefrogs)
 
Thanks!

My personal favourite is watching funny cat videos on youtube when my anxiety is playing up... nothing better to take your mind off things! :)

I also have a playlist of 'chilled' music that I can use to help ease things, often "meditating" or doing breathing exercises whilst listening to it.


P.S - I'd just like to remind folks that we do have megathreads for various mental health problems where you can make related posts. Helps to keep things together where everyone can find & benefit from them in future. :)

I appreciate at the moment that they may be hard to find if they have disappeared off the first page but fear not, a thread directory will be coming soon!
 
How do people here go about treating their anxiety disorders?

Myself I try to combine talk therapy, psychiatry, CBT, exercise, meditation, yoga, proper nutrition, and a regular sleeping schedule. Despite this I have had severe anxiety all my life. I am currently prescribed Gabapentin (300mg pills taken 3 times daily) for general and social anxiety disorder. At night time I take 1mg Klonopin for night time related anxiety that leads to severe insomnia as well as back pain.

Cannabis also helps me as well but I know that people (especially those who are prone to anxiety) have bad reactions to the stuff. Everyone's different, I guess.

This combo of meds and outside help has been working wonders for me, but I can't help but feel like my baseline anxiety is worse than when I started taking benzos 4 years ago. I've been on a nearly every day regimen since then...they seem to be the only trick that works 100% of the time but damned if they aren't a double edged sword.
 
hello.

it sounds like you are doing all the right stuff. many of the things you mentioned i also do on a daily basis (exercise, meditation, eating well, sleeping regularly, have taken cbt in the past..) so that is what works for me.. even though i am still pretty newly sober and the going is slow. i also take gravol and baclofen every night for insomnia, because they are the only sleeping meds i have found that (mildly) work without changing my mental state or giving nasty side effects.

so i'm not sure what to suggest. the only thing you might ask yourself is if the psychotropic properties of your medication, be it the benzos or the cannabis, might be making things harder for you. as you said, everyone's different, so correct me if i'm wrong - but in my experience any drug that gives you immediate mental relaxation will over time give you higher levels of anxiety when you are sober, like some form of constant withdrawal. you did mention the 'double edged sword' which i guess is what i'm talking about.

ps. one thing i forgot to mention is music and nature. both really help bring me back when i am too much in my head, whether it's listening to or playing music, and being in nature in any sort of way, even if it's just a walk in the park. i also like spending time with animals if i have the chance, or watching animal videos if i don't.
 
Last edited:
I B Profane said:
Cannabis also helps me as well but I know that people (especially those who are prone to anxiety) have bad reactions to the stuff. Everyone's different, I guess.
Click to expand...
it might help you in an acute sense, but smoking weed makes anxiety disorder worse overall.

I B Profane said:
I can't help but feel like my baseline anxiety is worse than when I started taking benzos 4 years ago. I've been on a nearly every day regimen since then...they seem to be the only trick that works 100% of the time but damned if they aren't a double edged sword.
Click to expand...
i had a similar experience. leaving them behind hurt for a long time, but a year or so later my anxiety has decreased.
 
Safe combinations to battle anxiety?

Hi, I've been dealing with anxiety and panic disorders for 13 years (and not very well, mind you). It's hard for me to see a doctor about this because, as you may have already guessed, doctors/travel/etc give me more anxiety.

So what I'm asking is if any of you know of a safe combination of prescription drugs (leftover from a hospital visit last year) that might help ease some of the anxiety.

I currently have:
1/3 of a handle of rum
Leftover script of Gabapentin 300mg
About 10 leftover Ativan
Tylenol PM
Benadryl

Those are the only things I have that I think might help. Sorry if this is a silly question, but I'm desperate.
 
Gabapentin is very good at relieving my social anxiety, so you could try two of those 300mg capsules.

Combos:
Gabapentin 300mg + 1/2 of normal dose of ativan
Gabapentin 300mg + 1 or 2 shots of rum


I would not advise taking either the tylenol PM or the benadryl unless youre trying to sleep. But i think the best situation would be to take 600mg of gabapentin, 1 ativan, and go see a doctor about your anxiety.
 
I would leave out the rum, tylenol, and benadryl. The gabapentin and ativan are best options for anxiety out of those, but I would call your doctor.
 
in my humble opinion, the Ativan you have leftover is going to help the most with your anxiety. Since you only have ten left, maybe take one when you are having a particularly rough time, and use the gabapentin the rest of the time. Dont mix alcohol with benzos. if you have a legitimate anxiety problem, as uncomfortable as it sounds, going to see the doctor could result in getting Rx'd a medication that will help reduce your anxiety quite a bit. just a thought...
 
Do you have anyone that can take you/drive you to the doctor? I'm sure that would make it much easier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top