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Mental Health Husband Needs Help with Mental Medication

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sabrina777

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Feb 9, 2015
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My husband was in the military for 21 years and suffers from PTSD. He suffers from anxiety and depression. He has been prescribed Lexipro, Xanax, Prozac, Zoloft, but nothing seems to work. They all either do nothing, or make him completely zombie-like, which makes his depression and anxiety even worse, as he can't leave the couch and feels like a useless failure. He is seeing his psychiatrist, but I am really sick of seeing him be a human guinea pig and am turning to this forum to see if ANY of you have any suggestions for a pill that will treat anxiety and depression, but give him some kind of energy where he can just enjoy life again. Thanks, Worried Wife
 
I would suggest looking into Kratom. It's a plant that grows wild in Asia that does wonders for depression, anxiety, pain, lack of energy, ADD, you name it. It's related to the coffee plant but acts more like a mild opiate and anti depressant. It's completely legal in the US (except TN and WS). You can order it online from several US vendors. It works on many of the same receptors as both anti depressants and opiates. While it can be addictive if taken regularly (just like everything) its far less addictive than the AD meds that you named. Read up on it. I've read a lot of stories from many people taking it in place of pharmaceuticals and having a lot of success regaining their life.
 
My instincts would tell me to turn away from pills rather than towards them. AS Mysterie said, specific therapies might be best (Cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness along with meditation.) Finding a teacher/therapist to help facilitate change on both a conscious and unconscious level could never hurt. What besides the drugs has he tried so far?
 
CBT and medication if his problems are that serious imo. May need a new psychiatrist or for him to try stronger/different antidepressants than just SSRIs they are just first line treatment. If they haven't worked doesn't mean nothing will, isn't the psychiatrist going to try a different/stronger one? Its unfortunately not a precise science so even the best can not get it right the first time or two.

I was treid on many before I came to the combo of lexapro and valdoxan which seems to work rather well most of the time but don't expect magic pills still.
 
He really should stay in contact with his doctor more and be assertive if something doesn't work well. I can't stand when they say "give it six more weeks", "I'm hurtin man!".

IMO xanax is good for no man. It creates panic attacks. It has a harsh rebound.

I can think of five antidepressants off the bat which are good and different from lexapro. Pristiq, Effexor, Wellbutrin, Parnate, Nardil, Trazodone, and Remeron are just a few of the others which are available. Parnate and Nardil come with severe diet restrictions though, which is why they're usually used only for very treatment-resistant people.

In all, there is hope! He's barely scratched the surface. And it can take a while to find the right meds. Very few people are prescribed one or two medications and feel they have been treated right.
 
^That was the first thing that I thought of TBH but did not post it due to the unavailability. The studies that MAPS are conducting have waiting lists in the hundreds. Support MAPS and support the use of psychedelics in legitimate therapeutic settings and let's hope that this someday will be available to all of us.
 
We bought some Kratom today, and it's the miracle drug we were looking for. He isn't stoned, but mellow and happy. He is off the couch, is remembering things, and isn't even irritable. Thank you so much for your reply. :)
 
I have read about a vet that had some success with ibogaine when nothing else worked. It is a psychedelic and there are definitely some risks but there is some anecdotal evidence that it is effective. Might be worth looking into as opiates are really not ever a viable long-term solution. Just an option that is out there. Best of luck.
 
I always tell people to "meditate before you medicate" anymore. It helps you get in touch with yourself and resolve your own issues, IMHO.

All pills and doctors ever did for me was produce a complete and total mess of my own person, at least. I would only ever recommend them as a very last resort, ever.

There has been a lot of work done here in the US in alternative fields like aromatherapy and accupuncture, massage, etc. A healthy lifestyle helps a lot as well (exercise, eliminating processed food, refined sugars as much as possible and......... people always give me that "dumb face" when I say it but wtf? Try eliminating pork products? It helped kick off 115 pounds of weight loss and also assisted in eliminating almost my entire depression and anxiety issue. They use artificial stress hormones to fatten up pigs, BTW if you need some science behind it.)
 
PTSD can be helped with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Quetiapine has demonstrated efficacy in PTSD as well as SSRIs if medication is what you're looking into, altho Quetiapine is obviously more of a heavy-hitter than an SSRI
 
You've mostly listed SSRIs. SNRIs like Effexor or Cymbalta can (in some people) be more effective against anxiety than SSRIs, but they're hard to come off. Of course, I'd recommend having an indepth talk with his psychiatrist about options before trying to change meds.

Topiramate (Topamax) is being investigated for PTSD and I have it on good authority that it can help with derealisation and hypervigilance. It has a horribly long list of side effects, though.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can be effective, but you need to do your research and find a good psychologist because bad CBT can make everything worse. Does he know anyone who can recommend a good psych in your area?

Basically, PTSD is a horrible thing to live with and really hard to treat. :( Your husband has all of my sympathy.
 
Oh, I just saw your reply. I'm so glad you found something that works!

Please keep us updated on how he finds it long-term.
 
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