Looking for old board members, if you can please check in

[soul]

So I had a call from the local phyc team, I am looking at 4-5 months before I see anybody, I’m thinking now I have to figure something out for myself I’m
not to sure what that is yet, but going to bounce some idea’s off my sister / nurse over coffee

[agate]

Hi soul,
I'm not sure what the phyc team is but am wondering why there has to be such a long wait.

You do know that you can ask to be notified if there's a cancellation so that you can get an earlier appointment? This doesn't always work but it might be worth a try.

[flatcap]

Hi, soul.

Sorry to hear you have to wait months to see a behavioral health specialist.

It know it's probably little consolation, but that has been my experience, too. There just aren't enough of them to go around.

Hope you and your sister can come up with something for you. Agate's idea is worth pursuing, too. If you never ask, the answer is always no.

[soul]

Well it’s Canada socialized health care, over coffee we came up with a few ideas I will know in a few weeks if I can see a person about this issue
soul

[agate]

Glad your sister is an RN! My sister was an RN too and her training and experience came in handy any number of times.

[flatcap]

Hi, soul.

I hope your appointment with your provider went well.

You should check in from time to time.

I'm sure everyone would like to hear from you.

[agate]

Ditto that.

[soul]

Hello friends, sorry I haven’t been around, but I have been dealing with Dr about my issues. In discussions with the Phyc team I brought up a question about drug trials and if any of the team has dealt with a person who has taken part in drug trials, nobody had. In talks with my sister I suggested I work with my GP. I have never discussed the drug trials with anybody. I brought up my suggestion to the team, and they they to my GP, he agreed. So I have had two sessions with my GP, and yes they the phyc team and GP both agree I am living with PTSD do to the drug trials

Seeing I have never discussed this with anybody quite a few memories are coming back , needless to say I leave in tears but I am hoping over time the tears will clear and regain some of my sanity back
soul

[agate]

soul, your post sounds very sad and troubled. I'm afraid you might need to refresh some memories around here as I (for one) don't recall the details--and we no longer can look up old posts in the Archives. It sounds as if you were in some drug trials but very much regret doing those because you now have PTSD as a result???

That must be really grim. Have you been treated for the PTSD? I understand that a few of the SSRIs are often prescribed for it (SSRI - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor but you knew that already). Maybe this will be of some help:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Or maybe you are over the PTSD by now but somehow it doesn't sound as if you are.

If it's not too painful to discuss, I hope you'll describe the drug trials that caused the PTSD. They must have been extremely stressful, or maybe the drugs that were being tried had severe side effects--?

[flatcap]

Soul, regardless of the details or its cause, I hope you can get help with your PTSD. I would not, however, look to medication alone. In my experience, you will also need therapy.

Not to discourage you, but my own story is not one of success. I tell it here to let you know that you are not alone and to illustrate the limitations of drug therapy.

I worked for 30+ years to heal the PTSD I still suffer from the horrific abuse I endured as a child. Unfortunately, my therapist died awhile ago, so that part of my journey toward wellness has all but ended.

What I have left are the meds I now take for the symptoms of my PTSD. Having gone round and round with them, I can tell you they are no panacea. You will probably need a good support system well beyond that. I have none, and I can tell you the drugs alone are not enough, not by a long shot.

I would also advise you to be wary of taking SSRIs in particular. Among other things, one possible side effect is suicidal ideation. The labels warn this happens mostly in younger people, but my experience tells me it also occurs in adults. I think about killing myself every day, and the SSRIs I used to be on only made it worse. I am fortunate, I guess, to still be around.

I hope you have better luck at the game — and believe me, it is a one. It will take a lot of hard work on your part to keep playing it, much less win.

[soul]

Good morning, DX 89 RRMS enrolled in PRISMS trials late 93-94, low dose (IFN) 4 years I was having emotional problems on that dose then pushed to the high dose and it became manic, most of this stuff I really have just memories of anger shaking in anger screwed up thoughts self destructive, the thoughts were frightening. And yes there is much more to come, and without drugs
soul

[agate]

Yikes. Your experience may have been one reason this statement appears when I look up the PRISMS trial for Rebif, which is probably the drug you tried:

Use Rebif with caution in patients with depression, a common condition in people with multiple sclerosis. Depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts have been reported to occur with increased frequency in patients receiving interferon compounds, including Rebif.

flatcap seems to have had extensive experience with PTSD and highly recommends therapy over drugs. Generally speaking it's good to avoid drugs whenever possible, and there are several types of therapy being used. They're described in the link I posted earlier.

[flatcap]

flatcap seems to have had extensive experience with PTSD and highly recommends therapy over drugs. Generally speaking it's good to avoid drugs whenever possible, and there are several types of therapy being used. They're described in the link I posted earlier.

FWIW, I did not explicitly recommend therapy over medications. They are not mutually exclusive.

What I was trying to say was that drugs alone have not been enough in my case. Frankly, I would be stunned to find they were for anyone. Maybe mild cases of PTSD can be handled (cured?) that way.

If you look at the efficacy stats on the website you linked to, they are not encouraging. In round numbers, they report success rates of only about 50% for the treatments they show for PTSD.

Perhaps pursuing more than one of them at the same time is, in fact, additive and can bring it up to 100%. I seriously doubt it, though. That has never been my experience without a support system to back it all up. If, like me, a person doesn't have one, I think they are likely to find it more of an uphill battle than it probably would be if they did.

[soul]

To be honest Iv’e been self medicating with psychedelic’s for about 8 years, though talking about it does ease some thoughts, I dont like talking about it or even thinking about it. But at times it does creep in.
soul

[flatcap]

I doubt it will help, but I will not bash you for self-medicating. I won't say it's the best thing a person can do, but sometimes that's all there is. I'm not saying you're one of them, but a lot of people have no other choice available to them.