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PTSD and Nightmares

Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Jun 8, 2023 | Replies (12)

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@lizzy102

I retired from working with combat veterans, psychotherapy, PTSD management. One treatment that has relatively strong success rates is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, To find a therapist look up CBT or ask your doctor for a referral. If you are a combat veteran, make an appointment at your nearest Vet Center.
There are some other very promising treatments on the horizon. Start here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-psychedelic-drugs-may-become-a-key-treatment-for-ptsd-and-depression-180979983/. The research is exciting.

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Replies to "I retired from working with combat veterans, psychotherapy, PTSD management. One treatment that has relatively strong..."

@johnbishop, and all...I was recently diagnosed with PTSD and my doctor prescribed probably the same blood pressure medicine as you tried Prazosin. It's a very low dose, 1mg, and so after he ck'd with my cardiologist, we changed my metoprolol to take 1 tablet in the morning, 1 tablet in midafternoon, then the Prazosin at bedtime.

I'm pleased to say my blood pressure is doing well, and under control, and the new med has helped my night terrors. I still have nightmares, which I do need to relay to my doctor, but no night terrors. Those are so horrible I'm terrified upon waking, gasping for breath, can't think. have terrible tremors, full body. Before taking this med, I had them frequently and it took 2-3 days to recover. Now, I have nightmares that still cause sweating and tremors, but usually, I bounce back, ha! within a few hours after waking, by calming my breathing, focusing on reality, hugging myself, and sometimes turning over to a comfy fetal position for peace. It helps. Also, my sweet kitty often comes to my side and curls up close or even close to my head and lays her head on mine. It's amazing how she knows and responds so. Her purr is loud and the consistent rhythm with the sound is very comforting.

Now, I'm working on reducing panic attacks while awake. The night terrors are reduced, so I'm extremely pleased with the drug. It may need tweaking a bit, we'll see. I'll let you folks know as it happens.

I hope the research continues for us all who suffer from this trauma. Every night with a nightmare is bad, but the terrors are so hard on my body, I don't think I can tolerate many such nights. My aneurysm may not survive!

Hopefully, we'll be able to help each other here and find new solutions that work for us. Be well, Be blessed. elizabeth