More questions about meds
My b/f and I spoke again last night. He told me for the first time that he sometimes suffers from hallucinations, usually immediately or very shortly after an intense therapy session. When walking to his car, he sees someone there. His physical reaction is fear and anger to the point that he checks and double checks in and around the car before getting in. Because of what Ive read here, I told him I didnt believe it was a hallucination, but rather, a flashback triggered by some very intense discussions with his T. He agreed. What frightened me is that when this happens, he said he knows theres someone hell have to kill. Ive never seen my b/f lose his temper but I know theres a volcano stirring just under the surface. I worry that if hes seeing things that just arent there and some poor soul happens to be in the wrong place and the wrong time, someone will get hurt. When I asked if his T had said the words PTSD and medications to him, he responded that he she had. At that point, he didnt want to talk anymore and since hed had too much to drink I let it go.
This morning, I brought it up again. He didnt want to talk about it, but I did, and told him so. He didnt fight me - thank goodness. He is very resistant to the idea of medication for many reasons, not the least of which is this stupid macho thing he has going. But also, he told me that many years ago, he was given Lithium, at the recommendation of this same T. He said it didnt work, much like the therapy, which he stopped. Many years ago Lithium may have been one of the few available drugs out there, but that seems like some pretty heavy stuff to me.
Im not pushing him on the idea of medication, Ive simply asked him to keep an open mind and told him that if things get too rough, I wanted him to strongly consider it and to please talk to both his T and to me about it. His immediate reaction was to ask me if it was getting to be too much for me. No, I said, not for me and not between us. But if hes having flashbacks to the point where hes actually seeing people who may harm him or he has to kill, hes got to consider doing something about it. I told him Id support him no matter which path he chose, with or without meds, but that he had to be honest with me and most importantly himself, if things get to a point he cant handle.
The poor man barely sleeps, to the point where I dont know how he functions. The only time he seems to get any rest is on Saturday and Sunday mornings, after I crawl out of bed and go downstairs. He has the whole bed to himself and I think the fact that he knows Im just downstairs gives him a little peace of mind. But a few hours sleep on weekend mornings is not enough. He knows that, but doesnt know how to fix it.
I know that several of the men here have been on meds at various times during their recovery. Some theyve helped, some not. What are the some of the effects they have had, both positive and negative. Did they help with flashbacks, sleeping, etc.?
I was reading a bit at PTSD and found a very interesting site if anyone is interested. It proposes that the typical ptsd diagnosis may not be the correct one for survivors of long term trauma, rather, it proposes "complext PTSD" which is similar, but results from long term trauma, rather than an isolated trauma. https://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/specific/fs_complex_ptsd.html
Thanks for reading this rather long post.
ROCK ON.......Trish
This morning, I brought it up again. He didnt want to talk about it, but I did, and told him so. He didnt fight me - thank goodness. He is very resistant to the idea of medication for many reasons, not the least of which is this stupid macho thing he has going. But also, he told me that many years ago, he was given Lithium, at the recommendation of this same T. He said it didnt work, much like the therapy, which he stopped. Many years ago Lithium may have been one of the few available drugs out there, but that seems like some pretty heavy stuff to me.
Im not pushing him on the idea of medication, Ive simply asked him to keep an open mind and told him that if things get too rough, I wanted him to strongly consider it and to please talk to both his T and to me about it. His immediate reaction was to ask me if it was getting to be too much for me. No, I said, not for me and not between us. But if hes having flashbacks to the point where hes actually seeing people who may harm him or he has to kill, hes got to consider doing something about it. I told him Id support him no matter which path he chose, with or without meds, but that he had to be honest with me and most importantly himself, if things get to a point he cant handle.
The poor man barely sleeps, to the point where I dont know how he functions. The only time he seems to get any rest is on Saturday and Sunday mornings, after I crawl out of bed and go downstairs. He has the whole bed to himself and I think the fact that he knows Im just downstairs gives him a little peace of mind. But a few hours sleep on weekend mornings is not enough. He knows that, but doesnt know how to fix it.
I know that several of the men here have been on meds at various times during their recovery. Some theyve helped, some not. What are the some of the effects they have had, both positive and negative. Did they help with flashbacks, sleeping, etc.?
I was reading a bit at PTSD and found a very interesting site if anyone is interested. It proposes that the typical ptsd diagnosis may not be the correct one for survivors of long term trauma, rather, it proposes "complext PTSD" which is similar, but results from long term trauma, rather than an isolated trauma. https://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/specific/fs_complex_ptsd.html
Thanks for reading this rather long post.
ROCK ON.......Trish