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Ptsd Stressor Is Getting In The Way Of Life

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Just want to vent - don't know what to do. I had an eye appointment today. My daughter usually goes with me,or if she cannot, another sister veteran steps in. Turns out neither one could go with me today, so I decided that I could do this.

Well, I was extremely anxious, but marched on. Everything fell apart when the technician walked in. I had a panic attack right in the office - the man looked exactly like my rapist.

I ran out and drove home. I was a mess - still am, although a little bit calmer.

I feel horrible. This man was just doing his job. I could not say what was wrong with me when they kept asking. I felt so ashamed and guilty.

When does it end?

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I cannot thank all of you enough for your words of support. The bonds we have as veterans, whether male or female, are unbreakable and I cherish them. I am in awe of all of you who have gone through this process and appreciate so much all of the advice I have gotten. I hope I will be able to help a veteran myself, someday.

I am glad you all are "there." God bless you.

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Its the "Never ending story". We do the best we can, when we can. Understand it is not you but the disorder. Been there, done that!

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Pete, you mention Xanax. Is that for anxiety? My VA psychiatrist has never prescribed anything that I could take to get through an attack or past the worst of the stress.

I know there used to be medications that would help people calm down in stressful situations, but I thought they weren't used any more. I wonder why my psychiatrist hasn't suggested something like this, especially when I've told her many times about the panic attacks I have. I feel like a fool for struggling against going to the VAMC if there could be a way to face it calmly.....

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Let me stress this for me. The only thing that I have to stop a panic attack once it gets into gear is to put a 1 mg xanax under my tongue and deal with the bitter taste. Within a few minutes I start to level out and calm down. Shrinks and Docs at VA have prescribed me a fair amount of xanax since 1991.

Contrary to what a lot of the so called experts say many with anxiety take xanax for years and do not abuse their prescriptions. Its not for everybody and it really comes down to convincing your Doc that you need it and see if it works.

It is true that you become physically dependent and will suffer withdrawal as I have several times when the VA was late with my prescriptions. Yes Meds by mail still sucks and my last prescription took over a week to get to me.

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Hey, you can become dependent on clonazepam and it is a very benign drug of that class. I can't sleep without it. It is a slow acting anxiety drug, but if you stop taking it suddenly you will have unhappy experience. I did it before and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't abuse it but I use it. You have to taper off very slowly if you decide to do that. It makes me snore because it relaxes throat muscles. That is why I want off of it, but what is there to replace it. Ambien gives me amnesia. Prozac makes me impotent. Thank God for medical science.

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I've been taking clonazepam for over a year. If I don't take it, I'm awake all night no matter how tired I am. It still doesn't stop the dreams that wake me up in the early morning.

I can see how a drug like xanax could be dangerous, but I don't think I'd use it often, unless it's like clon and you have to take it daily. I'm looking for something that will calm me down in a given situation, like being faced with the VAMC for an appointment, knowing that the appt is up an elevator and my feet can't stand multiple flights of stairs.

But I'm also terrified of being 'out of it'. I need to feel like I can be alert if I need to be.

I'm just looking for the same magic pill that will make everything okay. Me and everyone else.

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