epping

I used to take trazodone but gave it up. seemed like the 'cure' was worse than the disease. Now I take 1 mg of ativan or 30 mg of temazepam in the evening and sleep well for the most part. somedays, I skip the benzos completely and take mirtazapine which REALLY knocks me out, but the quality of sleep is so-so.

I send VA meds to my dad in Asia. THey are controlled substances. The VA would not ship them but they send them to me and I forward them. THe customs in the receiving country is not always happy that morphine is being shipped there. I just have to make sure I use all the forms and that I include a copy of the med info with the waybill. Has made it everytime...so far!

I've taken both. I prefer lorazepam because it lasts longer and it is slightly less addictive. I take it pretty much for the same reason you do. It is a godsend, but be careful. The best advice I ever got about both of these medications is to take only when you really need to calm down; do not just take it regularly, like blood pressure medication, otherwise you'll have develop tolerance and have to take more to get the same effect, and that's when you know you're headed for trouble. My doctor said to take it 'maybe 20 days out of 30' . They are both available in generic and stocked in the VA formulary.

I have good luck with lorazepam (ativan). Works fast (not nearly as fast as xanax, though) and it really knocks the edge off.

While I was not in combat (was in the navy), I did experience some trauma (which I won't bore you all with) during my stint. It very much negatively impacts my life today, hence the involvement with the Vet center. Hell, I'm not even sure I wan't to go through the hassles of fighting for what could be years all for a measly 20% rating or whatever, especially after reading the horror stories. My main concern is protecting my treatment options for the conditions I described, which I consider to be GW related. I worry that that without a rating, I may lose out getting treatment in the future, which I have be receiving due to being PGW, thus far. EP ps. thanks for the info.

I realize this may sound silly but I need some advice. BTW., I've been through this whole forum and others, so I have read the info, it's just too much to digest. I'm PGW vet, I have all the symptoms of IBS and have for years (however, no mention of it in SMR). I also have chronic sleep disorder. I went to the gulf war registry exam. I talked about the sleep disorder (night sweats, nightmares, cannot stay asleep without meds, etc). I also talked about chronically painful joints. (I'm still in my thirties but I feel like I'm 90) A few weeks later I got a letter thanking me for participating, at the bottom of the letter, it stated, 'you have the following major health problems: sleep disorder, joint pain, mood disorder (the last item, while true, was never discussed in the environmental registry exam!?) He scheduled me to go see the sleep clinic, which I'm supposed to be going to soon. I also was sent to my new primary care Dr. He asked a few PTSD questions. I told him I'd started seeing the Vet center for that, and he said he would make a consult to Mental Health. Also, he referred me to the GI consult. What does it take to successfully file an IBS claim for PGW vet, if there is not mention in the SMR? I know this a 'presumptive condition'. I have complained and been seen by the VA about it in the past but they never did a GI referral. If they do a GI workup and find nothing, then what happens to my claim. As far as the joint pain goes, that has been increasingly problematic for me and has no apparent cause. The Rheum tests and other blood tests all came back negative, so the DRs have not been able to diagnose it. They just prescribe drugs for it. Does this potentially qualify as 'undiagnosed illness'. What do you need to launch a claim on this with a reasonable chance of prevailing? Do I have to get my dr to say something to the effect of it being more likely than not....? or is PGW sufficient? ps. None of these conditions are documented in my SMR, but the VA does have me as being in the theater of conflict jan 1990- aug 1991. I appreciate your time and advice. Thanks! Ep