ptsd Should I Be Concerned?

[coastie72]

I was just released today from a Psych Unit after a one week stay.

My current rating is 60%; 10% Tinnitus and 50% MDD secondary to Tinnitus/PTSD.

I have now been put on Latuda (Lurasidone ) and Lithium as treatment for Bipolar Depression.

Dr's, orders Latuda 60 mg at bedtime for Bipolar Depression.

""""""""""" Lithium SR300 mg at bedtime for mood stabilization and suicidal ideation.

""""""""""" Prazosin 2 mg at bedtime for nightmares.

I'm not feeling very positive about this Bipolar diagnosis.

I have been considering asking for an increase, now I am unsure.

Opinions Please,

Coastie72

[Berta]

Coastie ,I strongly suggest that you look up those meds on any good internet web site to be sure they are not contraindicating each other or something else VA has prescribed for you.

Bi Polar is an odd jump from:

"50% MDD secondary to Tinnitus/PTSD."

I am glad you are back here but I dont even understand the MDD as secondary to PTSD.diagnosis.

During that week (I assume at a VAMC)?? were you seen by a psychiatrist more then once?

I would get a copy of those hospital records, ASAP, if I were you..

.

[coastie72]

Actually Berta, I phrased it wrong. The MDD is secondary to the Tinnitus and the PTSD is a standalone.

At my C&P they rated me as they do all of us in a lump, MDD/PTSD 50%

To answer the other question, yes, I had a daily meeting with a treatment team that included anywhere from 7-10 people. The Psychiatrist, Psychologist, 3 RN's, 2 Recreational Therapist, A Social Worker, Chaplain, and a couple that I'm not sure what they were. All were actively taking notes.

Also several of these folks, mainly the RN's and Chaplain would seek me out for one on one during the day after the morning team meeting. I heard the phrase Bipolar Type II a couple of times????

Coastie ,I strongly suggest that you look up those meds on any good internet web site to be sure they are not contraindicating each other or something else VA has prescribed for you.

Bi Polar is an odd jump from:

"50% MDD secondary to Tinnitus/PTSD."

I am glad you are back here but I dont even understand the MDD as secondary to PTSD.diagnosis.

During that week (I assume at a VAMC)?? were you seen by a psychiatrist more then once?

I would get a copy of those hospital records, ASAP, if I were you..

.

[Berta]

My concern is that, does the SC PTSD diagnosis still stand , or could VA now say, you dont have PTSD, and that the bi polar is Not service connected.

Bi polar symptoms are not like PTSD and the meds are different.

It would seem to me that since you have already proven a PTSD stressor, maybe they would continue to diagnose you ,still with the PTSD, with bi polar maybe as secondary?

(But to me that medically doesn't make sense)


Are these new meds above,in addition to any MDD PTSD meds you take?

Bi Polar Type II involves symptoms that are not like PTSD. There is often manic states.

I have a friend with BP Type II. It took over ten years to get him service connected.

From Nada SC to 100% P & T. ALmost 1/4 of a million retro.

He was so happy that I helped him that he wanted to take me out to lunch......

(In a European country.)

He was obviously in a state of BP Type II mania. I did not see evidence of anything like that in any of your posts here.

I am very concerned at this new diagnosis.My friend didnt get his retro for many months until they declared his wife as his payee, due to VA incompetence.

This vet is a very smart guy and often extremely rationale but he agreed with me that the VA incompetence idea was a good one.

But would the VA try to consider you incompetent too due to BP Type II?

"I had a daily meeting with a treatment team that included anywhere from 7-10 people. The Psychiatrist, Psychologist, 3 RN's, 2 Recreational Therapist, A Social Worker, Chaplain, and a couple that I'm not sure what they were. All were actively taking notes."

That's great ...but if they were employed by the VA , you might want to consider getting a second opinion from a non VA doctor.

Edited April 22, 2015 by Berta

[coastie72]

My concern is that, does the SC PTSD diagnosis still stand , or could VA now say, you dont have PTSD, and that the bi polar is Not service connected.

Bi polar symptoms are not like PTSD and the meds are different.

It would seem to me that since you have already proven a PTSD stressor, maybe they would continue to diagnose you ,still with the PTSD, with bi polar maybe as secondary?

(But to me that medically doesn't make sense)

Are these new meds above,in addition to any MDD PTSD meds you take?

Bi Polar Type II involves symptoms that are not like PTSD. There is often manic states.

I have a friend with BP Type II. It took over ten years to get him service connected.

From Nada SC to 100% P & T. ALmost 1/4 of a million retro.

He was so happy that I helped him that he wanted to take me out to lunch......

(In a European country.)

He was obviously in a state of BP Type II mania. I did not see evidence of anything like that in any of your posts here.

I am very concerned at this new diagnosis.My friend didnt get his retro for many months until they declared his wife as his payee, due to VA incompetence.

This vet is a very smart guy and often extremely rationale but he agreed with me that the VA incompetence idea was a good one.

But would the VA try to consider you incompetent too due to BP Type II?

"I had a daily meeting with a treatment team that included anywhere from 7-10 people. The Psychiatrist, Psychologist, 3 RN's, 2 Recreational Therapist, A Social Worker, Chaplain, and a couple that I'm not sure what they were. All were actively taking notes."

That's great ...but if they were employed by the VA , you might want to consider getting a second opinion from a non VA doctor.

Thank you as always Berta!

I just don't know how much more I can take of the VA.

Dammit, I nearly kill myself on April 13th ,spend a week in the hospital to find out they might be squeezing me out!

So much for the week of help, I can't continue this..........I thought they truly cared, what a damn idiot, I should have taken that step.

I am struggling to find positive thoughts right now. Bastards!

[john999]

Lithium is a potentially toxic mineral that must be closely monitored via blood work. If the levels get too high or too low you can be in trouble if you have mania. Lithium is a treatment for mania mainly. Are you manic at times? I was once put on Depakote and I got so lost I did not even know how to get home. The difference between MDD and bipolar 11 is pretty arbitrary. You must have had at least one manic episode. I was once DX'ed with Bipolar 11 and then the VA changed it couple more times. If you have ever seen a person who is really manic you will know if you are. If you are crazy and they don't know what else they will say schizophrenia. These DX'es are arbitrary especially the way the VA uses them.

John

[broncovet]

Mental health disorders are all rated on symptoms, not whether you take lithium, prozac or whatever. To try to figure out your potential rating then you should compare your symptoms with the criteria:

This is how mental health disorders are rated:

General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders:

Total occupational and social impairment, due to such symptoms as:

gross impairment in thought processes or communication;

persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate

behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent

inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance

of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory

loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name 100

Occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas,

such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood,

due to such symptoms as: suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals

which interfere with routine activities; speech intermittently illogical,

obscure, or irrelevant; near-continuous panic or depression affecting

the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively;

impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods

of violence); spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and

hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including

work or a worklike setting); inability to establish and maintain

effective relationships 70

Occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and

productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial,

circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once

a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment

of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned

material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired

abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in

establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships 50

Occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work

efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational

tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine

behavior, self-care, and conversation normal), due to such symptoms

as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks (weekly or

less often), chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss (such as

forgetting names, directions, recent events) 30

Occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms

which decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational

tasks only during periods of significant stress, or; symptoms controlled

by continuous medication 10