PTSD Medication and The Risk of Abuse

PTSD medication is what you need, never allow PTSD to disrupt your life. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety disorder that is triggered by a traumatic or life-threatening incident. PTSD symptoms may appear in certain people after being exposed to the effects of trauma or have witnessed a traumatic incident threaten or injure others (e.g., terrorist attack, physical or sexual assault, car accident, natural disaster, war experiences, etc.).

Untreated PTSD or not taking PTSD medication can have far-reaching and debilitating effects on a person’s medical, mental, and occupational functioning, so getting PTSD medication is key. PTSD may have a significant negative impact on a child’s social and emotional growth, as well as their ability to learn.

While almost any event that is life-threatening or severely compromises an individual’s emotional well-being can cause PTSD, common triggers include witnessing or experiencing a severe accident or physical injury, receiving a frightful medical diagnosis, as such a person is the victim of a committed crime or torture, being exposed to fight against disaster, or terrorist attack, bearing any kind of violence or being involved in some form of terrorism.

Symptoms can be very disruptive to a person’s life. Nightmares, aversion to the trauma, insomnia, intense anxiety, mood swings, anger management problems, and panic attacks are symptoms. Medication will help you control your symptoms. PTSD medication Prescription drug misuse for the PTSD medication can also lead to a co-occurring condition, such as substance abuse or addiction.

One popular hypothesis about the connection between PTSD and substance abuse is that people use drugs or alcohol to avoid or numb the distressing symptoms of PTSD, which is known as self-medicating. As a result, whether you use drugs or alcohol (or both) to cope with PTSD, it can initially make you feel better. Self-medicating, on the other hand, can lead to severe issues such as depression, legal issues, alcoholism, anxiety, and so on in the long run.

PTSD Medication

Psychological and medical therapies are often used to treat PTSD or PTSD medication.

The most common approaches used in psychotherapy are: 

  • Education about the condition
  • Assisting the client in talking about the trauma directly, discussing and changing incorrect ways of thinking about it, and teaching the person how to treat symptoms (PTSD medication)
  • Counseling for families and couples, parenting courses
  • Dispute resolution education is also effective in psychotherapeutic strategies

Addressing the sleep issues associated with PTSD directly helps to relieve those issues, reducing the effects of PTSD in general and we should forget not to combine with the right PTSD medication. Specifically, imagery rehearsal therapy, preparation, and rehearsing adaptive ways of dealing with nightmares. Sleep issues associated with PTSD can be reduced with calming exercises, constructive self-talk, and screening for other sleep problems. There are several different kinds of medications that can be useful in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD/ PTSD medication);

These Include: 

  • Antidepressants: Stress disorder (PTSD). A class of medicines treats depressive disorders by fixing chemical imbalances in the brain’s neurotransmitters. They are a form of PTSD medication (e.g., sertraline, paroxetine).
  • Inhibitors of Selective Serotonin Reuptake: Serotonin is a brain chemical that influences mood. These medications are mood enhancers, and eating foods rich in tryptophan, an essential amino acid, can help the body produce more serotonin. Salmon, eggs, spinach, and seeds are among the foods that naturally increase serotonin levels in the body. Citalopram (Celexa), Escitalopram Oxalate (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Fluvoxamine (Luvox), and Paroxetine HRI (Paxil) are examples of SSRIs. These are effective PTSD medication
  • Antipsychotics: Also known as neuroleptics are a type of drug used to treat insanity (such as delusions, hallucinations, hysteria, or disordered thinking), which is common in schizophrenia in a variety of other psychotic disorders. Risperidone and Prazosin are two examples.
  • MAOIs, or Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors: These are a form of antidepressant drug. They were the first antidepressants launched in the 1950s. They’re not as common as other depression drugs these days, but they are still relevant in treating some people. Isocarboxazid and phenelzine are two examples.

Atypical antidepressants such and Mood elevators (e.g., carbamazepine, lithium) are examples of other drugs helpful PTSD medication. It will take some time to figure out the best prescription mix and dosages. Unfortunately, some patients may develop a problem with prescription drug abuse due to misusing the medication prescribed for PTSD medication, mainly if they often use illegal drugs like alcohol.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients often use or misuse medications and alcohol. PSTD medication (self-medicating) or self-treatment with drugs can explain why people with PTSD have such high rates of substance use disorders. Because of the high rate of co-occurrence between PTSD and drug abuse, researchers are working to understand the relationship better and create more reliable, personalized therapies. Substance use disorders are more likely to occur after the onset of PTSD, implying that getting PTSD raises a person’s risk of developing a substance use disorder, and getting PTSD medication is paramount.

Abuse of PTSD Medication

Chemical dependence is similar to self-injury and other forms of trauma-related impulsive behavior in that it is an attempt at self-regulation of the body. From this vantage point, we can see that addiction is the product of a desperate effort to block out intrusive memories, calm hypervigilance, and detach from anxiety when managing PTSD and taking PTSD medication.

When alcohol or PTSD medication is used to cope with PTSD symptoms, the disorder’s symptoms worsen. Alcohol and opiates, as central nervous system depressants, may exacerbate depression and anxiety while also disrupting standard sleep patterns.

We may assume, wrongly, that treating the trauma or taking PTSD medication would prevent alcohol and substance abuse. However, since the substance has hijacked our reward system, we can develop long-term tolerance (needing more of the drugs to achieve the same effect) and withdrawal symptoms (physical effects and discomfort when substance use stops).

Although it is uncommon for patients to misuse most of the drugs used to treat PTSD/ PTSD medication, it does happen. Only anti-anxiety drugs (e.g., benzodiazepines like Ativan, Xanax, and others) can produce a high that is potentially addictive. Patients can take too much or feel unable to handle such conditions without taking high doses of their prescription medication to prevent overwhelming panic and anxiety symptoms.

Any use of a prescription drug outside of a doctor’s orders is considered “abuse,” and cravings for the drug, as well as an inability to quit using the medicine despite increasing adverse effects, may indicate addiction. If you think someone is abusing or addicted to a prescription of PTSD medication, you should seek help right away.

Comprehensive Treatment/ PTSD Medication

PTSD medication alone is insufficient to treat PTSD successfully. Instead, various treatment options are available to assist patients in processing the traumatic experience and learning how to handle their symptoms.

The Following Are Some of The Treatments that Are Prescribed for PTSD Treatment/ PTSD Medication

  • Cognitive Therapy: Perspective plays a role in the power of a traumatic incident and the problems that the memories created in a person’s life. Cognitive therapy goals include identifying the experiences and thinking patterns that make trauma more challenging to handle and learning more healthy perspectives. Cognitive therapy or PTSD medication may aid those who have PTSD in coping with their distressing memories. CBT is used to treat addiction in both inpatient and outpatient opioid rehabs. CBT recovery plans for both PTSD and addiction should be coordinated by clinics that specialize in both conditions.
  • Exposure Therapy: Anxiety problems are treated with exposure therapy, a type of behavior therapy. It entails introducing the target patient to the source of anxiety or its background without intending to harm them. Doing so would help them overcome their anxiety or depression. Patients can find it difficult to talk about their trauma. Regardless, the purpose of exposure therapy is to reduce the influence of painful memories by talking about them in a safe, therapeutic atmosphere combined with proper PTSD medication.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is a technique that focuses on a traumatic memory response. When they speak about memories, patients are advised to concentrate on various stimuli such as tapping fingers, eye movements, and sounds. Patients are taught to alter how they respond to memories of their traumatic experience over time, reducing symptoms and learning new stimulation and coping strategies.
  • Physical activity can help people recover from PTSD and opioid addiction: Endorphins, which are produced during physical activity, can help to alleviate depression and anxiety. Doctors in specialist drug rehabs can also prescribe antidepressants to help with withdrawal symptoms and depression during detox.
  • Seeking Safety: SS is a non-exposure-focused treatment for co-occurring substance abuse and PTSD that consists of an average of 25 60–90 minute sessions addressing a wide range of topics such as decreasing risky behaviors, setting limits, and dealing with substance triggers. SS is a Stage I treatment in Herman’s model of trauma rehabilitation, with the primary aim of establishing protection that has been found. This recovery approach expressly forbids exploring past traumas and even while taking PTSD medication (e.g., exposure therapy).

If someone you care for is suffering from a substance abuse problem due to PTSD medication, therapy should resolve both the PTSD symptoms and the addiction disorder. For more details, call us on 615-490-9376 to be linked to a recovery center to assist you and learn more about PTSD medication.

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