
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Support Group
Find support with others who have gone through a traumatic experience. Whether you have chronic or acute PTSD, we are here for you.
Sleepness nights and panic attacks..HELP!!!!!

deleted_user
Hey
I think I have PTSD after the last thing that happend to me (check my profile if u need to know)...I really want to know how to cope. I carry pepper spray when I leave the house. Im too scared to walk my dogs after dark. I cant even walk to my car after like 10 w/o someone watching because Im so scared someones going to sexually harass me, mug me, kill me, etc. I mean Im sleeping on the couch b/c Im 2 scared to go into my bedroom for fear that if someone broke in, I wouldnt be able to hear them upstairs. (I live w my mom in a town house in the suburbs)
How can I deal? Sometimes my door will creak (from wind)& I will have a panic attack or I will stay up for hrs listening. Nobodys ever broken in b4 but I sleep w the lights on and tv on mute to look like someone is awake. i cant afford a security system like Brinks and Ive tried the fake ones but all have ended up not working
any advice?
I think I have PTSD after the last thing that happend to me (check my profile if u need to know)...I really want to know how to cope. I carry pepper spray when I leave the house. Im too scared to walk my dogs after dark. I cant even walk to my car after like 10 w/o someone watching because Im so scared someones going to sexually harass me, mug me, kill me, etc. I mean Im sleeping on the couch b/c Im 2 scared to go into my bedroom for fear that if someone broke in, I wouldnt be able to hear them upstairs. (I live w my mom in a town house in the suburbs)
How can I deal? Sometimes my door will creak (from wind)& I will have a panic attack or I will stay up for hrs listening. Nobodys ever broken in b4 but I sleep w the lights on and tv on mute to look like someone is awake. i cant afford a security system like Brinks and Ive tried the fake ones but all have ended up not working
any advice?
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Are you on any meds??
Have you seen a Psychiatrist?? Maybe see a new one, try to find one that deals with PTSD.
Dogs are GREAT! They are great protectors...if you get the right kind...not a little tiny dog. I have a Weimaraner, and she is a GREAT Protector, yet good with kids. She is ultra-protective when DH is gone. Men are scared of her b/c of her size and she has a mean bark when she wants to, and BIG Teeth. Look in my photo section for pics of her. She's a Big Baby to me, sleeps with me in my bed, but I wouldn't stay home alone without her here. I feel protected with her here.
You definitely need to calm your anxiety....PTSD is anxiety based.
I have TWO service dogs and THEY ROCK! I can only leave the house when I have them both! You could look into making your dogs service dogs.
Also, you should look for a therapist who is *CERTIFIED* in EMDR. (People say it does WONDERS.) Also, propranolol is good for panic attacks. Talking with a psychiatrist who is *TRAINED* and knowledgeable and totally keeps up with PTS is *very* important. There are some meds which are sedatives and can help you sleep. Me? I'm like most of the people here - sometimes I'm up all night from the adrenaline and then my body gets worn out and I crash for a few days and finally get rest.
I *totally* sleep better with the dogs and I know that it is only when my fluffy dog barks that something is going on. Still... hypervigilence is the name of PTS. Antihistamines are helpful. Check out the post "Med Ideas & Why" for some helpful info to take to counseling/doctors.
Anyway, for non-medicine alternatives, Yoga is pretty awesome. Meditation can be good too. With PTS, you probably need the yoga to help your brain get distracted enough to get to meditation. It feels great and can really help. Still, I find it doesn't last long enough anymore - not even an hour. I would still encourage it, though. At the beginning, I'd say the best things are propranolol, Yoga, antihistamines and EMDR. The sooner you can remove triggers and the sooner you can get your body to learn how to go back to "neutral" instead of being over revved with catecholamines (fight-or-flight hormones).
Ive gone w/o medication for awhile but my moods are noticably different when im not on them. im not some doped out junkie with them, ive stopped using one med when my dc upted it up too much. after the first day i flushed them down the toilet.
ive tried yoga and meditation but i cant really quiet my mind enough for it to really take effect. also im so focused on the pose that its relaxing but yeah thats about it. Prayer works for me but sometimes when i get scared, ill be walking and praying and crying all at the same time and im still scared.
been talking to my counselor but yeah still in the same boat