Ahhh, but you can. My psychiatrist put me on Gabapentin and the hyper arousal stopped in its tracks. I take 200 mg a day, a very low dose, and am amazed at how successful it has been in delivering what was promised. This medication has been used for PTSD since 2000. Definitely works for me and augmented beautifully with my SSRI, Citalopram.

May this give you hope.

What's new: I was put on Gabapentin for atypical facial pain, years ago.

Let's just say ... they diagnosed me with Anticonvulsant Hypersensitivity Syndrome.

I got really, really sick.

Can't take that class of med.

Jen:

a) HOW ARE YOU ????

b) Of course, you're right. That's much of the point that I was making: my anxiety seems entirely unrelated to external factors. I just ... got switched on, when all my s*** went down, and simply haven't been able to shut 'er down.

Yet.

And I'm trained in meditation, know/do yoga, and have tried countless other modalities -- all of which I STILL use, but ... the pedal is still all the way to the metal ... far more often than not.

And when it does seem to let up -- even for a while -- I haven't been able to correlate it to anything.

May we all find and have ... peace, health, and strength.

The best PTSD anxiety summary I've seen lately was from a newcomer to DS PTSD who, after acknowledging our welcome, thanked everybody and then wrote that it helped with: "The fear, the panic, the brain freezes, the exhaustion, the distrust, the avoidance, the disassociation, etc." Just about the perfect list, imho.

So David, hope Central America's doing you well. As I mentioned, I loved my visits to Honduras, though it is a very poor country. As for me, an unusual half price plane ticket opportunity has arisen for me. I may get to spend July visiting back home in South American deep in the Southern Hemisphere. Arriba!

What'snew, I can't do meds with my kidneys any more, but I remember being on gabapentin during my meds years 1995-2010 for a while, with good results. Glad it's working for you!

On the other hand, David, I know how the body can have its own reaction to a medication. Just after my diagnosis my psychiatrist put me on a routine med that's fine for everyone else, and I got palsied and paralyzed on the entire left side of my body. Geez.

It wasn't just the side effect itself, but the drama of it. It came on when I was on a walk with my wife. She had to leave me on the side walk, go get the car, and drive me to the hospital. Ha! It was a moment. Never had another bad reaction to a med after that, thankfully, until kidney disease took me off of them all.

Until then, I think I was on just about every variety on the market, and even some experimental ones in clinical trials, too. It was one of those clinical trials working with high doses that got my kidneys, but that's water under the bridge.

Muji

sorry you went through it muj meds are highly individual and needs prof assessment we are all unique in our DNA and ability to assimilate drugs,, best to you david great topic,, for me it is klon lots of hugs from my dog a few prayers, and if need be a good cry some tiv crap what ever keeps you vertical as someone said but the main ingredient in the pie we all need is love where ever you can get it that you dont have to jeopardize yourself for it,, this is one of the best rooms on here many vets on ptsd take advantage peace bmw