Trauma – PTSD

Question:

: I want to thank Carol and Arthur for responding to my message about my : loud noise phobia.   No problem Harry. That’s what we do here. : In response to Arthur’s question about medication, I : have tried none.  The psychologist I saw at the time did not feel that : medication was a good option and I feel that being drugged into not : caring about loud noises would leave me in a position where I would : still be avoiding the problem and would still not enjoy whatever : situation I was in, due to the medication.  Perhaps someone can explain : what these drugs make you feel like and what side-effects there are : (Carol mentioned upset stomach). You know, I avoided medications for several years for the exact same reasons. I thought they would simply tranquilize me out of caring about my panic attacks. My therapist felt that it would simply be avoiding the real issues and that it would just complicate therapy. To me, simply trying a medication without some precise diagnosis was reminiscent of Timothy Leary and the reckless drug experimentation of the sixties. There was no way I was going to play with my brain chemistry until I understood what was supposed to be happening. Over a summer, however, I started reading up about some of the medications used to treat panic disorder; specificly, SRI medications such as Paxil, Prozac, etc., and benzodiazepines such as Xanax. I’m not sure which medication would be most appropriate for you to try, but I strongly support your desire to learn about the medications before using them. There are some handy tables and definitions in the ASAP Dictionary you find helpful (http://www.netaxs.com/people/aca3/). At some point, you may want to consult a psychiatrist just to discuss the matter, and the best place to find a knowledgable psychiatrist is through your local university hospital. As for what such medications feel like… well, the only thing I feel when taking Xanax is that my anxiety comes back down to comfortable levels. Xanax never made me feel spacey or tranquilized or anything like that, just made me feel somewhat normal once again. I do have a few subtle side effects with Paxil (like feeling a little slow or tired) but I feel so much better than when I was having attacks. : I don’t know how to fight the fear of an unseen enemy.  It’s not like I : can see the sound coming and prepare for it.  The anticipation is deadly : and I am already stressing out a little about the 4th of July.  I’m glad : to hear I’m not the only one with a noise phobia. I found that my panic disorder introduced allot of phobic responses I never had before. I’m still struggling with a little acrophobia (heights) which was strange for me since I’m an ex-mountaineer. I was also surprised to discover that my PD gave me some claustrophobia too. Anxiety and panic disorders not only amplify phobias, but can even introduce new ones.                                         Best Wishes,                                         Arthur

Response:

Whoops!! Forgot to sign my name. Carol McGann

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HI I have seldom posted in this ng altho I read it a lot looking for exactly what Harry wrote. I have the same phobia, I think. (For some reason I didn’t see Harry’s original message, only Arthur’s reply.) It is the first time I have ever heard of anyone else with "my" phobia. To say this phobia is incapacitating is understatement. The anticipation is the worst. Over the years I’ve done much work to lessen it, with some slight improvement to show for my trouble. I believe now that I know how it started, but that knowledge doesn’t help as by now the phobia has taken on a life of its own. They do that. Gradual exposure to the phobic stimuli is the only treatment that has helped noticably, but the best I have been able to do is turn an "I gotta get away from this at all costs" (phobic) reaction into "I hate it," which is an improvement. And it doesn’t work all the time. No medicine has ever helped, and I think I’ve taken aboutr everything. Well, when I was on Prozac and its clones I think I detected a little improvement, but I had to go off those before I could judge because they upset my stomach too much. I’d like to hear more from Harry about his experiences, as I did not see his original message.

I want to thank Carol and Arthur for responding to my message about my loud noise phobia.  In response to Arthur’s question about medication, I have tried none.  The psychologist I saw at the time did not feel that medication was a good option and I feel that being drugged into not caring about loud noises would leave me in a position where I would still be avoiding the problem and would still not enjoy whatever situation I was in, due to the medication.  Perhaps someone can explain what these drugs make you feel like and what side-effects there are (Carol mentioned upset stomach). A litttle more about my phobia.  I don’t know how or why it started. Aside from a slight fear of heights (which doesn’t stop me from doing anything except skydiving) and a bit of shyness socially, I have no other phobias.  I can’t explain why I fear the noise, only that I would do anything short of killing someone to avoid having to hear them.  I happily ran track as a kid until one day a starters gun was used at a meet and I backed out of my race.  I stay indoors on the 4th of July and avoid being in any amusement park after dark if they shoot off fireworks.  The only sound I can even stand to be somewhat near is the balloon popping arcade games, but they make me very uncomfortable.  My heart races, my palms sweat and I focus only on the anticipation of the noise to come.  I don’t know why it happens and it drives me crazy that I act like a scared little kid around any situation involving sudden noises.  I even get skittish during thunderstorms, awaiting the one or two really loud thunderclaps when the storm passes overhead. I don’t know how to fight the fear of an unseen enemy.  It’s not like I can see the sound coming and prepare for it.  The anticipation is deadly and I am already stressing out a little about the 4th of July.  I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one with a noise phobia.  I would like to hear more about Carol’s experiences and how anyone has tried to deal with something like this. Thanks again for listening and I hope I can find peace from my demon! Feel free to E-Mail me personally if someone wants to correspond about this particular problem without boring the rest of the group.

Response:

HI I have seldom posted in this ng altho I read it a lot looking for exactly what Harry wrote. I have the same phobia, I think. (For some reason I didn’t see Harry’s original message, only Arthur’s reply.) It is the first time I have ever heard of anyone else with "my" phobia. To say this phobia is incapacitating is understatement. The anticipation is the worst. Over the years I’ve done much work to lessen it, with some slight improvement to show for my trouble. I believe now that I know how it started, but that knowledge doesn’t help as by now the phobia has taken on a life of its own. They do that. Gradual exposure to the phobic stimuli is the only treatment that has helped noticably, but the best I have been able to do is turn an "I gotta get away from this at all costs" (phobic) reaction into "I hate it," which is an improvement. And it doesn’t work all the time. No medicine has ever helped, and I think I’ve taken aboutr everything. Well, when I was on Prozac and its clones I think I detected a little improvement, but I had to go off those before I could judge because they upset my stomach too much. I’d like to hear more from Harry about his experiences, as I did not see his original message.

Response:

Hi Harry, Welcome to ASAP

: I tried a psychologist a few years ago, but found that : cognitive therapy was going nowhere.   You ought to visit our Amusing Panics web site and read Chuck’s classic tale of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) gone astray. http://www.netaxs.com/people/aca3/ : My anticipation of the noise is too great for any breathing : exercise to help.  I am deathly afraid of fireworks, guns and even the : sound of a balloon popping is very uncomfortable to me. Many of us with anxiety and panic disorders become hypersensitive to stimuli (such as sound, light, etc.). : Aside from medication to the point of unconsciousness, is there any : likely chance for successful cure in a lifetime sufferer. Which medications have you tried so far? : I appreciate any help and will become a frequent participant in this : newsgroup.  I’m glad it exists!! I felt the same when I first found ASAP too. Welcome to the group. Feel free to post or e-mail us any time.                                         Best Wishes,                                         Arthur

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I just found this newsgroup this morning after seeing a show on TV last night about panic disorders.  I am looking for some assurance that I am not alone in my particular type of phobia and hopefully that someone has conquered it and knows how I can get similar help. I have had an unexplained, uncontrollable fear of sudden loud noises for my entire life.  My parents did nothing about it and I am not going on 35 and avoid situations rather than face the problem.  I tried a psychologist a few years ago, but found that cognitive therapy was going nowhere.  My anticipation of the noise is too great for any breathing exercise to help.  I am deathly afraid of fireworks, guns and even the sound of a balloon popping is very uncomfortable to me. Aside from medication to the point of unconsciousness, is there any likely chance for successful cure in a lifetime sufferer. I appreciate any help and will become a frequent participant in this newsgroup.  I’m glad it exists!!         – Harry

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