Trauma – PTSD

Question:

Shana,      I had the same problem with my sex drive. I was on 20mg of Paxil and my sex drive went away. I wanted sex but didn’t at the same time. It drove my husband nuts so at my next doctors appointment my husband brought it up to the doctor and he cut my paxil in half and put me on Wellbutrin and boy has that made a difference. Maybe you ought to ask your doctor about the wellbutrin. By the way I am also new to this group. Tina

TINA’SSPOT

Response:

Thanks for the advice about the university hospital, Jackie. I hadn’t thought of that. I have tried the social service clinics and they are no good around here. The sliding scale thing is only affordable (meaning still able to pay rent after the doc) if you are pretty much homeless. As for my insurance, HMO’s are a dream in comparison for myself and my coworkers. And thanks to Shana for sharing. I feel better. I will probably be e-mailing you whenever I get up the nerve. Haley

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello everyone. I’ve just found this newsgroup, and I didn’t see a link for FAQ’s. Hi Haley, Welcome to ASAP! I believe our very own Dan has just posted the FAQS today. I have read your post and I strongly recommend you going to see a psych doctor. A psych doctor that is knowledgeable in anxiety disorders is your best bet. You need to be diagnosed, I suspect you *may* be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, but only a pdoc can tell you that. I also read that you have lousy mental health coverage, I bet it is a HMO? Mine is lousy too, and I paid out of my own pocket to see my pdoc, but it was well worth it. If you don`t have the money to pay out of pocket, try calling a local University Hospital. Many times they offer current treatments and therapy for anxiety disorders on a sliding scale. Also social service clinics are open to the public, you don`t have to be on public assistance to go to one, and you pay on a sliding scale. However, there is usually a very long waiting list to be seen by a psych doctor, sometimes up to two months. Take care. Jackie "Am I right side up or upside down? Is this real or am I dreaming?"

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello everyone. I’ve just found this newsgroup, and I didn’t see a link for FAQ’s. If there is one I’d be very grateful. While I’m here I might as well tell you about the problems I’ve been having. This may take a while…. I’m a 22 year old female, married, work full time, healthy except for anxiety. When I was 14 I started having panic attacks (hyperventilating, sweating, etc.) right after a family argument with my grandmother. I took Vistaril for that as needed. I saw a counselor for about 3 months, and since I hid all the problems I was having, the counselor thought I no longer needed to see her. The attacks continued for about 3 years. At 18, I was sexually assaulted by a man a few years older than myself. We had dated for several months a year or so before the attack, but as I understood he was my best friend, and nothing more. I went to the police immediately as I should have. He was called in for his statement and told the whole story the way it actually happened. Never tried to lie about what he did. This guy was a friend of the family. I was so torn apart that I nearly failed the classes I was taking at the time and all I wanted to do was forget. I suppose I made myself numb for the first few weeks after, and since I didn’t feel anything I didn’t seek help. Then I thought that since it had been so long ago I shouldn’t need help. I thought he would disappear somehow, so I didn’t go through with the charges. I thought he would have decency to avoid me at all costs but I was wrong. He still works at the same place as my father (they work different shifts). He even brings his new wife and baby to the retail store where I work. Now I am married to a wonderful man, have a decent job, a great apartment, 2 beautiful nieces and an awesome nephew. Life is good but it doesn’t feel good sometimes. I have been at my job for a little over 2 years and could/should have been way higher up than I am now. In the past year I have had fairly controllable PA’s, but I can’t control them anymore. I am on Vistaril again for itching due to anxiety. Last week I ran out and after 3 days of trying to get a refill from my doctor, then going to 4 other walk-in offices without being able to see a Dr., I ended up in the hospital ER. Finally got my medication but they wanted to admit me to the psych unit. I refused because I don’t feel that is necessary at this time. I used to blame all my problems on my grandmother, but now I realize I never healed emotionally from the attack. I still have issues to deal with from her as well. I forgot to mention that my grandmother was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic after she shot my grandfather in the leg. I was 4 years old and present when that happened. What I want to work on first and foremost is my marriage. My husband is what most women would make if they could create their own husbands: loving, caring, funny, sensitive, funny, great looking. I fell head over heels in love with him quickly. After almost 3 years, I still feel like a little girl when he says he loves me. We had a wonderful sex life when we got together, but after about 6 months I got less and less interested. He knows about the attack. He says the lack of sex isn’t a problem but it is showing in the way we treat each other. I would prefer not to be touched at all anymore, but at the same time I NEED to hug and kiss and snuggle (and all that other stuff!) with him I know that I need help, but where to turn is the problem. Our medical insuance pretty much sucks. It pays vitually nothing on mental health care. Medical coverage is okay but I can’t find an M.D. that will take the time to listen. What type of provider(s) are most of you seeing? I’m sorry for rambling, I really didn’t mean to. Thanks for letting me take up space on your group. I am exhausted now.

Hi Haley, Welcome to ASAP! I believe our very own Dan has just posted the FAQS today. I have read your post and I strongly recommend you going to see a psych doctor. A psych doctor that is knowledgeable in anxiety disorders is your best bet. You need to be diagnosed, I suspect you *may* be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, but only a pdoc can tell you that. I also read that you have lousy mental health coverage, I bet it is a HMO? Mine is lousy too, and I paid out of my own pocket to see my pdoc, but it was well worth it. If you don`t have the money to pay out of pocket, try calling a local University Hospital. Many times they offer current treatments and therapy for anxiety disorders on a sliding scale. Also social service clinics are open to the public, you don`t have to be on public assistance to go to one, and you pay on a sliding scale. However, there is usually a very long waiting list to be seen by a psych doctor, sometimes up to two months. Take care. Jackie "Am I right side up or upside down? Is this real or am I dreaming?"

Response:

Hi Haley, Welcome to the newsgroup! I wanted to comment on the sexual part of your post, because I am in the same situation. By the way, I am a 20 year old female, living with my boyfriend of a year and a half. We had a wonderful sex life when we got together, but after about 6 months I got less and less interested. He knows about the attack. He says the lack of sex isn’t a problem but it is showing in the way we treat each other.

This is the EXACT same thing that happened with me and my boyfriend. We had this great sex life when we first got together. I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), which makes me VERY paranoid of getting pregnant. So after I had many panic and anxiety attacks because of the fear of pregnancy, I pretty much cut off all sex and intimate relations with my boyfriend. This has been a very bad burden on both of us. I am currently taking Paxil, which has added to this problem tremendously because I have absolutely no desire to have sex now. And he is a 22 year old male, so you can imagine how wild his sex drive is! It is really hard when I have to tell him I’m not in the mood, because I really DO want to have sex and please him, there’s just all this stuff holding me back. I’ve even recently came to the decision that I would go off the Paxil just to get my libido back, but I was talked out of it by some very close friends online. Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know that you’re not alone in all of this, and that you can e-mail me anytime that you want to talk. Good luck. Shana

Response:

Hello everyone. I’ve just found this newsgroup, and I didn’t see a link for FAQ’s. If there is one I’d be very grateful. While I’m here I might as well tell you about the problems I’ve been having. This may take a while…. I’m a 22 year old female, married, work full time, healthy except for anxiety. When I was 14 I started having panic attacks (hyperventilating, sweating, etc.) right after a family argument with my grandmother. I took Vistaril for that as needed. I saw a counselor for about 3 months, and since I hid all the problems I was having, the counselor thought I no longer needed to see her. The attacks continued for about 3 years. At 18, I was sexually assaulted by a man a few years older than myself. We had dated for several months a year or so before the attack, but as I understood he was my best friend, and nothing more. I went to the police immediately as I should have. He was called in for his statement and told the whole story the way it actually happened. Never tried to lie about what he did. This guy was a friend of the family. I was so torn apart that I nearly failed the classes I was taking at the time and all I wanted to do was forget. I suppose I made myself numb for the first few weeks after, and since I didn’t feel anything I didn’t seek help. Then I thought that since it had been so long ago I shouldn’t need help. I thought he would disappear somehow, so I didn’t go through with the charges. I thought he would have decency to avoid me at all costs but I was wrong. He still works at the same place as my father (they work different shifts). He even brings his new wife and baby to the retail store where I work. Now I am married to a wonderful man, have a decent job, a great apartment, 2 beautiful nieces and an awesome nephew. Life is good but it doesn’t feel good sometimes. I have been at my job for a little over 2 years and could/should have been way higher up than I am now. In the past year I have had fairly controllable PA’s, but I can’t control them anymore.  I am on Vistaril again for itching due to anxiety. Last week I ran out and after 3 days of trying to get a refill from my doctor, then going to 4 other walk-in offices without being able to see a Dr., I ended up in the hospital ER. Finally got my medication but they wanted to admit me to the psych unit. I refused because I don’t feel that is necessary at this time. I used to blame all my problems on my grandmother, but now I realize I never healed emotionally from the attack. I still have issues to deal with from her as well. I forgot to mention that my grandmother was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic after she shot my grandfather in the leg. I was 4 years old and present when that happened. What I want to work on first and foremost is my marriage. My husband is what most women would make if they could create their own husbands: loving, caring, funny, sensitive, funny, great looking. I fell head over heels in love with him quickly. After almost 3 years, I still feel like a little girl when he says he loves me. We had a wonderful sex life when we got together, but after about 6 months I got less and less interested. He knows about the attack. He says the lack of sex isn’t a problem but it is showing in the way we treat each other. I would prefer not to be touched at all anymore, but at the same time I NEED to hug and kiss and snuggle (and all that other stuff!) with him I know that I need help, but where to turn is the problem. Our medical insuance pretty much sucks. It pays vitually nothing on mental health care. Medical coverage is okay but I can’t find an M.D. that will take the time to listen. What type of provider(s) are most of you seeing? I’m sorry for rambling, I really didn’t mean to. Thanks for letting me take up space on your group. I am exhausted now. Haley

Response:

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