All are just stupid answers! This is my problem alone? I did not create this mess, I am asking them to look into medication issues, to sort this out because by now it can not all be because of me! There is good therapy out there and yet it is not offered or available to my husband neither through the VA or outside the VA? Medication is only a band aid to mask the symptoms or lesson them, this will NEVER cure them. PTSD is NOT curable, only manageable with proper therapy and even medications used responsibly!

The VA's own PTSD website sites the following therapies for PTSD:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

EMDR
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
Medication
Group therapy

Brief psycho dynamic psychotherapy

Family therapy



In November 2008 after receiving "another bottle of pills", that my husband did not order bringing my husbands medicine up I think to almost 3 months overstock, another issue we were having with the VA medications. I had both called the clinic, but no notes are available and confronted my husband as to why why he was still getting bottles of medication when he was told by me he did not need anymore. He could not explain it to me except stating they always ask him if he is low on his meds and he is not sure when at his appointments and may have said yes and they reordered them? It did not explain his getting so many bottles of pills in the mail since March 2008 so I called the VA Pharmacy at that time to explain the situation and have them look into it. They again refused to answer any direct questions due to no release form to speak with me, which by this point I was so sick of hearing about the release form I could have screamed! That was the answer I got every time I called anymore! I am not asking for information at that point they now have information to check into it!

So I told the VA pharmacy to no longer send anymore medications and that I had 3 months worth already on hand and to find out what was going on. They put a hold on my husband medicines at that time. It was that same day I decided to throw out every bottle of the Serquel I had in the house after speaking to a few people about the whole situation. They were using the Serequol for sleeping and yet it is a medication for Bi-polar/Schizophrenia? I also began monitoring his medication even more closely as to watching the mail for more medications from now on.

One thing I immediately noticed the first week was an improvement in his mental process and even though he still stated he had trouble sleeping I monitored his sleep and did not note any real serious deviation except him being a bit more restless but at least I could rouse him finally if I needed. Before when he was taking all these medications if a fire had broken out I feared I would not be able to wake him up to save him if I had to, he slept so deep on these medications sometimes I swore he had stopped breathing. To help him with his sleep he started taking the natural sleep aid, melatonin which appeared to help him relax before bedtime and sleep better.

Late November or early December 2008, I also had my husband request a copy of his progress notes and medical information to take to an outside evaluation we finally were able to schedule. At that outside evaluation at CAMC they wanted my husband to #1 get a sleep apnea test done right away based on symptoms.

Progress Notes: December 2008, make no note of the telephone calls about the medication coming via the mail in November, nor do they address this issue at anytime in any of the progress notes I have read.

We took the sleep apnea prescription to my husbands appointment on the 18th of December 2008 when we went to see his Social Worker/Therapist who appeared very surprised to see me at the appointment. It was at that time I requested to know what medicines he was on, how much and why?

She noted in the computer his meds where to be 80mg Celexa in the morning, 75 mg Wellbutrin in the morning and that he had told her at the appointment in November I had tossed out all the Serequel. I then began asking why he was getting so many medications. She again went into the system and stated that his medications were all on hold and he should only have what he needs for the month. I told her I had them put on hold is why they were on hold and then I proceeded to take 6 full bottles of pills out of my purse to her surprise.

She could not answer that except to state may be he was not taking them? I stated I have been counting these since May and that is not the case! She could not get the sleep apnea test ordered nor answer the medicine questions so she said for us to take these questions to his next appointment Jan 8th, 2009 when he saw the "another new" psychologist.

I did not leave there happy with her answers including me asking what his complete diagnosis was being the VA report mentions a possible (and most likely) co-existing personality disorder? When were they going to address the personality disorder issue? She stated she had noticed and suspected he might have something else going on and she was going to start addressing it next year, referring to 2009. So what have you all been doing for the last 3 years then?

Lastly she also began making references to the marital issues being the problem and inferences as to may be me and my husband might want to think about a divorce. This upset me quite a bit and trying to make me appear to be off balance mentally was even worse. This appears to be what they have done in their notes based only on meeting me once, and the things my husband, who is not seeing clearly anything, see the problem to be me.

It was sometime after that appointment in December 2008, again I am not sure the exact date. I called the Huntington VA hospital and requested to speak with a patient advocate. I left him a voice message which he did return leaving a message when my husband and I were not home. We did not hear from him until January 2009.


Jan 7th or 8th 2009, not clear on the date with no recent progress notes, I went to that appointment, with my husband now seeing what I have been telling him and we asked the "new" psychologist specifically what medications is he to be on, and why?

The answer for the Wellbutrin was for smoking....excuse me my husband has been smoking 4 cigarettes a day for years now and your own notes back in 2006 do not say for smoking cessation. He as well would not request the sleep apnea test, seemed not to know much about my husbands personal history, medications and no mention was made to switching medications, or further treatment options. My husband got his blood work drawn and had them make a copy of the prescription for his sleep apnea testing so the doctor could order it before his next appointment.

We both left frustrated and realizing this is not working!

We finally heard from the patient advocate again and it was at this time I explained to him the problems we were having with the Charleston clinic and he seemed like he did not understand my concerns clearly. He said to have his other doctor at his next appointment to order the sleep testing and that the psychologist and social worker probably could not. He did not really say much more then that and again it seemed like a telephone call that went no where.

Finally, and I may have missed some things, but this is long to write, my husband goes to his appointment of January 14th, 2009 with his primary care doctor Dr Carroll. Who BTW is the main name on all the prescriptions my husband gets.

I did not attend this appointment but my husband left with a note marked with the questions I wanted him to ask and get that release form done for me to be able to speak to the VA clinic or others. He called me immediately after as he always does lately and discussed what went on. No mention was made to him at that appointment to changes in medicine. He was told about his blood work, face cream for spots on his face that started to get bigger while in Iraq, and that the sleep apnea test was ordered, not date given though.

then on the 20th of January 2009 a package comes in the mail, gee what is going on now?

My husband received this new prescription in the mail from his doctor at the Charleston clinic VA (Dr Carroll) who never told my husband on January 14th at his appointment he was sending him a "new" prescription.
Now if my husband had taken this "new" medicine with the others he is currently taking could he have overdosed?

Imagine that! Thank goodness I was watching this for my husband and demanded the doctor call me that day to explain why he has a new medicine. They really did not even want to talk to me but the Vet directly until I told them there is a release in the file for them to talk with me! My husband can barely remember what day it is half the time anymore so talking to him would just have confused him even more.


Well today when I call about this new medicine (Prozac) a VA nurse in Huntington and the desk clerk at the Charleston Clinic pull up the computer notes to tell me that his other two medicines he was taking were discontinued in December 2008 and Jan 2009??? Then another person tells me they all were discontinued in September?? so I am really confused now.

Not only that I had the nurse at the Huntington hospital try to tell me that they (the VA) did not even prescribe him the one anti depressant (Celexa) and it was not showing in their system, yet it shows in the Charleston clinics computer system? More confusing.

Since April 2008, my husband was getting so many bottles of medications he had a stock pile here at the house due to the VA pharmacy and doctor(s) ? continuously ordering more even when the other medicines were not near being gone. Medications are not showing on the MyHealtheVet account yet I have bottles in a bag shipped from the Huntington VA Pharmacy and order by Dr Carroll for the months of July and Aug 2008 yet they do not show up in the MyHealthEVet the system?

This shipping of medicines continued until I called the Huntington pharmacy in November 2008 and demanded them NOT to send anymore medication he had plenty. They are trying to say my doing that made them discontinue....I thought that was what the words "on hold" was for in the system?

So today I realize that possibly if my husband had taken this "new" medication in combination with the other medications he is currently on he could have died?

Thank goodness I spoke with an Iraq vet at the VA support center and he told me about his own experiences and the men who have died but he only mentioned 2 of them. He told me to talk with the families and maybe we all can do something.

The VA has refused to address my concerns with my husband medicines and the "cocktail" they had him on and it appears they are just now possibly monitoring him after realizing his wife now has a release form to talk with them and I am calling people to find out what is going on. I suspect they are covering themselves and I wish I had known about these other deaths months ago to maybe speak with the families as to what they know and what I now know and suspect. This has to be looked into before others die.


After the week I have had I am mad and frustrated and not sure what else to do being the Huntington Director Office (has not returned my call I made the 21st) I personally drove to the Charleston clinic on the 21st and was told the office manager was at lunch. After waiting 45 minutes with my 5 year old son in tow I asked again to be told still at lunch, finally a nurse came out to speak with me saying the manager was in Huntington, yet no one in the office knew that? This nurse who could not answer my questions anyway, appeared not to happy to speak with me. Her answer was for me to start coming to his appointments because my husband must not be listening to what the doctors are telling him?

Excuse me? My husband may forget things true but I made a check list when he went in on his last appointment and he did everything on it to the “T” and even called me right after the appointment to discuss what was said. My husband told me everything, from the Dr. asking my husband if he needed more medication ordered again, that he was ordering the sleep apnea test, and that his cholesterol was over 230 and his kidney function was at 1.6 which is high. His next blood work test is scheduled for July? and told my husband he was sending a cream for the spots on his face to remove them even though they have never been checked as requested to see “what” they actually are. The cream came in the mail and after looking it up it appears it is suppose to be for precancerous or cancerous cells and yet they have been had a dermatologist actually diagnos these spots and have been telling my husband since he had them looked at in Iraq they are age spots? Needless to say I am NOT letting him put stuff on his face till a "real" dermatologists sees him which I scheduled an appointment with one for my husband in March.

What upsets me even worse was there was no mention of stopping his current medications and no mention he was changing them yet the pharmacy's computer system shows the doctor ordered the Prozac on the 14th. Since when can the family care doctor order the psychiatric medication and change them? This is the same doctor that went into the system the 21st of January, 2009 after I was calling on the 20th to find out when was this new medication ordered, when where the old ones stopped, why and by whom? It appears someone changed the dates on when his prescriptions were discontinued? Of course NO ONE told us until after I called after receiving the "new" medication on the 20th of Jan.

I printed up my husbands medication page back from My HealtheVet account that the VA provides for Veterans to track their medications back in October 2008 and asked the pharmacy directly today how everything is now changed on the old paper compared to today's print out? Someone it appears changed the file in the computer to show they told my husband as of September to stop taking all his medications. Yet when I call I get three conflicting stories of when the medications were discontinued? Was it September? December or Jan???

This list below is from October 2008 and is missing all the bottles I have in my possession of Celexa, Wellbutrin and Serquel that were shipped in July 2008 and August 2008. There may have been more from other months but initially I threw a bunch away before I started saving them. My husband NEVER accessed the web, he never knew the password and so he could not order them online anyway.

RX# 4772336 is the Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) (1) 50mg bedtime

RX# 4771548 is the Albuteral

RX# 4771550 is the Wellbutrin (Bupropion hydrchloride) (1) 75mg am

RX# 4771554 is the citalopram hydobromide (2) 40 mg am

RX# 4771555 is the Singular

5 items found, displaying all items
Refill
Status
Refill
Submit Date
Fill
Date
Refills
Remaining
Prescription
Facility
Select
to Refill
Active
9/29/2008
1
RX#4772336
HUNTINGTON VAMC

Active
9/28/2008
1
RX#4771548
HUNTINGTON VAMC

Active
9/28/2008
1
RX#4771550
HUNTINGTON VAMC

Active
9/28/2008
4
RX#4771554
HUNTINGTON VAMC

Active
9/28/2008
1
RX#4771555
HUNTINGTON VAMC


5 items found, displaying all items
Prescription History Information:

9/29/2008
RX#4772336
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/28/2008
RX#4771548
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/28/2008
RX#4771550
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/28/2008
RX#4771554
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/28/2008
RX#4771555
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
6/7/2008
RX#4641923
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
4/24/2008
RX#4585323A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
4/24/2008
RX#4724930
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
4/24/2008
RX#4724932
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
4/22/2008
RX#4585364
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
2/7/2008
RX#4585324
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
1/23/2008
RX#4585323
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
1/4/2008
RX#4641922
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
10/10/2007
RX#4549449
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/20/2007
RX#4585325
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/6/2007
RX#4531470
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/2/2007
RX#4069650C
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/18/2007
RX#4480514
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/18/2007
RX#4521933
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/17/2007
RX#4480512
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
5/30/2007
RX#4480513
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
5/30/2007
RX#4521862
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
5/30/2007
RX#4521864
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
3/5/2007
RX#4331708B
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
3/5/2007
RX#4331761B
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
3/5/2007
RX#4365704A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
1/19/2007
RX#4331763B
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
11/29/2006
RX#4331763A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
11/12/2006
RX#4365704
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/13/2006
RX#4069650B
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/10/2006
RX#4331708A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/10/2006
RX#4331761A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/11/2006
RX#4331763
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/11/2006
RX#4358383
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
6/22/2006
RX#4331708
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
6/22/2006
RX#4331761
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
6/21/2006
RX#4316207
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
6/21/2006
RX#4316208
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
5/24/2006
RX#4316206
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
5/23/2006
RX#4069644B
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
5/12/2006
RX#4069650A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
11/23/2005
RX#4069644A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
11/21/2005
RX#4069650
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
3/22/2005
RX#4069644
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
3/22/2005
RX#4069645
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
3/22/2005
RX#4069649
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
12/5/2003
RX#2888493I
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/17/2003
RX#3689765
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
6/27/2003
RX#3643286
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
5/27/2003
RX#3643285
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
2/18/2003
RX#3367411A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
1/27/2003
RX#2888493H
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
7/15/2002
RX#2888493G
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
6/2/2002
RX#3367411
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
4/8/2002
RX#2888493F
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
10/2/2001
RX#3242424A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/26/2001
RX#3360519
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/20/2001
RX#2888493E
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/12/2001
RX#3242424
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
2/8/2001
RX#3057695B
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/30/2000
RX#2888496E
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
7/28/2000
RX#2888493D
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
2/29/2000
RX#3057694A
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
2/29/2000
RX#3057695A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
1/28/2000
RX#2888496D
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
12/2/1999
RX#2888495C
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
11/30/1999
RX#3057694
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
11/30/1999
RX#3057695
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
10/31/1999
RX#2888493C
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
10/19/1999
RX#2888496C
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
3/8/1999
RX#2888496B
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
12/16/1998
RX#2888493B
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
12/16/1998
RX#2888495B
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
11/12/1998
RX#2888496A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
10/28/1998
RX#2888495A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
10/1/1998
RX#2902037
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
10/1/1998
RX#2902132
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
10/1/1998
RX#2902133
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/14/1998
RX#2888493A
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/14/1998
RX#2888494A
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/24/1998
RX#2888493
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/24/1998
RX#2888494
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/24/1998
RX#2888495
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/24/1998
RX#2888496
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
8/24/1998
RX#2898460
Expired
HUNTINGTON VAMC

Below is the January online screen:
View Prescription History Information




Last updated [01/23/2009 at 1237]
Help | Printer Friendly
89 items found, displaying 1 to 10
First/Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next/Last
Number of rows to display per page: 10 25 50 100
Fill Date
Prescription
Status
Facility
1/21/2009
RX#4881718
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
1/21/2009
RX#4881719
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
1/14/2009
RX#4877881
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
1/14/2009
RX#4878072
Active
HUNTINGTON VAMC
11/27/2008
RX#4771554
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/29/2008
RX#4772336
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/28/2008
RX#4771548
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/28/2008
RX#4771550
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
9/28/2008
RX#4771555
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC
6/7/2008
RX#4641923
Discontinued
HUNTINGTON VAMC


Lastly,
Yesterday Pat the manager of the Charleston Clinic returned the call I had left her but was not very helpful and got very irritated whenI began asking direct questions about these issues to the point she told me she no longer felt comfortable speaking to me about any of this. When I pressed on she then stated she wanted to speak with the veteran first and I told her at that time I am the one keeping track of these issues not him and I had a full release in that office on file in which my husband wrote that they may speak to me about his care, medications and anything else. She at that time tried to say they did not have a copy but again I took my copy he had brought home and read it to her word for word and she then stated it must no be scanned into the system yet. She also made a statement that Dr. Carroll told my husband about discontinuing his other medications on his Jan 14th appointment. This is a bald face lie. No one would tell my husband to just stop taking any of these medications due to the withdrawal symptoms. In fact when doctor Carroll called me that same day when I got the new medication I specifically asked him about possible withdrawal symptoms and he said there would be no problem at all, to throw the others away and just take the one.

Well guess what, my husband is currently experiencing them and they are serious headaches. Pat in a telephone call to my husband that same day said he is having headaches most likely from withdrawal and his throwing the other medications completely out was not advisable. That the doctor had most likely changed the medications on the 14th and wanted my husband to cut back on the others until he received the new medication to prevent withdrawals. This my husband told her was a lie. She also kept trying to say, but he called, but he called you all. Yes Dr. Carroll called AFTER I received the new medication and I had called the clinic and the Huntington hospital and spoke with a nurse. In fact he even called the next morning at 6:40 am to speak with my husband, it appears he forgot he had called me the day before and had already spoke to me?

This is just a small part of the problems I and my husband have experienced with the VA here and gives you an idea of possible errors and poor care being given by the Charleston clinic.

This combination of medications being given and the amounts and increasing, decreasing is a deadly game of Russian Roulette. These medication and their long term effects needs to be addressed and looked into before another soldier dies needlessly!
My husband is on many of the same medications that the other soldiers who died were on and his symptoms are almost identical to one of the other soldiers who died. What's even worse is my husband served in Iraq and in the same unit with this man and his wife and this has him quite upset especially after us both speaking with the widow in length. She is concerned about my husband based on the symptoms as to behavior, medical issues, side effects being they matched many of her husbands before his death. This treatment in my opinion is not therapy, this is over medicating or sedating a person to death with very little monitoring or checks. These combination of drugs are more experimental and are not proven by reading I have done to be a good or valid treatment for PTSD. In fact many of these drugs can and do kill, either by building up to high and toxic levels if not taken properly. My husband does not drink, take other drugs unless prescribed and yet my fear has been if he died the VA would say he killed himself, it was not the therapy or medications.
In fact his blood work is not the same as 6 months ago and I am getting him a complete physical to include a recheck of his kidney function being that was way high and can be a sign of early renal failure. I hope all these medications have not already had negative long term effects on his health! I have two son's in the military currently serving our country and my husband served honorably for over 20 years, they all deserve better then this!

Please feel free to contact me directly if you need to I appreciate any help in this matter