[lostmyway21]

Does anyone else "rapid" cycle because of there ptsd? The last few weeks I have been cycling extremely fast. It's always related directly to a trigger, but it can happen as often as every half hour-hour some days. I have been having a really hard time staying grounded, I have just been going from one extreme to another. How common is this for PTSD? I have had it for two years and never struggled this badly to stay grounded.

[Open Eyes]

Are you seeing a therapist? What is going on around you that might be triggering you? Yes, when I am overwhelmed with issues that trigger me, I really struggle.
Make sure you pay attention to what may be triggering you. I have found that very helpful in learning how to deal with me controling the times when I get overwhelmed with the symptoms of PTSD.

If your really struggling it is important to find a good therapist to help you get it out and overcome what is triggering this to happen.

Please remember that part of the struggle is feeding into it. I have noticed that I CAN do that without realizing it. Make sure you have a safe place that you can go to quiet your mind. Make sure that you make note of all the triggers that happen. Usually there is a real meaning behind triggers, triggers are a question more than anything else. We think about flashbacks and being triggered as ghosts from our past that are going to be there all our lives. Often there is a reason "why" your getting triggered, could be your addressing a situation you never learned HOW to address before. Once you learn more about the trigger and how to address similar situations, there is relief and the triggers lose their power over you more and more.

(((( Hugs))))
Open Eyes

Nope. Never have. Though I have read some people with PTSD suffer with BiPolar as well...not a problem for me.

Best bet is to discuss this with your therapist.~~~~~~~~~Pax----theo

i have bipolar as well as ptsd as well as a a bunch of other iniitials...i don't find that my ptsd bothers my bipolar.

i went thru a period when my ptsd was severely activated recently. (violent death of a law enforcement peep) i was hyper vigilant, having flashbacks..the whole 9 yards. honestly tho my bipolar wasn't an issue (which is good because i was having enough being on patrol).

i am fortunate that my meds are pretty stable & i do use a gym to work out almost daily..which i believe helps. i also am outside every day for about an hour or so with my dogs...for me this all keeps me fairly stable. i had been teetering a little towards the manic side prior to this but nothing major.

i did speak with my pdoc who added in a slight adjustment to my meds for a short period & it broke the ptsd cycle for me. this might be all you need...again tho it wasn't the bipolar which was the issue..that was fine.

like i said i do take a minimal amount of meds , go to therapy & do get a decent amount of physical exercise each week...which seems to help...maybe this would work or help you...maybe not..but it is something you might want to speak with your health care peeps about.

good luck.

I find that when I'm under a lot of stress my PTSD symptoms really start kicking up badly. Mostly I dissociate - which comes over me like a detached fuzzy sort of zoning out. I have serious sleep disruption issues and a return of nightmares and night terrors from the original early life traumas.

Disconcerting to say the least ... How stuff from today can retrigger all that stuff from way back when.

When that's happening, even though I'm aware of what's happening, it is still rather difficult to get myself regrounded and back on an even keel. Eventually, it will settle back down, but in the meantime it's still bewildering.

Hope yours settles back down sooner than later, it's not a fun place to be in.

Sincerely,
BC

[Rosie23]

I have Complex PTSD and I have never had that cause rapid cycling.
Anxiety seems to be the only symptom that is frequent in both my PTSD and my Bi-Polar.

I would talk with your doctor about what may be causing those symptoms. Anything is possible.

[Open Eyes]

((((Lostmyway21))))

As you can see there are people that all experience PTSD differently. I have talked about this with my therapist and a lot depends on what caused the PTSD and how far back trama presented itself, how long a person endured abuse as well as what became available to that person to help them develope grounding methods.

What many people don't understand is that while PTSD does have symptoms that can be troublesome, it doesn't mean that there is only ONE WAY to struggle with PTSD.
What is hard for me may NOT be as hard for someone else and visa versa.

If you look at it this way, some people have higher pain thresholds than others and it is often the way that person's system is wired and some people are more sensitive than others. Pain thresholds are important because when our brains experience too much pain we CAN go into shock or even a coma because of it. Therefore when pain is addressed in hospitals they pay attention to this pain threshold and don't just look at the injury and address the person based on the injury alone. The vital signs are taken into consideration because heart rate can increase according to how pain is registered in the brain and the question to a patient is constantly asked, "from a scale of 1 to 10 what would you say your pain level is?". I am just using this as an example of how people differ I am not diagnosing you as a severe case or anything else.
That is something that is up to your therapist and psychiatrist.

The question you have here is definitely a question you should present to your therapist and even pdoc. Yes, I can tell you that I HAVE experienced times where I was very overcome by the cycles of psychological and amount of anxiety stress I felt in my experience with my PTSD. I know I do NOT have bipolar issues and I don't get manic etc. My reactions in the PTSD that I have been experiencing ARE effected by things I am experiencing in my life right now along with struggling to understand the PTSD as well. I have come to understand that I can unknowingly increase the symptoms by fearing the symptoms and in that I struggle even more. It took me time to understand that and I am still not totally able to control it as much as I would like. However I am better now than I have been in the past.

It is very important to make sure you work with a therapist in not only addressing the symptoms of the PTSD by also addressing the underlying cause/causes. Each person is unique and have different levels of coping abilites. You will see that here, some have gained more control than others. The healing is different for each person so if it takes you longer, don't get discouraged, keep trying and continue to seek therapy.

I am sorry to hear that your struggling, I understand how difficult it is, I struggle too.
Be kind to yourself and make sure you have a safe place you can go to when you find yourself really struggling so you can work on self soothing and calming down.

((((Hugs))))
Open Eyes

[lostmyway21]

Thanks for your post open eyes! I do have a pdoc and T. Monday my T brought up the fact that I have been cycling WAY to fast. (I email him a lot and he can see the change in moods through out the day.) Sometimes my moods change extremes as frequesntly as every 30 mins, but its always in relation to being triggered. He is concerned about the intensity and frequency that it happens.

I go back to see him tomorrow, so I will ask him about it more.

[Open Eyes]

(((((lostmyway21)))))

Let me know how you make out tomarrow. Are you on medication now? Maybe the medication is adding to the problem.

I went through a lot of difficult months and I was being triggered alot by my husband.
I felt terrible and had no idea why I was so sensitive and could bearly function. It wasn't until I really thought about what was causing these constant waves from nowhere it seemed that I began to get more under control. I still struggle but not as bad as I was.

It is very challenging and hard to understand. ((((((Hugs)))))

Will be interested in what you find out.
Open Eyes

[lostmyway21]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

(((((lostmyway21)))))

Let me know how you make out tomorrow. Are you on medication now? Maybe the medication is adding to the problem.

I went through a lot of difficult months and I was being triggered alot by my husband.
I felt terrible and had no idea why I was so sensitive and could barley function. It wasn't until I really thought about what was causing these constant waves from nowhere it seemed that I began to get more under control. I still struggle but not as bad as I was.

It is very challenging and hard to understand. ((((((Hugs)))))

Will be interested in what you find out.
Open Eyes

Yes I am on meds, lexapro/wellbutrin xl/ativan. It definitely could be meds we have been changing them up recently. I think I am having the most difficult time because I am talking about the abuse in therapy and its very triggering. We took a break from it last session, and I have stopped cycling as fast.

[Open Eyes]

OHHHH, I could not take wellbutrin, it definitely made me cycle more rapidly. Not everyone can take that antidepressant.

I was talking to my therapist and he attended a meeting a Yale where pychiatrists discussed their findings of what seemed to work best for people with PTSD. They said that Trazadone (which has been around a long time) was found to be the most effective taken at bedtime. These psychiatrists were in research and not connected to the pharmacutical companies. Trazadone helps quiet the nerves but is also an antidepressant.

Open Eyes

[lostmyway21]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

OHHHH, I could not take wellbutrin, it definitely made me cycle more rapidly. Not everyone can take that antidepressant.

I was talking to my therapist and he attended a meeting a Yale where pychiatrists discussed their findings of what seemed to work best for people with PTSD. They said that Trazadone (which has been around a long time) was found to be the most effective taken at bedtime. These psychiatrists were in research and not connected to the pharmacutical companies. Trazadone helps quiet the nerves but is also an antidepressant.

Open Eyes

Well that's interesting... I just started the Wellbutrin like 2 weeks ago when the rapid cycling began. Problem is lexapro makes me VERY tired, and the wellbutrin has done wonders for keeping me awake during work. I can't take trazadone it triggers migraines.

[Open Eyes]

I was curious about what you pdoc decided to do. It can be troublesome until you find the right medication that works for you.
(((((Hugs)))
Open Eyes

[lostmyway21]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

I was curious about what you pdoc decided to do. It can be troublesome until you find the right medication that works for you.
(((((Hugs)))
Open Eyes

I actually just got back from pdoc. We haven't changed anything until he talks to T later. Considering that I am rapid cycling he is thinking about putting me on topamax as a mood stabilizer with the wellbutrin xl, and ativan daily instead of as needed to combat anxiety. The lexapro lost effectiveness after 6-12 months and now he is considering changing it all up, and moving away from ssri's.

[Open Eyes]

Oh, I hope that helps you find more balance lostmyway21. I guess we have to have patience and what I do now is simply one day at a time.

(((((Hugs)))))
Open Eyes

[lostmyway21]

Originally Posted by Open Eyes

Oh, I hope that helps you find more balance lostmyway21. I guess we have to have patience and what I do now is simply one day at a time.

(((((Hugs)))))
Open Eyes

Thanks

T just emailed me and told me he agree's with the changes. Idk why but it's very unsettling to me.

[Open Eyes]

Ofcourse it can be unsettling, I don't blame you. I find that when I address any change, with my personal struggle with PTSD, I feel unsettled as well. At least both the pdoc and T agree and they probably have addressed this issue before. All you can do is give it a try and do your best to consider that it might really help.

We are always here if you just need to talk.
Open Eyes