| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sjonesb |
Posted - 07/16/2004 : 20:31:42
I'm wondering if anyone has thoughts or comments about the role medications (specifically anti-depressant or anti-anxiety meds) might play in a TMS recovery. I am completely on board that I have no structural problem with my back. My sciatic nerve pain is directly related to my anxiety levels. I come from a family of bi-polar disorders and have always been a driven, high anxiety person. My first sciatic pain started a week before I left for graduate school. After almost ten months of pain, I was depressed and went to a psychiatrist. He prescribed an anti-depressant and within a few months my sciatic pain was gone. I've stayed on the anti-depressants for the last 5 years and have been pain free. I finally wanted to free myself of medications and tried to get off them two months ago-- sadly my anxiety and back pain came roaring back. I found Dr. Sarno and have been reading and rereading his books and I'm in therapy looking deep into my past and feel like I'm facing many of my issues. But I haven't had much reprieve from the sciatic pain ... I'm beginning to feel like I need medications to keep the repressed anger from building. OR maybe I'm not being patient enough-- many of you say it doesn't always happen overnight like Dr. Sarno's book seems to imply. Also, I went back on my anti-depressants because I'm overwhelmed by my anxieties. Any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated:) |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| tennis tom |
Posted - 07/28/2004 : 16:35:04
Dear GeeWhiz,
Sorry to hear about your relatives. It sounds like you have a good understanding of how TMS opearates. When I get a physical symptom I do what Dave says, stop and think about what is happening on the emotional radar to trigger it. The list of life's 43 stressors in MBP is a good place to start.
It's no wonder you got a headache from being a passenger with your daughter. It sounds like you came within inches or losing your life at least twice. Your stress surfaced in the form of a physical symptom because you had to repress your desire to yell at her to "Stop this car and let me out of here before you kill us both!" I would make a solemn vow to never get in a car with her again if she is at the wheel. From your description, it sounds like she is a menace to the the road. You'd be safer hitch-hiking. |
| kenny V |
Posted - 07/28/2004 : 08:46:03
Sionsb,
I too come from family of BI polar/ manic-depressive; it goes back 2 generations on my father’s side.
Now my mom has been taken anxiety meds anti depressants and tranquilizers for years and never has gotten better because she has never addressed the core of her problems nor has taken responsibility for her medical complications due to dependency of her drug problems.
Now on the other hand my dad has been taken lithium and lithobid for over 40 years and leads a productive life, he monitors his lithium blood level 2x a year and takes ¾ of his prescribed dose with no side effects. Now I say this because if your body does NOT NEED these drugs and you continue to take these medications for other reasons without isolating the source of your pain anxiety ect.. Then you are complicating and compounding the problem which in return will have side many side effects from the drugs and medications you take.
I think if you DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE DRUGS BECAUSE OF CHEMICAL IMBALLANCES and can combat depression looking within your self finding contentment, ridding anger and anxiety, while working on finding your purpose and enjoying life again. Then you will begin to restore your heath physically and mentally.
And I would add like Moose said
“I was barking up the wrong tree in my search for a solution...and it did nothing for my pain. It wasn't until I took my back pain head-on with a combination of TMS theory and physical strengthening that I began to gain control of it. “
Always Hope For Recovery
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| moose1 |
Posted - 07/27/2004 : 20:22:54
Obviously, anti-depressants are life savers for many many people. My case was different. I took several different types of anti-depressants in an attempt to lessen the ceaseless pain in my lower back and to help ease the depression that was caused by my back pain. I have never suffered from depression naturally...my despair was purely brought on by my back pain. However, these medications only made me feel listless, emotionally dead and generally very crappy. They also gave me horrible nightmares. A couple weeks on something like Zoloft was enough for me to realize I was barking up the wrong tree in my search for a solution...and it did nothing for my pain. It wasn't until I took my back pain head-on with a combination of TMS theory and physical strengthening that I began to gain control of it.
That was my experience. But I can say that if meds *had* worked for me and didn't make me feel lousy, I'd be on them today. In other words, if it works for you, then by all means use it...at least while you're giving other methods a try.
Good luck.
Moose |
| electraglideman |
Posted - 07/27/2004 : 20:21:51
Hello midwestjim,
I guess thats possible. All I kno for sure is anti-depressants did not help relieve any of my pain. |
| MidwestJim |
Posted - 07/27/2004 : 14:26:13
quote:
Originally posted by electraglideman
The worst case of sciatic pain I ever had was during the time I was taking anti-depressant meds.
Do you by any chance suffer from depression? I do, and also have chronic daily headache and some lower back pain. In my experience, if my anti-depressants are working well (i.e. I'm not experiencing any depressive symptoms), that my head and/or back flare up like clock-work. When I'm feeling depressed OTOH, I'm usually headache/backache free.
My point is that *perhaps* when you were taking the ADs you were feeling better emotionally, thus the TMS substitution kicked in wrt to your sciatic pain. |
| electraglideman |
Posted - 07/27/2004 : 14:19:18
Hello sjonesb,
The worst case of sciatic pain I ever had was during the time I was taking anti-depressant meds. So bad that I could hardly get out of bed to go to the bathroom. For me anti-depressants did nothing to releave pain. Since I no longer take the anti-depressant meds I'm begining to believe they magnafied the pains that I was having. I stop taking these meds after reading Sarno's books. I only have about 10% of the pain I use to have. I'm not advising you to not take the anti-depressants I'm just telling you what happened in my case. Good luck. |
| GeeWhiz |
Posted - 07/27/2004 : 08:41:28
I sort of got carried away in this message. Sorry.
Hi, I have had back pain off and on (mostly on) since I was about 25. I am now 68. I do have severe scoliosis and that has always been the "reason" for the pain. When I was in my 40's one back specialist recommended that I go on social security disability. That shocked me so much that my pain got better quite quickly. Of course it came back in some other way. I was always the brave one who kept on going, though I must say I never was good at suffering in silence. I finally discovered that after a while people got tired of my complaints so I had to get worse to keep them there for me. I got much better again. This scenario has reared its ugly head time after time.
The sciatica pain I get from time to time is really excrutiating. These are some of the triggers: Spending money unnecessarily; when getting acquainted with new neighbors; when my kids come for a visit. When I figured this out I talked to myself about it and I talked to my daughter and sisters about it. They don't understand TMS but just verbalizing to my self and others seems to have stopped it for now. It wasn't immediate. At first, I noticed when it was happening and actually had to leave the scean(did I spell that right?} However, when I got by myself and realized it was TMS it would stop immediately.
I suspect I may be in the process of developing a new stragegy. My daughter and I went over to the Olympic Penninsula yesterday. She drove. We almost got into an accident because she follows to close. I almost got into another accident because she looked left and right but neglected to look left again and came within inches of being clobbered by a truck pulling a boat.
Then when we were starting home she was fiddling with stuff all over the car within her reach even if she had to bend way over; which she insists she can do and still see where she is driving. Somehow, she dosen't get that seeing is not the same as controlling. She has to be eating every thing in site and every little noise drives her crazy and she has to try to fix it while driving. There was something she wanted in her ashtry and she couldn't pull it out easily so she got agitated and yanked and yanked until it came out and cards and bits of stuff flew all over the car. It turns out she wanted a toothpic she had in there. She did finally pull off the road to find it. She broke the ashtry. It won't stay in anymore. She gets mad when I complain about her driving and dosen't get it that if she would stop driving recklessly I would shut up.
Anyway to get to my point (sorry for the harange) I started getting one headache after another during all this. I don't get headaches!!! Then when I finally got home my chest felt strange and scarey. No pain. Just not normal. I was finally able to tell myself that it was just a panic attack. This morning I feel fine but don't want my unconscious to start on headaches and strange feelings in my chest.
After I got home I got lots of bad news from a bunch of branches in the family tree. One was that my cousin who is about 10 days older than I had her left arm go numb while she was exerting herself. She immediately called 911. She has 90 percent blockage. Help, I'm being terrorized!!! |
| JosephB |
Posted - 07/17/2004 : 07:30:18
It is very interesting for me to note that you are asking about the role of anti-anxiety medications toward TMS recovery for sciatica pain. Although I have had some so-called structural problems (herniated discs and osteoarthritis of left hip), I have had some very serious sciatica pain recently, which I truly believe result from the anxiety/anger problems which I experienced from a traumatic experience and have tried to repress for about one year ago. I have since visited a traditional family Doctor, who prescribed Xanax (a panic attack drug and mind altering-drug) in order for me to cope with my panic attack and anxiety. It has taken about one full year for me to recover from the physical pain of sciatica. But I have also continued to review all of Dr. Sarno’s MindBody theories, and I truly believe that my persistence has paid off, finally, since I am now clear of my sciatica pain (except that it rears its ugly head once in awhile, but I always just tell it to “go away”, and it always does). I hope that this helps you in your Sciatica Problem.
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| mala |
Posted - 07/17/2004 : 02:31:54
sjonesb,
Do you have any major side effects from the meds? The reason I ask is that you mentioned wanting to come off them. The way I see it is like this. We are all very different in terms of physical apperarance, personality, temperament, emotional stability etc. I think some people are born lucky with great genes and hormones that are balanced just right. They sail through life without too many major problems or too many ups and downs and are lucky not to be plagued with symptoms like depression or anxiety. They have a steady cheerful disposition because of the right chemical balance. They are just lucky. Others - well they aren't so lucky - they need and do better with a bit of help. You also mentioned bipolar disorders in your family. Perhaps that makes you more susceptible to anxiety than others.
It would be a good idea to talk things through with your doctor before you give them up.
Good Luck & Good Health
Mala |
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