Hi all,I was wondering if anyone else suffers from depression and or ptsd..I knew from the start that I have these other unresolved issues and have sought help for them also.The problem I always run into with doctors and family is that as soon as they find out about the drinking they blame it on that and send me off to Aa..My goal this time is to get my drinking under control and also work on the stressors that triggor my ptsd.I have always felt that if I wasn't so depressed and off the hook with ptsd I could live without alcohol..Aa only made those other issues worse..The constant guilt and fear of relapse always triggored my depression and ptsd and it was off to the races..Now,im new to tsm but after just three days i am already finding new hope..I really think this will work for me..I think i can get to a point where i can choose not to drink but if I do it doesn't become a disaster..That is why tsm was so appealing to me in the first place..Anyhow,sorry for the rant..I hope this is the proper arena..I would appreciate any thoughts..

Goodmanonce,

In my experience in AA, I know many alcoholics suffer from depression etc. The treatment center I've been in (sadly more than once) does work to understand who is dealing with just addiction and what other issues might be involved. I am very grateful that they realized that I needed additional help. I suffer from mild depression and take zoloft (similar to prozac) which is an SSRI. I've been doing this for over 10 years and know that it is important for me to avoid slipping into depression again. I don't know about PTSD but I know my medication helped me get through a near death experience and the several other traumatic life experiences. I consider this an important part of what I need to stay on track. This didn't solve my addiction problem but has definitely eliminated a major trigger.

I don't know what you personally need. But, I hope sharing my own experience helps. BTDT

thank you for the response..I think that is what I was wondering..Will the naltrexone interfere with the ssri meds..They also helped me tremendously in the past and I was able to stop drinking..The problem was I went to aa to deal with my alcohol addiction..I wish I had known about tsm back then..Oh well, I do now..I had to promise my doctor to check into a 12 step outpatient program, to get a prescription for the naltrexone..This is crazy..Don't the doctors know how fundamentaly against chemical solutions,AA really is??But I am a man of my word and I really wanted to get the naltrexone,so I start outpatient thursday.That ought to be fun..Thanks again for your reply..I have visited so many recovery forums this past year,I must say..This is the most diplomatic and open minded group I have come across..Have a good day.

I take Celexa for depression and haven't noticed any ill effects or interactions with nal. I've been on a number of different SSRIs and this is the only one that didn't poop out after a few months. Sorry to hear you have to do AA, but at least you're armed with enough knowledge to know what's really going on.

i don't know how to use the quote function here, and hope this works...
anyway, in a thread on eating increases saint vincent posted some good stuff about how to naturally increase serotonin, the neurotransmitter that ssri's work on. some of it might come in handy for you.

i think there are more than a few here (me included) who deal with depression and/or anxiety as well as al issues. some are on meds for them, and in a lot of reading here i haven't seen anything that says there is a conflict between ssri's and nal.

i hope your outpatient program isn't too detrimental to you
path

hey good...,
i forgot to respond to the other part of your post. i have had the same experience of having all my depression blamed on al. so, i tested that theory out and gave up al for 2 years, hoping that my depression would go away... sorry to report it did not, and my anxiety increased. so, no more telling docs about the al issues, and this time i am getting my neurotransmitters in better shape before i quit drinking.
best of luck,
path

thanks all for your thoughts and expierience..The carb thing makes alot of sense..Sometimes when I think I am craving al,I notice that some pasta or candy will actually do the same as a couple of beers as far as calming my nerves and steadying the shakes..This is my fourth day doing tsm by the way..Normally I would have had at least 48 Beers in four days.I have only had a total of 24 with no real effort other than taking my pill and waiting an hour..I have found myself doing other things to deal with the depression and anxiety and it seems to be working..Thanks again.

SSRI's and Naltrexone have no interaction.

We had been informed by Eskapa and Sinclair about a year ago on this forum that some anxiety meds may interfere with extinction, specifically benzodiazaphines (Valium, Xanax, etc.) Those of us who were one them, titrated down slowly and safely to low levels and continued TSM treatment. After my cure came at 5 months, I slowly increased the diazepam up to the level I'm at now. I never changed my dosage of SSRI's (Paxil in my case).

Bob