Fight or Flight Therapy
 

Has anyone heard of this? Have personal experience or any information? I'm desperate. I don't know why I'm thinking this therapy is even feasible as I probably can't afford it. But, I've been in contact with the MD that does this and he seems to want to help. His name is Dr. Tessler and he is in Colorado which is many states away from me.

When I had my accident I didn't have health insurance and racked up the cost of two ER visits. Ouch. However, I can't continue on like this. I feel like this has been going on for two months and now my brain "thinks" this constant anxiety state is normal. I don't ever have a clear mind and think about PCS and it's effects constantly. I'm fearful of going crazy. How do I stop the repetitive thoughts?

The Zoloft is horrible and I hate it. I haven't tried another drug because my MD thought this one is best. My family is supportive but are adamant that I need to stay on the medications. I know there are many that have dealt with the mental state change that comes along with some PCS sufferers.

Thank you.

I know you don't like medications and that's a good thing. But have they tried Xanax just until you heal more and don't need it. Zoloft, in studies, have helped tbi patients, but it takes at least a few weeks to a month to kick in. Good luck to you. I would be interested in Mark in Idaho's opinion on the fight or flight therapy and hope he sees this thread.

RAllen - I haven't heard of that treatment, but I hope it works for you if you pursue it.

I am so sorry to hear about your suffering. I have also struggled with anxiety - the feeling of being on edge and very far away from peace for no discernible reason other than having a brain injury, and I know how miserable it is.

I'm six months post injury, and while I still have bad days and nights, the anxiety has gotten a lot better for me. I've found the book Brainlash very comforting in this regard. The author describes the feeling of agitation as a stage of recovery. You won't have to stay this way for ever. It will pass.

While everyone is different, and I hope you end up getting great results from Zoloft, I will say that I tried it twice under the supervision of two different doctors, both a Neurologist and a Psychiatrist, post concussion and both times it made me feel horrible - rapid weight loss, days in bed, tinnitus louder than usual etc.

The third doctor I saw, a physiatrist at the rehab hospital who specializes in brain injury, took me off zoloft and put me on Amantadine. It's hard me to say whether this or just time has helped, but I know the Zoloft wasn't helping. I've learned after giving something a fair shot, to trust my body and speak up to doctors about what's working or not working for me. I did so just this week when melatonin was making me whoozy in the evenings, and the doctor cut my dose in half. They should be helping you suffer less, not more.

To relax myself outside of medication, I listen to Tara Brach's relaxation meditations and I find they genuinely help. There is even a part where she talks about smiling as a way to turn off your body's fight/flight response.

I also do acupuncture once a week and have found that this helps me to relax. I also got one cranio sacral massage, during which my stomach started rumbling and the practitioner mentioned that digestion was a sign that my body was moving from fight/flight to digestion and relaxation.

Yoga and light cardio (eliptical machine at 120 - 130 heart rate) also help.

Knowing that everyone and every concussion is different, I just wanted to share with you what has worked for me in dealing with the horrible symptom.

Hang in there. It will get better!

Thank you, Capital, for the helpful response. It makes me feel hopeful that this will one day pass. The feeling of being fearful and anxious at every corner is making my life a living hell. I try very hard to work on relaxation techniques. But I'm having a horrible time with my thoughts. They are controlling me.

I'm going to look into the med you mentioned and other techniques. I feel myself at a stagnant place so maybe the answer is pushing myself to do thing I would have done in my "normal" life.

Thank you again for sharing. I'm so happy you are doing well. It gives me hope.

This Fight or Flight therapy sounds interesting. It would be good if there was a clinical study available. The military should be using this if it has a valid use.

How much does it cost ?

I agree than a benzo anti-anxiety med for the short term may be better than the Zoloft but they should not be used for more than a month or two.

btw, Dr Tessler is not an MD. He is an optometrist, O.D.

I didn't know you could be on two SSRI's at the same time, in your case mirtazapine and sertraline? I think if after say three weeks on an SSRI you feel it's not having a beneficial effect then I would see about coming off it or trying another, there's a few to choose from. I was offered AD's but turned them down because I'd never taken prescription meds before, I think they could have helped me at the time but was stubborn and chicken, I also wanted to see if I could effect change with diet and exercise, jurys out on that one lol.

I think my real bad anxiety lasted around two months then came down a fair bit from three to four months, at six is all but gone (fingers crossed!) so it will get better, just hang in there.

I'm not sure of the cost. I am waiting to hear back from him. I just happened to stumble across his website when I was searching for methods to kick the body out of fight or flight mode. I will post when I hear something from him.

I didn't think Mirtazapine was an SSRI but I could be wrong. That is my problem, I don't know if these thoughts and feelings are mine or side effects of the meds. The MD says its me because my doses are so low that there is no way they are therapeutic. I don't want them bumped up because they make me scared, anxious , nervous and jittery. It's awful. I've never taken meds before this and have always been pretty sensitive to them.

Thanks for the encouragement.

I'm also wondering why you are on both Zoloft and Mirtazapine.
Mirtazapine is a tetracyclic antidepressant.

There are some Drug Interactions Checkers in the Sticky posts at the top of the forum here.
http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactio...2057-1348.html

[never stop a medication without asking for doctor advice]

Mirtazapine is not an SSRI or SNRI. It is a NaSSA. It works differently than the others.

If the doses are so low as to be non-therapeutic, you should be able to stop them and see how you do. I think you are still getting 'shot in the dark' med care since nobody seems interested in giving your meds a serious look.

Being free of them with an occasional minimal dose benzo for emergency situations may be worth considering.

They put me on the Mirtazapine to aid with sleep. And it works. The Zoloft is for the anxiety issue. I checked the drug interaction- at high doses serotonin syndrome is a risk.

Thanks for the info Mark. I am hoping to come off this Zoloft first and just continue with the night med as I do believe I need it for sleep.

Just wish this nightmare could end. I can't believe I have to wake up to this every morning. My thoughts have gotten so out of control. Thanks you guys for always being helpful.