Getting accustomed to medications

I have not been a big fan when it comes to visiting a doctor's office (it was 9 years between visits and 5 years before that) so now I find myself being treated for numerous problems besides my PTSD. High blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes are the main ones and of course require more medications. All together I take 5 pills (plus over the counter 81 MG aspirin) in the morning and 8 at night, with only one being a twice daily pill.

Out of 11 pills, 3 are for the blood pressure, 1 for cholesterol, 1 for muscle spasms, and the twice daily pill is for diabetes. The remaining 5 pills are for the PTSD, which include pills that are for depression, for mood swings, for anxiety, and for insomnia. The side effects are numerous also, and that is what I am trying to get used to.

Almost all of the mental health medications have similar side effects including headaches, dizziness, Diaria or constipation (it varies), dry/itching skin but the worse is drowsiness. I switch the times of the day I take them to try and handle the effects, such as dizziness and drowsiness. If I take the Citalopram, which is a SSRI anti-depressant, during the morning dosages, I find myself fighting to stay awake most of the day, get real dizzy, especially when I get up from sitting or lying positions, and at times it is hard to concentrate on anything for any length of time. I get around this by taking it at night, just before bedtime along with Trazodone, another anti-depressant, and it compliments the Temazepam for insomnia. The only PTSD medication I take during the day is Risperidone, which is for my moods. At times, figuring out the best times to take medications to get around the side effects is as hard as dealing with the symptoms of the PTSD.

Most of the PTSD medications have to build up in your blood system so taking them at any given time of the day really doesn't matter. They take around 4 to 6 weeks of continued dosages before the full strength of the medication is beneficial to you. This is the only way I can get around switching the times of day I take them, unlike most of the other medications. Baclofen, a muscle relaxer for my back and ankle, is the only non-PTSD medication that has to be taken in the morning, over time, to be working the best. I take 1 blood pressure medication, Hyrdroclorothiazide, in the morning and 2, Amlodipine Besylate and Lisinopril, at night. Simvastin is taken between dinner and bedtime for cholesterol, and Metformin is taken both morning and night for diabetes.

Along with my wife's high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol medications and her anxiety medication (Valium), guess it comes from living/putting up with me and having me cook our meals, the top of our dinning room cabinet looks like a drug store shelf.

So for all those who do not like taking medication, visit your doctor for checkups often and follow his/her advice, loose weight (which contributes to high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes). Also pray you never have to deal with mental health problems, because multitude of medications are usually the answer to your treatments along with plenty of counseling. Try remembering which medications go in which compartments, morning, evening and bedtime, every week is not easy. I am also lucky that I do not have to pay for doctor visits or the cost of medications like the private sector does. There just is no way I could afford that.

I think next we will discuss how the VA Medical Center and the Vet Center has effected me over the long haul. "Hurry up and wait", "Good enough for government work" and "You can't fight the government's rules" is not just a saying.