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Saturday, July 12, 2014

Veterans dumping pills against doctors orders

Veterans Kick The Prescription Pill Habit, Against Doctors' Orders
NPR
by QUIL LAWRENCE
July 11, 2014

For many people with post-traumatic stress disorder, sleeping can return you to the worst place you've ever been, at the worst possible moment.

"I always see his face," says Will, who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army. "And in my dreams it's the same thing. ... I always walk over to him, and instead of this Afghani kid that's laying there, it's my little brother."

The memory that triggers Will's nightmare happened during his tour in Afghanistan. Will, 33, who asked that NPR not use his last name, was on patrol when a kid came up to the Humvee asking for water. Then he bashed Will's medic in the face with a rock. The boy's father appeared with a gun and started shooting. Amid a scuffle, Will shot the child at close range.

"After I did that, all I remember is that I was shaking," Will says. "And one of my soldiers took my weapon away and said: 'It's OK primo [cousin]. It's gonna be OK.' "

Troops coming home from war, like Will, are often prescribed drugs for PTSD and other conditions. Hundreds of thousands of veterans are on opiates for pain, and 1 in 3 veterans polled say they are on 10 different medications.

While there is concern about overmedicating and self-medicating — using alcohol or drugs without a doctor's approval — there are also some veterans who are trying to do the opposite: They're kicking the drugs, against doctor's orders.
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2 comments:

  1. My name is Ron Schlegel and I am not a Veteran but I am a therapist who treats Veterans. I am not going to tell anyone to stop there medications but I honor your right to do so. In my many years of experience, I have quite a few gray hairs, I have never had more hope for the cure of PTSD symptoms than I do now. That hope comes from PSYCH-K. If you have not heard of it please check it out. I believe it truly can free you from not only the symptoms of PTSD but from the need for medications. It is cutting edge. I use PSYCH-K now in my practice and know how effective it is. If you want to learn more just go to https://www.psych-k.com/. I think it is about time people learned about this wonderful therapeutic technique.

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  2. I do not allow spam (ads for yourself) but I am allowing your comment for a reason. You seemed more interested in what you could get out of this post than what veterans could and that part really bothers me.
    The article came from NPR and I made no comment at all.. Your comment about "honoring my right" is baseless but not unusual considering most of the comments removed fail to do veterans much good. By the way, I've been not only working with veterans for over 30 years, I'm married to one with PTSD.

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If it is not helpful, do not be hurtful. Spam removed so do not try putting up free ad.