Ambien and PTSD

UPDATED: What do you say about a soldier who suffers with PTSD due to a tour in the Middle East and finds out the death of his mother and grandfather within a couple of months. He's placed on multiple medications to help with this condition, but unfortunately medication isn’t the cure to PTSD as it is very complicated to understand much less treat effectively. One medication mentioned by the media is Ambein. but more on that in a moment. What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? This condition is when the ‘Fight or Flight’ response is pushed to its very limit. But in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this reaction is changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re no longer in danger. 

The NIMH defines PTSD as “a condition that develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.

PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.”

Let’s talk military since those are the ones we hear most about in the news. Picture yourself in a dangerous area with constant threat of attack. You don’t know if you will live or die from minute to minute. Will you be shot, blown up or drive over a landmine? Think about this fear never leaving you day in and day out, night after night. Your mind and body never getting rest or more importantly never feeling peace that we all desire to have in daily life. 

Understanding how fear memories are created may help to refine or find new interventions for reducing the symptoms of PTSD. This is not a problem with one’s genes, let’s make that clear. We need more research in the area of the brain. Studying parts of the brain involved in dealing with fear and stress also helps researchers to better understand possible treatments of PTSD. One such brain structure is the amygdala, known for its role in emotion, learning, and memory. The amygdala appears to be active in fear acquisition, or learning to fear an event (such as touching a hot stove), as well as in the early stages of fear extinction, or learning not to fear. The brain neurotransmitter, Norepinephrine is the chemical that allows us to remember exciting or stressful events for all of our lives. As mentioned earlier, however, too much norepinephrine can prevent the laying down of new memories, and can interfere with rational thought and decision making. Those with PTSD should look into to reducing norepinephrine levels to a safe level, which would be vital in the area of rational thought and decision making.

Let’s talk Ambien. Millions of Americans are hooked on it. Ambein, a member of the class of medications known as hypnotics, was approved by the FDA in 1992. It was designed for short term use to combat insomnia and was a welcome change from the prevailing sleep aid at the time, Halcion, which had been implicated in psychosis, suicide, and addiction and had been banned in half a dozen countries. Ambein works by activating the neurotransmitter GABA and binding it to the GABA receptors in the same location as the benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Valium. The extra GABA activity triggered by the drug inhibits the neuron activity that is associated with insomnia. In other words, it slows down the brain. Ambien is extremely effective at initiating sleep, usually working within 20 minutes. It does not, however, have an effect on sustaining sleep unless it is taken in the controlled release form. 

Ambein has posted warnings that seemed to be ignored by doctors. Patients need to learn to read the side effects before deciding taking any drug, especially Ambien. The prescribing information warned, in small print, that medications in the hypnotic class had occasional side effects including sleep walking, “abnormal thinking,” and “strange behavior,” these behaviors were listed as extremely rare, and any anecdotal evidence of “sleep driving,” “sleep eating,” or “sleep shopping”—all behaviors now associated with Ambien blackouts—were characterized as unusual quirks, or attributed to mixing the medication with alcohol. I personally know people who took Ambien and ended up in the bathtub in the middle of the night wearing nothing but tennis shoes. This is not normal behavior. Ambien causes a deep depression, a depression that is classified as severe hopelessness. When a user is on Ambien they don’t know that the drug is causing these problems. 

In many of the mass shootings we are seeing today, Ambein is a drug that is found in a few of these cases. Also, think about how many people are sitting in prison for some bizarre crime they committed from the nightly use of Ambien. The court system doesn’t generally recognize an Ambein defense, but that’s another story. I could write an encyclopedia on the dangers of Ambien, but I hope this short article will give you some insight that it is a drug to be avoided at all costs. It’s time the FDA removes this drug from the market. 

If you are taking Ambein, look for another alternative. If you have a loved one taking it, please be more aware of their behavior. The next question is how does one stop Ambein and how does one overcome the side effects. First, talk with your doctor about getting off of Ambein. While one is doing that, the following suggestions will help get the mind back on track and remove the side effects naturally. 

Nutritional Help:

• Fish Oil – The brain needs the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA to function in a healthy manner. These fatty acids are needed to reduce depression and improve focus.
• Vitamin B3 – This vitamin can be very helpful in promoting a positive outlook and is the nutrient of choice when one has been on Ambien. It can be taken in the form of Niacinamide. The form of B3 called Niacin will cause flushing of the skin. This improves blood circulation and the flushing can last 30 minutes to an hour, but very effective in improving one’s mental state.
• Theanine – This nutrient helps to calm the nerves, but helps the brain to improve its alpha state. Alpha brain waves allows us to be calm and focused at the same time. Very effective and no side effects.
• B-Complex – One needs to be taking all the B vitamins daily. B1 helps with mental health. A dose of 50-100mg daily is sufficient. B vitamins help to convert food into energy and are needed for a healthy nervous system.

The nutrients above are to help those regain their mental health after taking Ambein. It is not a cure for PTSD. 

I hope you find this article helpful in the explanation of PTSD and the effects of using Ambein. 

“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

by Ward W. Bond, PhD.

#ptsh #ambien #drwardbond #thinknatural 

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