Available Car Crash-Related PTSD Medical Treatments
According to popular myth, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a combat-related condition which randomly affects some people who “can’t take it.” Reality is different. Any extremely stressful situation, like a car crash, could cause PTSD. In fact, this condition affects about 50 percent of car crash victims. Furthermore, PTSD is a physical brain injury, just like a concussion. Extreme stress creates a chemical imbalance in the brain, which produces symptoms like depression, anger, hypervigilance, and flashbacks.
As outlined below, PTSD treatments are available. But the treatments are usually either hit-and-miss, as no one combination is effective in all cases, or experimental and costly. So, a Sugar Land personal injury lawyer obtains the compensation these victims need to overcome their brain injuries, including PTSD. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
Approved Drugs
The aforementioned symptoms often have a common cause, which is anxiety. So, it stands to reason that if doctors reduce the PTSD victim’s anxiety level, that treatment also controls PTSD symptoms. Existing anti-anxiety drugs used to treat PTSD include:
- Paroxetine: Like most other approved PTSD drugs, Paroxetine is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor). The drug blocks the reabsorption of serotonin, thus raising this hormone’s level. SSRIs are the most widely prescribed antidepressants in many countries. However, these drugs often aren’t effective in severe cases, and may or may not be outweighed by side effects, especially in adolescent populations.
- Sertraline: This drug, which is also used to treat PMS, is often more effective than Paroxetine. However, Sertraline is an SSRI and has SSRI side-effects. Additionally, Sertraline is not a self-contained drug. Users must mix the dose with a half cup (4 ounces/120 milliliters) of water, ginger ale, lemon-lime soda, lemonade, or orange juice. This requirement usually affects regular use of this drug.
- Prozac: Fluoxetine may be the most tried-and-true SSRI. It’s widely prescribed, usually effective, and unfortunately for all patients, especially PTSD patients, usually addictive. Additionally, improperly stored Porzac is often contaminated with NDMA, one of the most potent carcinogens in the world. The pills in your medicine cabinet may already be tainted, because of improper storage higher up the supply chain.
If PTSD drug side-effects cause injury, a Missouri City Personal injury lawyer can obtain compensation for these injuries in a separate proceeding.
Doctors often combine medication with therapy, which helps PTSD victims fill their minds with something else and identify PTSD triggers. However, since this condition has a chemical cause, it also has a chemical solution.
Experimental Drugs
In February 2024, the Food and Drug Administration agreed to review MDMA (molly or ecstasy) PTSD treatments on an expedited basis. The drug is scheduled for approval in August 2024. However, serious concerns remain about safety and addiction.
If the drug maker overcomes these issues, MDMA could be the breakthrough treatment PTSD victims have longed for. In many studies, just one carefully-administered dose of MDMA significantly reduces anxiety, which as mentioned, is the root cause of most PTSD symptoms.
We should stress the carefully-administered part. Self-medication with MDMA, alcohol, or any other substance often relieves PTSD symptoms in the short term. But over the long term, these substances are highly addictive and cause many more problems than they cure.
Count on a Dedicated Fort Bend County Attorney
Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in Missouri City, contact the Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm. We routinely handle matters throughout the Lone Star State.
Source:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5779792/
