DNRS limbic system retraining is perfect for this. EMDR is a good idea, too, and also tapping (EFT). Rewiring the neural pathways that perpetuate those symptoms is the way to fix it, instead of just stopping symptoms. Psych meds have their place, but can be so destabilizing. I have experience with an SSRI and a benzo, and I am unlikely to use them again.

The SSRI (once I found one that I wasn't allergic to and didn't give me 24/7 panic) helped mildly with my mental health, but it destroyed my gut flora, gave me IBS and random nausea, caused rapid weight gain (that only went away years later when I treated the gut flora issue), and killed my libido. Definitely not worth it. And this was pre-Lyme, when my body worked more or less okay. I started taking the SSRI to see if it would help with awful migraines (nope) and mild anxiety.

I took the benzo when I had Lyme many years ago but was undiagnosed, when doctors told me that all of my symptoms were PTSD. At a subclinical dose, it was mildly helpful, and it seemed to chill out neurological symptoms, which makes sense. I didn't actually get better until I stopped taking it, though, and addressed the causes of my symptoms.

And I should add that I think most of us have some degree of PTSD from this disease! You are not alone in that at all. It's a normal response to a traumatic situation. Scary symptoms, no real help, feeling like the body you live in is a haunted house, often for years!

PTSD can cause physical symptoms in and of itself, and trauma can cement a symptom in your brain neurologically. This stuff can persist long after the bug that started it is gone. Chronic stress (from PTSD) depresses the immune system, dysregulates hormones, causes inflammation, interrupts digestion, sensitizes nerves, etc. My point here is that addressing stress, trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression or any other "mental" health concern is absolutely vital if we want to get better! So bravo.

Can you imagine how different our experience of this disease would be if our symptoms didn't scare us? I know it can be hard not to spiral - what is this symptom, what does it mean, is it serious, what if it doesn't stop, what if it gets worse, does this mean I'm on the wrong track, do I have to go to the ER, is this a side effect of something I'm taking, is this from mold or an infection, am I developing another condition like MCAS or an autoimmune disease...? On and on and on. It's dysfunctional, but often it also feels like the only way we'll ever get better. Like if we just could figure out the missing piece, then we'd be fine! And we must pay attention and research, to figure out the puzzle! (Again, this is exactly what DNRS is for - stopping these patterns, and stopping the symptoms.)

Mental health counseling, if you have a good therapist, can work wonders, but it takes time. I sense that you would like some quicker relief. CBD may be a good option, along with the other suggestions I made before.

Hi again, Sam. Using that much CBD would get expensive! But seriously, I'm sorry you are struggling so much. So many of us have been there.

Yes, I have used DNRS, and I feel strongly about it! I have posted about it here before, so maybe look up some of the old posts. I feel that it brought me to about 80% reliably in terms of functionality and well-being, some days even better. The practice is supposed to be done for one hour per day for six months. I practiced only for about 15 minutes per day for closer to three months, and saw great benefit. At that point, I was able to pack up my house, sell it, buy a different house in a new town, renovate it, and move! During that process, however, I let the DNRS practice fall by the wayside, and my health declined again. I'm still better off than I was, but I really need to re-commit! It's been about a year since I stopped practicing regularly.

A few tips:
1. You really have to do it, even when your heart isn't in it, even when you don't feel like it. The brain fights back against being rewired, so you might get depressed or irritable for a week or two. This is normal and will pass.
2. A lot can be done with the imagination. If sometimes you lack the privacy or energy to say the words aloud or use the body positions, then it definitely works to use your imagination. (The program explains this is because of mirror neurons.)
3. This is a mindset change, and throughout the day you should be reminded of the principles behind it. Make signs and post them all over your house, listen to recordings of yourself saying helpful things, etc.
4. The books and such aren't really necessary, if you are concerned about the extra expense, just the videos. You can email yourself notes directly from the program.
5. The program videos are super hokey! Just keep an open mind. Once you understand everything, you can and should re-word all of it so that it all feels more natural to you. Make it your own.
6. The science is solid. None of this is fringe stuff.
7. My LLMD knows the creator Annie Hopper. She was a featured speaker at last year's environmental illness conference, which the big names in mold illness attend. She created the program to help herself recover from multiple chemical sensitivities and then broadened the focus to CFS and fibromyalgia for the video series, but the videos were made a long time ago. The principles have been applied to Lyme, PTSD, POTS, MCAS, mycotoxin illness, and other illnesses in the years since, so just roll with it when all the examples seem to be about chemical sensitivity.

And re: meds, all we can do is try things and see. There's no guarantee that anything is going to help, so we just have to keep taking chances. If it's not helpful, then you can stop. But I totally understand. I am reluctant to add anything, even fairly innoccuous stuff, as I am so sensitive and reactive. Like today I was going to start supplementing zinc but I am worried about the high-ish dosage causing nausea. Sigh.

I definitely need to revisit DNRS! I am not one to think that things are helping me when they are not; if anything, my bias runs in the opposite direction. I think the biggest barrier to DNRS working for people is just sticking with the program. For what it's worth, I could tolerate a lot more supplements, temperatures, exertion, etc. in the months that I was using DNRS, since it subdues the reactivity of the system.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Sertraline worked very well for me but I had stomach issues on it so I switched to Lexapro.

It wouldn't hurt to try in my opinion.

SSRI's get a bad reputation but they help me get through every day.

Do pay attention to side effects, as you might want to switch around to different SSRI's until you find one that works without many side effects.