Pharmacologic treatment of PTSD

Abstract

There has been a welcome increase of pharmacologic randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the past two decades. Progress clearly has been made toward a rational psychopharmacology of PTSD, but recommendations of authoritative practice guidelines as well as prescribing patterns, especially for military veterans with chronic PTSD, often appear disconnected from evidence obtained from these RCTs. Furthermore, an Institute of Medicine assessment found the existing evidence inadequate to determine efficacy of any drug or drug class for PTSD. This chapter reviews data from the more informative PTSD drug RCTs, the rationale for potential efficacy of the drug classes evaluated, and the implications of the evidence available for clinicians who must decide how to prescribe for the patients in their practices. © 2009 Humana Press.