Pharmacological management of post-traumatic stress disorder: Clinical summary of a five-year retrospective study, 1990-1995

Abstract

Beginning in 1990, the Department of Psychiatry, Tripler Army Medical Center developed a formal treatment program for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Between 1990 and 1996, 632 patients, the vast majority of whom suffered from combat-related PTSD, were treated. Historically, many PTSD patients were treated with benzodiazepines, often in high dosages. The risks attendant to benzodiazepine management of PTSD, coupled with poor clinical outcome, prompted the staff to explore treatment alternatives. This paper describes the role of pharmacotherapy in the management of PTSD. The medications described in this paper have other primary uses in clinical practice (e.g., hypertension, insomnia, seizure control, depression, and anxiety). Medications were selected for use based on the putative modes of action and the degree of symptom relief. The therapeutic rationale was to decrease hyper-arousal and sleep disturbance to permit the patients to engage in other psychotherapeutic efforts.