Valproic Acid in the Treatment of Post traumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

Valproic acid (valproate/divalproex sodium, VPA), which is primarily used as an antiepileptic drug and mood stabilizer, suppresses gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transamination, inhibits N-methyl-D- aspartate (NMDA)-mediated neuronal excitability, and blocks voltage-gated sodium channels and T-type calcium channels. Although VPA has been clinically applied as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the efficacy of VPA on PTSD is controversial. The recent discovery that VPA acts as a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor has led to the expectation that it will be used as an adjunctive agent with existing psychotherapies for PTSD. In this review, we describe studies on the efficacy of VPA as a treatment for PTSD and evaluate the evidence that supports this novel PTSD treatment strategy.