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Prazosin for the treatment of nightmares related to posttraumatic stress disorder: a review of the literature.

ABSTRACT: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder with symptoms that include insomnia due to hyperarousal and recurring nightmares. These symptoms are believed to be due to a conditioned response that is regulated by norepinephrine. Prazosin, an ?(1) antagonist, can decrease levels of norepinephrine in the central nervous system, thereby reducing nightmares related to PTSD.A literature search was conducted for all studies evaluating the effectiveness of prazosin as therapy for nightmare symptoms of PTSD. MEDLINE was utilized to identify all English-language studies published between 1966 and March 2011. Keywords searched included prazosin, PTSD, and nightmares.Eleven studies were identified, including 4 open-label trials, 4 retrospective chart reviews, and 3 placebo-controlled trials. Prazosin demonstrated favorable clinical efficacy and was found to be safe for relieving PTSD-associated nightmares.Current data indicate that prazosin is an effective agent for the treatment of nightmares associated with PTSD. However, the data are limited by small study sizes, lack of diversified investigators, and lack of regional diversity.

SUBMITTER: Hudson SM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3425466 | biostudies-other | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Prazosin for the treatment of nightmares related to posttraumatic stress disorder: a review of the literature.

Hudson Steven M SM Whiteside Travis E TE Lorenz Raymond A RA Wargo Kurt A KA

The primary care companion for CNS disorders 20120322 2

<h4>Background</h4>Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder with symptoms that include insomnia due to hyperarousal and recurring nightmares. These symptoms are believed to be due to a conditioned response that is regulated by norepinephrine. Prazosin, an α(1) antagonist, can decrease levels of norepinephrine in the central nervous system, thereby reducing nightmares related to PTSD.<h4>Data sources</h4>A literature search was conducted for all studies evaluating the effect ...[more]

PMID: 22943034

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Project description:The aims of this review are (i) to summarize and evaluate current knowledge on the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in pregnant and postpartum women, (ii) to provide suggestions for future research on this topic, and (iii) to highlight some clinical implications. Relevant publications were identified through literature searches of four databases (PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES) using keywords such as "child abuse," "posttraumatic stress," "pregnancy," and "postpartum". Five studies were included in this review. Findings across all studies were consistent with higher prevalence of PTSD diagnosis or symptomatology among women with history of CSA. However, only findings from two studies were statistically significant. One study observed higher overall PTSD scores in women with CSA history compared to women with non-CSA trauma history or no trauma history during pregnancy (mean?±?SD 1.47 (0.51) vs. 1.33 (0.41) vs. 1.22 (0.29), p?<?0.001), at 2 months postpartum (mean?±?SD 1.43 (0.49) vs. 1.26 (0.38) vs. 1.19 (0.35), p?<?0.001), and at 6 months postpartum (mean?±?SD 1.36 (1.43) vs. 1.20 (0.33) vs. 1.14 (0.27), p?<?0.001). Another study observed that the prevalence of PTSD during pregnancy was 4.1 % in women with no history of physical or sexual abuse, 11.4 % in women with adult physical or sexual abuse history, 16.0 % in women with childhood physical or sexual abuse history, and 39.0 % in women exposed to both childhood and adult physical or sexual abuse (p?<?0.001); in a subsequent analysis, the investigators reported that pregnant women with PTSD had over 5-fold odds of having a history of childhood completed rape compared to counterparts without PTSD (OR = 5.3, 95 % CI 3.2, 8.7). Overall, available evidence suggests positive associations of CSA with clinical PTSD or PTSD symptomatology among pregnant and postpartum women.

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Prazosin for the treatment of nightmares related to posttraumatic stress disorder: a review of the literature.

Publications

Prazosin for the treatment of nightmares related to posttraumatic stress disorder: a review of the literature.

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