Posted by SLS on January 21, 2013, at 13:50:03
In reply to PTSD/Prazosin-----SLS?, posted by ChicagoKat on January 21, 2013, at 11:01:43
Hi Kat.
I will start off by saying that the stuff works for me big time. It acts like a potent and steady antidepressant night and day. For PTSD, it was discovered serendipitously at a VA hospital that prazosin acts to reduce nightmares and disturbed sleep. However, it was quite a while before someone had the bright idea to try it for the daytime anxiety and depression that can accompany PTSD.
Because prazosin has such a short half-life, it is best to take it three times a day. I take 15 mg/day divided into 5 mg t.i.d.
- Scott------------------------------------------
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16460691
Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Apr 1;59(7):577-81. Epub 2006 Feb 7.
Daytime prazosin reduces psychological distress to trauma specific cues in civilian trauma posttraumatic stress disorder.Taylor FB, Lowe K, Thompson C, McFall MM, Peskind ER, Kanter ED, Allison N, Williams J, Martin P, Raskind MA.
BACKGROUND:
Persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whose trauma-related nightmares improve or resolve with bedtime administration of the alpha-1 adrenergic antagonist prazosin often continue to experience PTSD symptoms during the day. This study addressed whether daytime prazosin compared to placebo would alleviate psychological distress provoked experimentally by a trauma-related word list included in the emotional Stroop (E-Stroop) paradigm.
METHODS:
Eleven persons with civilian trauma PTSD who continued to experience daytime PTSD symptoms despite a stable bedtime prazosin dose that suppressed trauma-related nightmares were studied. Prazosin and placebo were administered on two different occasions in the early afternoon followed two hours later by the E-Stroop. Effects of drug on psychological distress were assessed by the Profile of Mood States (P*MS).
RESULTS:
P*MS total score and an "emotional distress" P*MS subscale score following trauma-related words were significantly lower in the prazosin than placebo condition. There were no treatment effects on E-Stroop completion time. In 10 subjects who continued open label daytime prazosin, there was a reduction in global PTSD illness severity at 2-week follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS:
Daytime prazosin pretreatment reduced psychological distress specifically to trauma cues. Adding daytime prazosin to bedtime prazosin may further reduce overall PTSD illness severity and distress.
PMID:
16460691
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]------------------------------------------
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/advisory-boards-and-groups/namhc/2006/september/director-report.pdf
Blood Pressure Medication Relieves Daytime PTSD Symptoms
Current treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are reported to be only minimally effective in reducing both nighttime and daytime re-experiencing and intrusion symptoms; many people with PTSD self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. Recent studies have demonstrated that prazosin (Minipress), a generically available alpha-1 adrenergic antagonist, can reduced night time PTSD symptoms.
A new study by Fletcher B. Taylor, of the Veteran Health Care System and University of Washington, and colleagues suggests that daytime administration of prazosin also may bring relief from anxiety, nervousness, and fear. The results suggest that daytime administration will not interfere with routine daytime tasks and skills, indicating that prazosin may be an effective addition to current treatments.
Taylor FB, Lowe K, Thompson C, McFall MM, Peskind ER, Kanter ED, Allison N, Williams J, Martin P, Raskind MA
Daytime prazosin reduces psychological distress to trauma specific cues in civilian trauma posttraumatic stress disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Apr 1;59(7):577-81.
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Some see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1035964
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130112/msgs/1035979.html