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. 2019 Nov 27;9(6):373-382.
doi: 10.9740/mhc.2019.11.373. eCollection 2019 Nov.

Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: Focus on pharmacotherapy

Megan Ehret

Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: Focus on pharmacotherapy

Megan Ehret. Ment Health Clin. .

Abstract

Current clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder offer varying recommendations regarding the use of pharmacotherapy. Many direct head-to-head comparisons of pharmacotherapy are lacking, and recommendations are based on meta-analyses and small trials. While selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are considered first-line pharmacotherapy, clear distinctions do not exist when considering other classes of psychotropic medications. Ultimately, when selecting an appropriate medication for a patient diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, the clinician needs to consider the current symptomatology being experienced, comorbid conditions, and evidence for efficacy of specific treatments prior to initiating medications.

Keywords: antidepressants; antipsychotics; anxiety; benzodiazepines; mood stabilizers; nightmares; posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); prazosin.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: I have nothing personal to disclose. Psychopharmacology Pearls are review articles intended to highlight both the evidence base available and/or controversial areas of clinical care for psychiatric and neurologic conditions as well as strategies of clinical decision-making used by expert clinicians. As pearls, articles reflect the views and practice of each author as substantiated with evidence-based facts as well as opinion and experience. Articles are edited by members of the Psychopharmacology Pearls Editorial Board as well as peer reviewed by MHC reviewers. This article was developed as part of the 2019 Psychopharmacology Pearls product for BCPP recertification credit. The course information and testing center is at https://cpnp.org/379404.

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