Trial of Prazosin for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Military Veterans

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 378; no. 6; pp. 507 - 517
• Main Authors: Raskind, Murray A, Peskind, Elaine R, Chow, Bruce, Harris, Crystal, Davis-Karim, Anne, Holmes, Hollie A, Hart, Kimberly L, McFall, Miles, Mellman, Thomas A, Reist, Christopher, Romesser, Jennifer, Rosenheck, Robert, Shih, Mei-Chiung, Stein, Murray B, Swift, Robert, Gleason, Theresa, Lu, Ying, Huang, Grant D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 08.02.2018
• Subjects: Adrenergic alpha-1 Receptor Antagonists - administration & dosage; Adrenergic alpha-1 Receptor Antagonists - adverse effects; Adrenergic receptors; Adult; Clinical trials; Combined Modality Therapy; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Dreams - drug effects; Drug therapy; Female; Hospitals, Veterans; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pharmaceuticals; Post traumatic stress disorder; Prazosin; Prazosin - administration & dosage; Prazosin - adverse effects; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychotherapy; Sleep - drug effects; Sleep Wake Disorders - drug therapy; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - drug therapy; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy; Suicidal behavior; Suicidal Ideation; Treatment Failure; United States; Veterans
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1507598

In a trial involving 304 veterans with stable PTSD, prazosin did not alleviate distressing dreams and did not improve sleep quality or overall clinical symptoms over 10 or 26 weeks. This result is in contrast to findings in several previous smaller or briefer trials.