Dealing with Posttraumatic Nightmares
European Psychiatry November 17, 2023 C. Alvarez Garcia, L. Nocete Navarro, A. Sanz Giancola
Posttraumatic nightmares (PTN) are a frequent symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder, with prevalence up to 96%, and are an independent risk factor for suicide. The two main current treatments are Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT), a cognitive-behavioral intervention that helps patients change nightmare content, and prazosin, an alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonist. However, prazosin has not shown significant differences compared to placebo. Emerging evidence suggests nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, may be helpful; a Canadian clinical trial found that 72% of patients experienced complete disappearance or important reduction of PTN. More research is needed for an effective treatment.