NON-NIGHTMARE DISTRESSED AWAKENINGS IN VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: RESPONSE TO PRAZOSIN
Charles E Thompson, Fletcher B. Taylor, M. McFall, R. Barnes, M. Raskind
Journal of Traumatic Stress August 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1002/jts.20351 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder |
| Intervention | Prazosin |
| Dose | average bedtime dose of 9.6 mg/day |
| Topics | Dreaming PTSD |
| Key findings | After prazosin treatment at an average bedtime dose of 9.6 mg/day, veterans' trauma-related nightmare ratings fell from 3.6 to 2.2, non-nightmare distressed awakenings from 5.2 to 2.1, and weekly sleep difficulty from 7.2 to 4.1. The authors suggest increased brain adrenergic activity may contribute to the pathophysiology of both nightmare and non-nightmare distressed awakenings in PTSD. |
Abstract
Twenty-two veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were assessed for trauma-related nightmares (NM) and non-nightmare distressed awakenings (NNDA) before and after treatment with the alpha-1 adrenoreceptor antagonist prazosin at an average bedtime dose of 9.6 mg/day. Ratings combining frequency and intensity dimensions of NM decreased from 3.6 ± 2.6 to 2.2 ± 2.4 (p<0.05), NNDA from 5.2 ± 1.7 to 2.1 ± 2.4 (p<0.01), and sleep difficulty from 7.2 ± 8 to 4.1 ± 2.3 (p<0.01) per week. These results suggest that increased brain adrenergic activity may contribute to the pathophysiology of both NM and NNDA in PTSD.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on PTSD, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
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- The Impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies for Nightmares and Prazosin on the Reduction of Post-Traumatic Nightmares, Sleep, and PTSD Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis of Randomized and Non‐Randomized Studies InTech eBooks November 2, 2016
- Therapeutic Effects of Tamsulosin in Nightmare Disorder: A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over, Pilot Study. Drug research February 1, 2024
- Prazosin for Trauma Nightmares and Sleep Disturbances in Combat Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences August 6, 2016
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