How to Treat PTSD with Anxiety Medications

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that results from experiencing a traumatic event, such as war or a sexual assault. Experts at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs report that 12-20 percent of veterans coming back from the Iraq War are and will develop post traumatic stress disorder. A few of the major symptoms of PTSD include repeated flashbacks of the traumatic event and upsetting dreams about it, both of which can be treated with anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications.

Instructions

• 1

  Consider prescribing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) for the patient who has been diagnosed with PTSD. This class of medications affect serotonin in the brain, which is heavily involved with PTSD symptoms and important for elevating mood and decreasing anxiety.
  A few of the specific PTSD symptoms that could be improved by using SSRI's such as Paxil (paroxetine) and Zoloft (sertraline) include flashbacks of the traumatic event, hyperarousal, and numbing.

• 2

  Consider beta-blocker medications such as propranolol or prazosin. Even though these are not FDA-approved for treating PTSD, the beta blocker propranolol has been shown in some initial studies by Dr. Scott P. Orr and other Department of Veterans Affairs researchers to be effective in relieving some of the body's physiological responses to stress and anxiety. Initial studies showed that participants who received a single, 24-hour dose of propranolol following a traumatic event flashback experienced reduced physiological responses to subsequent flashbacks of the traumatic event, such as a reduction in heart rate response, adrenalin, and tensing muscles.

• 3

  Offer the PTSD patient a medication that may help with sleeping problems and nightmares. The medication trazodone has been especially useful for helping PTSD victims relieve sleeping problems. A study published in the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy by Ashford and Miller showed the effectiveness of the drug in veterans. Almost all of the veterans in this study had a positive response to trazodone, enabling them to sleep better and have fewer nightmares.

• 4

  Combine antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication with psychotherapies that are used specifically with PTSD victims. For example, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been shown to be effective in the reduction of PTSD symptoms according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, exposure therapy and cognitive therapy both help to regain control of your thoughts and emotions related to the experienced trauma.