Case series: Continued remission of PTSD symptoms after discontinuation of prazosin

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating chronic illness that affects 6 out of 100 adults after a severe trauma. The alpha-adrenergic antagonist prazosin, which is prescribed off-label for flashbacks and nightmares due to trauma, is often continued indefinitely due to reports of symptoms ret...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Christie Richardson, Jonathan Yuh, Jing Su, Martin Forsberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1172754/full
Description
Summary:Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating chronic illness that affects 6 out of 100 adults after a severe trauma. The alpha-adrenergic antagonist prazosin, which is prescribed off-label for flashbacks and nightmares due to trauma, is often continued indefinitely due to reports of symptoms returning upon discontinuation. There is no standard guidance for a trial of discontinuation of prazosin due to intolerance or side effects. In this case series, three patients are started on prazosin leading to remission of trauma-related symptoms, and symptoms continue to remit after treatment for an average of about 2 years followed by discontinuation of the medication. There are many similarities in these case reports which serve to provide guidance as to when a trial of prazosin discontinuation may be warranted.
ISSN:1664-0640