Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that affects people who have suffered from trauma and abuse. It causes a person to experience flashbacks, negative feelings, and impulsive behavior.
PTSD can affect anyone who has experienced a traumatic effect in their life. Veterans are especially at an increased risk of suffering PTSD. In fact, it is estimated that 12 percent of veterans have PTSD.
Prazosin is one of the medications that is prescribed to treat PTSD. It is one of the most effective medications for treating this disorder. However, it is estimated that this medication does not work in 30 percent of patients. Scientists have studied this medication in order to determine why this medication only works for 70 percent of patients. The findings were shocking.
They found that this medication is more effective for people who have higher blood pressure. The study involved 67 patients who had served time in Afghanistan and Iraq. The researchers followed the patients over a 15-week period. Thirty-two of the patients took Prazosin while the remaining patients were given a placebo. The patients with higher blood pressure had a drastic improvement in their PTSD symptoms.
Murray Raskind works at VA Puget Health Care System. He was also one of the lead researchers in the study. He stated that blood pressure before treatment was one of the main factors that predicted the success of the treatment. He also stated that patients who had a systolic blood pressure over 110 mmHg had the best outcome. Interestingly, the benefits of the medication seemed to increase for every 10 mmhg above 110 mmhg.
The researchers believe that the results of this study will make it easier for doctors to customize a treatment plan for PTSD patients. More research will need to be conducted in order to find out exactly why Prazosin works better for patients with high blood pressure. However, they may already have an explanation.
Prazosin works by blocking the effects of noradrenaline and adrenaline. These are chemicals that are released when the body is under intense stress. Adrenaline and noradrenaline can increase blood pressure. That is why it makes sense that Prazosin will be more effective in patients who have higher levels of noradrenaline and adrenaline. Because doctors will have an easier time customizing a treatment plan, patients will be able to get a better outcome from the treatment.
Not only does this study help make it easier for people to get the right treatment, but it will also make it easier to understand the pathophysiology of PTSD. John Krystal is the editor of a journal called Biological Psychiatry. He stated that the results of this study will help people understand the role that noradrenaline and adrenaline play in PTSD. The results of the study have been published in Biological Psychiatry.
This is not the first time that a study has shown that there is a link between PTSD and blood pressure. In 2015, there was a study done that showed that Propanolol, a medication used to treat high blood pressure, can treat PTSD.
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