Related Experiment Videos
Quetiapine therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder
S Pirzada Sattar1, Bernadette Ucci, Kathleen Grant
1School of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA. syed.sattar@med.va.gov
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
|November 28, 2002
Summary
This case study reports that quetiapine, an atypical antipsychotic, improved symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a patient unresponsive to standard treatment. Quetiapine may be a viable option for severe PTSD cases.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Case Study
Background:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition often requiring multifaceted treatment approaches.
- Standard pharmacotherapies for PTSD, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, may not be effective in all severe cases.
- Atypical antipsychotics are increasingly explored for treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions.
Observation:
- A 49-year-old male with severe PTSD, unresponsive to escalating doses of paroxetine, was treated with adjunctive quetiapine.
- Quetiapine dosage was incrementally increased, leading to observable improvements in PTSD symptomatology.
- Symptom severity was objectively assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale.
Findings:
- Adjunctive quetiapine therapy resulted in significant clinical improvement of PTSD symptoms.
- Objective measures, including depression and PTSD rating scales, corroborated the clinical observations of symptom reduction.
- This represents the first reported case in English literature of quetiapine effectively managing PTSD symptoms.
Implications:
- Quetiapine may serve as a valuable therapeutic option for severe or treatment-resistant PTSD.
- Atypical antipsychotics, particularly newer agents like quetiapine, offer a potentially safer alternative to older antipsychotics for PTSD management.
- Further research is warranted to explore the efficacy and safety of quetiapine in a larger PTSD patient cohort.