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No improvement of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms with guanfacine treatment

Thomas C Neylan¹, Maryann Lenoci, Kristin W Samuelson

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, USA. neylan@itsa.ucsf.edu

The American Journal of Psychiatry

|December 8, 2006

Abstract

Objective:

The authors report an 8-week, double-blind, randomized controlled trial of guanfacine versus placebo for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Method:

Veterans with chronic PTSD who were medication-free or receiving stable pharmacotherapy were randomly assigned to guanfacine (N=29) versus placebo (N=34).

Results:

Guanfacine had no effect on PTSD symptoms, subjective sleep quality, or general mood disturbances. Guanfacine was associated with a number of side effects.

Conclusions:

These results do not support the use of alpha 2 agonists in veterans with chronic PTSD.

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