Pharmacotherapy of posttraumatic stress disorder

Advances in the basic neuroscience of fear conditioning and extinction, as well as in the clinical neuroscience of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), have laid the foundations for research on the pharmacotherapy of PTSD. Clinical trials have ranged from early work on tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines through to more recently introduced antidepressants, and on to a range of other psychotropic agents. Despite the growing database of trials, the area remains a controversial one insofar as key systematic reviews in the field have emphasized the methodological limitations of existing work. Here, we briefly review the existing literature on the pharmacotherapy of PTSD, attempting to highlight key clinical lessons, and important areas for future research.