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Low-dose clonidine in veterans with Posttraumatic stress disorder
Gregory A Burek1, Mindy R Waite2, Kayla Heslin3
1Aurora Behavioral Health Services, Advocate Aurora Health, 1220 Dewey Ave, Wauwatosa, WI 53213, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
|April 2, 2021
Summary
Clonidine may effectively treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms like hyperarousal. This study found 72% of veterans with PTSD improved with clonidine, reporting minimal side effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity and elevated norepinephrine.
- Clonidine, an alpha2-adrenergic agonist, may mitigate these symptoms by reducing norepinephrine release.
- Existing literature on clonidine for PTSD is limited, necessitating further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of clonidine in treating veterans with PTSD.
- To assess changes in PTSD symptom severity using the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale.
- To explore potential correlations between comorbid diagnoses, concurrent medications, and treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for 79 veterans diagnosed with moderate to severe PTSD.
- Independent clinician assessment using CGI-Severity (CGI-S) and CGI-Improvement (CGI-I) scales before and after clonidine treatment.
- Collection and analysis of data on adverse events and subgroup analyses for comorbidities and concurrent medications.
Main Results:
- A mean baseline CGI-S score of 4.8 (indicating markedly ill) was observed.
- Following low-dose clonidine treatment, 72% of patients showed symptom improvement.
- 49% of patients were rated as "much improved" or "very much improved" on the CGI-I scale, with 18 out of 79 reporting adverse effects.
Conclusions:
- Clonidine treatment demonstrated potential efficacy in improving PTSD symptoms among veterans.
- The medication was generally well-tolerated, with a low incidence of reported adverse effects.
- Comorbid diagnoses and concurrent medications may influence treatment outcomes in PTSD patients receiving clonidine.
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