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Centrally acting anticholinergic drug trihexyphenidyl is highly effective in reducing nightmares associated with
Katsumasa Sogo1, Masanobu Sogo1, Yoshie Okawa1
1Sogo PTSD Institute, Medical Corporation Sogokai, Hiroshima-city, Japan.
Introduction:
Following a case study on scopolamine butyl bromide, an anticholinergic drug, we studied the effect of a central anticholinergic drug on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-related flashbacks and nightmares.
Methods:
We administered trihexyphenidyl (TP) to 34 patients with refractory PTSD-related nightmares and flashbacks (open-label trial [n = 22]; single-blind trial [n = 12]), who had previously received psychiatric treatment for approximately 2-15 years, without therapeutic benefits. The effect of TP was determined using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R).
Results:
Overall, most patients reported an improvement to none or mild on the CAPS for nightmares (88%) and flashbacks (79%).
Conclusion:
This study is the first to demonstrate the potential efficacy of TP in the treatment of refractory PTSD-related nightmares and flashbacks. Further double-blind, randomized control trials are needed to explore the potential clinical benefits of TP in PTSD.
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