Use of thioridazine in post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition that develops in persons who have experienced emotional or physical stress of sufficient magnitude to be extremely traumatic for virtually anyone. This may include natural catastrophes, combat experiences, rape, or other such horrifying events. The three major features of the disorder are reexperiencing the trauma through dreams, emotional numbing, and autonomic instability. To date, several treatment modalities have been used, usually consisting of a combination of psychotherapy and drug treatment. Although controversy exists, antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors are used most commonly, while other drugs such as lithium, carbamazepine, and antipsychotic drugs may be useful. We have reported a case involving a 44-year-old combat veteran who experienced severe flashbacks of his time spent in Vietnam. His symptoms and general state of mind improved significantly while taking the antipsychotic drug thioridazine.