DrugLib.com — Drug Information Portal

Rx drug information, pharmaceutical research, clinical trials, news, and more



A double-blind randomized controlled trial to study the efficacy of topiramate in a civilian sample of PTSD.

Author(s): Yeh MS, Mari JJ, Costa MC, Andreoli SB, Bressan RA, Mello MF

Affiliation(s): Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Publication date & source: 2011-10, CNS Neurosci Ther., 17(5):305-10. Epub 2010 Sep 23.

Publication type: Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD: We conducted a 12-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study comparing topiramate to placebo. Men and women aged 18-62 years with diagnosis of PTSD according to DSM-IV were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the violence program of Federal University of Sao Paulo Hospital (Prove-UNIFESP), Sao Paulo City, between April 2006 and December 2009. Subjects were assessed for the Clinician-Administered Posttraumatic Stress Scale (CAPS), Clinical Global Impression, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). After 1-week period of washout, 35 patients were randomized to either group. The primary outcome measure was the CAPS total score changes from baseline to the endpoint. RESULTS: 82.35% of patients in the topiramate group exhibited improvements in PTSD symptoms. The efficacy analysis demonstrated that patients in the topiramate group exhibited significant improvements in reexperiencing symptoms: flashbacks, intrusive memories, and nightmares of the trauma (CAPS-B; P= 0.04) and in avoidance/numbing symptoms associated with the trauma, social isolation, and emotional numbing (CAPS-C; P= 0.0001). Furthermore, the experimental group demonstrated a significant difference in decrease in CAPS total score (topiramate -57.78; placebo -32.41; P= 0.0076). Mean topiramate dose was 102.94 mg/d. Topiramate was generally well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Topiramate was effective in improving reexperiencing and avoidance/numbing symptom clusters in patients with PTSD. This study supports the use of anticonvulsants for the improvement of symptoms of PTSD. (c) 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Page last updated: 2011-12-09

-- advertisement -- The American Red Cross
 
Home | About Us | Contact Us | Site usage policy | Privacy policy

All Rights reserved - Copyright DrugLib.com, 2006-2017