The Journal of clinical psychiatry
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Treatment of recent trauma survivors with benzodiazepines: a prospective study.
Most types of psychotropic drugs have been tried in the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but have yielded limited results. Theory and retrospective research predict that early treatment may be more efficacious. Specifically, high-potency benzodiazepines have been recommended for the treatment of acute responses to trauma and for prevention of PTSD. This study prospectively evaluates the effect of early administration of benzodiazepines on the course of PTSD and PTSD symptoms. ⋯ Contrary to expectations, the early administration of benzodiazepines to trauma survivors with high levels of initial distress did not have a salient beneficial effect on the course of their illness, while reducing physiologic expression of arousal.