Of the medication classes , evidence of treatment efficacy was most convincing for the SSRIs .
In addition , medication was superior to placebo in reducing  comorbid depression and disability .
Medication was also less well tolerated than placebo .
A narrative review of the 3 maintenance trials suggested that long-term medication may be required in treating PTSD .
CONCLUSION Medication treatments can be effective in treating PTSD , acting to reduce its core symptoms , as well as associated depression and disability , and should be considered as part of the treatment of this disorder .
The findings of this review support the status of SSRIs as first-line agents in the pharmacotherapy of PTSD , as well as their value in longterm treatment .
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) is a prevalent and disabling condition .
Evidence that PTSD is characterized by specific psychobiological dysfunctions has contributed to a growing interest in use of medication in its treatment .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of medication in the treatment of PTSD .
Multicenter, double-blind comparison of sertraline and placebo in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) is a common illness associated with significant disability . Few large , placebo-controlled trials have been reported . METHODS Out patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of moderate-to-severe PTSD were r and omized to 12 weeks of double-blind treatment with either sertraline ( N = 100 ) in flexible daily doses in the range of 50 to 200 mg or placebo  ( N = 108 ) . Primary outcome measures consisted of the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale ( CAPS-2 ) total severity score , the patient-rated Impact of Event Scale ( IES ) , and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity ( CGI-S ) and -Improvement ( CGI-I ) ratings . RESULTS Mixed-effects analyses found significantly steeper improvement slopes for sertraline compared with placebo on the CAPS-2 ( t = 2.96 , P = .003 ) , the IES ( t = 2.26 , P = .02 ) , the CGI-I score ( t = 3.62 , P<.001 ) , and the CGI-S score ( t = 4.40 , P<.001 ) . An intent-to-treat end-point analysis found a 60 % responder rate for sertraline and a 38 % responder rate for placebo ( chi(2)(1 ) = 8.48 , P = .004 ) . Sertraline treatment was well tolerated , with a 9 % discontinuation rate because of adverse events , compared with 5 % for placebo . Adverse events that were significantly more common in subjects given sertraline compared with placebo consisted of insomnia ( 35 % vs 22 % ) , diarrhea ( 28 % vs 11 % ) , nausea ( 23 % vs 11 % ) , fatigue ( 13 % vs 5 % ) , and decreased appetite ( 12 % vs 1 % ) . CONCLUSION The results of the current study suggest that sertraline is a safe , well-tolerated , and significantly effective treatment for PTSD
Of the medication classes , evidence of treatment efficacy was most convincing for the SSRIs .
In addition , medication was superior to placebo in reducing  comorbid depression and disability .
Medication was also less well tolerated than placebo .
A narrative review of the 3 maintenance trials suggested that long-term medication may be required in treating PTSD .
CONCLUSION Medication treatments can be effective in treating PTSD , acting to reduce its core symptoms , as well as associated depression and disability , and should be considered as part of the treatment of this disorder .
The findings of this review support the status of SSRIs as first-line agents in the pharmacotherapy of PTSD , as well as their value in longterm treatment .
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) is a prevalent and disabling condition .
Evidence that PTSD is characterized by specific psychobiological dysfunctions has contributed to a growing interest in use of medication in its treatment .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of medication in the treatment of PTSD .