RESULTS BZDs are ineffective for PTSD treatment and prevention , and risks associated with their use tend to outweigh potential short-term benefits .
In addition to adverse effects in general population s , BZDs are associated with specific problems in patients with PTSD : worse overall severity , significantly increased risk of developing PTSD with use after recent trauma , worse psychotherapy outcomes , aggression , depression , and substance use .
The results of this systematic review suggest that BZDs should be considered relatively contraindicated for patients with PTSD or recent trauma .
OBJECTIVE Although benzodiazepines ( BZDs ) are commonly used in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) , no systematic review or meta- analysis has specifically examined this treatment .
The goal of this study was to analyze and summarize evidence concerning the efficacy of BZDs in treating PTSD .
Alprazolam treatment immediately after stress exposure interferes with the normal HPA-stress response and increases vulnerability to subsequent stress in an animal model of PTSD
BACKGROUND In light of clinical reports suggesting that early benzodiazepine administration interferes with long-term recovery from traumatic stress , a prospect i ve animal model for PTSD was employed to assess the short- and long-term effects of a brief course of alprazolam following stress exposure . METHOD Animals exposed to stress were treated either 1 h or 7 days later with alprazolam or vehicle for 3-days . Outcome measures included behavior in the elevated plus-maze ( EPM ) and acoustic startle response ( ASR ) tests 30 days after initial exposure and freezing behavior upon exposure to a trauma-cue on day 31 . One group was repeatedly exposed to the triggering trauma shortly before and after treatment and assessed as above . Circulating corticosterone levels were assessed 4 h after initiation of alprazolam and post-treatment . Pre-set cut-off behavioral criteria classified exposed animals according to their EPM and ASR response-patterns into ' extreme ' , ' minimal , ' or ' partial ' behavioral response for analysis of prevalence rates . RESULTS Immediate alprazolam treatment was effective in alleviating anxiety at day 4 . No observable anxiolytic effects remained at day 30 . Immediate alprazolam also result ed in significantly greater freezing response to trauma-cue exposure and in extreme responses to double-exposure . Corticosterone levels were significantly suppressed by alprazolam during treatment and rebounded after cessation . CONCLUSION A brief course of alprazolam in the immediate aftermath of stress-exposure is associated with less favorable responses to additional stress-exposure later on . Alprazolam was associated with a significant attenuation of the HPA-response , suggesting a possible link between initial HPA-axis response disruption and the subsequent unfavorable outcomes
RESULTS BZDs are ineffective for PTSD treatment and prevention , and risks associated with their use tend to outweigh potential short-term benefits .
In addition to adverse effects in general population s , BZDs are associated with specific problems in patients with PTSD : worse overall severity , significantly increased risk of developing PTSD with use after recent trauma , worse psychotherapy outcomes , aggression , depression , and substance use .
The results of this systematic review suggest that BZDs should be considered relatively contraindicated for patients with PTSD or recent trauma .
OBJECTIVE Although benzodiazepines ( BZDs ) are commonly used in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) , no systematic review or meta- analysis has specifically examined this treatment .
The goal of this study was to analyze and summarize evidence concerning the efficacy of BZDs in treating PTSD .