Table 1 Tentative assessment of potential drugs for primary PTSD prevention
From: Primary prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder: drugs and implications
Class of drugs | Drugs (examples) | Currently used in PTSD therapy | Undesirable physical effects | Undesirable mental side effects | Potential effectiveness for primary PTSD prevention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beta-blockers | propranolol | yes | some | no | yes |
Alpha-blockers | prazosin | yes | some | no | unknown |
Corticosteroids | cortisol | no | no | no | contradictory evidence |
Opiates | morphine | no | yes | yes | yes, but strong performance impairment |
Anesthetics | ketamine | no | yes | yes | yes, but strong performance impairment |
Antidepressants | several sub-classes | yes | no | some | unknown |
Sedatives | benzodiazepines | yes | no | yes | probably none |
Protein synthesis inhibitors | anisomycin, cycloheximide | no | some | no | yes, based on animal models |
NK3-antagonists | osanetant | no | unknown | unknown | unknown |