Drug treatments in post-traumatic stress disorder

As our understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) improves, so too should our psychopharmacological approaches to treating this common and sometimes disabling condition. Treatment with drugs can lead to improvemen t in PTSD. The most effective drugs seem to be those that have their action on the serotonergic system, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhib itors and the monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Higher dosages and longer perio ds of treatment seem to be required in many cases for adequate therapeutic response. Here we examine the main groups of agents used in the pharmacolog ical treatment of this disorder. With a background of relatively few random ized therapeutic trials and others beset by limitations, it remains difficu lt currently to draw confident conclusions in the approach to drug manageme nt.