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Problem and Objectives: There is currently no pharmacological treatment for curing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The investigators will test whether propranolol when given immediately after trauma evocation is able to decrease the strength of the traumatic memory, and by extension, the severity of PTSD symptoms associated with that memory.
Hypotheses:
Study Design: Open pharmacological trial.
Method: On the first visit (V1), the subjects will describe their traumatic experience in writing and will receive the propranolol. A script describing this experience will be constructed to be used in the subsequent encounters to elicit the trauma memory. A week later (V2), before receiving the propranolol, subjects will be asked to read aloud their trauma script while imagining it as vividly as possible for 10 minutes. This weekly treatment will be repeated 6 times (from V1 to V6). A total of 6 doses of propranolol will be given. A self-report measure will be used to monitor improvement in PTSD symptomatology on the following visits: V1, V4, V6, V7 and V8 (3 month follow-up).
Statistical Analyses: A repeated measure ANOVA (pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up) using the PTSD symptom score will be conducted.. Three t-tests will be performed to examine simple effects. The alpha level will be set at p = .05 (two-tailed). Fisher's exact test will be used to examine whether Ss still meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD at the end of the study.
Clinical Implications: If this treatment is effective, a randomized controlled trial will be launched. This treatment has the potential to become the first pharmacological treatment designed to cure PTSD.
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Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
Not diagnosed with current, chronic AZF-related PTSD
Age < 18 or > 65
Systolic blood pressure < 100 mm Hg
Medical condition that contraindicates the administration of propranolol, e.g., history of congestive heart failure, heart block, insulin-requiring diabetes, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or asthma. With regard to asthma, because many persons who say they have had an asthma attack, especially as a child, may only have had hay fever, another allergy, or another non-asthmatic episode, a blanket exclusion criterion may be overly restrictive. Therefore, asthma attacks will only be exclusionary if they:
Cardiological consultation will be obtained as necessary.
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20 participants in 1 patient group
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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov
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