July 30, 2005 10:09 a.m. EST

Douglas Maher - All Headline News Staff Reporter

New York,NY (AHN)-A study released late Friday suggests that the heart medications known as "Beta Blockers" could greatly assist in helping victims of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to a report from Weill College of Medicine at Cornell University, in New York City.

Early trials on animals and a few humans found that "use of the beta blocker propranolol during a PTSD attack appeared to help separate the fear that's characteristic of PTSD from the memory that once triggered it," according to Health Day.

"Our expectation is that we're reducing the hyperarousal associated with the memory -- we expect that the memory will still be there," says head researcher Dr. Margaret Altemus, associate professor of psychiatry at the University.

Altemus continues, "There were two small studies that have already been done using propranolol for PTSD, where they treated people right when the accident happened,they found people in the emergency room. One study was done in France and one was done in Boston.They did find they were able to reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories by giving people propranolol for the first 10 days or so after an accident."

The benefits of this study could go towards helping troops who are the leading number of victims of the disorder due to the horrors and chaos of war. Victims of car accidents, incest,abuse, and survivors of terror attacks could benefit the most.

"Every time you have that intense, overwhelming fear in a PTSD attack you release catecholamines another word for adrenalin hormones," Altemus says. "Those actually make the memory stronger and more intense. So, it's a kind of vicious circle for people with PTSD."

"What propranolol does is block one of the cell receptors that catecholamines work on, the beta-adrenergic receptor," she adds. "The theory is that by blocking this hormonal response during memory-evoked PTSD attacks, individuals will gradually be able to remember the triggering event without its attendant panic and fear.


http://www.allheadlinenews.com/cgi-bin/news/newsbrief.plx?id=2245465156&fa=1

This drug you are talking aobut giving to people "when" they are having PTSD
"attacks", how fast does it work. My symtoms are often huge jerks when the phone rings or any other unexpected noise which is followed by anxiety and of course embarassment. How would a drug be administered to someone whose expereinces come and go quickly but are still painful and very inconvient
like fear when others drive. Any new news on this kind of treatment?:eyebrow:

trioozzie,

What the study realy suggests is that beta blockers appear to help PTSD. The fact that they administered propranolol when an attack took place (treatment continued for ten days) does not mean that this is how it can be used in clinical practice.

Toprol XL, for example, is a sustained release beta blocker (pill) that can be used daily to reduce sweating, heart palpitations, etc., in anxiety prone people.

I wonder if this would be effective in reducing nightmares/terrors. I've gotten to the point were I can usually surpress a lot and avoid most triggers during the day but I can't stop my mind at night.

I think they are used for Anxiety and Hyperactive ADHD. eg Clonidine, Propanolol, etc.

There is a risk of Hypotensive episodes, however.

No fun passing out from low blood pressure! (esp while doing tasks which require alertness, like walking and driving)

Hypotensive-Absolutely, especially if you already have low blood pressure! Usually 110/65. My BP was 85/50 on a beta-blocker, so long ago I don't remember which one-blacked out regularly-my doc then was a complete bludger-yelled at me when I asked for an echocardiogram to definitively dx Mitral valve prolapse.

Got new doc, took me off the beta-blockers, got echo, have MVP! Rarely have problems with it now-wondering if the heart rate could have been PTSD-was some time before it was diagnosed! Interesting that they might use it for PTSD. I have heard that in some people it can cause depression too. But that was a long time ago-20 years.... If you have low BP, be very careful if you take any of the beta-blockers.

RADD

My pdoc added propranolol (inderal) to my medication list to assist with my PTSD. He said he normally prescribes it for people with stage fright. I must say I don't know what it is doing, but I don't feel as sad and things don't affect me or make me relapse into the past like they did. Stuff tends to roll off now as it never did before. The events that happened to me were repeated and when I was a child so its not like it happened yesterday and I was able to take medication. This is many years after the fact.

I haven't blacked out yet, but if I get up fast or run hard I get very light headed. That I don't care for. Hopefully I don't need to stay on the medication too long.

My pdoc added propranolol (inderal) to my medication list to assist with my PTSD. He said he normally prescribes it for people with stage fright. I must say I don't know what it is doing, but I don't feel as sad and things don't affect me or make me relapse into the past like they did. Stuff tends to roll off now as it never did before. The events that happened to me were repeated and when I was a child so its not like it happened yesterday and I was able to take medication. This is many years after the fact.

I haven't blacked out yet, but if I get up fast or run hard I get very light headed. That I don't care for. Hopefully I don't need to stay on the medication too long.

I used it off an on. Using some right now is why I'm reading these old threads on the issue. Its really good at removing the anxiety/stress/fear effects from the body.