Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Antihistamines for PTSD Treatment?


Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was brought to public attention in connection with war veterans but can also occur in individuals of varying ages. Those with the disorder experience traumatic events that cause reoccurring stress related symptoms over time that interfere with daily life. Typical treatment for PTSD includes therapy such as Cognitive Processing, Prolonged Exposure, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing in addition to medications like Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. However a recent study has shown possible prospect for new treatment methods.

Research done at the University of Basel in Switzerland showed that a popular antihistamine resulted in a major reduction of recalling negative memories. In a double blind placebo controlled study of two target gene sets, neuroactive ligand receptor and the long term depression gene set, the antihistamine was shown to reduce recalling aversive pictures shown to them earlier. The compound also showed no affects on positive and neutral memories. For individuals with the disorder and their family this could be a step forward they were looking for.


www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/267762.php
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/what-is-ptsd.asp




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1 comment:

  1. UnknownOctober 31, 2013 at 2:05 AM

    I found this blog to be very interesting. I have had a loved one that had suffered from PTSD. It caused a lot pain and trouble throughout their life. This new drug could have a huge positive affect on people. Reliving the troubling times in your life especially after war, can ruin your life. To completely rid yourself of this could help you continue on with your life in a positive way. The only thing that I would not like about this is that people learn from the bad things that happen in their life. By just wiping these bad things away you are wiping away their experiences and sometimes their motivation. If you receive a bad grade on a test, you shouldn't just erase it. The outcome of this will show you that you have to do better and strive harder to obtain a better grade. I feel that this is a positive thing but, also if it is abused it could be a negative thing.

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