I enjoyed this week’s topic regarding the use of prazosin in military veterans. I was surprised by the results of the study which indicated that it was ineffective with this particular group according the study’s results. Like many new mental health providers, I don’t have much experience with prescribing this medication for nightmares with individuals experiencing PTSD. With that said, like another student had pointed out during the discussion that we are taught that prazosin is the “go to” drug for patients who experience nightmares. I appreciate having that insight when caring for patients with nightmares, however it also makes me question its efficacy.
It was interesting to hear that it has worked really well for some students in their experiences. I guess if I was in a situation where my patients were experiencing nightmares, I would have this study in the back of my mind when it comes to making decisions. It would be helpful if the patient has had used the medication in the past and if it was effective, if it was then it would be a fairly easy decision in terms of prescribing it. However, we also discussed that the study only looked at military veterans that were primarily male. This doesn’t account for large diverse female populations or even civilians.
When it comes to patients that experience nightmares, it makes me think about their quality of sleep or lack thereof. I find myself thinking about how much this can impact their mood and contribute to their depressive symptoms. Knowing that prazosin did not help specifically with military veterans, I would still be inclined to prescribe this medication for patients. I would trial and educate the patient regarding this medication and its possible side effects, if it doesn’t work for them then at least we knew that we tried. If it does work then I would feel better about helping them have better sleep which might help alleviate their depressive symptoms.