Effects of Stimulant Medications in PTSD
University of Chicago
Summary
While there have been advances in understanding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a disorder and its biological features, unfortunately only one out of five traumatized persons with PTSD reach remission after cycling through evidence-based and/or FDA-approved medications. This is especially unfortunate given that people with PTSD are often from vulnerable populations, or those whose professions entail personal sacrifice. It is clear that new serotonergic antidepressants and atypical antipsychotics will not be sufficient to fix this gap, and new mechanisms of action need to be tested. In the current proposal, the investigators test the hypothesis that mixed amphetamine salts (brand name Adderall), FDA-approved for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can improve PTSD outcomes.
Description
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating neuropsychiatric condition triggered by exposure to a traumatic exposure. Approximately 8% of the US population will experience the condition in their lifetime. At-risk populations, such as those exposed to community violence or warfare, have nearly double the risk. Despite progress in recognizing that PTSD is a disorder of neural circuits that underlie how individuals learn from the world, available treatments, including two FDA-approved medications (serotonergic antidepressants) and gold-standard evidence-based psychotherapies, help only one i…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 - 65 years old * BMI 19-30 kg/m2 * English fluency Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals with current moderate or severe substance use disorder, no past stimulant or cocaine use disorder * Individuals with current acute or high risk of suicide or suicide attempt in past 6 months * Individuals with current psychotic or bipolar disorder * Individuals with past schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, psychotic bipolar disorder, stimulant or cocaine use disorder * Individuals with chronic (non-PRN) treatment with antipsychotic drug (except PRN quetiapine 25mg PO qHS) o…
Interventions
- DrugPlacebo
dextrose
- DrugAdderall
mixed amphetamine salts
Location
- University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois