Tiagabine for posttraumatic stress disorder : effects of open-label and double-blind discontinuation treatment

• Published in: Psychopharmacologia 2006, Vol.184 (1), p.21-25
• Main Authors: CONNOR, Kathryn M, DAVIDSON, Jonathan R. T, WEISLER, Richard H, WEI ZHANG, ABRAHAM, Kurian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Double-Blind Method; Drug dosages; Drug therapy; Female; GABA Uptake Inhibitors; Gabaergic and benzodiazepinic system; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Neuropharmacology; Neurotransmitters. Neurotransmission. Receptors; Nipecotic Acids - therapeutic use; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - drug therapy; Substance abuse treatment
• ISSN: 0033-3158; 1432-2072
• DOI: 10.1007/s00213-005-0265-3

Preliminary results suggest a potential benefit of agents that enhance gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is the aim of this study to evaluate the effect of a selective GABA reuptake inhibitor (SGRI), tiagabine, in patients with PTSD. Twenty-nine adult outpatients with PTSD were treated with open-label tiagabine for 12 weeks. Those who responded to treatment (i.e., demonstrated at least minimal clinical improvement) were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with either tiagabine or matching placebo. Efficacy assessments included measures of PTSD, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, resilience, and disability. Safety evaluation included changes in vital signs and weight and treatment-emergent adverse events. In subjects completing open-label treatment (n=19), significant improvement was observed on all outcome measures (P