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Prazosin Use In Uk To Treat Ptsd

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SarahAlice

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Hi,
I live in the UK and am currently on 45mg of mirtazapine for PTSD and depression and also on temazepam for insomnia/fear to sleep caused by nightmares. The mirtazapine makes me feel drugged up all the time and I feel like my brain is so foggy, it also makes me sick or feel very sick in the morning. I would like to come off it but my doctor is at a loss as to what else to give me because we have tried most anti depressants. I have done some research and found that prazosin appears to be good at reducing nightmares but it is not registered in the UK to be used for the treatment of PTSD. Anyone else had good results from using prazosin? Anyone in the UK currently on it for PTSD and how did you go about being put on it?

Any information or advice would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks.
SarahAlice
 
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I am not in the UK, but Prazosin is the only way I get to sleep through the night. I used to wake from nightmares or in panic attacks. In my case, it has been a blessing for that aspect of the PTSD. I take other meds for the depression/anxiety. My psychiatrist put me on the Prazosin at 1mg and increased the dosage over time until we found the dosage that works for me. The first dosages didn't work at all, but if that is the case don't give up if you try it. For me it was a life changer. It is used here 'off label', it is really a blood pressure medication (I believe).

Best of luck,
LLC
 
I'm not in the UK but when I was on medication the best combination for me was 200 mg sertralene twice a day and a very small dose like 3-5 mg of prazosin one time at night. It helped a lot but didn't really help with the sleep disturbances.
 
I live in the UK and my psychiatrist prescribed Prazosin for PTSD (the NHS Psychologist that I see that some research papers that she gave to me to see if the psychiatrist that I see privately would prescribe it). I started on 0.5mg as I react badly to medication and have increased by 0.5mg per week. I am now on 3mg and see my psychiatrist again next week and will discuss increasing the dosage further. I havent noticed any improvement yet, but I am still on a low dose. The only side effects that I have had is dizziness and a little hair loss. So Prazosin can be prescribed for PTSD.
 
I take 1 mg prazosin at night for sleep. I have vivid dreams but, only 1 nightmare a week. It works great for sleep.
 
I'm in the states but I take prazosin. I take 2 to 3 mg and it eliminates my ability to recall my nightmares. I have a vague recollection of them but I'm detached and don't feel any distress from them. It has no effect to make me sleepy or keep me asleep though.
 
Prazosin doesn't treat PTSD but it helps a ton with nightmares. I only have nightmares about one a week now, as opposed to nightly before medication. When I do have nightmares, they don't bother me as much.
 
I think if you really want to try this medication for something that it's not usually prescribed for in the UK, then you need to go armed to see your prescribing doctor (GP or psychiatrist), with some proper scientific research/evidence. Also bearing in mind the the BNF (British National Formulary, which any prescriber in UK will consult) states insomnia as one of the side effects (although it is listed as 'a less common' side effect). Do your home work, and find out all you can from genuine research /scientific papers etc. The fact that you've read somewhere about it, or that it is prescribed in other countries isn't necessarily a good enough reason, particularly if you're trying to persuade your GP. A psychiatrist however may be more aware of this use for prazosin because it's his/hers specialist field.

It may come down to the individual doctor, and how confident they are to make decisions that fall outside of the NICE (National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence) guidelines, which again all medical professionals are expected to follow. A really quick search found this, which mentions prazosin at the bottom of page four. friend to most
In terms of pharmacological management, two small studies were identified which indicated that prazosin treatment increased total sleep time and reduced trauma-related nightmares in people with PTSD. However, we feel that it would be pertinent to await further evidence, particularly on the benefits, harms and cost-effectiveness of this treatment, before updating the guideline recommendation. This area will be examined again in the future review of the guideline.
This was their recommendations in 2011, and I cant see that the guideline has been updated since. But I did only do a very quick search, so I could be wrong.

I would recommend you get 'fact-finding', then approach your Doctor(s), and also remember that if you don't like the answer, you are entitled to a second opinion. Good luck!
 
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