In the United States, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 6 out of every 100 people — a notable 6% of the population that suffer from serious mental conditions, including depression, severe anxiety, nightmare, mood disorders, and suicidal ideations when their traumas are triggered. PTSD is particularly more common among military members and veterans, with over 10 percent of patients at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reporting to have PTSD symptoms.
Despite the high prevalence of this chronic condition, only two medications have been approved by the U.S. FDA for PTSD treatment — sertraline and paroxetine — although these have been shown to have limited effects in improving PTSD symptoms. A hepatitis drug, however, may have a unique potential to reduce PTSD symptoms. A new study found that the hepatitis medication combination of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir is strongly associated with PTSD symptom improvement.
“Many people have PTSD, but there are a few effective pharmacologic treatments and limited drug development for PTSD,” said co-principal investigator and study senior author Jaimie Gradus, associate professor of epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). “Existing effective treatments are mostly psychotherapy, and while they work well, there are also issues with them, including a lot of treatment drop-out and they’re time-intensive, so adding to the suite of treatment options for people is a high priority.”
This study is a joint effort by researchers BUSPH and the White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who started a quest two years ago to see if existing medications could be used to help patients with PTSD. Surprisingly, they found that several new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) medications for hepatitis C showed promise in improving PTSD symptoms. They conducted a more rigorous follow-up study to compare and analyze the effectiveness of these DAAs in PTSD symptom improvement in patients without hepatitis C.
“There really has been a lot of interest in finding new medications for PTSD in the field,” says co-principal investigator Brian Shiner, a psychiatrist and acting associate chief of staff for research at the White River Junction VA Medical Center, as well as associate professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth University’s Geisel School of Medicine ativan
The participants received one combination of FDA-approved hepatitis C medications: glecaprevir and pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB), ledipasvir and sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF), or sofosbuvir and velpatasvir (SOF/VEL). After adjusting for variables that could potentially influence results — such as having a particular liver disease or a history of opioid use — the team found that the GLE/PIB combination had the strongest results.
“The level of improvement we see for GLE/PIB is impressive and over twice what we have seen for paroxetine and sertraline,” Gradus noted. accutane the best acne treatment!
This study shows the unlimited potential of collaboration and creative clinical inquiry in finding new solutions to critical healthcare concerns. ADRLF wholeheartedly supports efforts to advance treatment not only of liver diseases but other conditions that adversely impact the quality of life in our respective communities — especially those that are underserved. And with that, please remember to heed our golden self-care mantra: Screen. Vaccinate. Don’t hesitate.
To learn more about this study, read it here.
To know more about hepatitis C prevention and treatment, visit our blog.
