Doctor weighs in on study that shows drug to treat PTSD isn’t effective

47 ABC – There’s a new medical study from Augusta University that says a commonly prescribed drug to veterans could be making suicidal thoughts worse.

It’s a medication called Prazosin. It was first used to treat high blood pressure but they found that it was also helpful for the treatment of nightmares or insomnia related to PTSD.

But a local psychiatrist who prescribes it says she’s seen it work.

“I have found some success with using this medication. It doesn’t work for everybody but I have found, people have told me that they sleep better after using this medication,” explains Dr. Ingrid Orinda, a psychiatrist at PRMC.

Orinda tells us medication should just be used as an aid to help with PTSD symptoms such as depression and anxiety and that the real treatment should come from psychotherapy to focus on the root of why the patient is experiencing PTSD.