Medication
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) are types of antidepressants—medications used to restore the balance of chemicals in your brain.
Medication
2:46
What type of treatment is this?
There are 3 SSRI/SNRI medications that are recommended for PTSD:
- Sertraline (Zoloft)
- Paroxetine (Paxil)
- Venlafaxine (Effexor XR)
*Medications have 2 names: a brand name (for example, Zoloft) and a generic name (for example, Sertraline)
There are other types of antidepressant medications, but the 3 medications listed above are the ones that are most effective for PTSD.
How does it work?
PTSD may be related to changes in the brain that are linked to our ability to manage stress. People with PTSD appear to have different amounts of certain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) in the brain than do people without PTSD. SSRI and SNRI medications are believed to treat PTSD by putting these brain chemicals back in balance.
How does it work?
What can I expect?
To receive medications for PTSD, you will need to meet with a clinician who can prescribe these medications to you. A psychiatrist often prescribes antidepressants for PTSD. But many different types of clinicians, including your family clinician and some nurses and physician assistants, also can prescribe them.
You and your clinician can work together to decide which antidepressant medication may be best for you. In general, the 3 different SSRI and SNRI listed above appear to work equally well for PTSD.
Once you fill your prescription, you will begin taking a pill at regular time(s) each day.
It may take a few weeks before you notice the effects of the medication. It is important to continue to take it even if you do not notice changes right away.
You will meet with your clinician every few months or so. Your clinician will monitor your response to the medication (including side effects) and change your dose, if needed.
What can I expect?
Medication Treatment Overview
Open this PDF for download and printing
Is it effective?
Yes, SSRI/SNRI medications are some of the most effective treatments for PTSD.
What are the risks?
The risks of taking SSRI and SNRI are mild to moderate side effects such as upset stomach, sweating, headache, and dizziness. Some people have sexual side effects, such as decreased desire to have sex or difficulty having an orgasm. Some side effects are short-term, though others may last as long as you are taking the medication.
Group or individual?
You will attend regular one-on-one visits with the clinician who prescribes you the medication.
Will I talk in detail about my trauma?
No, you will not need to talk about the details of your trauma. However, your clinician may ask for some basic information about your trauma—like the type of trauma and when it happened—when you first meet.
Will I talk in detail about my trauma?
Will I have homework?
No, you will just have to take your medication as prescribed.
How long does treatment take?
You may start to feel better in about 4-6 weeks. You will need to keep taking the medication to keep getting the benefits. Sometimes people find that taking a medication can help them make other positive changes in their life, and then they can stop taking it. This is helpful to discuss with your clinician.
How available is this in VA?
Very. All VA Medical Centers are staffed with clinicians who can prescribe antidepressant SSRI/SNRI medications for PTSD.
Does VA have an app for that?
No, VA has not developed an app for antidepressant medications for PTSD.
More from clinicians
Listen to how a person was helped
How long until the medications start working?
What if I'm uncomfortable taking medications?
Which antidepressant is best?
How long do I need to stay on the medication?
Can I do medication and therapy together?
Footnotes and list of studies
* What do these figures mean?
The highlighted and colored figures represent the number of people who will have a meaningful improvement in symptoms. This was measured by seeing how many people no longer have enough symptoms to meet criteria for PTSD. They may still have some PTSD symptoms, but in most cases these symptoms will be manageable and will not occur very often. When someone no longer meets criteria for PTSD, they usually will notice a big difference in their ability to engage in and enjoy life.
The uncolored outlined figures represent the number of people who will not recover from PTSD, meaning that they will still have enough symptoms to meet criteria for PTSD. Some of these people will notice an improvement in their symptoms, but they will still have PTSD.
** How did we calculate this number?
To see how helpful treatments are, the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid shows how many people improved after getting a treatment. If people improve enough that their symptoms no longer meet criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, this is called “loss of diagnosis.” To estimate how many people would have a loss of diagnosis after each treatment, we gathered data from studies of the treatments included in the PTSD Treatment Decision Aid. We only included studies that were large, compared the treatment to another treatment, and used clinicians to assess whether patients had PTSD. We included only those studies that reported how many people lost a diagnosis.
Some of the studies included comparison groups who did not receive treatment. We used data from those groups to estimate how many people lost their diagnosis without treatment.
