Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Pharmacotherapy for sleep disturbances in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): A network meta-analysis.

Sleep medicine
July 1, 2024
Andreas S Lappas et al. (7 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewNetwork Meta-AnalysisHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the effects of various pharmacotherapies, including MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, on sleep outcomes in patients with PTSD.

Results Summary

The study found that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may be a promising option for improving sleep-related outcomes in PTSD patients, but more research is needed due to limited evidence.

Population

Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (16)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Prazosin
decrease
insomnia
patients with PTSD
SMD = -0.88, 95%CI = [-1.22;-0.54]
may be the most effective treatment
#1
Prazosin
decrease
nightmares
patients with PTSD
SMD = -0.44, 95%CI = [-0.84;-0.04]
may be the most effective treatment
#2
Prazosin
decrease
poor sleep quality
patients with PTSD
SMD = -0.55, 95%CI = [-1.01;-0.10]
may be the most effective treatment
#3
SSRIs
no change
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
lack of efficacy
#4
Mirtazapine
no change
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
lack of efficacy
#5
z-drugs
no change
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
lack of efficacy
#6
benzodiazepines
no change
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
lack of efficacy
#7
Risperidone
increase
somnolence
patients with PTSD
-
carry a high risk of causing
#8
Quetiapine
increase
somnolence
patients with PTSD
-
carry a high risk of causing
#9
Risperidone
no change
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
without having a clear therapeutic benefit
#10
Quetiapine
no change
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
without having a clear therapeutic benefit
#11
Hydroxyzine
neutral
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
may be promising options
#12
Trazodone
neutral
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
may be promising options
#13
Nabilone
neutral
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
may be promising options
#14
Paroxetine
neutral
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
may be promising options
#15
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
neutral
sleep outcomes
patients with PTSD
-
may be promising options
#16
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances are an important symptom dimension of post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD). There is no meta-analytic evidence examining the effects of all types of pharmacotherapy on sleep outcomes among patients with PTSD. METHODS: Medline/Embase/PsychInfo/CENTRAL/clinicaltrials.gov/ICTRP, reference lists of published reviews and all included studies were searched for Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) examining any pharmacotherapy vs. placebo or any other drug among patients with PTSD. PRIMARY OUTCOMES: total sleep time, nightmares, sleep quality. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: sleep onset latency, number of nocturnal awakenings, time spent awake following sleep onset, dropouts due to sleep-related adverse-effects, insomnia/somnolence/vivid-dreams as adverse-effects. Pairwise and network meta-analyses were performed. RESULTS: 99 RCTs with 10,481 participants were included. Prazosin may be the most effective treatment for insomnia (SMD = -0.88, 95%CI = [-1.22;-0.54], nightmares (SMD = -0.44, 95%CI = [-0.84;-0.04]) and poor sleep quality (SMD = -0.55, 95%CI = [-1.01;-0.10]). Evidence is scarce and indicates lack of efficacy for SSRIs, Mirtazapine, z-drugs and benzodiazepines, which are widely used in daily practice. Risperidone and Quetiapine carry a high risk of causing somnolence without having a clear therapeutic benefit. Hydroxyzine, Trazodone, Nabilone, Paroxetine and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may be promising options, but more research is needed. CONCLUSIONS: Underpowered individual comparisons and very-low to moderate confidence in effect estimates hinder the generalisability of the results. More RCTs, specifically reporting on sleep-related outcomes, are urgently needed.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticSleep Wake DisordersPrazosinRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicDreamsSleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy70/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations1
Citations/Year1.0
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score2.70
Normalized Score0.65
Related Supplements