Gabapentin and posttraumatic stress disorder

OBJECTIVE: To report the effects of gabapentin in a patient with concurrent depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and review the use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in PTSD. CASE SUMMARY: A 37-year-old Latin American woman was being treated for major depression and PTSD. While the depressive symptoms were in remission, she reported a significant reduction in the frequency of her flashbacks after gabapentin was added to venlafaxine. She did not receive any type of psychotherapy. The flashbacks recurred after she discontinued gabapentin. DISCUSSION: While the improvement reported by the patient may have been related to a placebo effect or spontaneous recovery, treatment with gabapentin may have played a role in alleviating the flashbacks. Other published reports suggest that AEDs have a beneficial effect on some PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: AEDs may be of some therapeutic value in patients with PTSD. Future controlled studies are warranted to investigate the effectiveness of these agents.