SAN ANTONIO, Texas. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — PTSD affects more than seven million adults every year. Many of those affected are military service personnel who’ve returned from combat. There is no cure for PTSD, but a new drug currently in clinical trials is looking like the best treatment so far.
Solider Mark Bratton told Ivanhoe, “I wanted to lead marines. I wanted to be in the fight. Day to day to day, every single day, it was like they were trying to blow us up.”
Bratton’s service in Iraq and Afghanistan was a time of great pride, but also great stress. He returned home with PTSD. It affected everything, from how he lived to how he slept
Bratton explained, “Not wanting to be around large crowds of people, have a lot of anxiety about things that were happening around me. I was dating somebody at the time and I had choked her in her sleep.”
There is no cure for PTSD, but a new drug called TNX 102 SL, a new formulation of the muscle relaxant Flexeril, is now being tested to treat it.
Harry Croft, MD, a psychiatrist and Chief of CNS Research at Clinical Trials of Texas, Inc., explained, “It not only helped sleep, it not only helped anxiety, it helped with arousal symptoms, it helped with negative thoughts and emotions.”
Dr. Croft said TNX 102 SL is taken sublingually, or under the tongue, and not metabolized through the gastrointestinal system. It’s the metabolic breakdown that causes side effects that sometimes makes PTSD seem worse. This new delivery may eliminate that issue.
“It’s exciting that at least we’re looking into something that has promise,” Dr. Croft told Ivanhoe.
Bratton was in the trial study.
Bratton said, “I started feeling better about myself, feeling that I could accomplish things, feeling that I can move forward in life.”
There are still two more phase three trials for TNX 102 SL, and hopes are high.
“Yes, this would be a big deal,” said Dr. Croft.
The phase three trial starts in 2017. Once they are completed, the FDA still has to approve TNX 102 SL as a PTSD treatment. It could be up to three years before it’s available to the public.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Supervising; Shari St. Clair, Field Producer; Milvionne Chery, Assistant Producer; Tony D’Astoli, Editor; Bruce Maniscalco, Videographer.
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: New Treatment for PTSD
REPORT: MB #4134
BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a condition that develops in some people who have seen or lived through a shocking, terrifying, or dangerous event. Most people will experience a range of reactions after a traumatic event, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Symptoms of PTSD usually begin within three months of the traumatic event, but sometimes can begin years afterward. Some people recover after six months, but others may have symptoms that last much longer. A person may be diagnosed with PTSD if they continue to experience problems, such as feeling stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger. A psychiatrist or psychologist can diagnose PTSD.
(Source: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml)
RISK FACTORS AND TREATMENT: A person can develop PTSD at any age. This includes people who have been through a physical or sexual assault, abuse, accident, disaster, or any other serious events. About seven or eight out of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives. Genes may make some people more likely to develop PTSD than others and women are more likely to develop PTSD than men. Not everyone who goes through a traumatic event will develop PTSD.
It is important for a person with PTSD to be treated by a mental health provider who is experienced with PTSD. The main treatments for PTSD are psychotherapy, or talk therapy, medications, or both. Psychotherapy involves talking with a mental health professional and can occur one-on-one or in a group. Talk therapy for PTSD usually lasts 6 to 12 weeks, but can last longer. Antidepressants are the most studied medications for treating PTSD, which may help control PTSD symptoms such as sadness, worry, anger, and feeling numb inside.
(Source: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml)
WHAT’S NEXT?: TNX-102 SL is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of PTSD and is intended to provide improvement of symptoms by targeting sleep and hyperarousal.TNX-102 SL delivers cyclobenzaprine to the bloodstream quickly by sublingual, or under the tongue, absorption bypassing the gastrointestinal system. As a result, it produces norepinephrine at lower levels. That neurotransmitter is thought to worsen PTSD. In the study, the TNX-102 SL, reduced arousal and reactivity, anxiety, hypervigilance, trouble concentrating, and helped patients sleep better. Phase 3 of the study would be conducted in a larger population of veterans with PTSD and may begin as early as 2017.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Laura Radocaj
212-825-3210
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
