Table 2.
Distribution of Dispensed Prescriptions Among Patients Treated With PTSD-Related Medications at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton Between October 2010 and March 2011
| Medicationsa | Patients, n (%) (N = 275)b | No. of Prescriptions (% of PTSD-related medications)c | Total Days of Prescription Coverage (% of patient days)d | Mean Days of Treatment per Treated Patient |
| Antidepressants | ||||
| SSRIs | ||||
| Citalopram | 46 (16.7) | 87 (5.7) | 2,909 (5.8) | 63 |
| Escitalopram | 29 (10.5) | 70 (4.6) | 2,379 (4.8) | 82 |
| Fluoxetine | 40 (14.5) | 82 (5.4) | 2,650 (5.3) | 66 |
| Fluvoxamine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paroxetine | 2 (0.7) | 2 (0.1) | 70 (0.1) | 35 |
| Sertraline | 70 (25.4) | 147 (9.7) | 3,939 (7.9) | 56 |
| SNRIs | ||||
| Desvenlafaxine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Duloxetine | 29 (10.5) | 83 (5.5) | 2,519 (5.0) | 87 |
| Milnacipran | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Venlafaxine | 27 (9.8) | 63 (4.1) | 1,895 (3.8) | 70 |
| MAOIs | ||||
| Phenelzine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tranylcypromine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TCAs | ||||
| Amitriptyline | 14 (5.1) | 20 (1.3) | 604 (1.2) | 43 |
| Clomipramine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Desipramine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Imipramine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nortriptyline | 1 (0.4) | 2 (0.1) | 44 (0.1) | 44 |
| Protriptyline | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Novel antidepressants | ||||
| Bupropion | 41 (14.9) | 105 (6.9) | 3,470 (6.9) | 85 |
| Mirtazapine | 12 (4.4) | 22 (1.4) | 672 (1.3) | 56 |
| Nefazodone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trazodone | 54 (19.6) | 110 (7.2) | 3,061 (6.1) | 57 |
| Antipsychotics | ||||
| Typical antipsychotics | ||||
| Chlorpromazine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Haloperidol | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Atypical antipsychotics | ||||
| Olanzapine | 5 (1.8) | 7 (0.5) | 141 (0.3) | 28 |
| Quetiapine | 35 (12.7) | 96 (6.3) | 2,412 (4.8) | 69 |
| Risperidone | 5 (1.8) | 16 (1.1) | 543 (1.1) | 109 |
| Benzodiazepines | ||||
| Alprazolam | 2 (0.7) | 5 (0.3) | 130 (0.3) | 65 |
| Clonazepam | 10 (3.6) | 21 (1.4) | 464 (0.9) | 46 |
| Diazepam | 22 (8.0) | 38 (2.5) | 517 (1.0) | 24 |
| Lorazepam | 17 (6.2) | 25 (1.6) | 381 (0.8) | 22 |
| Temazepam | 4 (1.5) | 6 (0.4) | 102 (0.2) | 26 |
| Nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics | ||||
| Zaleplon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zolpidem | 71 (25.8) | 149 (9.8) | 3,563 (7.1) | 50 |
| Nonbenzodiazepine (antianxiety) | ||||
| Buspirone | 7 (2.5) | 15 (1.0) | 424 (0.8) | 61 |
| Sympatholytics | ||||
| Clonidine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Guanfacine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Prazosin | 44 (16.0) | 111 (7.3) | 3,315 (6.6) | 75 |
| Propranolol | 5 (1.8) | 10 (0.6) | 416 (0.8) | 83 |
| Anticonvulsants | ||||
| Carbamazepine | 2 (0.7) | 4 (0.3) | 262 (0.5) | 131 |
| Gabapentin | 51 (18.5) | 134 (8.8) | 4,901 (9.8) | 96 |
| Lamotrigine | 14 (5.1) | 48 (3.2) | 1,326 (2.6) | 95 |
| Tiagabine | 2 (0.7) | 10 (0.6) | 305 (0.6) | 153 |
| Topiramate | 18 (6.5) | 32 (2.1) | 1,088 (2.2) | 60 |
| Valproate | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Selected medications from the 2010 Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Posttraumatic Stress.4
Cohort = 275 patients; number of patients taking any medication = 243 (88.4%); number of patients taking PTSD medications = 219 (79.6%).
Total number of all prescriptions dispensed = 2,997; total number of PTSD-related medication prescriptions dispensed = 1,519; 153 (55.6%) patients prescribed more than 1 PTSD medication.
Days of prescription coverage include all dispensed refills. Prescription coverage percentage calculated from total days of prescription coverage divided by the maximum number of days of coverage (50,050) in a cohort of 275.
Abbreviations: MAOIs = monoamine oxidase inhibitors, PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder, SNRIs = serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, TCAs = tricyclic antidepressants.