How to Handle and Prevent PTSD Blackouts

Serious road traffic accidents constituted the most frequent trauma type and a substantial proportion of PTSD cases were attributed to this trauma type (Table 1). Fifty-six per cent of the participants reported a positive history of driving under the influence of alcohol. Events that most frequently resulted in PTSD were torture (53%), being threatened with a weapon/kidnapped/held captive (39%), and sexual assault (37%). Eleven patients (6%) satisfied the defined criteria for complex trauma PTSD.

This study was carried out in eight institutions specialized for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug and alcohol-related problems in the Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts of central Nepal. Seven institutions were rehabilitation centers operating on non-pharmacological methods of care and one was a tertiary hospital. One of the rehabilitation centers exclusively served women, while the remaining centers, accepted only male patients. The hospital would receive patients with acute and chronic physical problems related to heavy drinking, whereas, the rehabilitation centers were often used by self-motivated users or their family to achieve abstinence using nonpharmacological methods. The rehabilitation centers were comparable in terms of user fees, and treatment modality. However, the hospital-based patients were likely to have different physical health profiles than patients recruited from the rehabilitation centers.

Where can I learn more about PTSD?

The relationship persists in studies of population subgroups at risk, such as veterans of the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan; firefighters; women; and people with SUD. Although men have a higher prevalence of AUD than women, and women have a higher prevalence of PTSD than men, any individual with either disorder is more likely to have the other. Soldiers with PTSD who experienced at least one symptom of AUD may be disinhibited in a way that leads them to make risky decisions, including the potential for aggression or violence. However, this relationship was not demonstrated with significance among veterans who had more severe PTSD symptoms. Blackouts are not necessarily a sign of alcohol use disorder, but experiencing even one is a reason for concern and should prompt people to consider their relationship with alcohol and talk to their health care provider about their drinking.

Topiramate was promising as it was effective in decreasing alcohol use, but thus far has only been evaluated for comorbidity in one small study. One of the three studies clearly found that sertraline was more effective in decreasing PTSD symptoms than placebo (Hien et al. 2015) while another found a trend-level advantage of sertraline over placebo on PTSD outcomes (Brady). Neither of the sertraline studies found the serotonergic antidepressant can ptsd cause blackouts medications more effective than placebo in decreasing alcohol use outcomes. One study (Petrakis et al. 2012) found that the active control, desipramine, was more effective than the serotonergic medication in terms of alcohol use outcomes. Desipramine (and the other tricylic antidepressants) are considered second line medications by the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines (The Management of Substance Abuse Use Disorders Working Group 2009).

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When it comes to treating PTSD, the best approach for this is typically intensive therapies and possibly medications in more severe cases. Alcoholics who continue experiencing anxiety, flashbacks, and fear in wake of traumatic events may eventually be diagnosed with PTSD. Attempting to self-medicate with alcohol can ultimately be detrimental to a wide variety of mental disorders. If you’re struggling with substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, understand that you’re not alone and that treatment is available to help you overcome both disorders.

PTSD can also produce physical symptoms, such as headaches, stomach aches, and muscle tension. Those struggling with this disorder may also have difficulty controlling their emotions, which can lead to outbursts of anger or sadness. They may also be more easily startled than usual and may be easily overwhelmed in social situations. We will work alongside you to determine the best combination of treatments for your unique needs. Our addiction treatment experts help you choose the appropriate inpatient program length, followed by an outpatient program and aftercare to ensure you always have a solid connection to our caring sober community.

Why Is Anger a Common Response to Trauma?

Other issues that may have extra-medication bearing on findings include the different treatment settings noted across studies. As mentioned above, studies have been conducted at VA settings with male patients who have experienced combat, while others are in predominately female civilian populations, limiting the ability to compare findings across studies. There is a small but growing literature of pharmacotherapies to treat AUD with comorbid PTSD. The conclusions from this review suggest that there is not one agent that has clear evidence of efficacy in this comorbid group. There was at best weak evidence to support the use of medications to treat AUD among those with comorbidity with PTSD. Naltrexone was effective in decreasing craving in those studies that evaluated it (Foa et al. 2013, Petrakis et al. 2012).

PTSD and alcohol abuse or substance use issues are strongly connected, with nearly half of Americans who suffer from PTSD addicted to or misusing substances. Psychotherapy (sometimes called talk therapy) includes a variety of treatment techniques that mental health professionals use to help people identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Psychotherapy can provide support, education, and guidance to people with PTSD and their families. Treatment can take place one on one or in a group and usually lasts 6 to 12 weeks but can last longer.

Dual diagnosis treatment, or a program that tackles both the person’s mental health issue and alcohol use disorder (addiction), is the best course of action for this. The randomized clinical trials treating AUD and comorbid PTSD were mostly well-designed studies that used similar inclusion/exclusion criteria, notably current DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol dependence and PTSD, with current drinking requirements for entry. A few differences were noted for example, the Hein study included subjects with sub-threshold PTSD and only one study included PTSD severity as a criterion for entry into the study (Foa et al. 2013). Similarly, the outcome measures were mostly comparable; reporting on alcohol consumption based on the Time Line Followback Method and PTSD symptoms using Clinician Administered PTSD (CAPS) or its derivative, the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Because the studies used similar inclusion/exclusion criteria and similar outcomes, making overall conclusions based on these studies seems reasonable.

• Difficulty with recruitment may be another reason investigators have included subjects who are taking other psychotropic medications even though this complicates the interpretation of results.
• One way of thinking is that high levels of anger are related to a natural survival instinct.
• Our Medical Affairs Team is a dedicated group of medical professionals with diverse and extensive clinical experience who actively contribute to the development of our content, products, and services.
• Problems in this area lead to frequent outbursts of extreme emotions, including anger and rage.

They may seem articulate because most parts of the brain are alcohol-tolerant. They can still eat, walk, hold conversations, have sex, drive, and get into fights. As you drink more alcohol and your blood alcohol level rises, the rate and length of memory loss will increase. Through many decades, despite numerous definition changes for each, AUD and PTSD consistently co-occur. This durable comorbidity has been found in large, small, representative, and targeted samples.