title: Pain medication use among patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: The relationship of analgesic medication use with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis was investigated among a sample of 173 African Americans presenting for routine outpatient visits at an urban mental health center. Seventy-eight (43.5%) of the sample met DSM-IV PTSD criteria. Those with PTSD had significantly higher use of analgesic medication (both opiate and non-opiate), as compared with non-PTSD patients. PTSD symptoms, as measured by the Posttraumatic Symptom Scale, were significantly higher in subjects who were prescribed analgesics. The authors conclude that there may be a relationship between PTSD and use of pain medications warranting further examination of the endogenous opiate system in the pathophysiology of PTSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA. aschwa2@emory.edu
authors.forename: Ann C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Rebekah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Penza
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sexton
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jay
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Haggard
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Garlow
authors.forename: Kerry J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ressler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal