Augmentation with prazosin for patients with depression and a history of trauma: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Introduction: Depression with a history of trauma often responds poorly to conventional antidepressants and has a poor prognosis. Prazosin, an α1-adrenoceptor blocker, has shown promise in treating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, particularly nightmares. Its potential in treating depression with trauma history warrants investigation.

Aims of the study: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of low-dose prazosin (0.5-1 mg/day) as an augmentation strategy in patients with depression and a history of trauma. We sought to determine if prazosin could provide rapid symptom improvement and enhance overall treatment response compared to placebo in this difficult-to-treat patient population.

Methods: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study included 59 patients with first-episode or recurrent unipolar or bipolar depression. After basic antidepressant treatment, they were randomly assigned to a prazosin (0.5-1 mg/day) or placebo group for a 6-week double-blind controlled study. The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale, 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17), and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) were used to evaluate efficacy.

Results: There were no significant differences in the results of the demographic and clinical symptom assessment between the two groups (p > 0.05). The difference between the HAMD-17 and HAMA scores was statistically significant after 3 days of treatment (p < 0.05). The difference in response rate between the two groups was statistically significant after week 4 of treatment (end of week 4, 56.7% vs. 24.1%, p = 0.011; end of week 6, 80.0% vs. 48.3%, p = 0.011). The incidence of adverse reactions in the prazosin and placebo groups was 20.0% and 24.1%, respectively, with no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05); however, the prazosin group had a lower incidence of sleeplessness or nightmares (3.3% vs. 20.7%, p = 0.039) but a higher incidence of orthostatic hypotension (16.7% vs. 0%, p = 0.007). The severity of orthostatic hypotension was mild to moderate.

Conclusion: Low-dose prazosin can effectively improve the emotional symptoms of patients with depression and a history of trauma, and the common adverse reaction is mild-to-moderate orthostatic hypotension.

Clinical trial registration: ChiCTR2200063642.