Antibiotic doxycycline seems to be effective for PTSD

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A common antibiotic seems to have a positive effect on PTSD:

Study: Doxycycline for PTSD Treatment?

Doxycycline disrupts the formation of negative associations in the brain that contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new study published in Molecular Psychiatry concluded. Fear responses in participants taking the antibiotic were shown to be reduced, indicating that the drug can suppress fear memory and potentially prevent the development of overactive fear memory.1

The study was conducted as a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized controlled trial with 76 healthy participants. In the first session, participants were given either doxycycline or a placebo and were taught to associate a certain color with an electric shock. A week later, the participants were shown the same colors accompanied with a loud sound, but no shock. The researchers measured their fear responses.

The researchers measured the participants’ fear responses by tracking their eye blinks. The response was calculated by subtracting the baseline startle response from the response to the sound when the “bad” color was shown.

Participants who had taken doxycycline experienced a fear response 60% lower than those who had a placebo. The results indicate that doxycycline can reduce fear memory response in individuals, which can play a potentially significant role in PTSD, which is characterized by overactive fear memory.

http://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/study ... -treatment
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017 ... ment-ptsd/