Medication is often prescribed to people with severe cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in an attempt to alleviate symptoms of the condition such as insomnia or the experience of nightmares, depression or anxiety. Anti-depressants such as Prozac, Pamelor and Zoloft are often prescribed to relieve feelings of helplessness, fear and guilt. Anti-anxiety medication such as Valium and Xanax are used to relieve the symptoms of anxiety such as racing heart, nausea and hyperarousal, the medication helps calm and relax the PTSD sufferer.
Though medication can dilute some of the natural processes associated with post traumatic stress disorder it by no means treats the condition directly and the medication can be accompanied with undesired side effects that could be more detrimental than beneficial.
There are some treatments currently being examined and developed by scientists and psychologists some of which could inhibit the condition being developed. Research conducted in Israel has found that an injection of so called ‘stress hormone’ cortisol less than 6 hours after the experience of a traumatic event reduces the chances of developing PTSD by approximately 60 percent. This and other such areas of research are in relatively early stages but are none the less under development, however even if a prescription treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is created the long term implications and side effects will not be known for many years.