Efficacy and acceptability of atypical antipsychotics for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials

As some evidences demonstrated that atypical antipsychotics (AA) may be efficacious in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we preformed a meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of AAs for the treatment of PTSD. Two hundred and fifty one papers were searched and screened. Eight RCTs met the inclusion criteria. AAs may be superior to placebo in the treatment of PTSD, as indicated by the changes in Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) total scores (weighted mean differences (WMD)=−5.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) [−9.21, −2.56], P=0.0005) and also in CAPS subscale intrusion (WMD=−2.58, 95% CI[−3.83, −1.33], P<0.0001 ) and subscale hyperarousal (WMD=−2.94, 95% CI[−5.45, −0.43], P=0.02). The acceptability measured by dropout rates between AAs and placebo showed no statistical difference (OR=1.24, 95%CI [0.78, 1.97], P=0.36). PTSD symptom cluster, especially in intrusion and hyperarousal. However, we should be careful to generalize the conclusion because of the small number of included trails. We expect more RCTs will be done in the future so as to clarify the specific value of AAs for PTSD.