The Effect of Nefazodone on Subjective and Objective Sleep Quality in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Background: This study assesses the efficacy of nefazodone treatment (target dose of 400-600 mg/day) on objective and subjective sleep quality in Vietnam combat veterans with chronic DSM-IV posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Method: Medically healthy male Vietnam theater combat veterans with DSM-IV PTSD (N = 10) completed a 12-week open-label trial. Two nights of ambulatory polysomnography were obtained at baseline and at the end of the trial. PTSD and depressive symptoms and subjective sleep quality were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. Data were collected in 1999 and 2000.

Results: Nefazodone treatment led to a significant decrease in PTSD and depressive symptoms (p < .05), an improvement in global subjective sleep quality, and a reduction in nightmares. Nefazodone also resulted in a substantial improvement in objective measures of sleep quality, particularly increased total sleep time, sleep maintenance, and delta sleep as measured by period amplitude analysis.

Conclusion: Nefazodone therapy results in an improvement of both subjective and objective sleep quality in subjects with combat-related PTSD.