Letter to the Editor October 31, 2000

Reply to Letter to the Editor "Omission of Bupropion as a Recommended Treatment for PTSD"

Edna B. Foa; Jonathan R. T. Davidson; Allen Frances

J Clin Psychiatry 2000;61(10):786

Article Abstract

Letter to the Editor

Sir: We are pleased to reply to Dr. Reeves’ letter concerning the issue of treatment selection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as reported in the Expert Consensus Guideline Series. Experts who were chosen responded according to their personal experience and also their understanding of what is in the literature with respect to making treatment recommendations. Bupropion was included as one possible approach (Guideline 35) and received a rating of 5 (i.e., equivocal, a second-line treatment that would sometimes be used) from the standpoint of representing the best combination of effectiveness, safety, and tolerability. At the time the guidelines were assembled, reported efficacy for bupropion in PTSD was extremely limited.