Prazosin study may be making suicide thoughts stronger

Study shows drug commonly prescribed to veterans could be making suicidal thoughts worse

WSET ABC 13 News
by Kathleen Jacob
February 19th 2019

One of those medications is Prazosin, a blood pressure medication that a VA doctor prescribed him to help with nightmares. “I didn’t wanna go to sleep. There are times I didn’t wanna lie down. I just didn’t want to go to sleep,” Sgt. Chapman said. Over time, he realized his nightmares weren't getting any better. In fact, he said they got worse.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A drug treating PTSD in our veterans could be killing them. Prazosin is a blood pressure medication commonly prescribed to treat PTSD nightmares, according to a WZTV news investigation. Only two drugs are approved by the FDA to treat PTSD, and Prazosin is not one of them.

Retired Sgt. Allen Chapman said he takes 10 pills a day to treat depression, PTSD, and all the other side effects that come with working in a war zone overseas.

“I’ve got so many medications, it takes a while to take them all in the morning,” Sgt. Chapman said.

He served in the 230th Signal Company of the National Guard. He spent time in Afghanistan from 2011-2012.

“When you get back, you’re used to all that high-speed stuff and then people here, people are just slow,” Sgt. Chapman said.

It's one of the reasons readjusting is so hard, and why Sgt. Chapman went to the VA for help.

Sgt. John Toombs took a video of himself on an early November morning in 2016.

“I went to the VA for help and they opened up a Pandora's box inside me and just kicked me out the door,” Toombs said in the video.
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