After hearing a lecture by Dr. Murray Raskind on prazosin’s beneficial effects in treating combat-related PTSD symptoms, Dr. Robert Ruff–then VA’s national director for neurology–explored using prazosin to treat PTSD-related nightmares and sleep disturbances among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who had experienced post-concussion headaches. Dr. Ruff observed that, in addition to experiencing substantially improved restorative sleep and reduced daytime sleepiness, participants in his study had significant reductions in both frequency and intensity of post-concussion headaches
After nine weeks of daily treatment with prazosin, the Veterans in Dr. Ruff’s study reported an average reduction from 12 headaches a month down to five, and an average decrease in pain intensity from a nine on the 10-point scale to a four. While it’s not clear how prazosin works on headaches, one theory is that it improves sleep and may help clear inflammatory agents from the brain.
Read more at: https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/73819/new-treatment-veterans-old-headaches/