A preliminary trial of nalmefene for the treatment of emotional numbing in combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Eighteen chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD+) combat veterans were administered nalmefene, a non-FDA approved oral opiate antagonist, based on the hypothesis that emotional numbing is an opiate-mediated phenomenon. Eight veterans showed a favorable response with a marked decrease of emotional numbing and other symptoms of PTSD, including startle response, nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, rage and vulnerability. Veterans who responded favorably to the drug demonstrated a waxing and a waning of positive and negative PTSD symptoms with a general improvement in all these symptoms at higher nalmefene dosages. Case descriptions highlight some of the many changes veterans experienced on nalmefene dosage increases.