Primary Care’s Role in PTSD Treatment
November 10, 2025
-
3 min
8 Key Takeaways
-
1
Venlafaxine outperforms WET in treating PTSD nonresponders.
-
2
The trial included 700 adults across multiple centers.
-
3
SSRI group had 1
-
4
0-point reduction in PCL-5 scores.
-
5
Engagement rate was higher in SSRI vs WET groups.
-
6
Clinically meaningful improvement observed with both SSRIs and WET.
-
7
Lead author: Dr. John C. Fortney.
-
8
Study period: April 2021 to June 202
A recent randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry highlighted that switching to the antidepressant venlafaxine significantly improved symptoms in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who did not respond to initial treatment. Conducted across seven health centers and eight Veterans Affairs medical centers, the trial involved 700 adults. Both trauma-focused psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy showed clinically meaningful improvements, with venlafaxine outperforming written exposure therapy for SSRIs nonresponders, suggesting effective treatment pathways for clinicians.
Listen Tab content
