Targeted Medical Pharma Inc, a drug discovery and development company, yesterday announced the results of a clinical trial studying the amino acid- based medical foods, Sentra AM and Sentra PM, in veterans suffering from symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In this 30-day open label pilot study (n=21), published in the Journal of Central Nervous System Disease, eligible subjects taking the medical foods Sentra AM and Sentra PM for 30 days showed a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and panic attacks as measured by the PCL-M, and an average 57% increase in mental health scores as measured by the SF-36.

“Clinically relevant improvements in sleep quality and a reduction in daytime drowsiness were also observed in this study, outcomes that are particularly relevant for treating PTSD successfully,” says Anthony Charuvastra, MD, clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center, and a specialist in PTSD, in a release.

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the benefit of unique nutritional interventions that focus on addressing specific amino acid deficiencies in patients with PTSD that, if corrected, are capable of restoring balance to the autonomic nervous system and potentially alleviating many symptoms of the disease.

“The positive results of this small study indicate a need for a larger double-blind study and support the hypothesis that treating the unique amino acid and nutrient requirements of PTSD with a medical food is a vital part of any treatment program aimed at reducing the impact of PTSD,” says William Shell, MD, CEO and CSO of Targeted Medical Pharma Inc.