Co-Occurring Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Opioid Dependence: A Role for Buprenorphine

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent among individuals addicted to opioids and complicates the course of illness and treatment response. Evidence-based treatments for patients with co-occurring opioid abuse and PTSD are lacking. Furthermore, little is known about the potential benefits of partial agonist therapy for these co-occurring conditions. We report the case of a patient with PTSD and opioid dependence, who experienced substantial symptomatic improvement with buprenorphine. We conclude that screening for PTSD in the opioid-abusing population is imperative, that buprenorphine may have important therapeutic benefits, and that future studies should examine the efficacy of partial-agonist opioids for concurrent PTSD and opioid dependence.