Beta-Blocker may rewrite traumatic memories in PTSD

NCT ID NCT07792122

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026

Summary

This trial tests whether propranolol, a blood pressure drug, can reduce PTSD symptoms in women who have experienced severe violence. Participants take propranolol and then revisit their traumatic memories in a structured session with a psychologist. The study compares this approach to standard trauma-focused psychotherapy, measuring PTSD symptom severity after treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
propranolol, a beta-blocker, combined with reactivation of traumatic memories
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for women with PTSD after violence, potentially reducing symptoms with fewer sessions than standard therapy.
What could go wrong
The trial is still in phase 3 with 70 participants, so results may not apply to all PTSD patients. Propranolol can cause side effects like low blood pressure and fatigue, and the treatment may not work for everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 3

Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.

Participants

About 70 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Mar 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 75 years

Sex

Female participants only

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Women aged from 18 to 75 years * Having been victim of severe violence (rape, sexual assault, physical assault) Currently suffering from PTSD related to the traumatic event. The diagnosis of PTSD is made according to the DSM-5 criteria by a psychiatrist/psychologist using the CAPS-5, regardless of the traumatic event meeting criterion A of the DSM-5, with or without dissociative symptoms as described in the "With dissociative symptoms" section of the DSM-5, Immediate or delayed PTSD CAPS-5 total score ≥ 33 heart rate ≥ 55 bpm * The subject must have signed the consent form. * The subject must be enrolled in a social security program. * The participant must be able to understand and read French. * The participant agrees to comply with the contraception requirements outlined in the protocol. Exclusion Criteria: * Systolic blood pressure below 100 mm Hg. * Contraindications to the administration of propranolol: Asthma, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Decompensated heart failure, Cardiogenic shock, Unpaced second-degree atrioventricular block, Unpaced third-degree atrioventricular block, Spasmodic angina, Uncompensated sinus node dysfunction, bradycardia, Raynaud's syndrome, severe peripheral circulatory disorder, untreated pheochromocytoma, arterial hypotension, hypersensitivity to beta-blockers, history of anaphylactic allergic reaction. * Heart failure (compensated or decompensated) * Severe liver disease * Significant renal impairment * Myasthenia gravis * Personal or family history of psoriasis * Patients who have suffered a head injury within the past year or who have clinical symptoms and residual neurological sequelae * Wearing contact lenses * Severe psychiatric disorders: Severe symptoms of other anxiety disorders, severe symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, history of or current psychotic disorder, bipolar mood disorder, severe personality disorder, alcohol or other substance use disorder * "Yes" response to item 4 of the C-SSRS: active suicidal ideation with intent to act, without a specific plan, and/or "Yes" response to item 5 of the C-SSRS: active suicidal ideation with a specific plan and intent to act * Hospitalized or treated for suicidal behavior within the past 3 months * Previous intolerance to a beta-blocker. * Women of childbearing age not using contraception. * Pregnancy, breastfeeding. * Current use of a beta-blocker, regardless of the formulation. * Known interactions with Propranolol (combination use not recommended and combinations to be used with caution) as indicated in the summary of product characteristics. * Undergoing psychotherapy or pharmacological treatment with psychotropic agents such as antidepressants, neuroleptics, and/or mood stabilizers. However, these subjects may be included after a 2-week therapeutic abstinence period (6 weeks for treatment with fluoxetine). * Patients under judicial protection, under guardianship or curatorship, individuals under family authorization, or under a future protection order with representation regarding the person * Participants who are related to a person involved in the study at the investigator's center, within the clinical research organization (CRO), or at the sponsor * Participation in another interventional research study, clinical trial, or clinical investigation within the 6 months preceding selection

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Lapeyronie Hospital - Montpellier University Hospital

    Montpellier, 34 295, France

  • Toulouse University Hospital - Psychiatry Department

    Toulouse, 31 059, France

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