Sedation slows injury recovery

Usually, for wounded soldiers or earthquake victims, doctors often give them sleeping pills to help them avoid pain. A recent study has proven that this treatment is harmless.Experiments show that in traumatized mice, tranquilizers have counteracted the natural mechanism that slows wound recovery .

The US Department of Veterans Affairs said it will rely on the findings of this study to review the treatment process for wounded soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. If this is the case, they will recommend that doctors not use sedatives for wounded soldiers after treating wounds and abolish previous guidelines for post-traumatic treatment.

Benzodiazepines cannot reassure soldiers who are severely stressed by the horrors of war.(Photo: Sipa Press / Rex Features)

The fact also shows that the wounded soldiers after treatment often have symptoms of depression, obsession in a few years later, that people think that the brain must stop working .

Benzodiazepine, a common sedative containing diazepam (Valium), is often used for post-traumatic patients because it works to reduce anxiety and support sleep. Some studies have shown that they prevent long-term recovery.

For example, a study conducted in 2002 on 20 volunteers who had suffered a traffic accident and benzodiazepine treatment for 7 consecutive nights had the same symptoms, while those who took placebo absolutely no symptoms.

To test these conclusions, Joseph Zohar and colleagues at the University of Ben-Gurion University, Israel, have done experiments: release the mouse into a narrow space, constantly harassed by cats to keep them stressed and have symptoms such as traumatic patients and double divisions of these rats, half of benzodiazepine alprazolam (group 1), half of them (group 2), so that they can live peacefully as usual. 30 days later, the symptoms of depression and fear of rats in group 1 were still heavy. They always shrunk and trembled even without cats, and it was difficult to find their way in the maze. Their blood has lower corticosteron content.

The secretion of cortisol is a natural response to stress (in humans) and activation of brain receptors, memory retention. Zohar said alprazolam interfered with mice 'ability to restore memory, causing symptoms to appear. He explained that these are also the events that occur in people with trauma that treat benzodiazepines.

Areih Shalev, Hadassah University, Israel, also studied the effects of benzodiazepines on trauma recovery and suggested that sedation interferes with the brain's learning ability.

However, David Nutt, Royal College of London, reiterated Zohar's conclusion, saying that it is likely that Zohar might not be right about it.

The problem is probably controversial.