Nightmares, night sweats, panic attacks, they can all be triggered by terrifying memories. Now researchers at Harvard are testing a new drug they hope may erase some of that pain. Health reporter Janet Wu is here with more on the "Memory Pill".
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" Focus Features
"By the time you wake up in morning all the memories we've targeted will disappear."
With a little movie magic Jim Carrey erases painful memories of his girlfriend. But real life isn't quite as easy. Or is it? This little pill may hold the answer.
Dr. Roger Pitman, Massachusetts General Hospital
"We would like to take people and prevent them from getting to the point where the memory is so strong, that they're dreaming about it all the time, thinking about it all the time, always getting upset and really can't go on with their lives."
But it's not just any memory -- Harvard researchers are targeting those that cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. It's a mental condition that can cause panic attacks, increased heart rate and crippling fear.
Dr. Roger Pitman, Massachusetts General Hospital
"It tends to happen to people, who are in danger of life or limb, who have an intense reaction of fear or helplessness at the time."
Johnny Cortez knows those feelings all too well. On his way to work one morning, Johnny was in a terrifying car accident that took its toll physically and emotionally.
Johnny
"Those ambulance lights and those noises on the street. They were remembering about the accident. And I was really in shock, I couldn't sleep."
In the ER, Johnny agreed to test a drug called Propranolol. Researchers want to see if the anti-adrenaline drug, given in the first six hours of a traumatic incident, can prevent terrifying memories.
In the trial, 41 patients were put on Propranolol for 19 days. One month later they were tested for symptoms of PTSD by listening to audio tapes describing their accident. Those on Propranolol showed no symptoms.
But unlike the movies, Dr. Pitman stresses that this isn't a magic memory eraser.
Dr. Roger Pitman, Massachusetts General Hospital
"We don't want to cause amnesia, we don't want to selectively eliminate the memory, we couldn't even do that if we wanted to… You'd still remember the event very well, but the memory wouldn't be emotionally upsetting to you."
Even though Johnny still had some nightmares, he believes that without the pill it would have been much worse.
Johnny
"After the medication, I was calm, my anxiety was calm, and I feel like, O.K., I got in an accident, I almost died, but now I'm O.K."
A similar study done in France also showed the effectiveness of the pill. However Dr. Pitman stresses that more studies are still needed. This summer, with a grant from the National Institutes of Health, he will launch a larger trial at Massachusetts General Hospital.
