An important component of stress associated chronic alcohol exposure and withdrawal is activation of the autonomic nervous system. In particular, increased noradrenergic output from locus coeruleus activation plays an important role in mediating both somatic and affective aspects of alcohol withdrawal (Heilig et al., 2010). Beyond withdrawal symptoms, changes in central noradrenergic activity also has been implicated in stress-related psychiatric illnesses as well as alcohol use disorders. For example, the noradrenergic alpha-1 receptor antagonist prazosin has been shown to be efficacious in treating various PTSD-related symptoms (Germain et al., 2012; Raskind et al., 2007; Raskind et al., 2013). Another noradrenergic alpha-1 receptor antagonist with a more favorable pharmacokinetic profile, doxazosin, was shown to reduce symptoms of PTSD as well (De Jong et al., 2010).
