How are medications handled in the body?
When taken by mouth, medications are slowly absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to all body tissues, including the brain. Most medications used to treat PTSD are gradually excreted from the body after they have been broken down (metabolized) by the liver. Since the liver is the major organ of medication metabolism, diseases or medications affecting the liver may change medication metabolism and necessitate adjustment of dose. As people grow older, they also metabolize medications more slowly. (Lithium and gabapentin are not metabolized and are excreted, unchanged, in the urine.
