Giving MDMA to people with PTSD doubles their chances of recovery with counseling, says today’s study.
Two-thirds of PTSD sufferers who took 40mg of the party drug before therapy no longer suffered from the condition after two months.
While every third in the control group, who received only standard counseling, was cured in the same period of time.
The MDMA combination even worked on patients with the most severe post-traumatic stress disorder and those with drug and alcohol abuse problems, experts say.
The researchers said the “feeling of trust and closeness” the drug induced helped them open up to psychiatrists and make more progress.
MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, is popular in rave culture where people use the drug to boost their energy and feel more connected to music and other ravers.
But in recent years there has been a movement to destigmatize the drug, with experts testing psychedelics like MDMA and hallucinogenic mushrooms as therapeutics for mental illness.
University of California experts found that two-thirds of those who received MDMA along with regular PTSD therapy were free of the condition after two months, compared to one-third of those who did not take the drug.
THE MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF PSYCHODELIC DRUGS ARE STUDYING
In recent years, scientists have increasingly turned to psychedelic drugs as promising treatments for treatment-resistant mental illness.
Currently, such mind-altering drugs are largely banned in the US.
But ongoing clinical trials show that drugs once favored by hippies and club kids may have medical benefits as well.
Scientists are researching:
KETAMINE
The club drug and tranquilizer have been in trials for depression for several years now.
In March 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first nasal spray version of the drug.
Ketamine works much faster than traditional antidepressants, and scientists believe it stimulates new neural connections that can help rewrite unhealthy, depressive thought patterns.
psilocybin
The active ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin, is a powerful hallucinogen.
It also works much faster than traditional drugs and is being analyzed for use in patients with both depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Psilocybin helps stimulate neuroplasticity and is thought to calm the “default mode network” in the brain and activate the “significance network” that is involved in drug taking.
In August, the FDA approved the largest clinical trial on psilocybin to date.
MDMA
The club drug MDMA, sometimes referred to as “Molly”, is currently being tested as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
MDMA reduces activity in the amygdala and hippocampus, areas of the brain involved in emotional processing and the fear response that are overactive in people with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Patients participating in MDMA trials take a dose of the drug and stay in an eight-hour session with two therapists who guide their experience.
LSD
The psychedelic compound LSD has a similar structure to the brain chemical, serotonin.
The discovery of LSD played a role in our discovery of how serotonin works in the brain and why neurochemical imbalances cause depression and anxiety.
Trials using LSD therapy to treat anxiety are ongoing and have shown initial promise.
University of California experts followed 90 people in a phase 3 clinical trial to study the effects of the psychedelic drug.
They gave people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a 40 mg dose of the drug before an eight-hour therapy session three times over two months.
MDMA is now a class A drug in the UK, and people caught possessing it face up to seven years in prison.
In the US, it is classified as a Schedule 1 drug for substances that do not have a legitimate medical use.
Symptoms of PTSD are triggered by flashbacks, nightmares, or even sounds and smells that bring back memories.
MDMA is thought to dampen this response and allow people to reflect on their trauma without being overwhelmed.
PTSD can trigger many other disorders, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, substance abuse, and eating disorders.
Casualties include soldiers returning from combat and people who have been physically, emotionally or sexually abused.
Evidence suggests that up to three percent of people develop PTSD at some point in their lives.
The latest study, presented today at the American Chemical Society meeting, confirms the results of a phase 2 study published last year.
The researchers gave half of the 90 participants an 80-mg dose of MDMA in pill form, followed by a 40-mg supplement just before their eight-hour session.
Tablets sold on the street can contain up to 280 mg of MDMA.
The MDMA session was repeated twice at monthly intervals, along with weekly psychotherapy sessions.
They found that twice as many people who took the drug no longer qualified as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after two months than those who received only regular therapy.
Even those with the most severe form of the disease saw benefit from taking the drug, the researchers said.
Experts say the psychedelic drug helped improve PTSD outcomes because it helped patients trust their therapists more during sessions.
They also noted that side effects, including jaw clenching and nausea, were minimal, with patients showing no signs of addiction.
Professor Jennifer Mitchell, a neuroscientist at the University of San Francisco who led the study, said: “MDMA is really interesting because it’s an empathogen.
“It triggers a release of oxytocin in the brain, which creates a sense of trust and closeness, which can really help in a therapeutic setting.”
But she warned that people currently suffering from PTSD should not self-medicate with the drug because illegal pills available on the street may be diluted with other substances and may not be at healthy doses.
Professor Mitchell said, “Just because MDMA is decriminalized doesn’t mean it’s safe.”
“It can be a very powerful tool, but it has to have the right dose in the right context with the right support system.”
Patients in the 50-person Phase 2 trial last year were followed up for more than a year, and those cured with MDMA treatment are still feeling its benefits today.
Professor Mitchell said: “People who participated in the phase 2 trial felt better for years.[Theyseemedtohaveanewperspectiveonlifeandengagedmore[Казалосьчтоунихпоявилсяновыйвзгляднажизньионибольшезанимались[Theyseemedtohaveanewperspectiveonlifeandengagedmore
“As their social skills grew, they became happier over time.”
But she said those in the Phase 3 trial had more severe cases of PTSD and therefore may not have long-term results.