Some researchers are starting to believe MDMA, the party drug commonly known as “ecstasy” or “molly,” could become a recognized treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the coming years.<\/p>
Case in point: A small clinical trial published last week<\/a> in the Journal of Psychopharmacology <\/em>found that therapeutic doses of MDMA, in concert with psychotherapy<\/a>, reduced the severity of most participants’ PTSD symptoms. And a year after the trial ended, 76 percent of participants no longer met the clinical criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.<\/p> The results, as exciting as they seem on paper<\/a>, are only from a phase II trial — the second of three stages of safety and efficacy testing required before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will consider approving a new pharmaceutical.<\/p> Many phase II trials, this one included, gather very impressive-sounding results, but the road to FDA approval is littered with the corpses of early-stage research that never made it to the end. That said, phase III trials for treating PTSD with MDMA are underway.<\/p> Aside from its small sample size of only 28 participants, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s website for monitoring clinical research<\/a> shows no methodological red flags.<\/p> Even so, MDMA is still listed as a schedule one drug<\/a>, which means the government prevents it from being legally prescribed, believes it has a high risk of abuse, and won’t recognize clinical uses. Though FDA approval would help change that, it means MDMA cannot legally be prescribed off-label in the meantime.<\/p> But if all goes well in follow-up research, it’s conceivable that MDMA treatments could hit the market after phase III trials are completed, which is expected to happen within three years.<\/p> READ MORE:<\/strong> MDMA therapy achieves astounding 76% success rate for treating PTSD<\/a> [New Atlas<\/em>]<\/p> More on PTSD treatment: The FDA Has Labeled Ecstasy A “Breakthrough Therapy” for PTSD<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> See the original post: Chill Pill Some researchers are starting to believe MDMA, the party drug commonly known as \u201cecstasy\u201d or \u201cmolly,\u201d could become a recognized treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the coming years. Case in point:\u00a0A\u00a0small clinical trial published last week in the Journal of Psychopharmacology\u00a0 found that\u00a0therapeutic doses of MDMA,\u00a0 in concert with psychotherapy , reduced the severity of most participants\u2019 PTSD symptoms Continue reading Expect Delays<\/strong><\/h2>
Solid Science<\/strong><\/h2>
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MDMA Therapy Eliminated PTSD Symptoms In 76 Percent of Patients<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"