What is the approach to MDMA for PTSD?
Her approach is depth-oriented, relational, somatic, and mindfulness-based, with a social justice lens. Dr. Herzberg also works as a co-investigator and therapist for MAPS’ MDMA for PTSD research trials. Sylver Quevedo, MD has been in continuous practice of medicine for 40 years and practices nephrology, family, internal, and integrative medicine.
What is MDMA and why is it used in therapy?
Then from around 1977 to 1985, while MDMA was still legal and unregulated, the substance spread through a few dozen psychotherapists “…because of its benign, feeling-enhancing, and non hallucinatory properties…” It was used in couples’ therapy to open lines of communication and facilitate bonding, but it was never researched in formal settings.
Can MDMA-assisted psychotherapy be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder?
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans, firefighters, and police officers: a randomised, double-blind, dose-response, phase 2 clinical trial Discontinuation of medications classified as reuptake inhibitors affects treatment response of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy
Can ecstasy help treat PTSD?
The ‘party drug’ is synonymous with rave culture, but an ambitious clinical study could prove it has the power to treat PTSD” (The Guardian [31]). “Ecstasy could provide breakthrough therapy for soldiers suffering from PTSD, study finds.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
PTSD includes four symptom clusters that can develop after exposure to a traumatic event (DSM-5 [1]): re-experiencing, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition/mood and alterations in arousal and reactivity. People diagnosed with PTSD commonly avoid trauma-related thoughts and emotions and discussion of the traumatic event; however, ...
What antidepressants are recommended in the UK?
UK NICE guidance [2] recommends antidepressants including venlafaxine or a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, such as sertraline, or an antipsychotic medication, such as risperidone, if there are signs of psychosis.
Is MDMA a treatment for PTSD?
Small-scale studies have shown reduced psychological trauma, however there has been widespread misunderstanding of the aims and implications of this work, most commonly the notion that MDMA is a ‘treatment for PTSD’, which to date has not been researched.
Is MDMA AP a psychotherapy?
The work should always be referred to as ‘MDMA-assisted psychotherapy’, or abbreviated to MDMA -AP [40]. MDMA has not been posited as a ‘treatment for PTSD’ and MAPS have not studied MDMA as a therapy; these are separate issues that, to date, nobody has researched.
Can PTSD be treated with drugs?
People diagnosed with PTSD commonly avoid trauma-related thoughts and emotions and discussion of the traumatic event; however, the event is often relived through intrusive, recurrent recollections, dissociative episodes (flashbacks) and nightmares. There are no PTSD-specific drug treatments.
Is MDMA a therapy?
MDMA-assisted psycho therapy is not a therapy for a ‘disorder’; it is a therapy for the person. As is inherent in a reductionist approach to understanding the complexities of human beings, it ignores the person at the heart of it, which is actually the mechanism of action studied to date in this work.
Is trauma focused psychotherapy a first line treatment?
Trauma-focussed psychotherapies are therefore recommended as first-line treatments [5]. While these can be effective, drop-out rates are high (around 30% [6]), up to 58% of study participants still meet diagnostic criteria after treatment and only 32–66% reach a good level of functioning [7, 8].
Drug Class
MDMA is an amphetamine derivative classified as an empathogen or an entactogen due to the effects users experience. While not a classical psychedelic, MDMA (C₁₁H₁₅NO₂) is a member of the larger group of ring-substituted phenethylamines which includes mescaline.
What is MDMA?
MDMA is a small organic compound known as a monoamine alkaloid, structurally and chemically related to amphetamines. Its amine group is methylated, which makes it closely related to methamphetamine, although its pharmacology and effects are quite different.
From the Streets to MDMA-Assisted Therapy Offices
For decades now following MDMA’s scheduling as a controlled substance and its subsequent illegality, it has been relegated to the streets and recreational use. However, this is rapidly changing thanks to the work of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ( MAPS ).
What is MDMA-Assisted Therapy?
MDMA-assisted therapy involves ‘talk-therapy’ alongside the ingestion of MDMA. Researchers and clinicians often describe three distinct therapy phases: preparation, the acute MDMA experience, and integration. The non-psychedelic elements of this approach are essential for both effectiveness and safety.
Summary of Trial Findings
Across six Phase 2 trials (105 participants), following MDMA-assisted psychotherapy 54% of participants did not meet criteria for PTSD, compared to 23% in the control group. At long-term follow-up, this increased to 67.0%.
What Does MDMA Do to My Brain (Pharmacology)?
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a small organic compound known as a monoamine alkaloid, related chemically to amphetamine, that stimulates the brain to release neurotransmitters and hormones.
MDMA-Assisted Therapy Positive Effects
As noted above, MDMA stimulates the activity of happy brain chemicals and hormones like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, oxytocin, and vasopressin. In addition to this MDMA also temporarily alters the physiology of the brain.
Why MDMA?
MDMA is capable of inducing unique psychopharmacological effects, such as:
How Does MDMA-Assisted Therapy Work?
MDMA-assisted therapy is delivered during three 8-hour sessions, scheduled three to five weeks apart, along with 12 non-drug therapy sessions to aid with preparation and integration.
When was MDMA first used?
MDMA was first synthesized and patented by the German pharmaceutical company Merck in 1912 , but it wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s that psychiatrists began using it in therapy to enhance communication and introspection.
What are the effects of MDMA?
The pharmacologic effects of MDMA involve the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, with a subsequent increased secretion of several hormones such as oxytocin, prolactin, cortisol, and vasopressin.
When was MDMA banned?
Because MDMA was also used recreationally in ways that could potentially lead to abuse or harm, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration banned this compound in 1985, and the FDA designated it as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. 2.
Is MDMA a psychoactive drug?
MDMA, the psychoactive drug sometimes known as ecstasy, is poised to become a powerful tool in the treatment of PTSD. In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a breakthrough therapy.
Can you take MDMA recreationally?
Taking MDMA recreationally will not produce the therapeutic effects associated with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy because the goal of the treatment is to provide an opportunity for processing painful emotions under the guidance of trained psychotherapists.
How many people have PTSD?
P ost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), will affect some 26 million Americans at some point in their lives, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The condition, characterized by depression, hopelessness, memory problems, difficulty maintaining relationships, and recurrent visions of the trauma-causing event is notoriously hard to treat.
Is MDMA better than talk therapy?
In all of the surveys, MDMA appeared to be dramatically better at improving outcomes—when combined with talk therapy—compared to the placebo. At the end of the 18 weeks, the researchers found, the average CAPS-5 score fell 24.4 points in the MDMA group compared to the 13.9-point drop among those who received the placebo.