MDMA may be a viable option for treating PTSD, research suggests

It looks like the drug known as Ecstasy is making a comeback. But wait – I don’t mean in underground clubs or at college parties, but rather in the unlikely spot of a health care clinic. A new study is revealing that use of Ecstasy (otherwise known as MDMA), in addition to talk therapy, may relieve some of the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. We have previously discussed how marijuana may also help people suffering from the condition, but now it appears that Ecstasy may also provide similar therapeutic benefits.

The study was conducted by a non-profit group, Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies, and done in conjunction with a Charleston, South Carolina psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Mithoefer. The researchers’ hope is that the study will help to include MDMA as part of a prescription therapy for post traumatic stress disorder in private practice. The study included twenty participants who had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and found no relief from conventional treatments, according to Reuters. Some were given a dose of MDMA while others received a placebo, and after two months their post traumatic stress disorder symptoms were tested. The researchers discovered that those taking Ecstasy had a reduction in symptoms, and after three years this disappearance of symptoms still prevailed. In fact, thirteen of the participants no longer met the diagnosis criteria for post traumatic stress disorder, even though two other patients relapsed.

According to the researchers, MDMA apparently relaxes the individuals enough that they can process the trauma that they previously experienced. This allows them to face their underlying problems, address them, and hopefully, begin to heal. The MDMA was accompanied by psychotherapy sessions, and side effects of the drug were relatively insignificant. The researchers did acknowledge, however, that the study did have some problems that need to be solved. One such problem is that because MDMA can involve volatile emotions and surprising mood changes, participants may have known they were taking the drug rather than a placebo. They hope, according to Reuters, that they can iron out some of these challenges in the future. Despite this difficulty, the researchers, doctors, and others in the medical field recognize this study and its outcomes as extremely significant in the drug’s role in treating and reversing the damage of post traumatic stress disorder.

An interesting question about taking MDMA is whether this would influence a disability claimant. Even if MDMA allows an individual to heal in such a way that they no longer meet the clinical standards for post traumatic stress disorder, will he/she still be granted benefits? MDMA, as previously mentioned, causes some extreme emotions and powerful actions, and may still prevent a person from working. If MDMA is accepted into general treatment for post traumatic stress disorder and a person experiences a remission of symptoms, it will be interesting to see how the social security administration handles these new claims.