The psychedelic drug MDMA may reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers reported in a new study published Thursday.
The company sponsoring the study said it plans to seek U.S. approval later this year to market the drug as a drug to treat PTSD in combination with talk therapy.
“It is the first innovation in the treatment of PTSD in more than twenty years. It's important because I think it will spur other innovations as well,” said Amy Emerson, CEO of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, the study sponsor, according to AP News.
Legalization of MDMA
Earlier this year, Australia became the first country to have psychiatrists MDMA and psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms. The drugs are gaining acceptance in the U.S., thanks in part to the efforts of the nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.
For the new study, researchers measured symptoms in 104 people with PTSD, who were randomly assigned to receive MDMA or a fake pill for three sessions, one month apart. Both groups received talk therapy.
Common side effects in the MDMA group included muscle pain, nausea, decreased appetite and sweating. But only one person from the MDMA group dropped out of the study. After treatment, 86% of the MDMA group improved on a standard PTSD assessment, compared to 69% of the placebo group. The test measures symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks and insomnia.
At the end of the study, 72% of people in the MDMA group no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, compared to about 48% of the placebo group. “The results they achieved are very exciting,” said Barbara Rothbaum, who directs the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program in Atlanta. She was not involved in the research, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Anti-trauma medication
PTSD can also be treated with other medications in combination with talk therapy. However, this does not work for everyone or a certain degree of resistance may occur in patients. “Drugs are very effective, but nothing is 100% effective,” Rothbaum said. “So we definitely need more treatment options.”
Before MDMA could be prescribed in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would have to approve it and the Drug Enforcement Administration would have to change its classification. MDMA is currently classified as Schedule 1, similar to heroin, and is considered to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Source: APNews.com (EN)
