Ecstasy drug MDMA could help treat post-traumatic stress disorder, study shows

Illegal party drug MDMA, the main component in ecstasy pills, could help people recover from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a pilot study has found.

US scientists combined MDMA treatment with psychotherapy in an experimental pilot study that involved 22 military veterans, three firefighters and a police officer who had all been diagnosed with PTSD.

The participants were given doses of the drug that ranged between 30mg, 75mg and 125mg and those given higher amounts experienced greater decreases in symptom severity than those in the low-dose group.

The research, carried out by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in Santa Cruz, California, found that after two treatment sessions, 86% of participants in the 75mg group no longer had PTSD.

Over half the participants in the 125mg group and 29% in the 30mg group no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.

MDMA is the main active constituent of ecstasy, a recreational drug that induces feelings of euphoria and enhances sensory perception.

Both are classified as illegal Class A drugs in the UK, possession of which carries a maximum penalty of up to seven years imprisonment.

Lead researcher at MAPS, Dr Allison Feduccia, said: "Our study suggests that MDMA might help augment the psychotherapeutic experiences and may have a role to play in the future treatment of PTSD."

She added: "However, we would certainly not recommend that individuals try these drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders without the support from trained psychotherapists."

MDMA was administered to the study participants during eight-hour long specially adapted psychotherapy sessions.

These were followed by an overnight stay in a clinic, seven days of telephone contact, and three further 90 minutes sessions of psychotherapy.

Side effects of the treatment included anxiety, headache, fatigue, muscle tension and insomnia, said the researchers writing in the journal [The Lancet Psychiatry.](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30135-4/fulltext)

Temporary increases in suicidal thoughts were also reported. One participant with a history of suicide attempts had to be admitted to hospital, but later completed the study.

After the study participants, who previously didn't know what they were taking, were offered additional MDMA and psychotherapy treatment.

A year after the end of the study 16 of the 26 participants were no longer classified as suffering from PTSD, while two had a renewed diagnosis.

Commenting on the research in the journal, professors Andrea Cipriani and Philip Cowen, from Oxford University, said recreational use of ecstasy raised numerous safety concerns including fatal toxicity, long-term mental impairment and brain damage.

But they added: "With rigorous sourcing of MDMA and close medical and psychological supervision, its short-term use in carefully selected patients with PTSD seems safe."

Dr Michael Bloomfield, clinical lecturer in general psychiatry at University College London, said more research was needed to "tease out" the beneficial effects of MDMA.

He warned: "Survivors of trauma who are experiencing PTSD should not try this on themselves because of the risks associated with street ecstasy and the need for good quality psychiatric care including psychotherapy in recovering from PTSD."