Ecstasy & P.T.S.D. ?
Monday, July 19th, 2010.
Ecstasy “may help stress sufferers”. Ecstasy can help the tortured victims of post-traumatic stress overcome their demons, research has shown.
In tests, the illegal dance drug had a dramatic effect on previously-untreatable patients who had suffered post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for more than 19 years. Doctors in the US held two eight-hour psychotherapy sessions three to five weeks apart for the patients, during which they administered the Ecstasy chemical MDMA. Two months later, 80% of those treated no longer had symptoms that met the medical definition of PTSD.
Ten of the 12 patients given Ecstasy responded to the treatment, said the researchers led by Dr Rick Doblin, president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in Santa Cruz, California.
In contrast, just two out of eight patients offered a “dummy” placebo showed an improvement.
Three individuals so badly affected by their condition that they could not hold down a job were able to return to work.
The scientists have now had the go-ahead from the US regulatory body, the Food and Drug Administration, to carry out a bigger study of US war veterans. It will look at the effect of different doses of MDMA on ex-soldiers traumatised by their experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam.
Writing in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, the scientists said: “Patients with PTSD are prone to extremes of emotional numbing or extreme anxiety, and often have a narrow window between thresholds of under and over-arousal.
“MDMA may exert its therapeutic effect by widening this window. If MDMA allows patients to stay emotionally engaged without being overwhelmed by anxiety while revisiting traumatic experiences, it may thereby catalyse effective exposure therapy.”
Source: Press Association – UK July 19, 2010