MDMA to be Approved by FDA as Early as 2022 for the Treatment of PTSD
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) known by many names such as ecstasy or molly is a synthetic compound first synthesized in 1912 by Merck chemist Anton Köllisch. Many people associate MDMA as a party drug used in nightclubs and raves. Although, this drug was first created with the intentions that it would help control bleeding. Starting in the 1970s and 1980s MDMA began to grow in popularity with psychiatrists. They stated that the drug helped to enhance conversation during patient sessions and also gave patients better insights about their personal problems. Due to these reports and findings MDMA then began to become more popular in culture and society as a street drug known for its euphoric and psychoactive properties.
In 1985 the DEA placed a ban on MDMA making it a schedule 1 substance stating that there were no known medical uses and that the drug had a high abuse potential. During the early 1990s the FDA approved the first human clinical trials for MDMA to see if it could alleviate pain in terminally ill patients and also to test its potential as an adjunct to psychotherapy. Although the results of these trials were never published it did help to establish parameters for safely administering MDMA to patients within a controlled healthcare setting. After this, MDMA for nearly 30 years went unstudied and its therapeutic potential ignored.
In August 2017 the FDA approved more trials for MDMA assisted psychotherapy to be studied for the treatment of PTSD. These clinical trials were conducted by The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Currently MAPS is conducting phase 3 clinical trials which will most likely be completed in 2021. This means that MDMA could be approved as a breakthrough treatment for PTSD as early as 2022. MAPS is also starting phase 2 clinical trials in Europe.
MAPS recognizes the amazing therapeutic potential of MDMA. The goal of MAPS is to establish the efficacy of MDMA for healing psychological and emotional pain caused by war, violent crime, sexual assault and many other types of trauma. MAPS is also studying MDMA’s effect on anxiety, autism and depression. Many medications used for mental illness require patients to take medication daily and for years sometimes indefinitely. MDMA assisted psychotherapy unlike many currently accepted medications only has to be administered a few times.
Ecstasy and molly sold on the street, although they may contain MDMA are commonly mixed with dangerous and unknown adulterants. It is important to distinguish that MDMA when used in clinical trials is 100% pure. Pure MDMA has been proven to be safe for human use when taken a few times at appropriate doses.
Due to the extensive testing and phase 3 clinical trials conducted by MAPS there is an extremely high likelihood that MDMA assisted psychotherapy therapy will be approved by the FDA for the treatment of PTSD. MDMA will undoubtedly help to save lives and increase quality of life for many soldiers and victims of trauma. Thanks to MAPS and MDMA the future is looking much brighter for people suffering from PTSD caused by psychological and emotional trauma.
