Slashdot Mirror
FDA Approves Large Clinical Trial For Ecstasy As Relief For PTSD Patients (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved the first large-scale, phase 3 clinical trial of ecstasy in patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the New York Times reported. The regulatory green-light follows six smaller-scale trials that showed remarkable success using the drug. In fact, some of the 130 PTSD patients involved in those trials say ecstasy -- or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) -- saved them from the devastating impacts of PTSD after more than a decade of seeing no improvement with the other treatment options available. Currently, the best of those established treatment options can only improve symptoms in 60 to 70 percent of PTSD patients, one expert noted. However, after one of the early MDMA studies, the drug had completely erased all traces of symptoms in two-thirds of PTSD patients. The new Phase 3 trial will involve at least 230 patients and is planned to start in 2017. Like the other trials, it is backed by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit created in 1985 to advocate for the medical benefits and use of psychedelic drugs, such as MDMA and marijuana. Also like the others, the new, larger trial will involve a limited number of MDMA treatments administered by professional psychotherapists as part of a therapy program. In previous trials, patients spent 12 weeks in a psychotherapy program, including three eight-hour sessions in which they took MDMA and talked through traumatic memories.
Myself and others who actually suffer from PTSD (In my case CPTSD) are always looking for a way out. It's a disorder caused by experiencing severe trauma- in my case the traumatic experience went for a period of 15 years as a kid. Child abuse victims and those who were abused as POWs are the ones who suffer the most from this disease. But remember this disease is caused by traumatic things happening around you, or worse, traumatic things done to you.
This is a disease that is inflicted on it's victims both others.
You never really get out of the PTSD symptoms... flashbacks keep repeating. Your current day relationships are held hostage to your condition. In some cases (like mine) it's accompanied by a sleep disorder. And the combination of flashbacks and lack of sleep can lead to psychosis. As you age you become unable to "tough it out" by staying up for a couple of days. So working becomes difficult or impossible. I used to be an IT executive.
Sure there are treatments like "Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming". And they help a little. Or you can drug yourself out. Or just do the best you can and hope your loved ones are willing to keep you in food and housing. As a non veteran my chances at disability through Social Security are zero.
The only drug that has ever worked for me to totally eradicate the symptoms- are narcotics. If I can legally obtain them for another legitimate issue then I get to be normal for a few days, or a week. Norco and Hydrocodone seem to work the best.
So if someone told me I could get my PTSD treated at a pain clinic with narcotics- under doctors supervision I'd be there in a second. The hell I go through is shattering.
So- this new treatment is making me so happy. I want to get in on the trial... or try the therapy as soon as possible.
If you have a heart for people who are truly suffering. Please support these trials and be supportive of the idea. You'll be helping a lot of people.
Another consultant who stuck it out.
"We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx..."
Ha, ha, ha! Good one. But seriously, it is nigh impossible to function on ecstasy, the FDA is a bad joke, basically a public face for big pharma. At this rate it won't be long before most Americans are just drug-addled zombies, be they prescription or street drugs, and the rest of the world will run circles around us. Always blows me away that so many people in the valley are so willfully blind about their drug addiction. It's why ideas that sound like genius under the influence make people in other places scratch heir heads and go, 'Whatever.'.
I know this is slashdot, but.... You didn't read TFA.
"improvements lasted more than a year after therapy"
"improvements lasted more than a year after therapy"
Which is a good thing, given that it's not actually possible to use it continuously (at least not effectively, due to depleted serotonin). Which is also why folks tend not to get addicted to molly.
For this exact same reason, I bet the pharmaceutical industry does not like this idea. At all.
From my own personal experience, I absolutely credit occasional recreational use of MDMA (and visiting the associated raves, I guess) with helping me out of a not-so-mild depression couple of years back.
Gosh, thanks. That must be why the other ships call me Meatfucker -- GCU Grey Area (Eccentric)