Trial assesses medical use for Ecstasy
trauma in a historic study that could bring the drug back into the
sphere of legitimate medical practice.
The US Drug Enforcement Agency has granted approval for a pharmaceutical grade formulation of 3, 4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), the active component in Ecstacy, to be given to 12 individuals diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Eight participants in the study, funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in South Carolina, will receive placebo.
The study subjects will receive up to two doses of the drug, used in conjunction with counselling sessions. The pharmaceutical-grade MDMA (more than 99 per cent pure) will be manufactured by chemists at Purdue University.
Ecstasy was used in the 1980s as an aid to psychotherapy for trauma victims - such as those suffering from the after-effects of rape, physical or sexual abuse and combat exposure - once its ability to reduce anxiety and feelings of defensiveness were established. But its use was banned by the DEA in 1985 once it emerged as a recreational drug.
Now that the DEA has relaxed its stance, it may be possible that MDMA could emerge as a tool for exploring the role of some of the major neurotransmitter systems the drug affects - and particularly the serotonin system - in human studies.
For example, MDMA could be used to explore the role of serotonin in normal brain function and neuropsychiatric illness, which could generate new targets for pharmacological treatment.
Meanwhile, if the results of the current trial are positive the large number of PTSD sufferers in the US could benefit from an early return to normal daily functioning. The disorder is estimated to affect just under 8 per cent of all people in the US over their lifetime, according to data from the National Centre for PTSD in the US.
