Drug and MDMA Interactions Implications for Public Health
Esther Papaseit, Magí Farré, Clara Pérez‐mañá
Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions 2022 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-67928-6_121-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA |
| Keywords | 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine Drug of abuse Drug/medicine Drug interaction Pharmacokinetics pk Pharmacodynamics pd Genetic polymorphisms Sex/gender Race/ethnicity Polydrug use Acute toxicity |
| Key findings | Drug interactions with drugs of abuse like MDMA are underexplored, yet understanding them is crucial for both recreational users and patients in MDMA-assisted therapy. |
Abstract
Public health focused on drug use is considered a balancing act between preventing illicit use of drugs of abuse and ensuring access to drugs/medicines with abuse potential for a medical condition. Whereas clinically relevant drug interactions for medicines are widely recognized and are included in most pharmacovigilance systems, drug interactions with drugs of abuse are mainly underexplored, and their assessment is not part of clinical routine. An excellent example of this paradigm is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy, or molly), one of the most popular recreative psychostimulants, which is being currently evaluated for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Considering both aspects of MDMA, as a consolidated recreational drug of abuse and a potential medicine, it is crucial to understand which inter- and intraindividual factors, modulation factors, and potential interactions could lead to risk of intoxication in recreational drug users as well as in patients with possible future MDMA-assisted therapy.