Treatment of neuropathic pain with repeated low-dose MDMA: a case report.
Peter Gasser, Matthias E. Liechti, Friederike Holze
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1513022 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 64-year-old male with neuropathic pain after chemotherapy and traumatic life experiences |
| Interventions | LSD MDMA |
| Dose | LSD 200 µg, LSD 400 µg, MDMA 150-175 mg, MDMA 12.5-25 mg |
| Topics | LSD MDMA Microdosing Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Psychedelic medicine Chronic pain treatment Limited medical use MDMA Therapy Alternative medicine Microdosing research |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Low doses of MDMA (12.5-25 mg) produced sustained improvements in neuropathic pain in a single patient. |
Abstract
A 64-year-old male patient who suffered from traumatic life experiences and neuropathic pain after oncological chemotherapy was treated with medium to high doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and high doses and microdoses of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). At the beginning of treatment, the patient did not experience any acute subjective effects of LSD at a dose of 200 µg. After increasing the LSD dose to 400 µg, he experienced subjective acute effects, and the first lasting therapeutic effects were observed. After changing from LSD to MDMA at both high doses (150-175 mg) and repeated low doses (12.5-25 mg), the patient exhibited marked improvements in neuropathic pain that were sustained even after stopping repeated MDMA treatment. MDMA mini/microdosing has not yet been broadly investigated. This case documents benefits of low doses of MDMA for the treatment of a pain disorder. Further research is needed on effects of MDMA on pain.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on MDMA, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'Eve' and 'Ecstasy'. A report of five deaths associated with the use of MDEA and MDMA Individuals whose deaths were associated with MDMA or MDEA use | 1987 | Case series | n = 5 |
| Pathology of deaths associated with "ecstasy" and "eve" misuse. Young white men aged 20 to 25 who died after using ring-substituted amphetamines (MDMA... | 1996 | Case series | n = 7 |
| 'Eve' and 'Ecstasy' Individuals who died after using MDMA or MDEA | 1987 | Case series | n = 5 |
| A Method of Conducting Therapeutic Sessions with MDMA Clients with clear therapeutic purpose, excluding those with serious functional... | 1998 | Case study | n = 2 |
| Diversity of Psychopathology Associated with use of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’) Psychiatric patients presenting between 1990 and 1992 whose symptoms developed in the... | 1994 | Case series | n = 13 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- The 3D-ASCr scale: A revalidation of the core dimensions of the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale 5D(11)-ASC for psychedelic research. Journal of Psychopharmacology December 26, 2025
- Classic Psychedelics for Treating Chronic Pain: Mechanism and Clinical Translation Molecules July 27, 2026
- Psychedelic-assisted therapy: a survey on the clinical methods of Swiss physicians. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2026
- Psilocybin and Chronic Neuropathic and Centralized Pain: Converging Mechanisms in Central Sensitization, Neuroplasticity, and Network Organization Anesthesia Research September 11, 2026
Cites 19
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- MDMA enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behavior Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience October 4, 2013
- Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Anxiety With and Without a Life-Threatening Illness: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase II Study. Biological Psychiatry February 1, 2023
- MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD: Are memory reconsolidation and fear extinction underlying mechanisms? Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry June 8, 2018
- LSD-Assisted Psychotherapy in Patients with Terminal Cancer International Pharmacopsychiatry 1973
and 14 more in the library