Journal of Humanistic Psychology
September 16, 2021
Margo A. Jackson, Joseph G. Ponterotto, Bill Brennan et al.
53 citations
As both 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)- and psilocybin-assisted psychedelic psychotherapy near U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and gain acceptance as efficacious clinical approaches, concerns have been raised about the likelihood of sexual violation of a client and other relational boundary transgressions. In the current study, 23 practitioners who have administered...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
September 6, 2021
Elena Argento, Devon Christie, Lindsay Mackay et al.
12 citations
The COVID-19 pandemic stands to have impacts on mental health and well-being that will extend beyond its formal resolution. Before COVID-19, mental health disorders were already challenging global healthcare systems, directly accounting for 7.4% of the total burden of disease (1, 2). An estimated 1 billion people worldwide suffer from a mental health disorder, with the two most common...
International Journal of Drug Policy
September 2021
Raoul Pieter Joost Koning, Annemieke Benschop, Camiel Wijffels et al.
Drug checking services (DCS) provide information about drug content and purity, alongside personalized feedback, to people who use drugs; however, the demographic and drug use characteristics of DCS clients are rarely reported. This paper describes these characteristics for clients of the Dutch DCS, the Drug Information and Monitoring System (DIMS). 1,530 participants completed a pen-and-paper...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
August 31, 2021
Isaac Cohen, Laken Barber, Tyson Paul Dubnicka et al.
1 citation
3,4 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy has been recently found to be highly effective for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous studies have been inconclusive in elucidating potential MDMA genotoxicity. We performed three regulatory compliant studies to investigate the potential of genotoxic effects of MDMA treatment in humans: (1) an in vitro bacterial...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
August 27, 2021
Giulia Costa, Francesca Felicia Caputi, Marcello Serra et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “ecstasy”) is an amphetamine-related drug that may damage the dopaminergic nigrostriatal system. To investigate the mechanisms that sustain this toxic effect and ascertain their sex-dependence, we evaluated in the nigrostriatal system of MDMA-treated (4 × 20 mg/kg, 2 h apart) male and female mice the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), the gene...
Ophthalmology Research: An International Journal
August 20, 2021
Joshua O. Owolabi, Philip O. Ogunnaike
The implications of the use of psychoactive substances, that are usually abused on the retina are yet to be adequately explored. The retina is neural in nature. Most investigations on psychoactive agents have only studied their effects on the brain and behaviour. The mechanisms employed by these agents in producing their effects on the brain suggest that the retina, being neural, might also be...
Biology
August 17, 2021
Lourdes Poyatos, Esther Papaseit, Eulàlia Olesti et al.
26 citations
Considered the β-keto analogue of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy), 3,4-Methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone) is a synthetic cathinone. Over the years, methylone has been used as a substitute for conventional psychostimulants, such as MDMA. To date, little is known about the human pharmacology of methylone; the only available information has been provided by surveys or...
Cell Reports Medicine
August 1, 2021
John H. Krystal, Benjamin Kelmendi, Ismene L. Petrakis
13 citations
A promising new Phase III study of MDMA plus psychotherapy for PTSD treatment by Mitchell and colleagues that appeared in Nature Medicine raises important new questions about the biology and optimal treatment of this disorder.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update
August 1, 2021
Adding 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) to manualized therapy for post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulted in significant symptom improvement and reduced functional impairment relative to placebo in a Phase 3 trial. The researchers observed no increase in adverse events from use of MDMA, including no increase in suicidality. Study results were published online May 10 in Nature...
Journal of Traumatic Stress
August 1, 2021
Linnae Ponté, Lisa Jerome, Scott Hamilton et al.
42 citations
Expression of concern
Sleep disturbances (SDs) are among the most distressing and commonly reported symptoms in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite increased attention on sleep in clinical PTSD research, SDs remain difficult to treat. In Phase 2 trials, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy has been shown to greatly improve PTSD symptoms. We hypothesized that MDMA-assisted...
Journal of Psychiatric Research
July 1, 2021
Ashley N. Siegel, Shakila Meshkat, Katie Benitah et al.
101 citations
Psychedelics are a hallucinogenic class of psychoactive drugs with the primary effect of activating non-ordinary states of consciousness. Due to the positive preliminary findings of these drugs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, the number of registered clinical studies has risen significantly. In this paper, clinical studies registered on clinicaltrials.gov that evaluate the treatment...
Psychologie Francaise
June 29, 2021
Baptiste Fauvel, Pascale Piolino
Resume On estime que le syndrome de stress post-traumatique (PTSD) reste chronique et severe pour 25 a 50 % des patients malgre une prise en charge psychotherapeutique. La MDMA (« ecstasy ») possederait des proprietes psychopharmacologiques qui renforcent l’alliance therapeutique et permettent au patient de travailler sur le contenu traumatique sans etre submerge par la peur et l’anxiete. Les...
Canadian Journal of Health Technologies
June 24, 2021
Yi‐sheng Chao, Jennifer Horton
5 citations
Two systematic reviews, 3 randomized controlled trials, and 2 single-arm safety trials were identified that evaluated several combinations of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Psilocybin was the psychedelic most tested. Other psychedelics identified in the systematic reviews and primary studies were 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (or MDMA), lysergic acid diethylamide (or LSD), ayahuasca...
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
June 23, 2021
Julie B. Wang, Jessica Lin, Leah Bedrosian et al.
22 citations
Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition associated with serious adverse health outcomes and functional impairment. Previous MDMA–assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) studies have shown promising results in single site studies. Two open-label studies tested this modality in multisite clinical trials to assess the feasibility of scaling this manualized...
Experimental Neurology
June 4, 2021
Deborah Rudin, Matthias E. Liechti, Dino Luethi
48 citations
New psychoactive stimulants and psychedelics continue to play an important role on the illicit new psychoactive substance (NPS) market. Designer stimulants and psychedelics both affect monoaminergic systems, although by different mechanisms. Stimulant NPS primarily interact with monoamine transporters, either as inhibitors or as substrates. Psychedelic NPS most potently interact with...
Nature Medicine
June 1, 2021
Jennifer Mitchell, Michael P. Bogenschutz, Alia Lilienstein et al.
965 citations
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) presents a major public health problem for which currently available treatments are modestly effective. We report the findings of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-site phase 3 clinical trial (NCT03537014) to test the efficacy and safety of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy for the treatment of patients with...
Mental Health Weekly
May 28, 2021
The use of psychedelics is evolving for the treatment of a variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, post‐traumatic stress disorder and other related uses, Financial News Media reported May 25. Some psychedelic drugs are extracted from plants or mushrooms, and some are synthetic (human‐made). These drugs are now considered effective for patients with treatment‐resistant...
Cureus
May 17, 2021
Sarah Tedesco, Ganeya Gajaram, Shahzad Chida et al.
31 citations
Background: 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), known recreationally as "Molly" or "Ecstasy", is a triple monoamine reuptake inhibitor. MDMA specifically acts as a weak 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 receptor agonist, targeting 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, and 5-HT2C receptors. Its potential use for therapeutic purposes with these pharmacological profiles remains a controversial subject. Studies have shown the...
European Journal of Neurology
May 12, 2021
Robin M. van Dongen, Gerard J. Alderliefste, Gerrit L.j. Onderwater et al.
31 citations
Abstract Background and purpose This study was undertaken to investigate migraine prevalence in persons with hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) presenting as visual snow syndrome (VSS). Methods Persons with visual snow as a persisting symptom after illicit drug use (HPPD) were recruited via a Dutch consulting clinic for recreational drug use. A structured interview on (visual)...
Pharmacopsychiatry
May 12, 2021
Gerhard Gründer, Henrik Jungaberle
32 citations
Abstract Serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or dimethyltryptamine (DMT), as well as psychoactive drugs that trigger phenomenologically- related experiences like 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and ketamine, belong to the most promising treatment approaches in contemporary psychiatry. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is not only a new...