A randomized trial of MDMA as an adjunct to psychotherapy for PTSD found it superior to placebo plus the same manualized therapy (effect size 0.9). However, the blinding in that study almost completely failed. Vocal public advocacy for psychedelics as adjuncts to psychotherapy is creating an environment of high positivity bias that is affecting research quality and results. Thus, a recent...
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), the most widely used illicit compound worldwide, is the most attractive therapeutic drug for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent observational studies of US adults demonstrated that lifetime MDMA use was associated with lower risk of depression. Here, we examined whether repeated administration of MDMA can affect resilience versus...
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death amongst adolescents and decades of research have failed to curb suicide rates within this population. There is thus a need to better understand factors that correlate with adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). MDMA/ecstasy and classic psychedelics represent two areas for exploration, as use of these substances has been associated with...
Research on classical psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD and DMT) and entactogen, MDMA, has produced a renaissance in the search for more effective drugs to treat psychiatric, neurological and various peripheral disorders. Psychedelics and entactogens act though interaction with 5-HT2A and other serotonergic receptors and/or monoamine reuptake transporters. 5-HT, which serves as a neurotransmitter...
After a long hiatus, psychiatry is undergoing a resurgence of interest in psychedelic drugs as therapy for a wide range of mental health disorders Accumulating clinical evidence suggests substantial potential for psychedelics used in a therapeutic context, as treatment for, among other disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addictions to tobacco, opioids and alcohol....
3,4-Methylenedioximethamphetamine (MDMA; "ecstasy") is a psychotropic drug with well-known neurotoxic effects mediated by hitherto not fully understood mechanisms. The Na+- and K+-activated adenosine 5'-triphosphatase (Na+/K+ ATPase), by maintaining the ion gradient across the cell membrane, regulates neuronal excitability. Thus, a perturbation of its function strongly impacts cell homeostasis,...
A perturbação de stress pós‐traumático (PSPT) é uma doença psiquiátrica comum, geralmente crónica, com severas implicações na qualidade de vida da pessoa afetada e da sua família, e que tem vindo a apresentar um crescente reconhecimento enquanto problema de Saúde Pública. Nas últimas duas décadas, estudos clínicos com 3,4‐metilenodioximetanfetamina (MDMA) têm vindo a demonstrar...
Objectives To compare attitudes of mental health (MH) professionals towards trials of methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP), with a neutrally labelled pharmacotherapy trial.Design A randomised controlled vignette study design, with experimenters blinded to group condition.Setting Participants were recruited online via professional societies.Participants Psychiatrists,...
Purpose The 3,4-methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA) content in ecstasy tablets has increased enormously throughout Europe across the past decade. This study aims to determine whether this is caused by the production of “stronger” tablets (more mg MDMA per mg of tablet), or if tablets have simply been getting larger and heavier (more mg of tablet in total). Design/methodology/approach A data set...
Are there elements of shamanism in Slovenian folklore tradition, or is it more adequate to use terms like spirit possession or ecstasy? The author’s conclusion, which is based Slovenian data and on comparative literature, is that it is difficult to differentiate these terms in practice. He also explains the possible original meaning of the names kresnik and vedomec.
The aim of this study is to define, for the first time, human methylone and HMMC plasma pharmacokinetics following controlled administration of 50–200 mg methylone to 12 male volunteers. A new LC-MS/MS method was validated to quantify methylone, MDMA, and their metabolites in plasma. The study was a randomized, cross-over, double-blinded and placebo-controlled study, with a total of 468 plasma...
Methamphetamine (METH) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) are common drugs of abuse and driving under their influence may occur in 1 million people yearly in the United States. This systematic review fills the currently unmet need in understanding the effects of METH and MDMA on motor vehicle driving performance (MVP) and provides insight into the forensic community. A PubMed search...
The use of both prescription and illicit drugs creates the potential for drug interactions as a function of both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes. One such interaction is that of fluoxetine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in which fluoxetine attenuates the positive-like effects of MDMA. The present work extends the analysis of their interaction by examining the impact of...
Misophonia is a disorder characterized by negative physical and emotional reactions to certain trigger sounds, such as chewing food. Up to 50% of population samples endorse some symptoms of misophonia, with about 20% having symptoms that impair normal life functioning. Most misophonia patients exhibit intense negative emotions and autonomic arousal (the fight-flight-freeze response) in response...
IntroductionIncreasing evidence demonstrates 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) may be a safe and effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There is growing interest in MDMA-AT to address a range of other health challenges. Chronic pain and PTSD are frequently comorbid, reciprocally interdependent conditions, though the possible role of...
Research of psychedelic assisted therapies is at an all-time high, though few studies highlight extra-pharmacological factors that may affect treatment efficacy. One critical set of attributes includes the therapeutic setting itself, which describe the physical and socio-cultural environments in which the drug-assisted session occurs. Despite enduring consensus of the influence of setting,...
AbstractBackground and ObjectivesPatients increasingly rely on the Internet for healthcare information. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of videos on 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)‐assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on YouTube™.MethodsYouTube™ was searched for the terms “MDMA” and “PTSD.” The 100 most viewed videos were analyzed using three...
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterized by abnormally persistent and distressing memories, is a chronic debilitating condition in need of new treatment options. Current treatment guidelines recommend psychotherapy as first line management with only two drugs, sertraline and paroxetine, approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of PTSD. These drugs have...
Abstract The use of recreational drugs like ephedrine, norephedrine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and mescaline can lead to intoxication and, at worst, to death. One reason for a fatal course of intoxication with these drugs might lie in cardiac arrhythmias. To the best of our knowledge, their inotropic effects have not yet been studied in isolated human cardiac preparations....
The article examines the point of Soviet art's 1920-1930 influence on secular processes in society. The model of the psychology of art proposed by L. Vygotsky, based on Marxist dogmatics, becomes the starting point for the search of creative elite, particularly, for the film director and art theorist Sergei Eisenstein. They are brought together by a common understanding of art as a sign system...