PsychoactivesJuly 3, 2024Rosa María Moret, Sergio Sanz‐gómez, Santiago Gascón et al.4 citations
Substance use/abuse and suicide are two closely related phenomena, mostly due to neurobiological, psychological, and social impairments. In the present narrative review, the relationship between suicidal behavior (SB) and the use and abuse of common recreational drugs, such as alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, nicotine, ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD, has been explored....
CureusJuly 1, 2024Sabastain F Forsah, Bibi Razak, Divine Besong Arrey Agbor et al.
Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethyl-amphetamine, MDMA) is an illicit drug that has found widespread use. It is mostly used by adolescents and young adults, particularly during intense and prolonged dance parties for its mood-enhancing properties. Despite these pleasurable effects, users may have potentially serious side effects including death. One of the serious side effects is rhabdomyolysis,...
Psychedelics, substances known to alter perception, mood, and consciousness, have been used across various cultures for centuries, often in religious ceremonies to facilitate spiritual experiences. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was used clinically from the 1950s until its ban in 1967. Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in psychedelics for treating mental health disorders such...
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has shown potential as an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Preclinical studies involving rodents have demonstrated that MDMA can facilitate the extinction of fear memories. It has been noted that MDMA impacts oxytocin neurons and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the role of oxytocinergic signaling...
Classic psychedelics and MDMA have a colorful history of recreational use, and both have recently been re-evaluated as tools for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Several studies have been carried out to assess potential long-term effects of a regular use on cognition, delivering distinct results for psychedelics and MDMA. However, to date knowledge is scarce on cognitive performance...
Scientific ReportsJune 24, 2024Srishti Rana, Jeremy R Canfield, Christopher S Ward et al.5 citations
Hyperthermia induced by phenethylamines, such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), can lead to life-threatening complications and death. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system and subsequent release of norepinephrine and activation of uncoupling proteins have been demonstrated to be the key mediators of phenethylamine-induced hyperthermia (PIH). Recently, the gut microbiome was...
A recent decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) advisory committee to reject psychedelic treatment and therapy to treat post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), citing that the available evidence of midomafetamine, better known as MDMA, fails to show that the drug is effective, has been met with mixed reaction by a member of the field and an advocacy organization committed to...
The general use of cocaine is increasing in recent years, while the trend for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is less clear. The relationship between blood concentrations and impairment is poorly understood, which complicates interpretation. The aims of this study were to report prevalence and blood concentrations of cocaine and MDMA in drugged drivers, and to investigate the...
MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy or molly, is a synthetic psychoactive drug with a complex history. It produces feelings of increased empathy, emotional connection, and heightened sensory perception. While recreational use of MDMA has been prevalent, recent research suggests significant therapeutic potential in treating mental health conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This...
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted 9‐2 to reject the application of Lykos Therapeutics, the newly formed commercial arm of MAPS, for “midomafetamine” (actually MDMA, or methylenedioxymethamphetamine) to treat post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
AbstractPurpose of ReviewOn 1 July 2023, the Therapeutic Goods Administration approved 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)‐assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Accordingly, the purpose of this review is to provide an overview of MDMA and what pharmacists should know as this treatment emerges.Sources of InformationEMBASE, MEDLINE, and CINAHL...
This essay discusses the potential clinical use of 3,4methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) with patients diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We present a brief history of the use of consciousness-altering substances from ancient times to the present as well as recent research on psychedelic assisted psychotherapy (PAP). Double blind investigation in which some of the...
Aufgrund seiner positiven subjektiven Wirkung hat Lysergsäurediethylamid (LSD) schon lange das psychiatrische Forschungsinteresse geweckt. Da aber neben gewünschten Effekten unter LSD auch Ängste keine Seltenheit sind, könnte die gleichzeitige Einnahme von MDMA (3,4-Methylendioxymethamphetamin) negative Effekte abfangen und die positiven verstärken. Straumann et al. sind dieser Hypothese...
The 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has long been used non-medically, and it is currently under investigation for its potential therapeutic benefits. Both uses may be related to its ability to enhance empathy, sociability, emotional processing and its anxiolytic effects. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these effects, and their specificity to MDMA compared to other stimulants,...
Methamphetamine (METH, "Crystal Meth") and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "Ecstasy") share structural-chemical similarities but have distinct psychotropic profiles due to specific neurochemical actions. Previous research has suggested that their impact on social cognitive functions and social behaviour may differ significantly, however, direct comparisons of METH and MDMA users...
Psychedelic MedicineJune 1, 2024Abshir S Adam, Kayleigh S. Lamalfa, Yasaman Razavi et al.6 citations
Frontline antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) leave many patients with unmet treatment needs. Moreover, even when SSRIs reduce depressive symptoms, anhedonia, the loss of pleasure to previously rewarding activities, often remains unabated. This state of affairs is disheartening and calls for the development of medications to more directly treat anhedonia. The...
Recent years have seen a resurgence in randomized, placebo controlled trials (RCTs) utilizing non-classical psychedelics (e.g. 3,4-methyl enedioxy methamphetamine [MDMA]), and classical psychedelics (e.g. psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], and N,N-dimethyltryptamine [DMT/ayahuasca]) in conjunction with assisted therapy (AT) for psychiatric disorders. A notable methodological...
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an often debilitating condition caused by a person’s exposure to traumatic events. Symptoms of PTSD include intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation, and highly negative and distressing emotional states. Current treatments for PTSD such as cognitive behavioral therapy, EMDR, and SSRIs and SNRIs are ineffective for a large chunk of patients who seek out...
Key Clinical Message Long‐COVID syndrome lacks effective holistic treatment options. We present a case of a 41‐year‐old fully vaccinated female with Long‐COVID syndrome who obtained significant symptomatic relief after self‐medicating with psilocybin and MDMA. Abstract Long‐COVID, a syndrome persisting after the acute phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), lacks effective holistic...
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a popular drug worldwide and use is prevalent in Aotearoa New Zealand. Although associated with some significant harms, including fatalities, MDMA is ultimately less harmful than other commonly consumed drugs. We aimed to expand the understanding of MDMA harm and harm reduction strategies from a consumer perspective so that national harm reduction efforts...