Latest Findings Boost Ecstasy as PTSD Treatment

(April 26) -- New findings from a small study of begun six years ago have reinvigorated debate over the merits of using the illegal drug Ecstasy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

MDMA, the active ingredient in Ecstasy, was the subject of a 21-person study that started in 2004 and whose most recent results were reported last week by Scientific American. Researchers in Charleston, S.C., distributed MDMA to 13 people, while eight others received a placebo. All the patients were also engaged in psychiatric counseling.

Most of those who received MDMA treatments under the watchful eye of trained psychiatrists, for sessions that lasted up to eight hours, experienced a virtual elimination of symptoms of PTSD after only two or three sessions.

In fact, seven of the eight placebo participants later opted to receive the MDMA when informed of the positive results.

"It appears to act as a catalyst to help people move through whatever's been blocking their success in therapy," Dr. Michael Mithoefer, who led the trial, told The Guardian in 2005 of the initial results. "People are able to connect more deeply on an emotional level with the fact they are safe now."

The positive outcomes persisted after an average of three and a half years. Of the 16 who continued contact with the research team, 13 no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Two of the subjects relapsed.

"I heard about it and I decided to give it a try," one unnamed former Army Ranger, who participated in a preliminary version of the study, told Military.com last year. "It's an extremely positive thing. I feel so lucky that I got to take part in the project.

"It's basically like years of therapy in two or three hours. You can't understand it until you've experienced it." The research is a small sample, but one with impressive results and provocative implications. As the American military struggles to alleviate the post-traumatic symptoms of up to 35 percent of returning troops, not to mention finance lifelong treatment efforts, it's willing to try nearly everything, including acupuncture, art therapy and yoga.

But so far, the Pentagon has refused to engage the idea of treating troops with what's widely perceived as a dangerous party drug. So far, the Department of Veterans Affairs has turned down several offers of cooperation from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the organization that funded the study.

Indeed, MDMA remains illegal, and some say for good reason. Created by drug manufacturer Merck in the early 20th century, MDMA was once commonly used by psychiatrists. But in 1985, after decades of widespread recreational popularity, it was outlawed and classified alongside heroin and LSD as a "Schedule 1" drug.

MDMA's health risks include permanent damage to the nervous system and long-term memory loss. It can also cause anxiety, even several weeks after ingestion.

But the potentially fatal consequences -- increased heart rate, elevated body temperature or toxicity -- are largely caused by excessive intake or interactions with other drugs.

Mithoefer and his colleagues administered around 125 mg of MDMA during each session, which is on par with the MDMA content of a single Ecstasy tablet.

Despite reservations at the Pentagon, some experts are excited. Julie Holland, a New York psychiatrist formerly with the James J. Peters Veterans Medical Center in the Bronx, told Scientific American that if it were legalized, she would "absolutely" use MDMA in her practice.

The Food and Drug Administration also seems willing to consider the potential merits of MDMA. The agency has cleared the MAPS research team to conduct further small-scale trials on veterans.

It's difficult to identify exactly how MDMA seems to subdue PTSD symptoms, mostly because experts aren't entirely clear on the locus of the illness or which areas of the brain are involved. But MDMA seems to silence the brain's so-called "fear center," while also triggering the release of serotonin and dopamine, two naturally produced feel-good brain chemicals.

And the potential benefits of MDMA treatment extend beyond military veterans. An estimated 3.5 percent of American adults are suffering from PTSD in any given year, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health.

A handful of countries, including Switzerland, Spain and the Netherlands, are also experimenting with MDMA as a psychiatric treatment.

Rick Doblin, the founder of MAPS, likened the drug to a surgeon's knife. "If they are used properly, they can heal," he said. "If they are used poorly, they can kill."