Ecstasy Is Slowly Emerging As a Legitimate Treatment for PTSD
MDMA, more commonly known as the illicit drug Ecstasy, has shown promise as a treatment for people with PTSD . The FDA has now designated the drug “breakthrough” status, and the Phase 3 trial could begin as early as spring 2018 .
Breakthrough status means the drug will be reviewed by the FDA faster than usual, with a target of six months instead of the usual ten. But first, the drug must be fully tested, and this is the idea behind two trials scheduled for next year .
In trials, people with PTSD will be treated with either traditional psychotherapy or MDMA-supplemented therapy. (No one plans to use MDMA on their own; it helps therapy, but does not replace it.)
Ingmar Gorman , who will be conducting one of the trials (and was recently on our microdosing podcast ), tells us that the drug seems to help people who are not responding to existing treatments, and that the effect seems to last at least a year after treatment. If tested, MDMA will become available to patients in just a few years.