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shr
all hail discordia



Registered: 08/12/10
Posts: 557
Last seen: 6 years, 7 days
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DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients 1
#22104854 - 08/17/15 10:53 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/18/dea-mdma-study_n_6888972.html
The Drug Enforcement Administration last week gave a green light to a clinical study that will test the safety and efficacy of MDMA for use in treating anxiety in people with life-threatening illnesses. The move suggests the DEA may be questioning its long-held position that the psychedelic compound, which can be a component in street drugs like Molly or Ecstasy, has no accepted medical use.
At the height of the drug war in 1985, the agency classified MDMA in Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act. The federal government considers Schedule I drugs to be among the "most dangerous," with no known medical benefits and the potential for "severe psychological or physical dependence." That decision overruled a previous recommendation by the DEA's chief administrative law judge that the drug be placed in Schedule III, which would have allowed doctors to continue using it in therapy.
In the years since, members of the medical community have continued to argue that MDMA doesn't belong in Schedule I. Some recent studies, also approved by the DEA, have found that the drug could be an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder when administered under proper supervision.
The latest study is being sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a nonprofit organization that funds research on beneficial uses of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS sees the DEA's approval as a sign of change.
"The smooth process of regulatory approval for this study indicates that stigma is no longer standing in the way of regulatory approval for research into the therapeutic uses of MDMA and other psychedelics," Brad Burge, communications director for MAPS, told The Huffington Post. "Now, the main challenge has become finding the funding necessary to complete the research. As these studies move forward, we'll start seeing support for psychedelic research as an opportunity, rather than a risk."
MAPS said that 18 patients diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses will undergo MDMA-assisted psychotherapy sessions under the supervision of Dr. Philip Wolfson, the study's principal investigator, at an office in Marin, California. The year-and-a-half study will test the drug's potential applications for treating anxiety and stress disorders related to the end of life. MAPS will begin recruiting subjects as soon as final preparations are made, hopefully within about two months, Burge said.
This is not a new area for Wolfson: The physician and psychologist prescribed MDMA legally for years as an aid in psychotherapy before it was banned by the federal government in 1985, said Burge. Wolfson also wrote a 1986 article in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs championing the therapeutic uses of MDMA and the need for more research.
MAPS has sponsored several completed studies on the drug and is overseeing a handful of ongoing efforts, both in the U.S. and abroad. The previous studies have suggested that the feelings of euphoria and empathy also associated with MDMA's club-drug counterparts can make psychotherapy more effective.
"In a psychotherapeutic context, MDMA has been reported to help subjects lower their psychological defenses and enhance their ability to process difficult emotions," Burge said. "It may also increase the sense of trust between subjects and the therapist."
In 2010, a small U.S. study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of PTSD found that 83 percent of those who had been treated while on the drug no longer showed symptoms of PTSD. The study was sponsored by MAPS. A follow-up study, published in 2012, found that most of those subjects remained symptom free and that none of them reported harm from the initial use of MDMA. The researchers said those results backed up their claim that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can have lasting effects after just a handful of treatments.
Another small Swiss study, published in 2012 and also sponsored by MAPS, found MDMA to be less effective in treating PTSD, but similarly showed no serious adverse effects for the subjects.
The MAPS website states that pure MDMA has been proven "sufficiently" safe for human use when taken a limited number of times in moderate doses under medical supervision. MAPS is careful to distinguish between that and the much riskier street use of Molly and Ecstasy, two drugs that are often adulterated with other drugs and contaminants.
The latest trial is expected to cost about $587,000, according to MAPS, with just over half of that raised so far. The research is part of the group's $20 million effort to make MDMA a legal prescription medicine by 2021.
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mrbart4444
The mycelium whisperer


Registered: 09/13/14
Posts: 2,266
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: shr]
#22105688 - 08/18/15 08:00 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Why mdma? Why not mushrooms or dmt ? Mdma hasnt helped nearly me as much as mushrooms and aya have. Every time i take mdma it takes me a while to recover i feel depressed and not normal for months. All im saying why only allow research and hope for a drug the depletes your serotonin when there is much better options for these people to heal?
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shr
all hail discordia



Registered: 08/12/10
Posts: 557
Last seen: 6 years, 7 days
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: mrbart4444]
#22105917 - 08/18/15 09:31 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
mrbart4444 said: Why mdma? Why not mushrooms or dmt ? Mdma hasnt helped nearly me as much as mushrooms and aya have. Every time i take mdma it takes me a while to recover i feel depressed and not normal for months. All im saying why only allow research and hope for a drug the depletes your serotonin when there is much better options for these people to heal?
it's a step forward, isn't it?
Maybe other people respond better to MDMA treatments?
Edited by shr (08/18/15 09:31 AM)
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mrbart4444
The mycelium whisperer


Registered: 09/13/14
Posts: 2,266
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: shr]
#22105930 - 08/18/15 09:35 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
shr said:
Quote:
mrbart4444 said: Why mdma? Why not mushrooms or dmt ? Mdma hasnt helped nearly me as much as mushrooms and aya have. Every time i take mdma it takes me a while to recover i feel depressed and not normal for months. All im saying why only allow research and hope for a drug the depletes your serotonin when there is much better options for these people to heal?
it's a step forward, isn't it?
Maybe other people respond better to MDMA treatments?
Yea i get that but im more talking about the dea and fda efforts to prevent these studys from happening. They one they do allow isnt even the best one to research
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badchad
Mad Scientist

Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 13,372
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: mrbart4444]
#22106199 - 08/18/15 10:59 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
mrbart4444 said:
Yea i get that but im more talking about the dea and fda efforts to prevent these studys from happening. They one they do allow isnt even the best one to research
DEA and FDA don't propose the drugs to be used, they just review the studies. MDMA was approved because thats what the researchers proposed.
-------------------- ...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge. It is an indellible experience; it is forever known. I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did. Smith, P. Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27. ...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely. Osmond, H. Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436
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Cognitive_Shift
CS actual




Registered: 12/11/07
Posts: 29,591
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: mrbart4444]
#22106754 - 08/18/15 01:23 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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MDMA isn't as dangerous to the establishment as LSD or Psilocybin. Plus it works better for PTSD related symptoms and PTSD assisted psychotherapy. Just an opinion anyways
-------------------- L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés et désirs
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides


Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: Cognitive_Shift]
#22106849 - 08/18/15 01:55 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I've heard encouraging things from the Israelis about using it to treat PTSD in their soldiers.
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shr
all hail discordia



Registered: 08/12/10
Posts: 557
Last seen: 6 years, 7 days
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: mrbart4444]
#22108573 - 08/18/15 08:51 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
mrbart4444 said:
Quote:
shr said:
Quote:
mrbart4444 said: Why mdma? Why not mushrooms or dmt ? Mdma hasnt helped nearly me as much as mushrooms and aya have. Every time i take mdma it takes me a while to recover i feel depressed and not normal for months. All im saying why only allow research and hope for a drug the depletes your serotonin when there is much better options for these people to heal?
it's a step forward, isn't it?
Maybe other people respond better to MDMA treatments?
Yea i get that but im more talking about the dea and fda efforts to prevent these studys from happening. They one they do allow isnt even the best one to research
it's a step forward, isn't it?
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mrbart4444
The mycelium whisperer


Registered: 09/13/14
Posts: 2,266
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: shr]
#22108965 - 08/18/15 10:15 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
shr said:
Quote:
mrbart4444 said:
Quote:
shr said:
Quote:
mrbart4444 said: Why mdma? Why not mushrooms or dmt ? Mdma hasnt helped nearly me as much as mushrooms and aya have. Every time i take mdma it takes me a while to recover i feel depressed and not normal for months. All im saying why only allow research and hope for a drug the depletes your serotonin when there is much better options for these people to heal?
it's a step forward, isn't it?
Maybe other people respond better to MDMA treatments?
Yea i get that but im more talking about the dea and fda efforts to prevent these studys from happening. They one they do allow isnt even the best one to research
it's a step forward, isn't it?
Sure fucking is man
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FractalMind
Werewolf



Registered: 10/13/14
Posts: 685
Loc: USA
Last seen: 4 years, 6 months
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: mrbart4444]
#22110493 - 08/19/15 10:07 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Well this made my fucking day. HOORAY FOR FOR WARD THINKING!
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Fractal420
Psycellium



Registered: 06/21/13
Posts: 5,913
Last seen: 8 months, 15 days
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: Cognitive_Shift]
#22115488 - 08/20/15 06:11 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Cognitive_Shift said: MDMA isn't as dangerous to the establishment as LSD or Psilocybin. Plus it works better for PTSD related symptoms and PTSD assisted psychotherapy. Just an opinion anyways
Which is strange since i think most people would agree that mdma (typically) is more dangerous than L. i can see it working well for PTSD, as that is something i deal with myself. MDMA is def a medicine. But so is psilocybin. I think its great if it finally happens but being a maps volunteer for a while and seeing that whole thing, i def feel like the fact that MDMA is synthetic and not a "full-psychedelic" (/hallucinogen) like LSD is...that probably makes it feel safer to said "establishment". Mushrooms (like cannabis) are too easy for people to do DIY... Probably wouldnt make as much money as a pharm (plus pretty sure psilocybin pills are much harder to manufacture than....clinical rolls lol)
-------------------- Dreaming of That face again. It's bright and blue and shimmering. Grinning wide And comforting me with it's three warm and wild eyes. Prying open MY third eye
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shellzenone
Zen



Registered: 12/11/14
Posts: 688
Last seen: 1 year, 8 months
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: Fractal420]
#22116190 - 08/20/15 10:43 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Well lets hope they're not doing this to give the public false information like they did with weed.
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Cognitive_Shift
CS actual




Registered: 12/11/07
Posts: 29,591
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: Fractal420]
#22118471 - 08/20/15 08:30 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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LSD and any other classic psychedelics will always have civil disobedience and subversive elements attached to it which makes any sort of central authority figure bead with sweat thinking about them being legal. MDMA on the other hand doesn't have a political bend to it, making it much more palatable for approval.
-------------------- L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés et désirs
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Fractal420
Psycellium



Registered: 06/21/13
Posts: 5,913
Last seen: 8 months, 15 days
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Re: DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill Patients [Re: Cognitive_Shift]
#22121061 - 08/21/15 08:09 AM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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^What if they gave people 4-ho-dipt, for example, has no appeal to most people just from the name alone. Not one of the instantly recognizable "classics" and works in the same way as psilo does. i dont hear much on pihkal/tihkal things, they could have some really awesome medicinal uses. Even if you go to a hippie fest, and you know the next guy will love it, but if you just ask "hey, do you like 4hodipt?", even most hippies will say "fuck that alphabet soup shit man"
"Gimme Something i can recognize"
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