MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.

Oct 28, 2021Journal of clinical pharmacology

MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review and Combined Analysis

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Abstract

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy significantly reduced PTSD symptoms in patients.

Patients receiving MDMA-assisted therapy saw a reduction in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) scores by -22.03 compared to control therapy.
This therapy led to a 3.65 times higher chance of achieving clinically significant reductions in CAPS scores.
Patients had a 2.10 times higher likelihood of reducing their CAPS scores enough to no longer qualify for a PTSD diagnosis.
Common side effects included bruxism, anxiety, jitteriness, headache, and nausea.
While generally safe and well tolerated, using unregulated MDMA outside a controlled environment could pose significant risks.

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This article discusses current literature on the use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). MDMA, the intended active ingredient in illicit Ecstasy or Molly products, is a psychedelic that causes an elevated mood, feeling of bonding, and increased energy. In MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, patients are subjected to 2 or 3 multihour sessions of therapy with a team of psychiatrists. The dosing of MDMA is used to allow the therapist to probe the underlying trauma without causing emotional distress. The use of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy treatment reduced patient's Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) scores from baseline more than control psychotherapy (-22.03; 95%CI, -38.53 to -5.52) but with high statistical heterogeneity. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy enhanced the achievement of clinically significant reductions in CAPS scores (relative risk, 3.65; 95%CI, 2.39-5.57) and CAPS score reductions sufficient to no longer meet the definition of PTSD (relative risk, 2.10; 95%CI, 1.37-3.21) with no detected statistical heterogeneity. While therapy was generally safe and well tolerated, bruxism, anxiety, jitteriness, headache, and nausea are commonly reported. While MDMA-assisted psychotherapy has been shown to be an effective therapy for patients with PTSD with a reasonable safety profile, use of unregulated MDMA or use in the absence of a strongly controlled psychotherapeutic environment has considerable risks.

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MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis.

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