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WEDNESDAY, May 2, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For veterans and first responders with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), receipt of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy is effective and well tolerated for reducing symptoms, according to a study published online May 1 in The Lancet Psychiatry<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Michael C. Mithoefer, M.D., from the University of South Carolina in Charleston, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial to examine the efficacy and safety of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treating chronic PTSD. Twenty-six service personnel with chronic PTSD of six months or more were randomized to three different dose groups of MDMA plus psychotherapy: 30 mg, 75 mg, or 125 mg (seven, seven, and 12 participants, respectively).<\/p>\n
The researchers found that significantly greater decreases in PTSD symptom severity were seen for the 75-mg and 125-mg groups versus the 30-mg group (mean change in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale total scores of \u221258.3 and \u221244.3, respectively, versus \u221211.4). Cohen’s d effect sizes were larger for the 75-mg and 125-mg groups versus the 30-mg group (2.8 and 1.1, respectively). Twenty participants reported 85 adverse events, of which 5 percent were serious and one was possibly related to study drug treatment.<\/p>\n
“Active doses (75 mg and 125 mg) of MDMA with adjunctive psychotherapy in a controlled setting were effective and well tolerated in reducing PTSD symptoms in veterans and first responders,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
The study was funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS); several authors disclosed financial ties to MAPS.<\/p>\n
Abstract<\/a><\/p>\n Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n