{"id":74464,"date":"2017-09-03T16:00:24","date_gmt":"2017-09-03T20:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=74464"},"modified":"2017-09-03T16:05:25","modified_gmt":"2017-09-03T20:05:25","slug":"mdma-deemed-breakthrough-therapy-for-ptsd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=74464","title":{"rendered":"MDMA Deemed \u201cBreakthrough Therapy\u201d for PTSD"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ptsd\"<\/p>\n

The Washington Post <\/a> is reporting MDMA, known by its street name as Ecstasy or Molly, is emerging as a promising medication for the treatment of PTSD, and has been named by the Food and Drug Administration as \u201cbreakthrough therapy\u201d putting it on a fast track for review and a possible approval.<\/p>\n

Government and military leadership are both hesitant to accept psychedelics due to the stigma associated with the drug, and its classification by the Drug Enforcement Administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in this odd situation where one of the most promising therapies also happens to be a Schedule 1 substance banned by the [Drug Enforcement Administration],\u201d said retired Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, who until 2010 was the highest-ranking psychiatrist in the U.S. Army.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Due to recent and ongoing wars, PTSD in the military has become epidemic, with estimates between 11 and 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from the disorder. It is typically triggered by experiencing violence, and can leave its victims with audio hallucinations, inability to sleep, and sudden panic episodes. Only Zoloft and Paxil are currently approved for treating PTSD. Both have been largely ineffective. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re a combat veteran with multiple tours of duty, the chance of a good response to these drugs is 1 in 3, maybe lower,\u201d said John Krystal, chairman of psychiatry at Yale University and a director at the VA\u2019s National Center for PTSD. \u201cThat\u2019s why there\u2019s so much frustration and interest in finding something that works better.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

MDMA is a favorite because of its effect on users of intense feelings of euphoria. A side effect of the drug includes reduced fear and a sense of love of themselves and others- exactly the therapy needed to counter PTSD symptoms. By giving controlled doses of MDMA during three, eight-hour therapy sessions, chronic PTSD patients have processed and moved past their traumas. In clinical trials conducted by the FDA, 61 percent had major reductions in their symptoms to the point where they no longer fit PTSD criteria; follow up studies a year later increased that number to 67 percent.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were to design the perfect drug to treat PTSD, MDMA would be it,\u201d said Rick Doblin, who three decades ago founded the California nonprofit behind the clinical trials. It is no accident that the group \u2014 the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) \u2014 chose PTSD as its argument for ending the government\u2019s ban on psychedelics. \u201cWe wanted to help a population that would automatically win public sympathy,\u201d he said. \u201cNo one\u2019s going to argue against the need to help them.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Large scale trials, \u201cPhase 3\u201d involving 200-300 patients will be conducted next year at 14 locations. If those trials produce like results, the FDA could approve MDMA as a treatment for PTSD as soon as 2021.<\/p>\n

I hope for a successful Phase 3 trial and speedy approval by the FDA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Washington Post is reporting MDMA, known by its street name as Ecstasy or Molly, is … MDMA Deemed \u201cBreakthrough Therapy\u201d for PTSD<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=74464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74464\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=74464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=74464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=74464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}