Studies Look to Ecstasy to Ease StressMarch 2, 2005
Research Summary
Researchers will administer MDMA, a.k.a. ecstasy, to returning U.S. combat veterans suffering combat stress due to tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Guardian reported Feb. 17.Well-known as a mood and emotion enhancer, ecstasy will be given by researchers in South Carolina to volunteers suffering from flashbacks and nightmares. The project has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Researchers hope the drug will help soldiers open up to therapists about their experiences. "It appears to act as a catalyst to help people move through whatever has been blocking their success in therapy," said lead researcher Michael Mihoefer of the drug.
Approximately 30 percent of war vets suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Also, the Boston Globe reported Feb. 23 that researchers at Harvard University are poised to begin an experiment where ecstasy will be given to 12 people with terminal cancer in hopes of determining if the drug can help ease their anxiety. The experiment will be funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which endorses legalizing psychedelic drugs.
"There's enough evidence for possible therapeutic benefits that it outweighed the risk," said Bruce Cohen, president of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, which will conduct the study. "If the evidence suggests this has value, then a more elaborate study will be done."
The study has been approved by the FDA, but is still awaiting approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Ecstasy is being eyed as a better alternative to giving terminal patients daily doses of sedatives to ease their anxiety about dying. "We're trying to avoid sedating people, to allow them to maintain a good quality of life so they can enjoy the time they have with family and friends," said researcher Todd Shuster.
But the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is skeptical of the project. "It is my impression that we are unlikely to learn anything of medical value" because of the small size of the study, said ONDCP analyst David Murray. "I'm surprised, to tell you the truth, that this has passed muster."
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