Data published in Nature Medicine magazine shows us that MDMA can help significantly cut down on PTSD symptoms in study participants. More specifically, the outcomes showed that using MDMA as part of your treatment regimen positively effected functional impairment including in the personal and professional lives of participants. The outcomes demonstrated that over 85% of those that took MDMA showed clinically significant improvement. Since PTSD is notoriously hard to treat, these results are very positive.
But as the Alcohol and Drug Foundation points out “It’s important to note that MDMA alone doesn’t treat PTSD, and research doesn’t suggest it’s a ‘cure’. What MDMA does is help the process of psychotherapy. MDMA can assist psychotherapy by reducing defensiveness and anxiety, increasing relaxation and improving mood.”
And like all treatments, MDMA usage has side effects. In the study featured in Nature Medicine, almost all that took MDMA experienced at least one mild to moderate side effects. Those included cardiac-related side effects, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and insomnia.
It’s interesting to note that Australia recently became the first country in the world to make it legal for doctors to prescribe psychedelic chemicals such as MDMA to treat patients with depression or PTSD. This could encourage other countries to take a hard look at legalizing these types of medications as well. For example, such positive clinical trial results and other nations moving forward on usage could lead to FDA approval for MDMA therapy in the next year or so.
