Ecstasy (MDMA)
Ecstasy (MDMA) Medical Testing
Psychology Today May/June 1994
From: KELLEY MILEY
KMILEY0A@SAND.LIUNET.EDU
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 1994 14:29:24 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Ecstasy
For the first time, the FDA has formally approved for research use in humans the hallucinogenic agent Ecstasy. Researchers believe that Ecstasy, technically known as MDMA, may relieve the pain and emotional distress of terminal cancer patients and speed the recovery of soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dubbed 'the love drug' for effects that include profound feelings of empathy and a nirvana-like contentment, Ecstasy was outlawed by the Drug Enforcement Agency in 1986. But the same effects that have made it a popular underground agent make it of interest to psychiatrists today. MDMA may accelerate the therapeutic process of psychotherapy.
'Between 1977 and 1985, roughly half a million doses were administered for the treatment of depression, anxiety, rape-related trauma, and even schizophrenia,' reports Richard Doblin, a doctoral student at Harvard University who leads the Multi disciplinary Association for Psychedelic Research. He charges that 'politics over science' stifled proper funding and recognition of MDMA research thereafter.
What's more, he claims that in giving the signal for formal research on MDMA only now, the FDA has 'failed to recognize the successful results of the past.' So the drug must undergo 'lengthy and expensive testing in order to establish what we already know -- that MDMA is safe for clinical use.'
Studies to establish basic human safety, now underway at the University of California at Los Angeles by psychiatrist Charles Grob, M.D., must be completed before any clinical trials of MDMA can begin. The drug's effect on brain chemistry is also being examined.
Ecstasy is know to be safer that LSD, the hallucinogen famed for producing psychotic episodes in the '60s. However, there is concern about MDMA's effect on the neurotransmitter serotonin, the levels of which are closely linked to depression and sleep regulation. In one study, heavy MDMA users reportedly experienced a 30 percent decrease in serotonin levels. However, they did not experience the impulsive and hostile behavior other studies have linked to lowered serotonin levels.
The FDA has recently approved the research use of a number of other psychedelic agents. Observers attribute the loosening up of the agency to key personnel changes and pressure from activist groups.
** Marijuana, for the treatment of epilepsy, Huntington's chorea, and appetite loss and psychological trauma in HIV-positive and AIDS patients.
** The African root ibogaine, which has psychedelic properties, to reduce dependency in cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and nicotine addiction.
** Research into LSD as an addiction-busting agent has been resumed.
By Paul Glanzrock
Compiled By
Kelley Miley, Lab Manager
Long Island University/Southampton College
kmiley0a@sand.liunet.edu
Books Ecstasy:
The Complete Guide:
A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA
Written by an attending psychiatrist at New York's Bellevue Hospital and an authority on street drugs. The book provides reliable information to recreational users and the public.
After looking at MDMA's history, pharmacology, and legal status, the text discusses its potential clinical uses in the treatment of such psychiatric conditions as depression, schizophrenia, and post traumatic stress syndrome.
Other chapters look at MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, current international research, political issues, risks of recreational use and ways to minimize them are discussed.
Ecstasy: The Complete Guide... The Secret Chief:
Conversations With a Pioneer
of the Underground Psychedelic Therapy Movement
Early in his career, after being trained as a Jungian analyst, Jacob discovered the enormous potential that psychedelics had for psychotherapy.
Because of the abundant psychological benefits and the incredible spiritual transformations that he witnessed in his clients, Jacob chose to utilize substances like LSD and MDMA in his practice despite their illegality.
The book covers the process that Jacob developed for selecting and preparing candidates, information about the psychoactive substances and their proper dosages, along with guiding principles for running both individual and group sessions.
The Secret Chief
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