'Party' Drug Could be PTSD Treatment

[unhappycamper]

Source: military.com

'Party' Drug Could be PTSD Treatment
March 04, 2009
Military.com|by Bryan Mitchell

If you discovered it in your kid’s room there’d be hell to pay. If it appeared in a random urinalysis, it could end your career. And if you told your friends you were considering taking it, they might think you’ve suffered a mid-life crisis.

But a South Carolina psychiatrist and a Harvard-educated researcher are looking for veterans who’ve been through hell and are willing to explore a fresh way of getting past the trauma using a drug long associated with the late-night party crowd.

Ecstasy, clinically known as MDMA and outlawed recreationally for decades, is making a gradual comeback in the medical community as therapists rediscover its therapeutic value – especially in dealing with post traumatic stress disorder.

“I heard about it and I decided to give it a try,” said a former Army Ranger who was one of two veterans who participated in a recent study on the effects of Ecstasy for treating PTSD. “It’s an extremely positive thing. I feel so lucky that I got to take part in the project.

Read more: http://www.military.com/news/article/party-drug-could-be-ptsd-treatment.html

[stlsaxman]

1. Let's keep this clinical and safe. Nothing more dangerous than drugs made in a bathtub.

[Christa]

2. No need for it to be manufactured in a bathtub

once it is legal.

[Penance]

38. That's the nice thing about regulation

I can tell exactly how much alcohol is in each alcoholic drink I consume. I don't have to worry if it will make me blind or not. I don't have to worry that it was made in someone's bathtub. I can be very much sure that my scotch and my tequila were made of exactly what the label says they were made of and that it contains exactly how much alcohol it says it contains. That was not the case for alcohol during Prohibition and it's certainly not the case for drugs in the Drug War.

Speaking of which, props to the NY State Assembly for passing a bill to eliminate the odious Rockefeller-era mandatory sentencing laws. It's a long overdue measure and I hope beyond hope that it leads to eventual decriminalization. It's one of the few times I have actually felt proud of the elected government of my home state.

[Richard D]

3. I'm so happy to see this.

MDMA started off as a psychotheraputic aid and has been known to be excellent for PTSD for a long time. It should be legal for this and I hope this study at least starts the process for taking it there.

[Baby Snooks]

5. First time I've heard about it....

It certainly would help stalking victims who suffer from the effects of ongoing trauma rather than a single traumatic event - the point is it has not been approved for use to treat post traumatic stress and I worry about stalking victims reading this and using it illegally believing it to be a "magic pill" when in fact there is none for stalking victims.

Pills, unfortunately, do not get rid of the stalker. And in some cases they can prove lethal by inducing a "calmness" or in this case a "euphoria" that in fact may dull the senses which include the instinct of fear. Which often is what protects a stalking victim best.

[peacetalksforall]

4. What are the negative side effects?

[RJ Connors]

6. Right now, going to jail. n/t

[YOY]

7. Listening to obnoxious repetetive music and persecution by the law.

n.t.

[Seeking Serenity]

12. Consumption of vast quantities of water and sore jaws

from teeth grinding.

:-)

[lildreamer316]

19. Magnesium..

helps with the jaw..which should not even be a serious problem unless the pill is cut with cocaine or meth.

[Richard D]

21. Most are cut with large quantities of caffeine.

[lildreamer316]

22. Hmm..

I need to ask dancesafe if they can consider adding that factor into their test kit. Thanks...

[jmowreader]

23. Would the ecstasy they pass out in clinical studies have caffeine?

They could definitely produce a PTSD pill that contains MDMA and magnesium--all the benefits with no hula jaw.

[Richard D]

26. No

Caffeine is just another cheap filler. Some people do prefer a bit of caffeine added as MDMA by itself can be, counter-intuitively, a bit sedating for some.

[JohnnyCougar]

35. Don't forget addiction to Vicks

;)

[Dorian Gray]

31. All while sucking on lollipops

and waving glow sticks.

[file83]

36. And massaging your friend's hands

and loving everything, ever.

[YOY]

40. No that's the positive part...who doesn't love lollipops and glowsticks?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqAkjYq3RAg&feature=related

[Fiendish Thingy]

8. Depression, suicidality, irritability, lethargy...

I've seen all these side effects in teens I work with. Ecstasy is MDMA, the MA stands for methamphetamine- after the mood-boost that induces the euphoric "I love you, man" flood of emotions, there is one hell of a come down and crash.

Ecstasy causes a flood of serotonin during the high, resulting in a depletion of normal serotonin levels, resulting in the depression side-effects.

High doses of E can cause heart and respiratory problems.

There's a reason the therapeutic use of ecstasy in couples counseling was abandoned in the 70's...

[Bluenorthwest]

9. Except that it was not abolished in the 70's

MDMA treatment was first reconmmended to me in the 80's, and the drug itself was legally available via Pharmacutical companies until it became a controlled substance in 1985 or 86. So your facts and dates are off.
Comparing party mad teens to adults under theaputic supervision is a stretch. My guess is that teens die each month from the effects of beer, a highly addictive drug. Should adults then give up beer and wine? Teens sure can not handle it, arrests and crashes are common as dirt.
Do you have any presonal experience with known pharmacutical MDMA? Many of the overdoses and teen horror stories of the past come from kids who took fake Ecstasy, often a drug called PMA.

In grown ups using pharmacutical MDMA with intent, I have seen miracles and wonders, a great thirst and later a need to nap.

[Webster Green]

13. Good points.

I tried it in the mid 80's, and, due to the source, I know it was the real thing. It was subtle and wonderful.

Later experiences with "so called" E were completely different, and not real pleasant.(IMO) It's not easy to know that what you are getting isn't cut with speed or ketamine or God knows what else. :hippie:

[Baby Snooks]

10. That's really not a good side effect...

"Ecstasy causes a flood of serotonin during the high, resulting in a depletion of normal serotonin levels, resulting in the depression side-effects."

Really not good for someone suffering from post traumatic stress.

[sofa king]

15. One would hope the therapy continues through that phase.

What I find encouraging about all this is that the public and the press is acknowledging PTSD and the problems it is going to cause, and someone, somewhere, recognizes that therapy is a necessary step in the rehabilitation process.

Most people seem to have a very strong aversion against killing other humans, and when they must it causes them serious problems. As far as I know, there is no real "recovery" from PTSD. It can only be managed for the rest of one's long and often unhappy life.

When left to themselves, as our soldiers were in the aftermath of World Wars I and II, PTSD sufferers seem to naturally gravitate toward one form of substance abuse or another, usually alcohol. It seems to me they are trying to remedy some chemical imbalance caused by their horrifying experiences. Perhaps it is the case that all recreational drugs offer some sort of solace.

(Edit: And another nice thing I'd like to thank the readers of DU for: Thanks to all of us for not focusing our anger over these bullshit wars on the soldiers themselves. It seems to be accepted by most if not all of us that the people actually fighting our wars are the victims, rather than the perpetrators. Many Vietnam veterans were deeply hurt by protests which seemed to be directed against them personally, and I am proud to say that that sort of thing is almost unheard of in this day and age.)

[peacetalksforall]

29. What you said about the soldiers is very important.

"(Edit: And another nice thing I'd like to thank the readers of DU for: Thanks to all of us for not focusing our anger over these bullshit wars on the soldiers themselves. It seems to be accepted by most if not all of us that the people actually fighting our wars are the victims, rather than the perpetrators. Many Vietnam veterans were deeply hurt by protests which seemed to be directed against them personally, and I am proud to say that that sort of thing is almost unheard of in this day and age.)"

We can't be against the soldiers - they are our kids no matter how much their leaders got them to change to prepare them to kill or vote for Bush - or better - got them to grow up responsibly.

[lildreamer316]

18. One can also help one's seratonin levels -possibly- by supplementaion.

5-Htp is a common supplement used to pre-and post-load so as to help with one's recovery of seratonin levels; since it is the enzyme that is turned into seratonin in one's brain.

"For the curious, the full biological pathway for serotonin production is:

1. The amino acid tryptophan is digested from protein in your food.

2. The tryptophan is turned in 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) by an enzyme in your brain called Tryptophan Hydroxylase.

3. The 5-HTP is converted in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, better known as "serotonin") by another enzyme called Aromatic Amino Acid Decarboxylase.

As a practical matter, most of the tryptophan and 5-HTP are broken down by the decarboxylase enzyme long before they get to the brain, but the brain doesn't need much. So, it's Food --> Tryptophan --> 5-HTP --> serotonin. 5-HTP is particularly useful because it's the last link in the chain, making it the most effective way to enhance serotonin production with a supplement.

5-HTP has traditionally been taken as a sleep aid, natural antidepressant, and weight loss aid (all of which are the result of its enhancement of serotonin levels.) It has become much more popular with the realization of how it could benefit MDMA users."

[sasquatch]

11. But these are people that have PTSD, not people w/out major mental issues

[BuddhaGirl]

14. those side effects can be mitigated

with supplements such as 5-HTP (seratonin precurser) and other amino acids, thus no "crash."

And it wasn't abandoned in the 70's. It was still in therapeutic use in the 80's. It helped some good friends of ours improve communication in their relationship - they were on the verge of breaking up and E assisted with a breakthrough in communication.

I see great benefit in it's therapeutic use.

[lildreamer316]

16. You are forgetting one VERY IMPORTANT point:

IF it was made legally, I believe some of those side effects would be mitigated.

You need to remember that these teens are taking what is now illegally-made MDMA; which more often than not DOES NOT CONTAIN MDMA at ALL. Most doses of X that are floating around these days are some CHEAPER kind of drug made to look and slightly feel to a user like X..but they are not.
Some common kinds of derivatives are:
MDA
Ketamine
PCP
DXM (VERY DANGEROUS also)
PMA
Cocaine (very commonly used to cut; hence the jaw action on ppl who are rolling)
and of course Meth.

From the dancesafe website:

"Why do fake and adulterated ecstasy tablets exist?

Fake ecstasy is a result of MDMA prohibition. The precursor chemicals for MDMA are tightly controlled by the government, making MDMA both risky and expensive to produce. At the same time, the consumer demand for MDMA is high. In order to cash in on MDMA's high demand, unscrupulous, criminal manufacturers will sell substitute drugs that are less less expensive and/or less risky to produce, such as PMA, DXM, PCP, ketamine, methamphetamine, etc. Unfortunately, many of these drugs are more dangerous that MDMA, and have been responsible for numerous deaths. This is simply the nature of the "war on drugs." Because prohibition means zero regulation, organized criminals can make huge profits selling fake drugs to unwitting consumers who are afforded no protection under the law."


I figured this fact was kinda common sense. If you make a drug illegal; you give up quality control all together.

[Zhade]

37. Not in its PURE form. Stop dispensing lies, please.

NT!

[formercia]

24. It removes the eyes in the back of your head

Some times, controlled paranoia is the best means of survival.

I suffer from PTSD and the only one I trust is my cat, thank you.

[Quantess]

28. Depression afterward.

People with a history of depression or a tendency toward depression shouuld not take ecstasy, because it specifically targets the serotonin receptors (I know it has something to do with serotonin), and can destroy them, making a person permanently depressed.

I have a history of depression, and this is what my doctor told me.

[mlevans]

17. This may turn out to be a good thing

And I certainly hope that it does, particularly for the sake of our PTSD-stricken troops. It does though kind of put me in mind of the LSD experiments that were performed utilizing members of the military some years back; just have to hope they are being awfully careful with the whole thing.

[MetaTrope]

20. Nothing here that Timothy Leary didn't know in the '50s

Keeping psycholytic drugs in their perpetual status as black market entertainments just means a continual cycle of discovery and demonization.

[earcandle]

25. What a brilliant idea!

Have some Mushroom Action while contemplating the effect of this kind of goodwill will have on our upset vets. It will help them to find their way back home.

I remember when this was used therapeutically. I had a session with a therapist just before it became illegal in the seventies. That was a beautiful experience and a very forgiving one for all things past. I moved beyond a lot of childhood imprints. I was set free.

Thanks for thinking of this, dear America.

[hedgehog]

27. If Big Pharma had introduced this as a PTSD treatment, people would be screaming

about all the hidden side effects! Why is it recreational drugs are considered miracle cures while SSRIs and anti-psychotics are viewed with such suspicion? My gut reaction is that this use of MDMA is a fad that will fade rather quickly.

[readmoreoften]

32. I tend to agree.

[Lilith Velkor]

39. You really want to know why?

It's because the government has lied its ass off about recreational drugs for decades, while at the same time allowing doctors to push prescription dope with both hands and a fucking funnel!

If we, the general population, have to be guinea pigs for psychoactive drugs, at least give us some FUN ones, goddammit!

[Raster]

30. Raster says "Relaxxx."

[Mnemosyne]

33. Thank you unhappycamper. It could stop much suffering. KnR n/t

[dysfunctional press]

34. i only wish it could be quaaludes...

and i know i'm not the only one who feels that way.