Psychopharmacology (Berl)
November 1, 2024
Allison A. Feduccia, Lisa Jerome, Michael C. Mithoefer et al.
6 citations
Taking certain reuptake-inhibitor medications (such as SSRIs) before MDMA-assisted psychotherapy can affect how well the treatment works. Discontinuing these medications appears to alter patients' therapeutic outcomes. The original article that reported this finding has been retracted.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
May 18, 2023
Tigran Makunts, Diane Dahill, Lisa Jerome et al.
6 citations
MDMA is being tested as a treatment aid for PTSD and anxiety disorders, and regulatory approval is expected soon. Its main effects involve increasing serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine activity, which can raise heart rate and blood pressure. Clinical trials have limited data on cardiac side effects due to small participant numbers and restricted use of other drugs. An analysis of FDA adverse event reports found 17 cardiovascular cases where people took MDMA plus other substances. All accompanying drugs—opioids, stimulants, anticholinergics, and amphetamines—are already linked to heart problems. In none of these reports was MDMA considered the primary cause.
Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
August 31, 2016
Michael Wagner, Michael C. Mithoefer, Ann T. Mithoefer et al.
1 citation
In a Phase II clinical trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD, increases in Openness and decreases in Neuroticism personality traits were linked to greater symptom reduction, regardless of treatment condition. Participants receiving MDMA showed the largest gains in Openness, which predicted lower PTSD severity. The authors propose that MDMA, combined with psychotherapy, may facilitate a reorganization of mental experience through altered brain pathways, rather than through psychological learning alone.