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 The original article that reported this finding has been retracted.
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.