The effect of MDMA on anterior pituitary hormones: a secondary analysis of a randomized placebo-controlled trial.
Endocrine connections June 1, 2025 Cihan Atila, Sara-Jessica Camerin, Matthias E Liechti et al. 2 citations
A single oral dose of MDMA (100 mg) strongly activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in healthy adults. Plasma ACTH increased from 12 ng/L to 38 ng/L and cortisol from 347 nmol/L to 566 nmol/L within 120 minutes. Prolactin showed a mild, non-significant change. MDMA did not affect other anterior pituitary hormones (TSH, LH, GH) or their peripheral hormones (fT4, testosterone, estradiol). The findings suggest MDMA may serve as a novel stimulation test for simultaneously assessing the HPA axis and oxytocin systems, but further validation in larger populations is needed.