MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD: A Systematic Review of Randomized Control Trials
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs November 5, 2025 B Brett, Christine Bynum 4 citations
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious chronic condition with limited effective treatments. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AT) has shown promise in earlier trials, but the FDA recently voted against recommending it due to risk-benefit concerns. This systematic review of seven randomized controlled trials involving 280 adults with PTSD (160 received MDMA, 120 received placebo) found that five of six studies (83.3%) reported significantly greater PTSD symptom reduction with MDMA-AT compared to placebo. Across studies, 41.7% to 85.7% of MDMA recipients no longer met PTSD criteria post-treatment versus 25.0% to 33.3% in placebo groups. The treatment was well-tolerated. The findings support MDMA-AT as a potential treatment, but additional research with ethical oversight should inform FDA approval.