The FDA is advancing a large-scale study to determine if Ecstasy can be used as a prescription drug to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). So far, preliminary test trials have been deemed successful.
According to the New York Times, the agency approved the study on Tuesday. The outcome of this study is the final step to complete before the drug can be legalized. Ecstasy (also known as MDMA) could be available in pharmacies as early as 2021.
The trial is being funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. It will consist of 230 participants. In the past, the organization has conducted research on the effects of Ecstasy on police, firefighters, sexual assault victims, and veterans who suffer from PTSD.
Researcher Michael Mithoefer told the New York Times that such studies can lead to “remarkable improvement in traditional psychotherapy, but it can take years, if it happens at all.”
Mithoefer believes these kinds of drugs can work as a “catalyst that speeds the natural healing process.”
Rachel Hope was a participant in a study on MDMA in 2012. She experienced sexual abuse as a child and was suffering from PTSD.
“It allowed me to rewire my brain,” Rachel Hope told CNN after the study.
Some medical professionals are hesitant to begin prescribing MDMA. Charles Marmar, head of psychiatry at New York University’s Langone School of Medicine, believes that the use of Ecstasy brings up the potential for addiction.
“It’s a feel-good drug, and we know people are prone to abuse it,” he told the New York Times. “Prolonged use can lead to serious damage to the brain.”
