A study has found that the psychedelic drug MDMA, combined with talk therapy, can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The psychedelic drug MDMA can reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers reported in a new study published Thursday.

The company sponsoring the research said it plans later this year to seek U.S. approval to market the drug, also known as ecstasy, as a PTSD treatment when combined with talk therapy.

“It’s the first innovation in PTSD treatment in more than two decades. And it’s significant because I think it will also open up other innovation,” said Amy Emerson, CEO of MAPS Public Benefit Corporation, the research sponsor.

  • daed
    3·
    1 year ago

    What do they mean “MDMA, also known as Ecstasy”? Isn’t MDMA just one part of Ecstasy?

    • LanternEverywhere@kbin.social
      5·
      1 year ago

      (EDIT: it’s possible that the terms ecstasy and molly may have changed meanings over time)

      Nope, ecstasy means MDMA. I’m an old fart out of the scene for a long time, but that’s what it meant for the first like decade or two of it’s existence. I’ve heard that at some point it started getting cut with other cheaper drugs, which is part of why people generally don’t call what you can get these days as ecstasy, they call it molly. I’ve heard that it’s very hard to get pure ecstasy anymore, apparently the large majority of what’s being sold these days is some random mix with ecstasy just being one ingredient in it.

      • CmdrShepard@lemmy.oneEnglish
        4·
        1 year ago

        which is part of why people generally don’t call what you can get these days as ecstasy, they call it molly.

        I think you have that reversed. Molly is supposed to be just MDMA in crystal form while ecstasy is the pressed pill mixed with other stuff.

        • daed
          1·
          1 year ago

          That’s what I heard too and why I got confused in the first place. Maybe it’s differing around the globe.

        • LanternEverywhere@kbin.social
          1·
          1 year ago

          As an old head i can tell you, the word molly didn’t even exist until 10+ years after ecstasy became a thing. “Ecstasy” meant MDMA. If you want you can look up articles from the time and you’ll see. The meaning of the words may have switched over time, but for the first decade-ish of its existence on the scene the word “ecstasy” meant MDMA. Ecstasy originally was just MDMA, but I can imagine a situation in which the drug called ecstasy started being cut with other stuff, so people had to come up with a new word to refer to the original uncut substance again.

    • Anamana@feddit.de
      1·
      1 year ago

      As MDMA is the most crucial part of ecstasy it’s commonly used as a synonym. Especially when reporting to an audience who have no drug knowledge whatsoever…

    • treefrog@lemm.ee
      11·
      1 year ago

      Ecstasy is a slang word often used for MDMA. But many other drugs are sold as both and every drug you buy off the street you should test unless it’s mushrooms or weed.