MDMA Clinical Trials Report Profound Long-Term Impact On PTSD Suffers

Non-profit organization MAPS has published the long-term results of multiple Phase 2 clinical trials on the use of MDMA and therapy to treat PTSD. The results were favorable, finding that most participants experienced extended benefits from the treatment for the duration of at least one year. More than half of the volunteers no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD after two months.READ: Cannabis found to relieve PTSD symptoms, but there's a catch

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a non-profit that has been investigating the use of certain controlled substances as potential treatments for various mental health issues that are otherwise resistant to treatment, including anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, and PTSD. MDMA is one of the substances that it has focused on.

Past research has found that MDMA, when combined with psychotherapy, may be beneficial to individuals who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition that often results from an extremely stressful, traumatic event that causes long-term issues in the person who experienced it.

In an announcement this week, MAPS said that it has published the results of its long-term follow-up with participants who suffered from PTSD and were treated with a combination of MDMA and psychotherapy. The data comes from a total of six Phase 2 clinical trials, according to the non-profit, which reports that out of 100 volunteers, 56 no longer met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis two months after their final treatment session.

Fast-forwarding to the 12-month mark, the study found that 91 of the 100 participants were interviewed and that of them, 67 no longer met the PTSD criteria. These results were long-term, with one study having an average duration of 3.8 years post-treatment. The results are favorable, but the Phase 3 clinical trials are finished yet.