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MDMA

Editorial (Thematic Issue: Introduction to 'Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions')

January 28, 2015 / Ayahuasca, DMT, Iboga / Ibogaine, LSD, MDMA, Mescaline / Cacti, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Neuroscience, Papers, Philosophy & Religious Studies, Psychiatry & Medicine, Psychology, Psychotic Disorders, Publications, Salvia / Salvinorin A, Substance Use Disorder / By / ,

Editorial

Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’

We are witnessing a revival of psychedelic research. An increasing number of studies investigating the therapeutic use of psychedelics are currently underway at some of the most renowned universities. Dedicating a second issue of ‘Current Drug Abuse Reviews’ to psychedelics aims to keep up with this blossoming field. With the availability of modern scientific instruments, psychedelic research is once again gaining a firm foothold in academia.

The idea of this special issue originated at the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research, organised by the OPEN Foundation in 2012. OPEN was founded in 2007 in the Netherlands, in order to stimulate and advance scientific research into psychedelics. This special issue of CDAR takes an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of psychedelics and mental health, while maintaining a particular focus on applications of psychedelics in the fields of substance abuse and addiction. This special issue also takes a critical look at some widespread assumptions about psychedelics, introduces new ideas and suggests novel directions for future research.

Kortekaas, R., & Breeksema, J. J. (2015). Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 7(2), 69-70. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874473708666150120114604

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Articles in this special issue:

Editorial (Thematic Issue: Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’)
Ayahuasca, Psychedelic Studies and Health Sciences: The Politics of Knowledge and Inquiry into an Amazonian Plant Brew
Crisis Intervention Related to the Use of Psychoactive Substances in Recreational Settings – Evaluating the Kosmicare Project at Boom Festival
Psychedelics as Medicines for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation: Evaluating Treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca
A Qualitative Report on the Subjective Experience of Intravenous Psilocybin Administered in an fMRI Environment
Salvinorin A and Related Compounds as Therapeutic Drugs for Psychostimulant-Related Disorders

Editorial (Thematic Issue: Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’)

January 28, 2015 / Ayahuasca, DMT, Iboga / Ibogaine, LSD, MDMA, Mescaline / Cacti, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Neuroscience, Papers, Philosophy & Religious Studies, Psychiatry & Medicine, Psychology, Psychotic Disorders, Publications, Salvia / Salvinorin A, Substance Use Disorder / By / ,

Editorial

Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’

We are witnessing a revival of psychedelic research. An increasing number of studies investigating the therapeutic use of psychedelics are currently underway at some of the most renowned universities. Dedicating a second issue of ‘Current Drug Abuse Reviews’ to psychedelics aims to keep up with this blossoming field. With the availability of modern scientific instruments, psychedelic research is once again gaining a firm foothold in academia.

The idea of this special issue originated at the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research, organised by the OPEN Foundation in 2012. OPEN was founded in 2007 in the Netherlands, in order to stimulate and advance scientific research into psychedelics. This special issue of CDAR takes an interdisciplinary approach to the topic of psychedelics and mental health, while maintaining a particular focus on applications of psychedelics in the fields of substance abuse and addiction. This special issue also takes a critical look at some widespread assumptions about psychedelics, introduces new ideas and suggests novel directions for future research.

Kortekaas, R., & Breeksema, J. J. (2015). Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 7(2), 69-70. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874473708666150120114604

Link to full text

Articles in this special issue:

Editorial (Thematic Issue: Introduction to ‘Beneficial Effects of Psychedelics with a Special Focus on Addictions’)
Ayahuasca, Psychedelic Studies and Health Sciences: The Politics of Knowledge and Inquiry into an Amazonian Plant Brew
Crisis Intervention Related to the Use of Psychoactive Substances in Recreational Settings – Evaluating the Kosmicare Project at Boom Festival
Psychedelics as Medicines for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation: Evaluating Treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca
A Qualitative Report on the Subjective Experience of Intravenous Psilocybin Administered in an fMRI Environment
Salvinorin A and Related Compounds as Therapeutic Drugs for Psychostimulant-Related Disorders

Crisis Intervention Related to the Use of Psychoactive Substances in Recreational Settings – Evaluating the Kosmicare Project at Boom Festival

January 28, 2015 / Ketamine, LSD, MDMA, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers, Psychology, Psychotic Disorders, Publications / By / , , , , , ,

Abstract

Kosmicare project implements crisis intervention in situations related to the use of psychoactive substances at Boom Festival (Portugal). We present evaluation research that aims to contribute to the transformation of the project into an evidence-based intervention model. It relies on harm reduction and risk minimization principles, crisis intervention models, and Grof’s psychedelic psychotherapy approach for crisis intervention in situations related to unsupervised use of psychedelics. Intervention was expected to produce knowledge about the relation between substance use and mental health impact in reducing potential risk related to the use of psychoactive substances and mental illness, as well as an impact upon target population’s views of themselves, their relationship to substance use, and to life events in general. Research includes data on process and outcome indicators through a mixed methods approach, collected next to a sample of n=176 participants. Sample size varied considerably, however, among different research measures. 52% of Kosmicare visitors reported LSD use. Over 40% also presented multiple drug use. Pre-post mental state evaluation showed statistically significant difference (p<.05) confirming crisis resolution. Crisis episodes that presented no resolution were more often related with mental health outburst episodes, with psychoactive substance use or not. Visitors showed high satisfaction with intervention (n=58) and according to follow-up (n=18) this perception was stable over time. Crisis intervention was experienced as very significant. We discuss limitations and implications of evaluating natural setting based interventions, and the relation between psychoactive substance use and psychopathology. Other data on visitor’s profile and vulnerability to crisis showed inconclusive.

Carvalho, M. C., de Sousa, M. P., Frango, P., Dias, P., Carvalho, J., Rodrigues, M., & Rodrigues, T. (2015). Crisis Intervention Related to the Use of Psychoactive Substances in Recreational Settings-Evaluating the Kosmicare Project at Boom Festival. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 7(2), 81-100. https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874473708666150107115515

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Classic psychedelic use is associated with reduced psychological distress and suicidality in the United States adult population

January 13, 2015 / Anxiety Disorders / PTSD, Ayahuasca, Depressive Disorders, DMT, LSD, MDMA, Mescaline / Cacti, Mushrooms / Psilocybin, Papers, Psychology, Publications / By / , , , ,

Abstract

Mental health problems are endemic across the globe, and suicide, a strong corollary of poor mental health, is a leading cause of death. Classic psychedelic use may occasion lasting improvements in mental health, but the effects of classic psychedelic use on suicidality are unknown. We evaluated the relationships of classic psychedelic use with psychological distress and suicidality among over 190,000 USA adult respondents pooled from the last five available years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008–2012) while controlling for a range of covariates. Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a significantly reduced odds of past month psychological distress (weighted odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (0.72–0.91)), past year suicidal thinking (weighted OR=0.86 (0.78–0.94)), past year suicidal planning (weighted OR=0.71 (0.54–0.94)), and past year suicide attempt (weighted OR=0.64 (0.46–0.89)), whereas lifetime illicit use of other drugs was largely associated with an increased likelihood of these outcomes. These findings indicate that classic psychedelics may hold promise in the prevention of suicide, supporting the view that classic psychedelics’ most highly restricted legal status should be reconsidered to facilitate scientific study, and suggesting that more extensive clinical research with classic psychedelics is warranted.

Hendricks, P. S., Thorne, C. B., Clark, C. B., Coombs, D. W., & Johnson, M. W. (2015). Classic psychedelic use is associated with reduced psychological distress and suicidality in the United States adult population. Journal of Psychopharmacology. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269881114565653

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Making a medicine out of MDMA

January 5, 2015 / Anxiety Disorders / PTSD, MDMA, Neuroscience, Papers, Psychology, Publications / By / ,

Abstract

From its first use 3,4,-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has been recognised as a drug with therapeutic potential. Research on its clinical utility stopped when it entered the recreational drug scene but has slowly resurrected in the past decade. Currently there is enough evidence for MDMA to be removed from its Schedule 1 status of ‘no medical use’ and moved into Schedule 2 (alongside other misused but useful medicines such as heroin and amphetamine). Such a regulatory move would liberate its use as a medicine for patients experiencing severe mental illnesses such as treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sessa, B., & Nutt, D. (2015). Making a medicine out of MDMA. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 206, 4-6. https://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.152751

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Effects of ecstasy on cooperative behaviour and perception of trustworthiness: A naturalistic study

November 8, 2014 / Anxiety Disorders / PTSD, MDMA, Papers, Psychology, Publications / By / , , , , , ,

Abstract

Background: Acute recreational use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ‘ecstasy’) can promote pro-social effects which may alter interpersonal perceptions.

Aims: To explore such effects, this study investigated whether acute recreational use of ecstasy was associated with changes in individual perception of trustworthiness of people’s faces and co-operative behaviours.

Method: An independent group, repeated measures design was used in which 17 ecstasy users were tested on the night of drug use (day 0) and again three days later (day 3); 22 controls were tested on parallel days. On each day, participants rated the trustworthiness of 66 faces, carried out three co-operative behaviour tasks (public good; dictator; ultimatum game) and completed mood self-ratings.

Results: Acute ecstasy use was associated with increased face trustworthiness ratings and increased cooperative behaviour on the dictator and ultimatum games; on day 3 there were no group differences on any task. Self-ratings showed the standard acute ecstasy effects (euphoria, energy, jaw clenching) with negative effects (less empathy, compassion, more distrust, hostility) emerging on day 3.

Conclusions: Our findings of increased perceived trustworthiness and co-operative behaviours following use of ecstasy suggest that a single dose of the drug enhances aspects of empathy. This may in turn contribute to its popularity as a recreational drug and potentially to its enhancement of the therapeutic alliance in psychotherapy.

Stewart, L. H., Ferguson, B., Morgan, C. J. A., Swaboda, N., Jones, L., Fenton, R., … & Curran, H. V. (2014). Effects of ecstasy on cooperative behaviour and perception of trustworthiness: A naturalistic study. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 28(11), 1001-1008. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269881114544775

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Acute effects of MDMA on autonomic cardiac activity and their relation to subjective prosocial and stimulant effects

September 10, 2014 / MDMA, Papers, Psychology, Publications / By / , , , ,

Abstract

MDMA is a stimulant with unique “prosocial” effects, the physiological and pharmacological mechanisms of which are unknown. Here, we examine the relationship of measures of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity to the prosocial effects of MDMA. Parasympathetic activity was measured using respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and sympathetic activity using pre-ejection period (PEP). Over three sessions, 33 healthy volunteers received placebo, 0.75 mg/kg, and 1.5 mg/kg MDMA under counterbalanced, double-blind conditions, while we measured subjective feelings, RSA, and PEP. RSA and PEP data were available for 26 and 21 participants, respectively. MDMA increased prosocial and stimulated feelings, decreased RSA, and decreased PEP. At 1.5 mg/kg, subjective prosocial effects correlated with stimulated feelings and PEP, but not RSA. This suggests sympathetic, rather than parasympathetic, effects relate to the prosocial effects of MDMA.

Clark, C. M., Frye, C. G., Wardle, M. C., Norman, G. J., & Wit, H. (2014). Acute effects of MDMA on autonomic cardiac activity and their relation to subjective prosocial and stimulant effects. Psychophysiology. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12327

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Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal

December 25, 2021 / LSD, MDMA / By

It’s no secret that psychedelic drugs have the ability to cast light on the miraculous reality hidden within our psyche. Almost immediately after the discovery of LSD less than a hundred years ago, psychedelics began to play a crucial role in the quest to understand the link between mind and matter. With an uncanny ability to reveal the mind’s remote frontiers and the unmapped areas of human consciousness, LSD and MDMA (better known as Ecstasy) have proven extraordinarily effective in treating anxiety disorders such as PTSD—yet the drugs remain illegal for millions of people who might benefit from them.

Anchoring Tom Shroder’s Acid Test are the stories of Rick Doblin, the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), who has been fighting government prohibition of psychedelics for more than thirty years; Michael Mithoefer, a former emergency room physician, now a psychiatrist at the forefront of psychedelic therapy research; and his patient Nicholas Blackston, a former Marine who has suffered unfathomable mental anguish from the effects of brutal combat experiences in Iraq. All three men are passionate, relatable people; each flawed, each resilient, and each eccentric, yet very familiar and very human.

Acid Test covers the first heady years of experimentation in the fifties and sixties, through the backlash of the seventies and eighties, when the drug subculture exploded and uncontrolled use of street psychedelics led to a PR nightmare that created the drug stereotypes of the present day. Meticulously researched and astoundingly informative, this is at once a personal story of intertwining lives against an epic backdrop, and a compelling argument for the unprecedented healing properties of drugs that have for decades been characterized as dangerous, illicit substances.

Tom Shroder has been an award-winning journalist, writer and editor for more than 30 years.

Acid Test: LSD, Ecstasy, and the Power to Heal, door Tom Shroder, Blue Rider Press, 448 pagina’s.

Koop dit boek via bookdepository.com en steun daarmee Stichting OPEN.

PTSD and MDMA in the ‘picture’

December 6, 2021 / Anxiety Disorders / PTSD, MDMA, Publications / By

a5_ptsd_508With an upcoming fMRI study in the United Kingdom, an attempt is being made to outline the neurobiological mechanisms that are hypothesized to underlie the favorable outcome of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Earlier studies found that after just a few treatment sessions with MDMA in addition to psychotherapy, there was a significant short [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][1] and long [2] term improvement of PTSD symptomatology in patients that were resistant to regular psycho- and/or pharmacotherapy [3]. Up to today, not much is known about the factors that contribute to the success of this form of treatment. Several researchers suggest that MDMA, o.a. by temporarily reducing fear and by easing interpersonal contact, facilitate the therapy on a psychological level [4], but about the neurobiological foundations remains to be speculated.

By using fMRI, dr. Ben Sessa and his research team at Cardiff University will try to image the manifestation of MDMA in PTSD patients. To capture the effects of the compound in isolation, the patients will not receive any psychotherapy during this study.

The research proposal is currently waiting for approval of the Committee of Ethics.

 
[1] Mithoefer, Wagner, Mithoefer, Jerome, & Doblin (2011)
[2] Mithoefer et al. (2012)
[3] A similar study from Oehen, Traber, Widmer, & Schnyder (2013) did not reach significance on the primary measurement (p = .066), a diagnostic tool to assess PTSD symptomatology, though at a subjective level the patients indicated to have some relief from their former complaints. Bouso et al. (2008) couldn’t draw any firm conclusions on their data of the first MDMA-assisted psychotherapy study in PTSD, due to a sudden unexpected cancellation of the study and the consequencing small study sample.
[4] Bouso, Doblin, Farré, Alcázar, & Gómez-Jarabo (2008), Mithoefer et al. (2011), Oehen et al. (2013)
 
References
Bouso, J. C., Doblin, R., Farré, M., Alcázar, M. A., & Gómez-Jarabo, G. (2008). MDMA-assisted psychotherapy using low doses in a small sample of women with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 40(3), 225–36. doi:10.1080/02791072.2008.10400637
Mithoefer, M. C. M., Wagner, M. M. T., Mithoefer, A. A. T., Jerome, L., Martin, S. F., Yazar-Klosinski, B., … Doblin, R. (2012). Durability of improvement in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and absence of harmful effects or drug dependency after 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy: a prospective long-term follow-up study. Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 27, 28–39. doi:10.1177/0269881112456611
Mithoefer, M. C., Wagner, M. T., Mithoefer, A. T., Jerome, L., & Doblin, R. (2011). The safety and efficacy of {+/-}3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) (Vol. 25, pp. 439–452). doi:10.1177/0269881110378371
Oehen, P., Traber, R., Widmer, V., & Schnyder, U. (2013). A randomized, controlled pilot study of MDMA (± 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of resistant, chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 27(1), 40–52. doi:10.1177/0269881112464827[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

In Memoriam Alexander ‘Sasha’ Shulgin

February 7, 2022 / MDMA, Pharmacology & Chemistry / By

With great sadness, the OPEN foundation would like to acknowledge the death of maverick chemist Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, who passed away on June 2nd. Dubbed “the godfather of Ecstasy,” Shulgin was credited with introducing MDMA to psychologists in the late 70’s, years before the drug hit the global dance scene.

However MDMA was only one of hundreds of chemicals Shulgin synthesized during his lengthy career. After earning his biochemistry degree from UC Berkeley in 1954, he worked briefly as research director at BioRad Laboratories before becoming a senior research chemist at Dow Chemical Company, where he synthesized the first biodegradable insecticide, Zectran.

Because Shulgin made Dow a sizeable profit, he was granted the freedom to create and patent new drugs. He chose psychedelics. In the late 1950s, Shulgin experimented with mescaline, which he wrote revealed “that our entire universe is contained in the mind and spirit.” But his interest in pharmacology was sparked years earlier. While in the Navy as a teenager, he got a shot of morphine for an injury, making him wonder how drugs altered consciousness. This passion for understanding the human mind and how to unlock its potential—chemically, of course—would mark his career.

In 1966, Shulgin left Dow Chemical to freelance as a consultant and for the following decades worked from his backyard lab in Berkeley, California. In 1976, he heard about MDMA, which was first synthesized at Merck in 1912 as an unimportant precursor in a new synthesis for haemostatic substances and subsequently shelved. He went on to synthesize it, and discovered it was a powerful empathogen, “with emotional and sensual overtones.” He then introduced it to a therapist friend and word spread quickly both inside and outside the therapeutic community. Without MDMA, the dance music scene of the last 30 years would have looked entirely different.

Shulgin was a fixture in the psychedelic subculture that believed in better living through chemistry. He contributed a rational, scientific perspective to the field, coupled with enthusiasm for thorough self-experimentation.

When interviewed about the abuse potential of MDMA, which became a scheduled drug in 1985, Shulgin was quoted as saying it was “as real as the abuse potential of anything that gives pleasure and satisfaction. This applies to MDMA as much as it does to skydiving, mountain climbing and skiing.”

Shulgin died of several health complications after years of poor health, and had recently been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. He was 88. His wife, Ann Shulgin, with whom he shared thousands of psychedelic experiences, survives him.

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