fbpx
Skip to content

TH: +66 20 385 469     Toll Free USA/CAN: 1 888 806 6776     Toll Free UK: 0 808 189 0393     Toll Free AUS: 1 800 251 994     HK: +852 3008 5841     SG: +65 3158 7621

  • Home
  • What We Treat
    • Addiction
      • Alcohol Addiction Treatment
      • Drug Addiction Treatment
      • Amphetamine Addiction Treatment
      • Cocaine Addiction Treatment
      • GHB Addiction Treatment
      • Heroin Addiction Treatment
      • Ecstasy Addiction Treatment
      • Marijuana Addiction Treatment
      • Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment
    • Mental Health
      • Anxiety disorder treatment programme
      • Depression treatment programme
      • Co-treating Addiction and Trauma Disorders
      • Dual Diagnosis/Co-Occurring Disorders
    • Behavioral Addiction
      • Co-Occurring Disordered Eating Treatment
      • Internet Addiction Treatment
      • Rehab for Gambling Addiction Treatment
  • Our Programme
    • Changing Pathways Addiction Programme
      • Physical Therapy
    • The Kintsugi Programme
    • Disordered Eating Programme
    • Continuing Care
    • Recovery House at The Cabin
    • Sunday Excursions
  • About Our Rehab
    • About the Cabin
    • Accommodation and Facilities
    • Gallery
    • The Cabin Group
    • Our Team
    • Client Testimonials
    • In The Press
    • Blogs
  • Admissions
    • Admissions Process
    • How Rehab Works at The Cabin
    • Online assessment
    • FAQ
    • Family Advice
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Referring a Client

Get Help Now
03/27/2015

Will Ecstasy be Used to Treat Anxiety, Depression and PTSD?

Home › Blog › Recovery › Will Ecstasy be Used to Treat Anxiety, Depression and PTSD?

There are many dangers involved in taking the illegal drug ecstasy – so why are researchers now looking at ecstasy as a potential treatment for PTSD and anxiety?

Will Ecstasy be Used to Treat Anxiety Depression and PTSD

Recent research has unearthed the mystery behind how ecstasy impacts the brain to produce its euphoric effects. This has led to a resurgence of studies on its potential psychotherapeutic effects — specifically using the drug to treat PTSD, and potentially other mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Of course, these studies are not taking place without controversy over whether the potential benefits outweigh the risks involved.

How Does Ecstasy Affect the Brain?

Ecstasy, E, and Molly are all street names for the same popular party drug, also sometimes referred to as the love drug for its euphoric effects and ability to make users feel extremely affectionate towards other people they meet while on the drug. For the first time, The Imperial College London used fMRI brain imaging techniques to look at exactly how the drug impacts the brain to create these effects.In the study, 25 participants underwent two brain scans – one scan after taking ecstasy and another scan after taking a placebo. The participants did not know which they had been given before each brain scan.

Through these brain scans they found that the drug decreased the activity in the brain’s limbic system — the area which is involved in controlling emotional responses. It also reduced communication between areas of the brain that are involved in emotional control, the medial temporal lobe and the medial prefrontal cortex.

It turns out these effects are opposite of what is found in people suffering from anxiety — whose brain scans show increased or above average activity in the limbic system, and increased communication between the medial temporal lobe and medial prefrontal cortex.

In addition, they also discovered that ecstasy increased communication between the amygdala and the hippocampus. This effect is opposite of what is found in people suffering from PTSD — where brain scans have determined that people with this disorder experience a decrease in communication between those two areas of the brain.

These two findings alone have researchers suggesting to use the drug as treatment for anxiety and PTSD.

In the same study, participants were asked to recall their best and worse memories  while undergoing the brain scans. After taking the drug, they rated their best memories as more vivid and positive and worse memories as less negative than after taking the placebo.

This further suggests that it may be useful in treating PTSD as it has the ability to lessen the impact of painful memories so that clients are able to work through them in therapy without becoming emotionally flooded.

While concluding through this study that the drug could potentially be used to treat conditions such as anxiety and PTSD, researchers warned that a study of healthy volunteers could not be generalised to those suffering from mental health disorders and that more studies on patients would have to be done.

Ecstasy and Treatment of PTSD

Since the initial brain study discussed above, more recent clinical trials have begun to specifically study the potential of using the drug to facilitate treatment for PTSD.PTSD stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This anxiety disorder can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, and symptoms include flashbacks, extreme fear and anxiety even when danger is no longer present, avoidance of situations that trigger intense memories, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

PTSD notoriously responds poorly to treatment, often persisting even after psychotherapy and psycho-pharmaceutical treatment have been undertaken. This has led to a search for new treatment options, including studying ecstasy — a currently illegal drug — as a potential treatment option.

MDMA is the pure form of the street drug, and is what is being used in new research trials. When administered in controlled research settings the drug has been determined to be “sufficiently safe.” However, this is not the case in any other scenario.

In the new study, researchers compared two small groups of participants suffering from treatment-resistant PTSD; one group was given the drug during therapy sessions for PTSD and the other was given a placebo. It was hypothesised that since it increases the release of oxytocin — allowing clients to form a greater therapeutic alliance with their counsellor — plus acts to decrease the perceived intensity of negative life experiences, patients who received drug-assisted psychotherapy would have a greater reduction in their PTSD symptoms.

Researchers concluded that those who received drug-assisted therapy did experience greater decrease in their PTSD symptoms than those who received the placebo. But, many caution against making any statistical conclusions with such small groups of people in a single study.

Further, other researchers caution that while the drug increases release of oxytocin — which could help clients establish a therapeutic alliance with their counsellor, it also increases the release of cortisol which can increase stress and in turn be counterproductive. Also, in a similar way to LSD, it is not selective in the emotions and thoughts it releases, meaning that an experience on the drug could also be negative rather than euphoric.

As the drug is currently illegal, getting funding for research projects attempting to study its pharmaceutical potential is difficult, and such projects are currently funded privately and solely by those who are interested in its future legalisation.

Dangers of Ecstasy

Ecstasy is a dangerous street drug. While the pure form that is used in controlled doses and rare clinical trials may offer potential help and low risk to those suffering PTSD, street users are never sure what exactly they’re getting and the negative side effects can be less than euphoric and sometimes even deadly.By introducing the notion that it could help cure people from PTSD, there may be an increase in people seeking out the street drug to self-medicate — a scenario that could go terribly wrong, leading to even more exacerbated symptoms, addiction, and death.

We still do not know whether ecstasy will be approved in the future, but if so we hope that researchers, doctors, and mental health clinicians alike keep in mind the dangers and risk for drug addiction that it may pose despite the potential benefits.

Get A Free Consultation
Search

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Alcohol Addiction Treatment
  • Behavioral Addiction
  • Blog
  • Co-occurring Disorders
  • Cocaine Addiction
  • Drug Addiction
  • Food Addiction Treatment
  • Gambling Addiction Treatment
  • Gaming Addiction Treatment
  • Infographic
  • Infosheet
  • Internet Addiction Treatment
  • Prescription Drugs Addiction Treatment
  • Reach
  • Recovery
  • Relapse Prevention
  • Rise
  • Sex Addiction Treatment
  • Trauma and Addiction
  • Video
  • Youth Addiction Treatment
Heroin use, abuse, and addiction in china
Blog

Heroin Use, Abuse, and Addiction in China

  It is estimated that in China over 70% of drug users have an addiction to heroin. One of the worst-affected areas is China’s southern province of Yunnan on the border with Myanmar, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of heroin. All throughout China, many people are turning to drugs. Nightclubs in the cities are...
08/31/2012
trauma and addiction
Blog | Trauma and Addiction

The Importance of Co-Treating Trauma and Addiction

Co-occurring trauma and addiction are complex conditions.  Research has shown that treating these disorders simultaneously is most effective, but this highly involved undertaking needs to be done in a professional setting.  Learn more about treatment methods here. Sharelines ‘Small t’ traumas, PTSD and what they mean for addiction treatment. Research has shown that treating both...
09/02/2016
A young man surfing the Internet
Blog

Learning the Symptoms and Treatment of Internet Addiction

Internet addiction is a modern disease. The Internet and gadgets are ubiquitous in our increasingly digital-first society and are an integral part of our daily lives. This has led to an increase in Internet usage and consumption that has become uncontrollable and compulsive for some.
09/27/2023
The Cabin Logo

The Cabin Rehab Centre
9 Khua Mung, Saraphi District,
Chiang Mai, Thailand 50140

Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Linkedin

OUR TREATMENT

  • Alcohol Addiction Treatment
  • Drug Addiction Treatment
  • Disordered Eating Programme
  • Gambling Addiction Treatment
  • Changing Pathways
  • Kintsugi Programme
  • Sunday Excursions
  • Relapse Prevention

ABOUT THE CABIN

  • About Us
  • The Professional Team
  • Why The Cabin
  • Our Accommodation
  • Admissions Process
  • What is Our Client Say?
  • FAQ
  • The Cabin’s Blog
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms and Conditions

CONTACT US

TH: +66 20 385 469
USA/CAN: 1 888 806 6776
UK: 0 808 189 0393
AUS: 1 800 251 994
HK: +852 3008 5841
SG: +65 3158 7621
Download Our Brochure

© 2023 The Cabin Chiang Mai. All Rights Reserved.

Get Help Today!
Getting the Help You Need Today!

If you require further information, Please do not hesitate to contact us.

  • TH : +662 038 5469
  • US : +1 888 806 6776
  • UK : +44 808 189 0393
  • AU : +61 1 800 251 994
  • HK : +852 3008 5841
  • SG : +65 3158 7621
close
Manage Cookie Consent

To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.

Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Statistics

Marketing

Features
Always active

Always active
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Statistics

Marketing

Features
Always active

Always active
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Scroll to top
  • Home
  • What We Treat
    • Addiction
      • Alcohol Addiction Treatment
      • Drug Addiction Treatment
      • Amphetamine Addiction Treatment
      • Cocaine Addiction Treatment
      • GHB Addiction Treatment
      • Heroin Addiction Treatment
      • Ecstasy Addiction Treatment
      • Marijuana Addiction Treatment
      • Methamphetamine Addiction Treatment
    • Mental Health
      • Anxiety disorder treatment programme
      • Depression treatment programme
      • Co-treating Addiction and Trauma Disorders
      • Dual Diagnosis/Co-Occurring Disorders
    • Behavioral Addiction
      • Co-Occurring Disordered Eating Treatment
      • Internet Addiction Treatment
      • Rehab for Gambling Addiction Treatment
  • Our Programme
    • Changing Pathways Addiction Programme
      • Physical Therapy
    • The Kintsugi Programme
    • Disordered Eating Programme
    • Continuing Care
    • Recovery House at The Cabin
    • Sunday Excursions
  • About Our Rehab
    • About the Cabin
    • Accommodation and Facilities
    • Gallery
    • The Cabin Group
    • Our Team
    • Client Testimonials
    • In The Press
    • Blogs
  • Admissions
    • Admissions Process
    • How Rehab Works at The Cabin
    • Online assessment
    • FAQ
    • Family Advice
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Referring a Client