PARTY drug MDMA could cure post-traumatic stress disorder in seven out of 10 patients, a study suggests.
US scientists found taking the class A drug, aka ecstasy, alongside therapy slashed symptoms of the mental health condition in 71 per cent of people.
MDMA could cure PTSDAlamy
Around 2.6million Brits have PTSD at any time – four per cent of the population.
It can force them to relive horrific events from their past and be difficult to treat.
The University of California, San Francisco, gave 18 weeks of therapy to 104 patients and gave some of them MDMA beforehand, then compared the results.
By the end, 71 per cent of those given MDMA had symptoms so improved that they no longer fit the PTSD diagnosis, compared to 47 per cent of those given the placebo.
Professor Neil Greenberg from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “We’ve been eagerly awaiting the results of this important trial.
“It provides evidence of a potentially beneficial treatment option for those who cannot be helped by more traditional treatments.”
It adds to growing evidence that psychedelic drugs can be used to boost mental health, with painkiller ketamine and psilocybin from magic mushrooms also potential game-changers.
MDMA is illegal to possess, sell or prescribe in the UK.
But trials have shown the drug helps people open up and feel less anxious so they can work through distressing events with a therapist.
Australian doctors can already prescribe MDMA to treat PTSD and drug resistant depression.
Previous studies found the drug could also be used to treat alcoholism.
The latest study, published in Springer Nature, said the drug was “well-tolerated” with no serious side effects.
Prof Greenberg said MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is “not going to be a treatment of choice for most patients with PTSD”.
He said it would be “tightly controlled” and requires two trained therapists, he added.