'Ecstasy' Use Studied to Ease Fear in Terminally Ill

Washington Post ^ | 27 December 2004 | Rick Weiss

[shrinkermd]

For some, the diagnosis comes out of the blue. For others, it arrives after a long battle. Either way, the news that death is just a few months away poses a daunting challenge for both doctor and patient.

Drugs can ease pain and reduce anxiety, but what about the more profound issues that come with impending death? The wish to resolve lingering conflicts with family members. The longing to know, before it's too late, what it means to love, or what it meant to live. There is no medicine to address such dis-ease.

Or is there?

This month, in a little-noted administrative decision, the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to a Harvard proposal to test the benefits of the illegal street drug known as "ecstasy" in patients diagnosed with severe anxiety related to advanced cancer.

The drug, also known as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA, has been referred to by psychiatrists as an "empathogen," a drug especially good at putting people in touch with their emotions. Some believe it could help patients come to terms with the biggest emotional challenge of all: the end of life.

[shrinkermd]

FYI.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Not sure that I want to spend the last months of my life going to all night "rave" parties.

But, who knows?

[tfecw]

what is the fda thinking? hmm helps them relieves anxiety by destroying the bodies ability to distinguish real happiness from medical happiness. As well as lead to things such as i dunno, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

"grandma used to be full of anxiety, but since we've destroyed her brain with MDMA it's a lot better. We don't even feel guilty or fear death when we look at her because she's obviously so happy"

I can't believe i paid for that stuff. This just in, jumping off a 50 story building produces a euphoric effect moments before impact. All elderly are encouraged to reap the benefits

[FairOpinion]

"grandma used to be full of anxiety, but since we've destroyed her brain with MDMA it's a lot better. We don't even feel guilty or fear death when we look at her because she's obviously so happy"

====

Exactly. I've seen this done to older people with legal anti-depressants. A little old lady I knew used to reminisce and of course complain, but people had no patience with her, so they keep her full of stuff, now she walks around like a happy zombie. It is heartbreaking, but I guess she is a lot less trouble now, that nothing bothers her.

[Clara Lou]

You're not addressing the condition of the dying. My sister died at age 38 after 5 years of battling breast cancer. It had spread throughout her body. She had her faith, she had arranged supremely for her children. But she did not want to die, and fear was on her both awake and asleep.

[BrooklynGOP]

hmm helps them relieves anxiety by destroying the bodies ability to distinguish real happiness from medical happiness.

*yawn*

[AnnaZ]

"So far they have had very impressive results in terms of amelioration of anxiety, improvement of mood, improved rapport with close family and friends and, interestingly, significant and lasting reductions in pain," Grob said of the first few patients to enroll. "These are extraordinary compounds that seem to have an uncanny ability to reliably induce spiritual or religious experiences when taken in the right conditions."

[ChinaThreat]

What else would you want to do? I would say goodbyes and party like a fool.

[tfecw]

I'm not sure what your getting at. The article is about using MDMA to combat anxiety in cancer patients that know they have months, weeks, years, ect to live. Not about curing cancer.

you would rather have destroyed her brain's ability to realize what is going on? how about going to her throughout those 5 years and watching her slowly switch from anxiety to depression because her brain doesn't recognize that seeing her loved ones should be causing her joy.

This article is killing me because you can switch MDMA with just about every harmful drug. Heroin causes a euphoria guaranteed to make one forget about dying, so does booze, coke, opium/opiates (as someone mentioned) and of course euthanasia would certainly make them forget about dying.

I'm sorry about your sister. I know i wouldn't want to be put into a drugged up stupor to get away from the pain. I doubt your sister would have wanted that. I wouldn't want to spend the last moments of my life not being able to say good bye to my wife and kids cause i was too busy laughing at the way my pillow felt against my head

[johnnycap]

"I wouldn't want to spend the last moments of my life not being able to say good bye to my wife and kids cause i was too busy laughing at the way my pillow felt against my head..."

So, stop taking the drug about 48 hours before you intend to die so you maintain the proper level of lucid sadness at the end. That way, you've met your social obligation.

[tfecw]

thats too bad you equate spending time with your wife and kids a social obligation.

eh you guys are right. Drugging the elderly and sick is a good thing, they should dump mdma into the water supply. Apparently all of those drug physcologists are wackos that don't know what they are doing and if they were worth anything they'd be psychiatrists. Legalize it and while your at it, legalize all the schedule 1, 2 and 3 drugs.

[Clara Lou]

Not about curing cancer.
I'm well aware of that. My point was that you and at least one other poster are talking about the old. Young people die too. My sister knew VERY WELL what was happening to her. If she could have had some peace those last 3 months [not 5 years], I'd have given her any drug that would work. As it was, she had access to the usuals.

I doubt your sister would have wanted that.
You don't know intense, unrelenting, chronic pain, do you? My sister wanted to be sure that she was well drugged there at the end-- as I said, the cancer was throughout her body-- her spine, her skull, her organs. To let the drugs wear off was to be in incredible PAIN.

[Chiapet]

The article and the therapies it refers to aren't suggesting that patients be kept on a continuous dose of psychedelics. The idea is to use it during one or two sessions of drug-aided intensive therapy to help combat anxiety and fear. I sincerely doubt, based upon the literature I have seen, that one or two moderate doses of synthetic psilocybin or MDMA destroy a person's ability to distinguish between reality and hallucination.

[SoDak]

Ding, ding, me too. I've never touched an illegal drug, but I'd consider it if I were terminal. I don't have any lingering conflicts to resolve.

[jus'plainjeff]

" I wouldn't want to spend the last moments of my life not being able to say good bye to my wife and kids cause i was too busy laughing at the way my pillow felt against my head"

Well, Bully for you!! I'm so glad to see you know exactly what your thoughts are on this. There is however another segment of the population that may get into this situation and may prefer this option.

Rather than pronouncing what you do or don't believe other people should or would feel. Why not allow them the option?

[Mad Mammoth]

The problem with this is that by medicating terminally ill patients, be it with Ecstasy, Heroin, Morphine or any other substance which distorts clear and rational thinking, is that it makes it much more difficult if not impossible for that person to focus upon their spiritual state.

As the body physically begins to die, we are forced to consider our spiritual condition. For those of us who know Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we have that Blessed Assurance of knowing that when we breathe our last, our destination is not one we need fear.

But for those who have evaded or avoided the question of their soul for all of their life (and there are more of those folks than anyone imagines, IMHO), if they end up being medicated literally out of their minds, they are likely to be unconcerned with the ramifications of their impending death. Indeed, they will probably be laughing it up right to the end.

Nobody knows the number of deathbed conversions that take place on a daily basis, but this sort of medication initiative would reduce that drastically, and while it might provide short term relief for the dwindling days of one's physical life, it will have little affect on one's spiritual state, and may in fact be detrimental.

Just my .02 - The number of angels on your pin may vary.

MM

[Chiapet]

Again, I'd like to point out that the article isn't about keeping people continually medicated.

[Huck]

What's wrong with just minding your own stinking business about how someone else wants to handle being terminally ill? For crying out loud that's what's wrong with this country. Everyone has to have an opinion about friggin every last thing.

D'oh!

[tfecw]

so your all for euthanasia then? well...for the option anyways. I'm sorry if i see something wrong with that.