Posted on 02/17/2005 7:37:17 PM PST by freedom44
American soldiers traumatised by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be offered the drug ecstasy to help free them of flashbacks and recurring nightmares.
The US food and drug administration has given the go-ahead for the soldiers to be included in an experiment to see if MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy, can treat post-traumatic stress disorder.
Scientists behind the trial in South Carolina think the feelings of emotional closeness reported by those taking the drug could help the soldiers talk about their experiences to therapists. Several victims of rape and sexual abuse with post-traumatic stress disorder, for whom existing treatments are ineffective, have been given MDMA since the research began last year.
Michael Mithoefer, the psychiatrist leading the trial, said: "It's looking very promising. It's too early to draw any conclusions but in these treatment-resistant people so far the results are encouraging.
"People are able to connect more deeply on an emotional level with the fact they are safe now."
He is about to advertise for war veterans who fought in the last five years to join the study.
According to the US national centre for post-traumatic stress disorder, up to 30% of combat veterans suffer from the condition at some point in their lives.
Known as shell shock during the first world war and combat fatigue in the second, the condition is characterised by intrusive memories, panic attacks and the avoidance of situations which might force sufferers to relive their wartime experiences.
Dr Mithoefer said the MDMA helped people discuss traumatic situations without triggering anxiety.
"It appears to act as a catalyst to help people move through whatever's been blocking their success in therapy."
The existing drug-assisted therapy sessions last up to eight hours, during music is played. The patients swallow a capsule containing a placebo or 125mg of MDMA - about the same or a little more than a typical ecstasy tablet.
Psychologists assess the patients before and after the trial to judge whether the drug has helped.
The study has provoked controversy, because significant doubts remain about the long-term risks of ecstasy.
Animal studies suggest that it lowers levels of the brain chemical serotonin, and some politicians and anti-drug campaigners have argued that research into possible medical benefits of illegal drugs presents a falsely reassuring message.
The South Carolina study marks a resurgence of interest in the use of controlled psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs. Several studies in the US are planned or are under way to investigate whether MDMA, LSD and psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can treat conditions ranging from obsessive compulsive disorder to anxiety in terminal cancer patients.
moron
I have no idea...but what if it DOES work? What then?
Oh yeah, posts # 19 & 18 may be where the subject was switched from MDMA to pot. But either way, if these drugs can be used to help our servicemen & women who are suffering, then good for them! They paid a severely high price while serving our country, & now that they are back home, their suffering didn't stop the moment they flew into American airspace. Methinks they deserve to live a life as close to "normal" as possible once they make it home.
Jeff Spicoli! Take that hippies! ;-)
What did I just say? Let's do some RESEARCH before we make any decisions on the issue. The Israeli Army uses pot for PTSD. Back during either the Reagan or 1st Bush Administration, there was talk in scientific circles that MDMA could have a positive effect on treating PTSD & other mental illnesses--but the studies were halted because the evidence was expected to prove that there IS some benefit in using MDMA for medical purposes. Let's just learn what the TRUTH is, that's all I ask.
"Let's just learn what the TRUTH is, that's all I ask."
The truth is that why cannot know the long-term impact of these sorts of drugs in the short-term. If they are using them in doses that have a theraputic value then there are certainly going to be long-term effects. Maybe it is worth risking it? I don't know.
Seems to me that we should be trying to learn to deal with the sh*t life throws at us without having to fall back on drugs. This is a challenge that we all have to face to varying degrees. I personally don't think it is healthy for our society to think that every time we feel bad we just need to pop a pill; feeling bad is part of the human experience and there is a reason for it. Of course there are very extreme cases (i.e. suicidal) in which case I wouldn't deny them something that would help.
Anyways, this has nothing whatsoever to do with recreational drug use. These are people that are being treated for illnesses by health professionals.
I agree w/ you when it comes to thinking that taking a pill can help us solve our problems. But the fact remains that recent studies have shown that MDMA does have a beneficial value, & the government SQUELCHED the study 'cuz it didn't like what the reports were saying.
Of course, all drugs have side effects: I hafta take Dilantin & Phenobarbitol 'cuz I have epilepsy...& the Dilantin has affected my gums & teeth, & I'll probably hafta get dentures w/in the next several yrs (& I'm only 42!!!). But controlling my seizures is of prime inportance to me, & if that means I gotta eventually lose my teeth & start wearing dentures, then so be it.
On top of that, marijuana has already been medically proven to be beneficial to those of us who suffer from epilepsy (& several OTHER medical problems, I might add), yet the government refuses to acknowledge this fact & continues to have us thrown in jail, seize our property, take our children away from us, fire us from our jobs, etc., etc. It is totally outrageous & unacceptable when you are living in what is considered to be a free country.
"The truth is that why cannot know the long-term impact of these sorts of drugs in the short-term."
Do you feel the same way when it comes to pain medications such as oxycotin?
bump
The drug was used in psychotherapy (very limited) in the 70's when it was still legal (but not approved) with limited, but anecdotal, success.
As far as this study goes, I'm in favor of it.
I definitely agree that society MUST have rules. That's why we are called CIVILIZED.
But America is also a constitutional, federal republic. Under our Constitution, the states are (via the people) given the choice as to where the rules are set. If a conservative state like Utah chooses to use the death penalty against drug users & dealers, they have the right to do so; & if a liberal state like the People's Republic of California chooses to legalize everything, the 9th & 10th Amendments give them that right as well.
As for me, I personally oppose both extremes...I'm somewhere in the middle. I'd like to see the states work this out amongst themselves, while the federal role should be protecting our borders from illegal drugs & immigrants: do it NOW, build a fence like the Israelis are doing, & show no mercy to those who try to cross illegally! Our border agents are ARMED, & they should USE THEM. President Bush should quit being a "girlie man" when defending our borders. He is such a wus!!!!! (I'd like to say more, but the moderators won't let me say what I REALLY think about this wanna-be conservative).
A society whose only governmentally enforced rules are those against violating the rights of others (or placing those rights in clear and present danger) is fully a society. Any more governmentally enforced rules, and you're on the road to tyranny.
"A society whose only governmentally enforced rules are those against violating the rights of others...is fully a society."
I am quite certain that such a society has never existed and never will exist - every society has rules and structure and enforces them in one way or another. A government that acts against the enforcement of societal rules would be a government violently at odds with society.
"A society whose only governmentally enforced rules are those against violating the rights of others..."
And who decides what are the "rights of others?"
I am quite certain that such a society has never existed and never will exist -
Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't strive for that goal.
every society has rules and structure and enforces them in one way or another. A government that acts against the enforcement of societal rules would be a government violently at odds with society.
Are you saying that if government didn't jail drug users and sellers, the mob would take the law in their own hands and overwhelm any government attempts to stop them? I have a higher opinion of the American people than that.
Rights derive from man's nature as a reasoning free-willed being, able to formulate and pursue his own ends and thus not properly treated as a means to another's ends. Thus, man has the right not to be killed, robbed, and so on ... but has no "right" that is violated by another person's use or sale of drugs.
"Thus, man has the right not to be killed, robbed, and so on ... but has no "right" that is violated by another person's use or sale of drugs."
Do I have the right to not leave in fear of my neighbor or one of his friends killing me with a kitchen knife while tripping on PCP because they think I am an alien from the planet Zorbothan sent from the future to kill them? I think so and I think most of our society would agree.
A line needs to be drawn at some point; where exactly that line is drawn I am willing to admit is open to debate.
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